Our Photo Contests

Each month, we hold a themed photo competition during our regular meetings. The themes are chosen by the committee at the beginning of each calendar year. (The best place to find the current contest themes is in the club newsletter, which is sent out by email every month.  You can sign up for the newsletter at your first meeting.)

NOTE: Photo Contest rules have been UPDATED as of 2/2012.

Entries can be submitted in each of three FOUR categories:

  • Black & white print
  • Color print
  • Post-processed projected image
  • Open category (new!)
Each member can submit up to two photos in each of the four categories.

For the print categories, most members submit a large print (such as 8×10). Projected images will be displayed on a large screen using a computer and projector, so images for the projected contest should be submitted for upload on some form of storage media (such as a USB drive, CD, or DVD).

All members can vote on each of the three categories. First-place and second-place ribbons are awarded in each category. These winning photos can be entered in our annual Photo of the Year contest, which takes place in January.

We have a set of agreed-upon rules for our contest.  Please review them before submitting photos for the contest.

If you’d like more information on what makes a good photo, please see our page How Prints are Judged.

Jefferson City Photo Club Contest Rules
effective February 2012

  1. Color Prints
    1. Any post processing must be limited to that which does not alter the truth of the photographic statement. No elements may be moved, cloned, added, deleted, rearranged, or combined. No manipulation or modification is permitted except resizing, cropping, selective lightening or darkening, and restoration of the original color of the scene. No special filters may be applied by software.
    2. Sepia tone images, if produced in-camera, may be submitted in the Color Prints category.
  2. Black & White Prints
    1. Any post processing must be limited to that which does not alter the truth of the photographic statement. No elements may be moved, cloned, added, deleted, rearranged, or combined. No manipulation or modification is permitted except resizing, cropping, selective lightening or darkening, and restoration of the original color of the scene. No special filters may be applied by software.
    2. Black & White images may be produced either in-camera or by post-processing software.
  3. Projected Images
    1. Except as noted in the next paragraph, entries in this category must be submitted on some form of media readable by a Windows-based notebook computer.
      1. Mounted slides (from film) may be submitted ONLY on prior arrangement with Bob Colvin so that a projector can be provided for the purpose.
    2. Images may be manipulated or modified through post-processing in any way the submitter sees fit.
  4. Open Category
    1. Images may be submitted as either Black & White or Color prints.
    2. Images may be manipulated or modified through post-processing in any way the submitter sees fit.
    3. Photos must be taken by the submitter of the photo.
    4. Photos must depict the theme of the monthly competition.
  5. General Submission Guidelines
    1. The submitter must be an active member of the Jefferson City Photo Club with current dues paid in full.
    2. Except as noted in the following paragraph, submitted photographs and images must have been taken / originated within the last twelve months. (Twelve months is understood to begin on the first day of the current month of the previous year and end with the date of the meeting in which the image is submitted.)
      1. Periodically, a competition topic will be drawn at random during a meeting for the competition the following month. In these cases, the submitted images must have been taken / originated sometime between the topic announcement and the submission of the images.
      2. Prints submitted in the Open Category are exempt from the 12-month time limit.
    3. Submission of images will end at 7:10 p.m. on the meeting night.
    4. Each active member may submit no more than two images in each of the four categories provided that no image is a visual duplicate of those submitted in other categories by the same submitter.
    5. Technical Information
      1. Submitters must be prepared to describe the circumstances of the winning images. This includes, but is not restricted to, the following information:
        1. What where you trying to accomplish with the image, if anything beyond meeting the competition topic, and were you successful?
        2. Any special set-up, planning, or equipment needed. This includes any special camera settings or film used.
        3. Describe what post-processing was performed and the software used.
        4. It is NOT necessary to list the ISO, f-stop, or shutter speed unless there is a specific reason for what you chose.
        5. The general location and time of year (if not otherwise obvious) the image was taken (or image elements, in the case of manipulated images).
        6. Be prepared to answer questions from other members relating to the image.