Individual Print Competition Rules Old

Color and Monochrome Rules

An online entry form for each competition must be filled out one week prior to the competition.  Please see the schedule for complete dates for print and entry form submission deadlines. An online entry form must be submitted prior to the submission of the prints, or the prints will not be accepted. The entry form information is used to generate the scoring chart, print labels and awards.

No Entry Fee

There is no entry fee, however, there is a fee if you mail prints to the competition and wish their return.

Printmakers can mail their prints prior to the deadline or they can drop them off the morning of the judging, attend the judging, and then take their prints home with them at the end of the day.

Print Entry by Mail

See Schedule for shipping instructions and deaadlines. If an entrant wishes their prints submitted by mail to be returned, they must include in the print package with their prints a postal return fee of $15 (check made out to NECCC) or a return prepaid shipping label for Fed Ex or UPS. There is no fee if you do not want your prints returned. You may put several makers’ print into one box to save money.

Print Submission in Person

Prints may be dropped off from 9:30 to 10:30am the morning of the judging at the Greater Lynn headquarters. All prints submitted that morning will be returned to the makers at the end of the judging.

AWARDS

All Best of Show and Category Medals will be picture medals, with the print image on the medal. The Judge’s choice medal plaques will not have the print image on the medals. All medal plaques will be engraved and mailed to the makers after the judging.

All winning print images will be displayed on the NECCC website and be reproduced in the NECCC Bulletin. All award-winning prints will be photographed immediately after the judging. This means if you are in attendance and a winner you will have to stay for approximately 15 minutes post the judging to have it photographed prior to taking your print home.

Awards for Color and Monocrhome

• Best of Show medal in each section
• Three Judges’s Choice medal in each section
• Honor Award Ribbons (10% of total entries)

Special Category Awards – Color

Best Nature – John Fuller Memorial Award

Best Photo Travel – Daniel Charbonnet Memorial Award

Special Category Awards – Monochrome

Best Landscape / Seascape / Cityscape – J. Owen Santer Memorial Award

Best Nature – Harold Ahern Memorial Award

Awards

Print Judging

All prints will be judged by three qualified judges using a regulation lightbox and an electronic scoring device. All scores will be recorded on the back of the prints on the official NECCC label that will be generated and affixed on your print for you. All prints will have a short critique by one of the judges after it has been scored using a rotation through all three judges. To make it easier for the audience in attendance to see the prints, the prints will be projected on the 12-foot screen in the front of the hall at the same time the judges will be judging and viewing them in the lightbox.

RULES

Eligibility

The competitions are open to all individuals belonging to NECCC member clubs. All prints are eligible whether or not it has ever won an award at an NECCC interclub competition or conference competition; however, if the print won an award in last year’s Individual Print Competition you may not enter it again in that same genre nor can you make a winning color print into B&W and enter it or vice versa, you cannot change a winning B&W print to color and enter it this year. If it won last year, it is no longer eligible. Prints entered in these competitions need not have been produced by the photographer; commercially made prints are accepted. All original photography (negative, slide, or image file) from which the prints are made must be the work of the entrant only.

A Note on Artificial Intelligence (AI) Images

NECCC follows the PSA Guidelines in that PSA does not allow images to be submitted that contain any elements not created/shot by the submitting photographer. This includes layers, textures, additional elements, AI generated images or components, etc. Nor do they allow watermarks, logos, titles or author’s names to appear in the photograph in any way. If a photographer is combining different elements/layers, ALL of these must be from original photographs taken by the photographer themselves. You cannot purchase stock photography, use free images off the internet, trade images with friends nor use any other source than your own, original photographs. PSA takes copyright, infringement, and outside sourcing very seriously and violations can result in photographers being barred from submitting to any PSA competition and may include ramifications for the club they belong to in addition to personal sanctions. Therefore, all prints entered in any category must be entirely the work of the maker.

Size

Any size or mount from 8” x 10” up to 16″ x 20″ is acceptable. Prints must be mounted, with the print backed completely by whatever mount medium is used. Please refer to the Print Entry Guidelines.

Title /Labels

The print must have a title (“Untitled” is not a title). The title together with the maker’s name corresponding to the online entry form, must appear on the back of the print on your own label. Judging labels for scoring and entry information will be generated by the organizing committee based on the information submitted on the online entry form and will be affixed on the print for you at the time of submission.

Online Entry form

This Entry Form must be filled out in full with your name, address, Camera Club affiliation, email, phone and title of the print. If an online entry form is not filled out prior to the submission of the prints, the prints will not be accepted. Late entry forms past the due date of one week prior to the judging will not be accepted. The entry form will be used to generate, scoring chart, print labels and awards so must be filled out.

Suggestions

It is strongly recommended that prints be mailed in standard salon fiber or polypropylene cases. This not only provides maximum protection for the prints, but makes the task of handling easier for the club sponsoring the competition. Multiple makers prints may be mailed in one package. It is recommended to save postage, that if there are multiple members of your club who want to enter, that you mail all the prints in one package. Mono and Color prints from the same entrant should be mailed together.

If you have a question about whether a print meets the rules and you will be dropping the prints off directly, please bring a backup print with you. For mailed prints, all efforts will be made to notify you and give you time to submit another print should the Director decide it does not meet the rules/requirements for Mono Prints, Color Prints or Mounting.

We encourage you to attend the judging and drop off your prints the day of the judging/critique. This is being done at your request for an individual competition with critique so are hoping is that there will be an audience in attendance.

While care is taken in the handling and storage of submitted material, NECCC, Inc. assumes no liability for the loss of, or damage to, any prints. If a print is believed to have market value or is irreplaceable for sentimental or other reasons, please submit a duplicate instead.

Individual Print Competition Co-Directors