SPF - PAGB Events

SPF and PAGB Events

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 Guidance Notes

These notes have been collated to give guidance for those involved with SPF and PAGB Competitions.

The Photographic Alliance of Great Britain –PAGB– oversees all photographic clubs in the UK and N Ireland.
The Alliance is split into Federations of which Scotland is one.
http://www.thepagb.org.uk/

The Scottish Photographic Federation –SPF– oversees all photographic clubs in Scotland.
Currently there are 95 member clubs in Scotland.

http://www.scottish-photographic-federation.org/

 

  1. Why is it important for individual club members to participate in these inter-club competitions? 
  • To support their club.
  • To improve their photography by being self-critical.
  • To compare their work to that of others, and seek improvement in doing so.
  • For those thinking of taking a PAGB qualification such as CPAGB (Credit PAGB) or DPAGB (Distinction PAGB) they should demonstrate that their work is being used by their club for competition purposes at an inter-club level before entering, usually by confirmation from a responsible person in their club. Their work will then be judged by a panel. For the most advanced photographers there is also an MPAGB (Master PAGB) for those who would like most advanced recognition for their work. For more details of these photographic honours see the PAGB web site.

 

  1. What Competitions are being organised? 

The main competitions that normally concern members of Dundee Photographic Society are:

  • SPF Print Championship
  • SPF Digital Image Championship
  • SPF Digital and Print Portfolios
  • PAGB Great British Cup (Open, Digital)
  • PAGB Great British Cup (Nature, Digital)
  • PAGB Digital Championship
  • PAGB Print Championship

 

Note: the SPF is the Scottish Photographic Federation and is the umbrella organisation for most of the photographic clubs in Scotland. It provides many services including legal advice and insurance services as well as organising Scotland-wide competitions.

The SPF is affiliated to the PAGB which is the umbrella organisation for photographic federations throughout the UK. It too organises photo competitions on a nationwide basis

 


 

 

  1. Competition Notes
    Most of the following notes are adapted from details available on the SPF and PAGB web sites.

 

SPF Print Championship:

Closing Date: 27th January 2018
Judging: 18th February 2018
Results: Immediate
Venue: Stirling Court Hotel

(University of Stirling)

 

The SPF Print Championship is a club and individual competition, and is open for monochrome and colour prints, and is held in February each year. It is judged in front of an audience by three judges. Each judge scores up to a maximum 5 marks, so the maximum score a print may get is 15. Entries are submitted in advance of the competition by each club, which has to select a club entry from the members’ individual entries. Awards and medals are awarded both for the highest scoring clubs and also for the best individual images.

The top two clubs are invited to represent the SPF at the PAGB Print Championship held in October.

Online Entry is via the SPF website and only the club’s nominated Competition Secretary is eligible to do this. We register for access to the Online Area by following the link provided by email to our Club Competition Secretary or Secretary.  Closing Dates for delivery of print entries is either to drop-off points by 28th January, or to Carluke by 8th February.

Further details and full Online Entry Guidance Notes can be downloaded in the “How to Enter” section of the SPF web site. (See http://www.scottish-photographic-federation.org/)

No digital copies of prints are required for this competition.  Only one person must collate and submit all the entries from a club. – Maximum 3 Mono and 3 Colour per author – Cost remains 60p per print (which has been met by DPS in the past) – Maximum 80 prints per Club – A printed copy of the online entry form that will be available after submission of our entry must be enclosed with prints and payment cheque. Return postage must be included if no one from our club is attending to bring prints back.

 

SPF Digital Championship

Closing Date: TBC
Judging: 12th Nov/19th Nov 2018 TBC
Results: Immediate
Venue: Stirling Court Hotel

(University of Stirling)

The SPF Digital Championship is a club competition open to projected digital images (PDIs), held in November each year. It is judged in front of an audience by three judges. Each judge scores up to a maximum 5 marks, so the maximum score an image may get is 15.

Entries are submitted in advance by the club. Club and individual awards are made. After two rounds, the top 8 Clubs contest the Final, while the remaining clubs contest the Plate Trophy. The top two clubs from the Final are invited to represent the SPF at the PAGB Digital Championship held the following July.

Online Entry via the SPF web site was introduced in 2016. The club SPF Competition Secretary will receive an email as soon as the Online Entry is open. We do not have to name our files in a specific way, as the SPF website will do this for us from the titles we enter. We do however need to make sure they are sized to a maximum of 1600 x1200 pixels, and saved as jpegs. It is also advised that they be in the sRGB colour space.

Only one person must collate and submit all entries from a club, this is usually the Club’s SPF Competition Secretary. There is a maximum bank of 40 Images required per club, and the minimum required is 20, with a maximum of 25% nature in any one round.

It is important to note that there is selection of images for this competition by the Club, so not all the work submitted by members will be shown in competition. The 1st Round Entry, which is selected by the club in advance, consists of 8 Images, with a max of 2 per author.  Someone must attend to select our following rounds on the day. Round 2, which must be all new images chosen from the bank consists of a further 8 Images, again with a max 2 of per author.

If we are among the top eight clubs after the first two rounds, then we need to choose 20 images for the final round and at this point we may re-use any images used in the first two rounds. If we are NOT among the top eight clubs after the first two rounds, then we only need 10 images for the Plate competition for runners-up. Again images from the first two rounds may be re-used.

Any images from our ‘bank’ which are not projected can be used in future years. Equally any members’ images that were not selected for the club’s entry may also be used again.

The entry fee for this year remains £15. Cheques are made payable to the ‘Scottish Photographic Federation’ and sent with a printed copy of the completed form that will be available after processing.

As mentioned earlier, from 2016 onwards entry is via online entry upload of images through the SPF website.  We enter our entire ‘bank of images’ and then select our 1st round from those as before. We will only have to size our image; there will be no need to filename in a particular way. We will simply be entering an image title and author name for each image up to a maximum of 40 images.

Nature images will also require to be indicated in the column provided.

The SPF Portfolio Competitions

These consist of both a “Print Portfolio” and a “Projected Image Portfolio”.

SPF Print Portfolio:

Closing Dates: 1st May 2017 / 1st May 2018
Judging: 29th July 2017/
Results: Soon afterwards (August)
Venue: Closed to public/clubs

 

SPF Digital Image Portfolio:

Closing Date: 1st May 2017
Judging: 29th July 2017
Results: Soon afterwards (August)
Venue: Closed to public/clubs

 

The SPF Annual Portfolios are competitions for clubs and individuals.  They are open to Monochrome and Colour Prints and Digital Images (PDIs). Entries are submitted by 1st May each year at drop-off points or direct to the organiser John McVie. The event is judged in-camera, by three judges. After Judging, the highest scoring entries (Approx. 25% to 33% of total entry) form the Annual Portfolio of accepted Prints and Projected Images for the year.

After the event Portfolio shows of the accepted entries are made up on disc for clubs to show on a club night, and a copy is placed in the SPF’s archive. All clubs who book a copy, are sent a disc to keep in the November following the judging. Participating clubs get this for free. There is a nominal charge for non-participating clubs or for late applicants. Some clubs (e.g. DPS) keep this DVD as an emergency back-up in case a speaker lets them down. In 2016 Stan was the SPF Portfolios Secretary and supplied DVDs to about 30 Scottish clubs including DPS.

Additional individual awards are presented. These are for Best Nature, Best Creative, Best Portrait and Best Landscape, as well as for the Judge’s Choices and Best Overall.

As with other SPF competitions, entry is by Online Entry. All entries are uploaded by the Club Organiser, and are entered as a list arranged by author’s name. Then the Club Entry is selected from those entries. Digital Images of all Prints submitted are also required to be uploaded to give the best possible quality in the Portfolio Shows, which are supplied to the Clubs for viewing during next season.

When making an online entry, we are asked to indicate if we wish to receive a free DVD copy of the Portfolio Shows of acceptances for viewing as part of next season’s Club syllabus; Discs will be posted first week in November to the address supplied. (1 copy per Club)

The maximum file size accepted for upload is now 1600×1200, 2mb file size max (Quality 10) jpeg; 96 ppi is preferred. (Smaller sizes such as 1400×1050 will still be accepted)

Please see Nature definition for what is eligible for the Nature Award. Please also check the Monochrome Definition. The other categories do not have a definition and will be defined by the Judges.

 

PAGB Digital Championship

Closing Date: TBC
Judging: Sunday 15th July 2017
Results: Immediately
Venue: University of Warwick

The top two clubs from the Final of the SPF Digital Championship are invited to represent the SPF at the PAGB Digital Championship held the following July. Entry therefore depends on performance in earlier competition.

DPS has NOT qualified for this event in 2017.

By a date to be advised, each entrant club must use the PAGB on-line Entries System to declare and upload a bank of 40 Images with associated Titles and Photographers’ names.

Also by a date to be advised, each entrant club must provide its entry list of 8 Images for Round One, chosen from the Club’s Image Bank. There must be no more than 2 Images by each Photographer, and no more than 2 Nature Images.

Following Round One at the Event, each Entrant Club must provide its entry list of 8 Images for Round Two, chosen from the Club’s Image Bank. The Images must all be different from those entered for Round One. There must be no more than 2 Images by each Photographer, and no more than 2 Nature Images.

Following Round Two, the scores for Rounds One and Two will be totalled. The top eight and equal Clubs may compete in the Final. The remaining Clubs may compete in the Plate.

For those clubs competing in the Final Competition, each club must provide its entry list of 20 Images for the Final, chosen from the club’s image bank. No more than 10 of these Images may have been used in rounds one and two. There must be no more than 4 Images by each Photographer, and no more than 4 Nature Images.

For the runner-up clubs competing in the Plate Competition, each club must then provide its entry list of 8 images for the Plate Competition, chosen from the club’s image bank. No more than 4 of these Images may have been used in rounds one and two. There must be no more than 2 images by each photographer, and no more than 2 nature images.

 

PAGB Print Championship

Closing Date: TBC
Judging: Sunday 29 October 2017
Results: Immediately
Venue: TBC

The top two clubs in the SPF Print Championship are invited to represent the SPF at the PAGB Print Championship in October. Entry therefore depends on performance in earlier competition.

DPS HAS qualified for this event in 2017.

The entrant club may bring any number of eligible prints to the event, from which they make their selections.

By a specified date in advance of the competition however, each entrant club must provide an entry list of 12 prints for round one. The prints must be delivered at the event by the time required, usually on the morning of the event. There must be at least 5 monochrome prints and at least 5 colour prints, by at least 5 different photographers. There must be no more than 4 prints by each photographer, and no more than 3 nature prints.

Following round one, the scores will be totalled. The top eight and any equal clubs may compete in the Final.

For clubs qualifying for the Final, each club must then provide 15 Prints (with two copies of matching entry forms), chosen from the club’s print bank. All 12 Prints from round one may be re-used. There must be at least 5 monochrome prints and at least 5 colour prints, by at least 5 different photographers. There must be no more than 4 prints by each photographer, and no more than 4 nature prints.

The remaining runner-up clubs may complete in the Plate Competition, For this each entrant club must provide 5 prints, (with two copies of matching entry forms), chosen from the club’s print bank. No more than 3 Prints may be reused from round one. There must be at least 2 monochrome prints and at least 2 colour prints, by at least 3 different photographers. There must be no more than 3 prints by each photographer, and no more than 1 nature print.

PAGB Great British Cup (Digital)

Closing Date: TBC (15 Jan 2017)
Judging: TBC (21/22 Jan 2017)
Results: Soon afterwards
Venue: Closed to public/clubs

In the past DPS has entered this competition.

The PAGB GB Cup is an Inter-Club competition for projected digital images and every club that is affiliated through a member federation (such as the SPF) is eligible to enter. There is no pre-qualification for this event.

There are three separate competitions – GB Cup (Open), GB Cup (Small Clubs) and GB Cup (Nature). Entry is made online at the GB Cup website Participating clubs will receive an AV show of the best pictures on a DVD, sufficient to fill an excellent Club evening. At least one of each club’s entries is always included.

For the Open competition each entrant club must submit 15 Images. The entry must include at least 6 photographers, with no more than 4 Images from any photographer. Nature images, if included in this competition, will be assessed strictly as pictorial and not as nature.

For the Nature competition each Entrant Club must submit between a minimum of 3 nature images and a maximum of 21 nature images. The entry must include no more than 3 images from any photographer. The judges will recognise all aspects of nature. Clubs entering less than 10 Images will be shown with their total score.

Note: It is not anticipated that DPS would enter this competition as a “small club”.

PAGB Great British Trophy (Prints)

Closing Date: TBC (30th Oct 2017)
Judging: TBC (5th November 2017)
Results: Soon afterwards
Venue: Closed to public/clubs

The PAGB GB Trophy is an Inter-Club competition for un-mounted Prints and every club that is affiliated through a member federation (such as the SPF) is eligible to enter. This event was first introduced in 2015.  There are two separate competitions: The GB Trophy (Open – for mono and colour prints), and The GB Trophy (nature). Initial entry is made online.

It was discussed in DPS Council whether DPS should enter the PAGB GB Trophy (Prints) and it was decided not to, as this competition coincides with the SPF PDI Championship and the PAGB Print Championship.

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