General Rules for Competitions
This page mainly relates to Sileby's own competitions, but you will find at the end some cautionary notes on External Competitions.
Rules for Competitions are updated periodically. The changes to General Rules from the 2023-2024 season mean that we no longer specify a mandatory size of print mounts. Changes for 2026 relate to the amalgamation of monochrome and colour prints into a single category: prints.
A complete and printable version of the rules, including those for individual competitions, can be found here.
Rules Applicable to ALL Sileby Competitions
Any closing date published in this programme is the final date for entries. No late entries will be accepted. Entries that do not comply with the rules below will be rejected.
The original image/images must have been taken using a photographic process and all elements must be the entrant’s own work. When replacing a sky, for example, the new sky must have been taken by the entrant; or if a person is added to an image the figure must have been photographed by the entrant. This rule is included to protect the copyright of authors.
There is a single category for each of prints and digital projected images, meaning that no distinction is made between colour and monochrome versions of a given image. Thus, once a given image has been submitted to a given competition as a colour print, it cannot subsequently be submitted to the same competition as a monochrome print, or vice versa. It may, though, be submitted as a projected digital image, in either colour or monochrome, but never both. These two alternative versions MUST NOT be submitted at the same time for the same competition.
An entry judged by the Competition Secretary to be to be significantly similar to one entered previously will not be accepted for the same competition even in subsequent years. Therefore, images must have been taken from a significantly different viewpoint, at a different time of day or year or in different lighting conditions. Images must not just be subsequent frames but have the subject in a significantly different pose or position. Except where the rules for Quarterly Competitions permit resubmission, images that have been cropped or had minor elements “spotted out” at the suggestion of a judge or members cannot be re-entered in the same medium in the same competition.
Image titles should be kept brief, to enable them to be included in the likes of entry forms and score sheets. The suggested limit is 40 characters including spaces. Whilst it is recognised that some authors like to provide, for future reference, a full and descriptive definition of an image, this should not be included as a part of a title. If such additional information is so provided it should be shown in brackets, so it remains absolutely clear what the title of an image is.
The Committee reserves the right to suspend any Competition for one or more seasons.
Rules Specific to Prints
Any print first submitted prior to January 1st 2026 is exempt from the “single category” rule above, meaning that submission of a colour print of a given image does not preclude its later use as a monochrome print, and vice versa. Newer entries must comply.
Prints mounts must not exceed 500mm by 400mm. Although there is no minimum print or mount size, it is usual for the print area to be at least 500 square centimetres.
All prints should bear a title, the author's name and the name of the Society clearly marked on the reverse of the mount. Further, all print submissions must be accompanied by a digital version conforming to the size requirements given in the “Rules Specific to Projected Digital Images” below .
Prints must be mounted on substantial card, usually with the card forming a border. Prints are commonly presented on black, grey, white or cream mounts although other subdued colours are sometimes used. Careful and sympathetic mounting is particularly important if the print is to be considered for inclusion in a Sileby panel for an External Competition, where one odd mount in the group of prints can severely detract from the overall impression.
It is not unknown for prints and their mounts to be damaged accidentally. Whilst every effort is made to minimise damage, authors should be aware of the possibility and should not submit anything irreplaceable. The possibility of damage should be taken into account when deciding upon a mount style and construction.
Care should be taken to ensure that no excess adhesive remains on the print and/or mount as this can damage other entrants’ prints. Any tape securing the back of a window mount must be securely attached and shall be soft and smooth so that it does not scratch the surface of other prints. The use of brown parcel tape is discouraged in this regard. Labels on the backs of prints must be attached securely so that they do not become detached and stick to other prints. If the Competition Secretary judges that a submitted print appears likely to cause damage to other entrants’ prints, it can be withdrawn from Competition.
Rules Specific to Projected Digital Images
Regardless of the date of first submission, there is only one category of digital image. Thus, once a given frame has been used as a colour digital, it cannot subsequently be used in the same competition in monochrome or vice versa.
Digital images must be submitted on USB pen drive or by email to the Competition Secretary (compsec@silebyps.org.uk). They must be submitted using a file naming convention whereby the first group of letters denotes the author’s initials, then a space, hyphen or underscore followed by the title of the image. They should be prepared such that the width of the image does not exceed 1280 pixels, and the height does not exceed 1024 pixels. Do not pad out smaller images to this size. Any pin lines added as borders should not be narrower than two pixels per side. Image formats are limited to JPEG and 8-bit TIFF; the latter must be “flattened”. Formats such as PSD, which are related to specific image manipulation applications, are NOT acceptable.
Rules for Individual Competitions
Rules for Individual Competitions can be found here.
Notes Relating to External Competitions
Note that the specifications for digital projected images are likely to vary from one external competition to another, but see below. For prints, most will specify a size of exactly 500mm by 400mm, sometimes with a maximum thickness, typically 4mm. You are advised to read the rules for each external competition carefully. Because this is Sileby’s maximum size, members aspiring to have their prints represent Sileby or to enter External Competitions should ensure that their prints match this 500mm by 400mm requirement.
Submission dates and rules for Federation and other external competitions will be announced by the External Competition Secretary as details are received. These dates must be rigorously adhered to. It is interesting, informative and usually inspiring to visit other clubs' exhibitions and particularly those mounted by the federations.
Some external competitions allow projected digital images to be as large as 1400 x 1050 or even 1600 x 1200 pixels. Whilst this sounds like a bonus, and indeed is for authors working in a wider format, do bear in mind that when vertical images are projected, they will appear smaller when the screen is configured for 1400 or 1600 pixels wide than when it is configured for 1280 wide. If you cannot immediately see why that should be - it's all to do with aspect ratios - then read this.
Whether or not you've read the explanation, the bad news is that if you submit a portrait-format image at the shape in which it comes from the camera into a competition where 1400 by 1050 or 1600 x 1200 images are allowed, you will be showing an image that occupies substantially less than half the screen area compared with someone submitting a full-size landscape-format image. So the advice is to think carefully before entering vertical images into such competitions.