SAPA

Stour & Avon
Photographic Association

SAPA Inter-Club League Competitions

1. 
The participating Clubs will be separated into groups of 3 by the drawing of lots. If the number of Clubs competing is not divisible by 3 then the composition of the groups will be decided at the time of the draw. 

2. 
Within each group the Clubs will meet in at least 1 Competition. 

3. 
The drawing of lots for group members will take place at the November Committee Meeting. Any Club not intending to take part shall notify the Competition Secretary in advance of the November Meeting. 

4. 
The first Club drawn for each group will host the match and Competitions will be arranged as follows:   3 Club Group -A v B; B v C; C v A. 

5. 
The first named Club in each round shall arrange the competition at home and shall notify in writing the other Club of the date of the competition and appoint the Judge. 

6. 
The “Home” Club shall be responsible for sending a completed result sheet to the SAPA Competition Secretary within 14 days following the competition. 

7. 
In League Competitions, Clubs may enter up to a maximum of 12 prints and 12 digital images, but only the highest marked 9 prints and 9 digital images will count for the final total in each section. 

8. 
No photographer shall have entered more than 2 prints and 2 digital images in any league competition. 

9. 
The Entries 
The original image must have been taken using the photographic process (either digitally or on film) and all elements must be the sole copyright of the photographer. Prints -may be of any size but must be mounted on boards not exceeding 500mm x 400mm. Digital Images -shall be of a size, have dimensions and use the same format and colour space as set out in the Rules for the All v All PDI Competition, paragraph 2(b). 

10. 
All prints and digital images entered in these League Competitions must not have been entered in any previous SAPA competition prior to the current season. 

11. 
A member may represent not more than two clubs, but may not submit images to either of them for selection that are so similar as to be deemed the same. 

12. 
The Competition Secretary shall have the authority to waive the stipulations in Rules 8 and 11 for Clubs with a small membership. 

13. 
The Judge shall only view the entries when they have been mixed for the competition. Titles for prints or digital images may be announced at the time of viewing. Marks up to a maximum of 10 shall be awarded for each entry.

14. 
Points will be awarded in both sections, Prints and Digital Images, on the results as follows: 
Win = 2 points. Draw = 1 point 
The Club with the highest number of points per section aggregated from their 2 rounds shall proceed to the League Final. In the event of a tie on points, then the highest 9 marks from each of their 2 rounds shall be aggregated to find the winner. Should there still be a tie, then all of the 12 marks awarded for each of their two rounds shall be aggregated to find the winner. 

SAPA League Final Competition 

1. 
The venue and judge shall be agreed with the SAPA Committee. An ‘outside judge’ will be appointed by the SAPA Competition Secretary. The host Club and competing Clubs to be advised as soon as possible but not less than 4 weeks prior to the competition. 

2. 
In the League Final competition, Clubs may enter only 9 prints and 9 digital images, which must be selected from prints and digital images that have been entered for and taken part in the current season’s League Competitions. 

3. 
The Judge shall only view the entries when they have been mixed for the competition. Titles for prints or digital images may be announced at the time of viewing. Marks up to a maximum of 10 shall be awarded for each entry.

4. 
The Club receiving the highest aggregate score for 9 entries in each section shall be declared the winner. 

5. 
The following Trophies may be awarded to the winning Club in each section at the AGM, to be held for one season: 
a) Prints Winner -The AP Manners Cup 
b) Digital Images Winner -The NR Green Cup 
It is the responsibility of the winning Clubs to have the Trophies engraved, 
and to make them available for presentation to the winners the 

1. 
All entries must have been entered for and taken part in that season’s League Competitions and all Clubs are eligible. 

2. 
The entry from each Club will be the 2 highest scoring prints and digital images in League Competitions of that season. If more than 2 prints or digital images have the same qualifying marks, the Club shall decide which 2 to enter. 

3. 
An ‘outside Judge’ will be appointed by the SAPA Competition Secretary. 
The host Club and competing Clubs to be advised as soon as possible but not less than 4 weeks prior to the competition. The event will take place as soon as possible after the League Final. Scores obtained in the League Final do not count. 

4. 
For this competition the Judge need only select 1st, 2nd, 3rd and Highly Commended in each section.

5. 
The Judge shall only view the entries when they have been mixed for the competition. Titles for prints or digital images may be announced at the time of viewing. 

6. 
The following Trophies will be awarded: 
Print of the Year -The Chairman’s Shield (Presented by Dudley Button) Digital Image of the Year -The Treasurer’s Shield (Presented by Chris Thorpe) 

7. 
Trophies will be held for one season and will be awarded at the AGM together with a Certificate for the winner to keep together with Certificates for the other awards. It is the responsibility of the winning member’s Club to have the Trophy engraved, and to make it available for presentation to the winner the following year. 

1. 
No more than 6 prints are to be entered by each Club, and of these, no more than 1 print by any photographer. Any Club with 6 members or less can submit up to 2 prints each, provided that all members participate. 

2. 
Images may be recorded and produced by chemical or electronic means. The copyright of all components in an image must be the property of the entrant. Entries: 
Prints may be of any size and must be mounted on boards not exceeding 
500mm x 400mm. 

3. 
Entries must not have been entered in previous SAPA competitions, but may be used in the current season’s League Competitions. 

4. 
All clubs entering the All-v-All Print Competition must complete an entry form with entry titles and Photographers’ names. The form to be handed to the SAPA Competition Secretary on the evening of the competition. 

5. 
A member may represent not more than two clubs, but may not submit images to either of them for selection that are so similar as to be deemed the same. 

6. 
Responsibilities of Host Club. 
(a) The venue for this competition shall be agreed with the SAPA Committee 
(b) An ‘outside judge’ will be appointed by the SAPA Competition Secretary. 
The host Club and competing Clubs to be advised as soon as possible but not less than 4 weeks prior to the competition. 
(c) The SAPA Competition Secretary shall be kept informed of all changes without delay. 

7. 
The Judge shall only view the entries when they have been mixed for the competition. Titles for prints may be announced at the time of viewing. Marks up to a maximum of 10 shall be awarded for each entry. The winning Club shall be awarded the All v All Shield to be held for 1 season, and the 3 top Clubs shall be awarded Certificates, at the AGM. It is the responsibility of the winning Club to have the Shield engraved, and to make it available for presentation to the winner the following season. 

1. 
No more than 6 images to be entered by each Club and of these, only 1 image per member. Any club with 6 members or less can submit up to 2 images each, provided that all members participate. 

2. 
Entries: 
(a) The original image must have been taken using the photographic process 
(either digital or film) and all elements must be the sole copyright of the Photographer. 
(b) Entries shall be digital files in jpeg format. The maximum dimensions of an 
entry shall be 1400 pixels in width and 1050 pixels in height and it is recommended that they be saved in the sRGB colour space and at 8-bit. 
(c) No attempt will be made to alter images or to interpolate image sizes ready for projection. Any image in incorrect file format or exceeding the pixel limitation will be excluded from judging. 
(d) Entries shall be projected in random order. 
(e) Entries must not have been entered in previous SAPA competitions, but may 
be used in the current season’s League Competitions. 

3. 
All clubs entering the All-v-All Projected Digital Image Competition must complete an entry form with entry title and photographer’s name. The form to be sent/delivered to the SAPA Competition Secretary together with the Club’s entries on CD/DVD/Memory Stick or similar, being received not less than 7 days prior to the competition. 

4. 
A member may represent not more than two clubs, but may not submit images to either of them for selection that are so similar as to be deemed the same. 

5. 
Responsibilities of Host Club: 
(a) The venue for this competition shall be agreed with the SAPA Committee. 
Account shall be taken of the equipment and expertise of the host Club in running Digital Competitions. 
(b) The host Club shall provide suitable projection and computer equipment with 
the necessary backup equipment and projector bulb to the satisfaction of the Competition Secretary in consultation with the SAPA Committee. 
(c) The SAPA Competition Secretary shall be kept informed of any changes. 

6. 
Judges: 
(a) An ‘outside Judge’ will be appointed by the host Club, in consultation with the 
SAPA Competition Secretary. Competing Clubs to be advised of the appointment as soon as possible but not less than 4 weeks prior to the competition. 
(b) The Judge(s) shall view the entries when they have been mixed and then 
projected before the competition commences. Titles for digital images may be announced at the time of viewing. Marks up to a maximum of 10 shall be awarded for each entry. 
(c) The Judge(s) may be requested to select the best projected image, for which 
a suitable Certificate will be presented at the SAPA AGM. 

7. 
The winning Club shall be awarded the All v All PDI Trophy to be held for one season, and the 3 top Clubs shall be awarded Certificates, at the AGM. It is the responsibility of the winning Club to have the Trophy engraved, and to make it available for presentation to the winner in the following season. 

1. 
Advice to host Clubs concerning financial arrangements for SAPA competitions 
(All v All’s, League Final, and Best of Year). 
a) The Judge is normally appointed by the SAPA Competition Secretary but host Clubs may be requested to do this in consultation with the Secretary, ensuring that a suitably experienced Judge is appointed. The Judge’s likely expenses should also be ascertained at this time. 
b) The Judge’s expenses will normally be paid by the host Club on the night and it is expected that these expenses shall be recovered from fundraising (e.g. sale of raffle tickets or refreshments) on the evening. 
c) If the event is on a scheduled Club evening then the host Club shall be responsible for the room hire costs. 
d) Any profit made by the host Club after expenses shall be split 50/50 with SAPA, whilst any shortfall will be met in full by SAPA. 

2. 
Advice to Clubs hosting SAPA Competitions as to how they might 
be conducted. 

a) Print Competitions: 

(i) In order for the prints to be fairly judged, they need to be placed on the stands in a random manner. This can only be done when most of the entries have been received. Clubs are encouraged to arrive early to facilitate this, but the host Club should liaise with the SAPA Competition Secretary before making a start. 
(ii) Club helpers are to be encouraged to wear appropriate gloves at all times when handling print entries. Other Club members (and even Judges) should be dissuaded from touching/holding the prints. 
(iii) Normally, it will be possible to arrange for at least 50% of the entries to be judged in the first half of the evening with the remainder after the refreshment break. If all concerned are happy for a greater percentage to be dealt with in the first half, then this is acceptable. 
(iv) It is good manners for the Judge to be welcomed when they arrive. Normally, the host Club would do this but another person may be asked to do so. The Judge should also be supplied with a glass of water during judging if they so desire, and they should also be offered refreshments during the interval. At the end of the evening, the host Club should ensure that the Judge’s expenses are paid as agreed. 
(v) Sound equipment (i.e. microphone) should be provided where possible so that the Judge can be clearly heard by all attending. 

b) Projected Digital Image Competitions: 

(i) Due to the technical nature of these competitions, host Clubs rely completely on their equipment working properly. They should therefore be encouraged to ensure that they have backup equipment available in the likelihood of a failure. 
(ii) Para's a)(iii), a)(iv) and a)(v) above are also relevant here and should be followed as appropriate. 
(iii) The Judge should be encouraged to stand in a suitable position relative to the screen, neither too close nor too far away. 
(iv) The Judge should be invited to see a test image(s) for colour acceptance and accuracy of the projecting equipment. The Southern Photographic Federation have produced one which may be used. 

3. 
Digital Image Entries for All-v-All PDI Competitions 

a) You are advised not to use Re-Writable CDs as they may not be readable on different computers. The CD must contain only the 6 entries of a single Club and nothing else except the image files. It is advisable to confirm CDs read by checking on another computer. A file may be included, if desired, in “.rtf” format containing the titles and photographers’ names in order to give correct credit on the night. 
b) The CD or USB memory stick and any protecting case must be marked with the name of the Club using a permanent marker pen. No label must be attached to the CD itself. 
c) Image files must have the same title on the CD as on the Entry Form and be in the following form – [Club code letter] [Club entry number from 01 to 06]_[title of image]_ [initials of Photographer]. E.g.: A01_A touch of class_JB.jpg; and, A02_Friends forever_PC.jpg; …… etc. If this format is not adhered to, the SAPA Competition Secretary reserves the right to alter any entry title so that it conforms. 
d) The maximum dimensions of any entry, 1400 pixels in width (landscape) and 1050 pixels in height (portrait) cannot be changed. In other words, a “portrait” image cannot be more than 1050 pixels in height. Any image that is of smaller dimensions will not fill the screen and photographers may choose to use that space to create their own backgrounds or borders. Please be aware that large white borders may detract from the image. Any unused space may be shown as black by the projector. 
e) If there is sufficient time, the SAPA Competition Secretary will endeavour to contact Clubs concerning any incorrect images.

Club Code letters are as follows (new codes from Sept 2017):

4. 
Digital Image Entries for League Competitions 

a) In many instances the image format, dimensions, etc., will be the same as or similar to those found in paragraph 3 above. However each host Club shall inform their opponent of their requirements, when the image files are required and who is to receive them. 

Stour & Avon Photographic Association © 2016