Competitions

Many of our members take an active part in image and print competitions. Each member in good standing may submit images to any of our regular Guild, CAPA (Canadian Association for Photographic Art) or PSA (Photographic Society of America) competitions. Information on specific competition dates is listed on the Schedule page.

Note that while the competition judging remain virtual there will be no print competitions.

To submit images for the current competition go to the Competition Upload Page.

Competition Rules

Here is an outline of how we organize our competitions since many new members often find the rules confusing. The Blue Book has full details about competing including how to prepare images for competition.

General Competition Rules

Categories

The following slide and digital categories are open for competition during the year:

  1. Pictorial: The Pictorial category is an open category and may include any subject. All portions of the image, or combined images, must be the work of the entrant.
  2. Nature: The Nature category is restricted to use of the photographic process to depict observations from all branches of natural history, except anthropology and archeology, in such a fashion that a well informed person will be able to identify the subject material and to certify as to its honest presentation. The story telling impact of the photograph must be weighed more than the pictorial value. Human elements shall not be present, unless those human elements enhance the nature story. The presence of scientific bands on wild animals is acceptable. Photographs of artificially produced hybrid plants or animals, mounted specimens, or obviously set arrangements are ineligible, as is any form of manipulation, manual or digital, that alters the truth of the photographic statement.All images used in Nature competitions must be considered “Digital Realism”. No elements may be moved, cloned, added, deleted, rearranged or combined. No manipulation or modification is permitted except resizing, cropping, selection lightening or darkening, and restoration of original colour of the scene. No special effect filters can be applied. Images may converted to grey-scale monochrome (Black and White), but infrared images are not allowed. Any adjustments must appear natural.
  3. Creative: The Creative category depicts a departure from realism often through the use of derivations, montages, motion blur, patterns, selective focus, zoom exposures and other techniques. The purpose of such techniques is to alter reality to the point that the picture is essentially surreal or abstract. High Dynamic Range (HDR) images without further changes are not considered “altered reality”. Artwork or computer graphics generated by the entrant may be incorporated, if the original photographic content predominates. Images may not be constructed entirely within a computer. All portions of an image, or combined images, must be the work of the entrant.
  4. Photo-Travel: The Photo-Travel category contains images that capture the feeling of a time and place and portray a land, a people or a culture in its natural state. Ultra close-ups that lose their identity, model shots or manipulated slides do not qualify. Photo-Travel slides have no geographical limitations. Images may converted to grey-scale monochrome (Black and White), but infrared images are not allowed. All images used in Photo-Travel competitions must be considered “Digital Realism”.
  5. Photojournalism: The Photojournalism “GENERAL” category contains images that consist of pictures or sequences with informative content and emotional impact, including human interest, documentary, spot news AND sports action.Sports Action images show the peak of action and impact within that sport. The “Human Interest” subcategory contains images depicting a person or persons in an interactive, emotional, or unusual situation, excluding sports ACTION.The journalistic value of the photograph shall be considered over the pictorial quality. In the interest of credibility, photographic manipulations that misrepresent the truth or situations that are set up for the purpose of photography are unacceptable in photojournalism competition. All images used in Photojournalism competitions must be considered “Digital Realism”.
  6. Portraiture: The Portraiture category was created to encourage members to improve their portrait images. The category, which includes figure studies, shows a planned portrayal of the subject including the use of creative techniques. The photographer must be in control of all aspects of the setting. Images made in situations where another individual controlled any aspect of the setting are ineligible.
  7. Humour: The Humour category contains images that tend to make the viewer laugh. Titles are an integral component of this category as they are read out loud just before the image is projected for judging. An image in which there is an attempt to maliciously embarrass an individual will not be accepted.
  8. Theme: The Theme category contains images that fit the description of the particular theme as specified by CAPA or by The Guild. Portrayal of the theme is an integral aspect of judging in this category.

Each member in good standing may submit images to any of our regular Guild, CAPA (Canadian Association for Photographic Art) or PSA (Photographic Society of America) competitions.

Scoring

Entries are usually judged by a panel of three judges, using a scoring system where each judge awards a score of 4 to 10 with half points. The total score is recorded against each entry. A record of photographer’s individual scores is kept, and the member with highest number of points at year end in named Guild Photographer of the Year. In addition, during the first two years of membership in the Guild, the photographer is eligible to win the Novice of the Year Award (presented to the new member with the highest number of accumulated points).

Number Of Entries

In case of Guild competitions, member may enter a maximum of two images in any one category (Pictorial, Nature, Photojournalism, Photo-Travel, Contemporary, Portrait, and Humour) up to a maximum of seven images in any one competition. Under our present rules, all entries in Guild competitions (please note only Guild competitions), must not be entered in any of previous Guild, PSA or CAPA competitions. In the case of PSA or CAPA competitions, member may submit two images in each category (Pictorial, Nature, Photojournalism, Contemporary or Theme). Please note that no individual image, or closely similar image, can be used for competition on more than three occasions in one season, regardless of category.

Please note: No image that has been sent away to an external competition, i.e. CAPA Pictorial, can be re-entered in that category. However, the same image can be entered in PSA pictorial or even CAPA Nature, if appropriate. Also, images for the Guild Theme competitions must be taken within the time limit (after September 1st of the current Guild year).

Awards

The Guild recognizes member’s success in a number of ways. The maker of any image or print given a score of 26 to 27.5 points is awarded a Honourable Mention certificate. 28 or 28.5 points is awarded a Merit certificate. An Honour certificate is awarded for a score of 29 to 30 points. Special awards are also presented annually to members gaining the highest cumulative points in each category. In the spring of each year, the Guild holds the Annual Trophy Competition. Entries here are restricted to images or prints which obtained 20 or more points in one of the season’s competitions. Special trophies are awarded in each category.

Nova Scotia Bird Society Competition Rules

This is an annual competition open only to members of the Photographic Guild of Nova Scotia. 

      1. Up to two digital images may be submitted by each photographer.
      2. The image of a wild bird must be have been photographed in Nova Scotia. The bird must not have been caged or otherwise restrained when photographed.
      3. The image must not be one of a nest, nest site, young birds at a nest, or adult birds tending a nest.
      4. Images must not have been submitted in any other Nova Scotia Bird Society Competition.
      5. Images will be judged on technical excellence, but also on originality, scientific interest, aesthetic appeal and artistic composition. “The art of enhancement” is allowed. At least one of the judges will be a member of the Nova Scotia Bird Society. There will be one winner declared with no runners-up.
      6. The Nova Scotia Bird Society may copy all of the entries and use them for educational purposes, publish them in its newsletter, and display them at meetings of the Society, with credit being given to the photographer. Copyright remains with the photographer.
      7. A brief account should be enclosed with each entry, giving the circumstances in which each photograph was obtained, technical details (focal length, exposure, make of camera and film), locality, and date. The photographer’s name and address should be included in the FileInfo for each digital image.
      8. Entrants must make available a high resolution file of their image(s) upon request for one year after the competition.
        • The high resolution file should be at the maximum resolution supported by your digital camera or scanner. ie a 6MP camera will be approximately 3000×2000 pixels. The dpi setting does not matter as this will be determined when the image is used for printing. Colour space should be sRGB or AdobeRGB 98 and the ICC profile embedded when the file is saved. (The maximum resolution should not exceed 4096 x 2730 (11MP) pixels as this is the maximum resolution used by a film recorder.)
        • A low resolution version of the file should be uploaded for use with a digital projector. The image should be a maximum of 1400 x1050 pixels (Width x Height). The dpi setting does not matter when an image is projected. Colour space should be converted to sRGB and the ICC profile embedded when the file is saved.
      9. Entries are submitted at the photographer’s risk.
      10. Entry of an image in this competition indicates agreement by the maker to abide by these rules.

Atlantic Geoscience Society Competition

This is an annual competition open only to members of the Photographic Guild of Nova Scotia.

  1. Geological subjects can include rocks, sediments, geological processes (rivers, glaciers, landslides, etc.), minerals and fossils, as well as landscapes.  Clouds and other meteorological phenomena are not considered geological.  Appropriate human interest in the image is encouraged (e.g. people as scales, quarrying activity, building stones).
  2. Up to two images may be submitted by each photographer.
  3. Images must not have been submitted in any previous AGS competition.  From time to time, well-worn subjects may be made ineligible to encourage diversity of subject matter.  Past subjects that have been photographed amply in the past, and thus that are deemed ineligible at the present time, include:  — Racetrack rocks from Death Valley and Bryce Canyon.
  4. As a minimum, each entry should have a title, a specific location, and photographer’s name and address. The date (month-year) of the image would also be useful.  This information must be included in the File Info for each digital image.    The title of each image should reflect the geological feature that the photographer has in mind.
  5. Entrants must make available a high resolution file of their image(s) upon request for one year after the competition.
  6. The high resolution file should be at the maximum resolution supported by your digital camera or scanner. ie a 6MP camera will be approximately 3000×2000 pixels. The dpi setting does not matter as this will be determined when the image is used for printing. Colour space should be sRGB or AdobeRGB 98 and the ICC profile embedded when the file is saved. (The maximum resolution should not exceed 4096 x 2730 (11MP) pixels as this is the maximum resolution used by a film recorder.)
  7. A low resolution version of the file should be uploaded for use with a digital projector. The image should be a maximum of 1400 x1050 pixels (Width x Height). The dpi setting does not matter when an image is projected. Colour space should be converted to sRGB and the ICC profile embedded when the file is saved.
  8. Images will be judged primarily on scientific interest and technical excellence, but originality, aesthetic appeal and artistic composition will also be important considerations.  At least one of the judges will be a member of the AGS.  The top scoring geological image will receive the Atlantic Geoscience Trophy. The best image from the Atlantic Provinces  will be awarded the “Last Billion Years Award”.  (If the best overall image is from the Atlantic Provinces, it will be the winner of both awards.)
  9. The AGS may use all entries for educational purposes, publish them in its newsletter, place them on one of its educational websites and display them at meetings of the Society, with credit given to the photographer.  Copyright remains with the photographer.
  10. Entry of an image in this competition indicates agreement by the maker to abide by these rules

Nova Scotia Nature Trust Competition

This is an annual competition open only to members of the Photographic Guild of Nova Scotia.

The NSNT theme for 2024-2025 is “Coastal”

  1. Up to two images may be submitted by each photographer.
  2. Images entered should meet the annual theme chosen by the NSNT. Images must have been taken in Nova Scotia and are not restricted to NSNT land.
  3. Must be native Nova Scotian species. Plants or flowers must be wild, i.e. not cultivated. Man made objects can not be in the image. Macro shots are welcome.
  4. Images must not have been submitted in any previous NSNT competition.
  5. As a minimum, each entry should have a title, a specific location, and photographer’s name and address. The date (month-year) of the image would also be useful. This information must be included in the File Info for each digital image.
  6. Entrants must make available a high resolution file of their image(s) upon request for one year after the competition
  7. The high resolution file should be at the maximum resolution supported by your digital camera or scanner. ie a 6MP camera will be approximately 3000×2000 pixels. The dpi setting does not matter as this will be determined when the image is used for printing. Colour space should be sRGB or AdobeRGB 98 and the ICC profile embedded when the file is saved. (The maximum resolution should not exceed 4096 x 2730 (11MP) pixels as this is the maximum resolution used by a film recorder.)
  8. A low resolution version of the file should be uploaded for use with a digital projector. The image should be a maximum of 1400 x1050 pixels (Width x Height). The dpi setting does not matter when an image is projected. Colour space should be converted to sRGB and the ICC profile embedded when the file is saved.
  9. Images will be judged primarily on NSNT wishlist criteria and technical excellence, but originality, aesthetic appeal and artistic composition will also be important considerations. One of the judges may be a member of the NSNT. There will be one winner declared with no 2nd place and the top scoring image will receive the Reta Cook Trophy.
  10. The NSNT may use all entries for educational purposes, publish them in its newsletter, place them on one of its educational websites and display them at meetings of the Society, with credit given to the photographer and PGNS. Copyright remains with the photographer. Any commercial use (i.e. promotional items being sold) of an image would be by agreement between the NSNT and the contributing photographer.
  11. Entries are submitted at the photographer’s risk. The NSNT will take all reasonable care of the images while in its possession.
  12. Entry of an image in this competition indicates agreement by the maker to abide by these rules.

2024-2025 Themes and Assignments

Guild Assignment 1: Long Exposure (not ICM)  (photographed after May 1, 2024)
Guild Assignment 2: Clouds  (photographed after September 1, 2024)
CAPA Theme: Curves & Lines

RE-ENTRY OF IMAGES:
An image can be re-entered maximum 3 times a year.
A maximum of 3 images can be entered to each of the Annual Trophy Competition categories.

COMPETITION SUBMISSION DEADLINE:
The competition submission deadline is 14 days before the competition night to give sufficient time for the Digital Coordinator(s) to complete the preparation.

COMPETITION NIGHTS:
There are 3 competitions (combined Guild/PSA) from which the top scoring images will be sent to PSA Interclub competitions.
During the PSA selection, we will choose one image per maker to be sent away in all PSA categories.
The Portrait and Humour categories will be separate Trophy Competitions on the Named Competition Night for the Best Humour and Best Portrait image selection.

Competition QuickSheet PDF

The 2024 / 2025 Competitions

CAPA Fall Round – 1 image per category for a total of 4 images
1) Nature ((Insects, Reptiles & Amphibians; Landscape; General Nature; Wildlife)
2) Nature Botany
3) Black&White (Candid Person(s); Natural Surroundings; Dramatic Contrast & Shadows; Nostalgia)
4) Fine Art (Abstract, Landscape, Wildlife, Portrait & Still Life)

CAPA Spring Round – 1 image per category for a total of 5 images
1) Open Colour (Landscape; Man- made Structures/Objects; Nature/Wildlife; Person(s))
2) Photojournalism
3) Theme: Lines and curves
4) Atlantic Zone
5) CANADA: My Country

Guild/PSA 1 – enter max 7 images in 5 digital categories, max 2 per category.
Open Colour, Nature, Photo Travel, Photojournalism, Open Monochrome
Enter 1 image in Guild Creative
Enter 2 images in Guild Assignment #1 “Long Exposure (not ICM)” (photographed after May 1, 2024)

Competition 2 – New Digital Images Only. Enter max 7 images in 5 digital categories, max 2 per category.
Open Colour, Nature, Photo Travel, Photojournalism, Open Monochrome
Enter 1 image in Guild Creative (New image)

Competition 3 – New Digital Images Only. Enter max 7 images in 5 digital categories, max 2 per category.
Open Colour, Nature, Photo Travel, Photojournalism, Open Monochrome
Enter 1 image in Guild Creative (New image)
Enter 2 images in Guild Assignment #2 “Clouds” (Photographed after September 1, 2024)

Named Trophy Competition Night 2025- max 2 images per maker in each category
NS Bird Society Trophy
Atlantic Geoscience Society Trophy
NS Nature Trust Trophy – “Coastal”
RK Mann Trophy – “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” – Dr. Seuss.
Mayor of Halifax Trophy – “Harbours in HRM”
Guild Humour Trophy – new images only
Guild Portrait Trophy – new images only

SILENT ESSAY:
Up to 12 images in competition format. Upload the images from the competition upload webpage.
DO NOT PRODUCE THE ESSAY FILE YOURSELF!
The first image title MUST be the essay title.

Your images will be converted into a silent essay for you, mp4 format, according to the silent essay rules (6 seconds on, 1 second dissolve).

SIGHT & SOUND ESSAY:
Maximum length of the sight & sound essay is 5 minutes. Images in the sight and sound essay can be any size from competition size (1400X1050) to full HD (1920X1080). The Sight & Sound Essays may include a maximum of 20% video clips. As the maximum duration of the essay is 5 minutes, this mean that the maker can incorporate a total of one minute video in the essay. Including video clips is not required

PoY POINT CALCULATION:
The PoY cumulative score will be the total scores of the 35 top scoring digital images, Sight & Sound Essay and Silent Essay scores. Prints do not count towards PoY.

TROPHIES:
Schooner Cove Trophy – Total scores of Competition 2 & 3 digital images, Guild Assignments, Guild Portrait and Guild Humour images,

Best of Humour and Best of Portrait trophies will be selected in new Humour and Portrait competitions on the named trophy competition night in March. We will apply the CAPA portrait category description for the new Portrait competition – only human portraits will be accepted.