Competitions – Description & Rules

Updated 27 Aug 2026

Use of AI when editing images for Club and PAGB competitions 

  • Content-Aware Removal: Tools like the Photoshop or Lightroom Remove tool are allowed only if they rely strictly on surrounding pixels from the original image
  • Turn Off Generative AI: Photographers must ensure that generative AI options are toggled off when using editing tools
  • No Generative Fill: Features like Edit > Generative Fill or Generate Image are not allowed
  • No Added Elements: You cannot use AI or text prompts to add, replace, or alter pictorial components such as skies, textures, wildlife or any image object or background
  • The Golden Rule: The final image must be entirely derived from work captured by the photographer
  • Compliance: Note that PAGB Competition judges reserve the right to request original source / RAW files for any club image entered into a PAGB competition

Other references to the acceptable use of AI in image editing:

https://thepagb.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/guidance_ai.pdf

https://www.scottish-photographic-federation.org/competitions-guidance

 

Submissions to all competitions

  • All Projected images to be submitted using the online image submission system at https://success.clubsoftware.org/main.php?org=melbourndpc
  • The usual submission deadline is midnight on the Saturday preceding the competition
  • All prints must be handed in to the Competition Secretary at least one week before the competition
  • For all print competitions, a jpeg copy of the unmounted print (same size and format as for PDI competitions) must also be submitted via the club’s image submission website. This is required for curation and website purposes
  • ‘Print of the Year’ and ‘Panel Print’ submissions will be brought on the night of the competition

 

Club Open Projected Digital Image Competitions

Requires colour and / or monochrome digital images suitable for projection covering any subject / genre.

  • Maximum of three images per member per competition
  • Images must not be older than 4 years from the time of capture
  • Images must not be used in any Club Open Print competitions
  • Images must be saved in jpeg format with a maximum size 1600 pixels wide x 1200 pixels high using the sRGB Colour Space
  • Images must be submitted using the club’s image submission website

 

Club Open Print Competitions

Requires mounted colour and / or monochrome prints covering any subject / genre of your choice.

  • Maximum of three prints per member per competition
  • Images must not be older than 4 years from the time of capture
  • Images must not be used in any Club Open Projected Image competitions
  • Prints must not be less than 9″ on the longest side
  • All prints must be mounted with photographer’s name and image title on the back of the mount at the top
  • The maximum mount size is or 20” x 16” (400 x 500 mm)
  • For curation and website purposes a jpeg copy of the unmounted print (same size and format as for PDI competitions) must also be submitted via the club’s image submission website

 

Print of the Year

Requires mounted colour and / or monochrome prints covering any subject / genre.

  • Same rules / criteria for Club Print Competitions above
  • Prints may have been previously used in a Club Open Print Competition, in a Club Open Projected Image Competition or be a new submission
  • Prints must not have been used in a previous Print of the Year Competition
  • Images used in a Print of the Year Competition must not be used in a Projected Image of the Year Competition

 

Projected Image of the Year

Requires colour and / or monochrome digital images suitable for projection covering any subject / genre.

  • Same rules / criteria for Club Projected Digital Image Competitions above
  • Images may have been used previously in a Club Open Projected Image Competition, in a Club Open Print Competition or be a new submission
  • Images must not have been used in a previous Projected Image of the Year Competition
  • Images used in a Projected Image of the Year Competition must not be used in a Print of the Year Competition

 

Mono Competition

Requires monochrome PDIs and / or prints covering any subject / genre.

  • Maximum of two PDIs and two prints per member per competition (minimum submission 1 print or 1 PDI)
  • Images must not be older than 4 years from the time of capture
  • PDI Images must be saved in jpeg format with a maximum size 1600 pixels wide x 1200 pixels high using the sRGB Colour Space
  • Prints, and accompanying jpeg, should be submitted following the guidance for open print competitions above

 

Panel Print Competition

Requires a panel of multiple prints (at least three) which may be colour, monochrome or a mixture of both, covering any subject / theme / genre of your choice. To score well, the Judge will be looking for a good  choice of theme, excellent technical presentation of all the prints and a pleasing presentation / arrangement of the prints within the panel such that the panel holds together well as an entity in its own right. Panels that evoke some emotional response or are highly original also tend to score well.

  • The individual prints can be of differing or same size, of any shape and must be less than 4 years old
  • All the prints must fit on a 60cm x 40cm plain mount board of any solid colour (no surface image)
  • Any image used in a panel may also be used in any other Club Competition should the author choose
  • A title, but not the photographer’s name, may be added on the front of the board in any size. The Photographer’s name and image title must be on the back of the mount

 

Pairs Trophy

In this competition, each pair will arrange one or more occasions to take photographs and do image post processing together

  • Each pair will submit 6 projected images into a competition to be held during Jan-Mar
  • The 6 images will comprise of 3 images originating from the camera of each member of the Pair
  • Normal PDI rules for submissions will apply
  • The Pair with the highest total score will win the Pairs Trophy

 

Creative Image Competition PDI and Print (judged the same day)

This competition is intended to showcase creative images that might score badly or inconsistently at PAGB club competitions

  • Such images can be highly abstract or deliberately ‘break the rules’ normally associated with good camera craft, composition and club judging
  • For example, images may demonstrate techniques such as intentional camera movement, soft focus, multiple exposures (in camera or post), collages, abstract shapes, unnatural colourisation / saturation, subject detail removal or unconventional composition
  • You can submit up to 3 PDI and 3 print images with one of each category marked as a reserve
  • The content of each image must have been taken by the author and must not contain any third party or AI generated content.
  • Submitted images may have been submitted in previous club competitions or may be creative edits or components of previously submitted images
  • However, images must not have been submitted to any previous club creative competition
  • There is no age limit to when the source images were captured or how they were captured (digital or scan of analogue image)
  • PDI Images and PDI versions of all prints, are submitted to the Competition Organiser using the submissions website 
  • Images must be saved in jpeg format with a maximum size 1600 pixels wide x 1200 pixels high using the sRGB Colour Space

 

Golden Oldies (PDI)

This competition is intended to showcase images that are over 4 years old

  • You can submit up to 3 PDI images with one marked as a reserve
  • Images must be OLDER than 4 years from the time of capture
  • Images can have been captured using a digital camera or can be a digital scan of an analogue negative, slide, or print
  • Images must not have been used in any previous club competitions
  • Images will be judged blind by either an internal or external judge
  • Images are submitted to the Competition Organiser using the submissions website
  • Images must be saved in jpeg format with a maximum size 1600 pixels wide x 1200 pixels high using the sRGB Colour Space

  

Themed Competition (PDI)

For each named theme you can submit up to 3 PDI images with one marked as a reserve

  • Images must not be older than 4 years from the time of capture
  • Images must not have been used in any previous club competitions
  • Images will be judged blind by either an internal or external judge
  • Images may be taken as jpgs or RAW
  • In this competition, image manipulation must be kept to a minimum
  • All adjustments made must apply to the entire image and must not be applied to a part of the image and can include:
    • Cropping
    • Levels and/or Curves (equivalent to Highlights/Shadows, Contrast etc.)
    • Sharpening
    • Clarity, texture
  • The following image adjustments are not allowed:
    • Selective colouring
    • Cloning (or any adding or removing objects not in the original file)
    • Selective dodging and burning 
  • Images are submitted to the Competition Organiser using the submissions website
  • Images must be saved in jpeg format with a maximum size 1600 pixels wide x 1200 pixels high using the sRGB Colour Space

 

Archived Competitions

Points of View

The Points of View competition is always organised by the Winner of the previous years’ competition. The Organiser will decide both the venue and the date that the competition takes place. The Organiser will also define for participants the subjects  to be photographed with one image per subject being submitted for judging. Previous competitions have been:

  • Five photos each featuring water, wood, reeds, berries and the influence of man taken at the Fowlmere Wildlife Reserve over a specific Fri – Sun.
  • Five photos each featuring kinetic energy, potential energy, heat, cold and sound taken in Cambridge City over a specific Fri – Sun
  • Five photos each featuring reflections, living things, movement, texture and colour taken at the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton on a specific organised visit

Points of View rules

  • In this competition only, image manipulation must be kept to a minimum
  • Images may be taken as jpgs or RAW
  • All adjustments made must apply to the entire image and must not be applied to a part of the image and can include:
    • Cropping
    • Levels and/or Curves (equivalent to Highlights/Shadows, Contrast etc.)
    • Sharpening
    • Clarity
    • The following image adjustments are not allowed:
      • Black and white conversions
      • Selective colouring
      • Cloning (or any adding or removing objects not in the original file)
      • Selective dodging and burning
      • Images are submitted to the Competition Organiser using the criteria used for Projected Image Competitions

 

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