Clicktique Rules for 2015-2016

1.  The purpose of the Clicktique is to inspire, educate, and help develop photographic skills for all of our club members. It utilizes competition, comment, and varying subject matter to reach these goals. Time is allowed after judging for the judges to offer constructive comments on every entry.  If time permits, the three winners in each category are encouraged to take questions from the members regarding their winning image.

2. Members may enter up to two (2) images. Members must pre-register and upload their images to our website (kendallcameraclub.org/Events/Upcoming Events) no later than 11:59pm on the Tuesday prior to the Clicktique night. Online pre-registration and files uploading is mandatory. Each member will still need to bring his or hers printed photos to the competition.

3.  The Clicktique is held on the second Thursday of each month at our designated meeting place.  Pre-Registered entries from paid-up members are accepted and checked in between 6:45 PM and 7:15 PM, and judging begins shortly thereafter.

4.  Competition is held in two categories:

Categories: Groups A and B 

Group A: Primarily consisting, but not limited to, upper-intermediate, advanced, semiprofessional, and professional photographers

Group B: To consist of intermediate, hobbyist, and beginning photographers

Members will choose the category they wish to compete in for the coming year.  New members will choose a category upon joining the club.  For the purpose of end of the year awards, it is suggested that photographers stay in that category for the duration of the KCC Clicktique competition year.

Group A members cannot switch to Group B unless approved by a majority vote of the executive committee.

Group B members can transfer to Group A at their own discretion.  However, anyone changing categories during the current competition year will forfeit all bonus points accumulated while in their previous group.

Any Group B member who receives 35 or more bonus points (as defined in Section 10) during the competition year will automatically be moved to Group A for the next year’s competition. 

5. In addition to Open Clicktiques, some of the Clicktiques will be themed and accompanied by a description of that theme. For the benefit of the judges, the theme and its description will be prominently displayed during the Clicktique. This description is not intended to define a genre of photography but rather to provide the intent of the “assignment” for that month’s Clicktique. Entrants should carefully consider whether their image(s) meets the theme and description. Entries that do not meet the theme will not be scored as high as those that do (see #12) and may not be entered into another Clicktique (unless they are withdrawn) even if the entry would have better met the theme of that subsequent Clicktique. If, prior to the beginning of judging, the Clicktique Committee notices that an image might be non-compliant with the theme, they may communicate this observation to the photographer so as to afford them the opportunity to withdraw their entry. Substitution of withdrawn entries are still bound by the pre-registering and file uploading deadline.

6. Photographs must be an original work of the entrant. This includes the capturing and post-processing of the image.  All tools, including the post-processing software, must be controlled by the entrant. Photographs may, however, be printed by a professional service.  Once entered, an image may never be re-entered in another Clicktique competition. “Original” work is defined as the photograph with the camera file number. Once submitted that file number cannot be re-submitted in a cropped or otherwise modified version. Members are encouraged to follow the intent of this rule and to NOT circumvent it by simply submitting another image of practically the same scene taken at practically the same time even if it is a different file number.

7. Before the competition begins, any member may challenge the acceptability of any entry by voicing an objection with the Clicktique Committee.  The Clicktique Chairman or Committee will decide acceptability of the challenge.  The entrant may then withdraw the photograph.  Any withdrawal may be entered in a subsequent Clicktique, after any necessary adjustments are made.  Non-compliance with the theme of the Clicktique is not grounds for challenging the acceptability of an entry. Instead, judgement as to whether or not an image complies with the theme will be done by the judges who are instructed to consider compliance with the theme when determining the score of an entry (see #12).

8. All entries must be photographs which may include prints made in a darkroom, with a printer, or other photographic copy machines.  All images must be printed on photographic paper and mounted on material such as mat board or foam core board. In order to preserve other member’s photos, prints must be flat, unframed, and free of any metallic, wood, canvas, or other materials not stated here.  Prints and mats must also be free of the photographer’s name or other identifying information.

9. Reasonable care will be exercised in the handling of entries.  By entering any club competition, entrants acknowledge that the Kendall Camera Club bears no responsibility for loss or damage during handling, transport, storage, or exhibition of entries.  All entries remain the property of the photographer.

10. In order to fit on the photo turner, all prints must be no larger than 16” x 20” and no smaller than 5” x 7”. Mats may be no larger than 16” x 20” and no smaller than 8” x 10”. The only exception is horizontal panoramas as long as they do not exceed 24" wide and 14" in height. Unusual sized or shaped prints are acceptable but their maximum dimension may not exceed 20” and their minimum dimension must exceed 5” with a minimum mount size of 8”. To insure correct viewing, the word “TOP,” or an arrow indicating the top, should be written on the top back of each print along with the category (A or B), the entry’s title, photographer’s name, and date. For data entry purposes, titles should be kept reasonably short. The title will be announced before judging.  All untitled entries will be announced as “untitled”.

11. Entries will be displayed prior to judging, and the judges may preview the images.  Members shall refrain from discussing any entries with the judges until after the conclusion of the Clicktique. However, if a judge needs clarification about an image, s/he will be able to ask the photographer questions during the judging of the entry. The photographer may decline to answer and allow the judging of the entry to continue on its own merits as displayed.

12. Judging is done by a panel of one to five people, appointed by the Clicktique committee, from qualified persons outside the club.  The order of displaying the images for judging is random and determined by computer and the Clicktique committee. Entries are judged on the impact, composition, originality, technical execution, picture title, and compliance with assigned theme.  Mats may be judged as part of the presentation of prints.   A judge should abstain from voting on a photograph if s/he has had any previous contact with the image prior to Clicktique Night.

3. Scoring and Awards:

Each entry is scored 60-100 points by each judge, and the average scores of 80 and above will be announced along with the name of the photographer. For those images scoring less than 80, only the score will be announced. The score will reflect the average including up to two decimal places.  The judges will score the images to meet the following standard:

 Judges shall be advised in the briefing prior to commencement of judging that images that do not meet the given theme should not receive a score higher than Average.  Since compliance with the assigned theme is often a subjective matter, this is not a steadfast rule. However, judges are expected to consider compliance with the assigned theme when scoring as stated in #12.

1st, 2nd, and 3rd place will be chosen by the judges from the top five (or more, if ties exist) scored images.  Bonus points will be awarded to the winning images:

Best of Show:      15 points                                   

Second place:      10 points

Third place:           5 points

15.   An annual awards ceremony is held the fourth Thursday in September to honor winners of the past year’s competitions.

16. For the purpose of annual awards, the Clicktique year consists of the twelve competitions starting in August and running through July of the following year. Members in categories A and B may submit up to nine or half of their entries that scored 80 or more points during the previous year (whichever is greater).

17. All submitted photos in categories A and B will be judged by a panel of at least three outside judges in a separate competition.  From all submitted photos, the judges will pick the “Best Photograph of the Year” for each category. 

From the remaining images, the judges will determine the following annual awards in each category:

Best Monochrome Print

Best Nature Print

From the remaining photographs, the judges will determine the following special recognition awards for both categories combined:

   Best Abstract Print                         Best Photojournalism or Street Print

   Best Architectural Print                   Best Portrait Print

   Best Different Perspective Print        Best Sports or Action Print

   Best Fun Print                      Best Still Life Print

   Best Landscape Print                      Best Wildlife Print

The executive committee reserves the right to add awards to or remove awards from the annual competition. 

18. For Group A, “Photographer of the Year” is the member who has the highest accumulated scores on their top eighteen entries (of a possible 24) for the past competition year.  For Group B, the “Photographer of the Year” will be the member with at least twelve entries who has the highest accumulated score of their top twelve images.  Should there be nobody in Group B with twelve entries, the person with the highest accumulated score shall win.  In both groups, extra points will be added to all scores for each “Best of Show,” Second, and Third Place they have received during this period as stated under #13, Scoring and Awards.

19. “Best New Photographer” award: This award is given to the new (first year) member who has the highest accumulated score on their top eight entries for the past competition year.  It is clear, if you joined in May or later, that acquiring the minimum number of entries will not be possible.  Therefore, if you joined after February, you will be considered to be a new member for the following year.  This gives the new members time to see what Clicktiques are like, and how they are judged.  All former members are excluded from the “Best New Photographer” award.

20. Any rule that does not affect the points received may be amended by the executive committee at any time during the year, as long as a 30 day notice is given to the members.