The first Clicktique was held on November 9, 1976. The event was called  “Critique” and 18 people attended. The first category for the competition was “OPEN” and the rules simple:  3 slides or 3 prints; B&W or color; and a print larger than an 8X10.

The evolution of Clicktique …  

It has been called “Critique”, “Clitique” and “Click-tique”. The hyphen was eventually dropped leaving us with the presently used “Clicktique.  In September 1977, a more formal system went into effect.  Entrants were given one point for entering, regardless of the number of slides or prints. Winners received 3 points  for 1^st place, 2 for 2nd and 1 for 3^rd.  Ribbons were given quarterly based upon cumulative points and at the end of the year (spring) the Club hosted an awards banquet for the yearly winners. 

March 1978 -Tips from the Judges

• Learn to title your picture - relate title to content.
• Maintain color harmony within the picture as well as its presentation.
• The mat should make a picture unit.
• Watch backgrounds - is the picture too busy?
• In terms of composition, make sure its not too "Bull's Eye".
• Search for impact!
• Is it artistically moving?

The rules …

The first Clicktique rules were officially written in 1980 detailing how the competition was to be held. Judging was to be done by those members present and scoring done on the basis of three standards: technique, impact and composition. Between 1 -5 points were awarded for each.  Only 3 entries were allowed per person. 

“A” and “B” levels of competition were established. However, unlike today, everyone was automatically assigned to the lesser “B” category. Moving up to level “A” was accomplished in one of three ways: 1) being sponsored by an “A” level photographer in each category, 2) petitioning the board and showing 10 examples of one's work, or 3) placing 1^st, 2^nd or 3^rd in at least 5 Clicktiques during the year in each category.

A “Best Photograph” and “Photographer” was chosen from each category. From these a “Best Photograph of the Year was selected. 

Shown here from left to right: 1988 - 1989 Award Winners:  A.J. Furst, Mary E. Swanson, Ernie del Pino, Mary Lou McCurdy, Tony Abella and Fred Kong

In May 1991, a new scoring system was approved by the Board. Members were asked to bring the usual 2 entries in each category - slides, B&W or color prints.

• Each image was to be judged on its own merit. No previewing.
• "A" and "B" levels were eliminated.
• The scores of 3 judges were totaled and averaged to obtain a final score.
•  Images were scored on a scale of 0 - 100 as follows:

   "Photographer of three Year" - was determined by the points earned.    "Best of Show" - was selected from the top scored images (80 and above) in each category and would receive an extra point.

 

TODAY …

In the Annual Competitions, the Club has top awards named after and in honor of former members: The Julius Siril Memorial Photographer Award and the Billy Marlow Memorial Nature Award.

The Clicktique continues to be the Kendall Camera Club's signature event. In 2011 the Club gave 17 “Special Recognition” awards along with its Top Awards.