Piedmont Photo Club

Capture the Moment: Join Our Exciting Photo Contests

Understand the Contest Rules and Procedures

Club contests encourage creativity, help members strengthen their photography skills, and provide an enjoyable way to share their work with fellow photographers.

“Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.” – Dorothea Lange

Celebrating Creativity: A Showcase of Winning Images

Gallery of Champions: 2025 Contest Year

Contests at a Glance

Contest Rules & Guidelines

  • Only current club members may participate.
  • Up to four Regular entries plus one Theme entry.
  • JPEG, SRGB, 2880 pixels on the longest side.
  • No watermarks.
  • Submit before the announced deadline.
  • Members select their own Intermediate or Advanced level.

STEPS FOR CONTEST SUBMISSIONS

Step 1: Activate Your Member Login

Every current member already has a website account. Before entering your first contest, use the password-reset process to establish your password, then log in with your registered email address.

Member Login

Step 2: Choose Your Contest Level and Images

Choose your level - Intermediate or Advanced. All contest images should be entered in one level except for the Theme and Art categories.   Choose your images for each category you wish to enter.  Each Regular contest has a unique theme.

Step 3: Upload Each Entry

When submissions open, prepare your images according to the contest guidelines and upload each one through the website submission form. 

Check Contest Status

Step 4: Confirm Submission

Review your submission details and click 'Submit' to enter it into the contest. You'll receive a confirmation email once your entry is successfully submitted. Repeat for each contest image submission.

Members do not need to rename their files. The system sends an email acknowledgment after every successful submission.

 

Contest Information and Procedures

Piedmont Photography Club contests are an opportunity to explore your creativity,
strengthen your photography skills, and share your work in a supportive setting.
These guidelines help keep each contest fair, clear, and enjoyable for everyone.

Your Photography

  • Every image you enter must be your own work.
  • The image must be conceived, composed, and photographed by you.
  • All editing must be completed by you or under your direct supervision.
  • The original photograph must have been captured within the contest eligibility
    period—currently within the last three years.

  • By entering, participants grant Piedmont Photo Club the right to display their images on the club website.

  • Members retain all rights to their photos.

Preparing Your Entry

  • Choose a descriptive title or caption that complements your image.
  • Please submit images without watermarks.
  • You do not need to follow a special filename convention. The contest system
    will name and organize your image automatically.

Entering an Image Again

  • An image judged meritorious may not be entered again in a regular club contest.
  • A meritorious image becomes eligible for the club’s annual Image of the Year
    or Best-of-the-Year competition.
  • An image that is not judged meritorious may be entered one more time in a
    later regular contest.
  • An image may be entered no more than two times total in
    regular competition.

Questions and Updates

The Contest Chair handles routine questions about image eligibility and the
interpretation of contest rules. Please feel welcome to ask for guidance whenever
you are uncertain.

The Board of Directors may adjust contest rules or schedules when necessary.
Any changes will be announced in advance.

Most importantly, we ask every member to honor both the wording of these guidelines
and the positive, inclusive spirit behind them.


We look forward to seeing your creativity and enjoying the images you choose
to share!

Contest Types

PPC Contests may include:

  • Open contests, where any subject matter is allowed
  • Art contests where digital manipulation of the image is allowed.
  • Theme contests, where entries must fit the announced theme
  • Special-topic contests, such as Nature
  • Print competition
  • Digital image competition

The annual schedule and any themes will be announced during the club year.

Number of Entries

Each member may submit up to four regular entries distributed among the eligible Artistic, Black and White, and Color categories, using either the Intermediate or Advanced level. One additional image may be submitted in the Theme category, for a maximum of five entries.

In addition, a Theme category is offered in which one additional image may be submitted.

This results in a maximum of 5 total entries per member for each contest.

Entering a Contest

Members should submit entries by the announced deadline.

In general:

  • Submit digital images by logging in to your Piedmont Photo Club account and using the Contest Submissions form.
  • Print entries should also submit a digital image file for identification, archive, and presentation purposes.
  • Late, incomplete, or noncompliant entries may be disqualified when necessary to keep the contest on schedule.

Judging

Entries are usually judged by:

  • club members

Certain contests may be judged by:

  • a guest judge
  • a panel of judges

Judges may use their own methods and criteria unless the contest format specifies otherwise.

For regular club contests:

  • Digital entries are voted on via the club website.
  • Print entries are voted on in-person by club members attending the contest meeting.
  • Regular contests have "Honorable Mention" designations for winners in each category.

The number of meritorious images selected may vary depending on the number of entries, though a common guideline for Digital images is about 25% of entries in a category, and Print images 50% of entries, rounded up.

Annual Awards

Meritorious images from regular contests automatically become eligible for the annual Image of the Year or Best-of-the-Year competition.

Eligible Year-End images are ranked First, Second, and Third Place within each category. Digital voting is completed online, while print voting is conducted at the meeting.

At the annual awards event:

  • Winning images are announced and viewed.
  • Awards for first, second, and third place in each category will be given out.
  • Ties are resolved by awarding additional trophies.

 

Review, Voting, and Results

  • When voting opens, review the anonymous image gallery before casting your ballot.
  • Eligible digital categories are voted on online. Print entries are judged in person at the club meeting.
  • A submitted online ballot is final and cannot be changed.
  • After finalization, results are published in the Contest Archive, and finalized entries appear automatically in each photographer’s public member gallery.

 

Meeting Uploads

  • SAT (Share And Tell), CRC, and PGM images are not contest entries.
  • Submit these images only through the temporary Meeting Uploads page supplied by the administrator.
  • Meeting Uploads are not included in contest processing, voting, results, or member galleries.

Digital Image Guidelines

Digital entries should be submitted as JPEG files.

Recommended specs:

  • JPEG format
  • about 80 to 85 percent quality
  • 2880 pixels on the longest side
  • sRGB color space

Theme and Artistic entries are digital only.

 

 

Print Guidelines

General print guidelines:

  • prints may be monochrome or color
  • prints should be matted
  • prints should not be framed
  • prints should fall within the club’s accepted size limits
  • prints must be brought to the contest meeting by the announced check-in time

A digital image file should also be submitted for each print entry.

Recommended digital file specs for prints:

  • JPEG format
  • about 80 to 85 percent quality
  • 2880 pixels on the long side
  • sRGB color space
    Check Contest Status