Swindon Civic Voice Photography Competition 2020
It’s here again: the SCV Photography Competition 2020.
The competition is open to all photographers of any age or ability.
We launched it last year – in this post you can see last year’s winners.
Now, our Chair, Angela Atkinson, has a Born Again Swindonian’s Guidebook coming out in the next few weeks. As you can see from the back of this book cover there’s a hashtag: #LookdownLookaroundLookUp
The theme of the competition
And that sense of looking around and observing connects with the theme of our 2020 photography competition: OPEN SPACES.
We’re not looking for fancy, technical wizardry. What we want you to do is think about #LookdownLookaroundLookup and see what captures your imagination in open spaces. And remember to think and look further than parks and gardens – though they could be good subjects.
Entry is free and photographers compete for age-related awards.
Because of the Covid-19 situation and restrictions around that, and children perhaps not being at school, we’re opening entries earlier and have extended the closing date. SO:
You can take images anywhere in Swindon or the borough between 1st June 2020 and 30th September 2020.
HOW TO ENTER
Simply send your photograph by email to: angela@swindoncivicvoice.org
between 1st June 2020 and 30th September 2020.
Announcing the winners
We’ll announce the results on the Swindon Civic Voice website and social media platforms.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/swindoncivicvoice/
Twitter: @SwindonV
PRESENTATION OF PRIZES
For how we handle this, much depends on our situation regarding the Covid-19 pandemic. If it’s still not possible to have a physical gathering then we’ll arrange some sort of virtual event and put an appropriate prize in the post!
COMPETITION CATEGORIES
There are two categories determined by the age of the photographer on 1st June 2020.
- Up to and including 16yrs
- 17yrs and older
GENERAL GUIDANCE
The judge(s) will look for images taken by any device (standard camera, phone, GoPro, drone, etc), which display a clear image. The winner will produce a powerful image that demonstrates an eye for detail, the unusual design or a different perspective – SO LONG AS IT FITS THE THEME OF OPEN SPACES.
The competition is not merely a hunt for pictures that show famous or well-known images. Rather novel, previously hidden or revealing new views.
Give free rein to your imagination, creativity and artistic skills!
OTHER STUFF YOU NEED TO KNOW: THE RULES
- Competitors must have landowner permissions for the photography location.
- If using a drone, competitors must fly responsibly and abide by Civil Aviation Authority guidance.
- Images must be taken within the competition geographic boundaries between 1st June 2020 and 30th September 2020.
- There are no absolute limits on image processing post capture, but this is not a Photoshop skills competition. Changes made post image capture should not distort the image beyond what was essentially observed when the picture was taken.
- Competitors can enter up to 2 images
- Competitors should submit a caption for each image, up to a maximum of two sentences and a total of 50 words.
Ethical Standards
You should never do anything to injure or distress any human or animal during your photography.
Applicants are responsible for complying with any legislation and securing any relevant permits that are required, e.g. when entering buildings or locations.
Image Entry
Email images no later than 17.00 on 30th September 2020 as attachments to: info@swindoncivicvoice.org.uk Include your name, age (as at 1st June 2020) and image captions (title and location) in the email.
Re-sizing and naming images
1.Competitors should submit medium resolution JPEG or TIFF files, but please retain your original, unprocessed images. Images should have NO WATERMARKS.
- Entrants should rename their images to include their name, e.g. John_Smith_1 (add a suffix of 1 or 2 if submitting 2 images).
Photographers’ Image Rights
Swindon Civic Voice reserves the right to publish winning images on social media, but with due credit given to the photographer.
Images may also be used royalty free in media coverage of the event and materials to promote Swindon Civic Voice, but not for income generation. Copyright will always remain with the photographer, who will be consulted for any other use of images not declared here.
The judges’ decision on any matters arising from these guidelines shall be final.
Prize and Awards
A first place winner of each category will receive a £25 gift voucher, second place £15 and £10 for third place.
Other category runner ups may have their images published on line or displayed and receive a certificate
Timetable 2020
1st June 2020 – Competition opens for submissions.
31st August 2020– Competition closes for submissions.
Judging: An independent panel will judge the entries
Swindon Civic Voice will announce the winners on Social Media and inform prize winners by during October 2020.
We’ll announce the winners first and then the details of the prize giving.
Organisers’ contact details
Before the event, please direct any competition queries to: info@swindoncivicvoice.org.uk