Competition and the Exhibition of the entries is an important part of the ACCC Roundups in the spring and fall.  These competitions provide club members the chance to compete with members of all the member clubs.  The competition  typically results in an exhibition of around 400 prints displayed at the Roundup.  There are also approximately 400 digital images that are shown at the Roundup in a slide show.  The guidelines for how to compete in the Roundup are contained on the document you can access by clicking on the following link.

Important Notice: The New Competition Rule Changes are available! Dowload and check them out.

The most recent competition guidelines have become available (07-18-2010) and can be downloaded as a Competition Rules pdf file HERE. - Digital Contests Rules pdf file Here.

Important Notice: Starting with the Fall Round-up Competition Rule Changes!

• Print Size -- All Prints must be mounted on 16 x 20 mounting boards. Foam Core may not be used for Mounting.
• Digital Categories -- In digital entries are limited to 6 entries total with a limit of 2 entries per category.
• Digital Catagories -- Added a new Category: Monchrome.
• Digital Files can only be 500KB in size.
  

The Print, and Digital Chairpersons for the "FALL/SPRING ROUNDUP" are requesting that we use a spreadsheet to itemize each category for each individual club.

The Spring Roundup print labels can be downloaded HERE and used directly by club representatives to record entries.

The spreadsheet for recording entries can be downloaded by Clicking Here. After uploading a box will open, be sure to click on "enable macros" to fully open the Microsoft Excel speadsheet.

The Rotation categories for the Spring, 2010 through 2011 (Spring and Fall Roundup) are the following:

Definition of Nature as changed to: Definition is based on the PSA Nature Division definition.

 “Nature Photography is restricted to the use of the photographic process to depict observations from all branches of natural history, except anthropology and archeology, in such a fashion that a well informed person will be able to identify the subject material and certify as to its honest presentation. The story telling value of a photograph must be weighed more than the pictorial quality while maintaining a high technical quality. Human elements shall not be present, except where those human elements enhance the nature story. The presence of scientific bands, scientific tags or radio collars on wild animals is permissible. Photographs of artificially produced hybrid plants or animals, mounted specimens, or obviously set arrangements, are ineligible, as is any form of manipulation that alters the truth of the photographic statement. No techniques that add to, relocate, replace, or remove pictorial elements except by cropping are permitted. Techniques that enhance the presentation of the photography without changing the nature story or the pictorial content are permitted. All adjustments must appear natural.”

With this ACCC additional statement:

"This definition does not limit nature photography to Wildlife subjects.  Scenics, zoo shots and game farm shots are permitted.  Processing techniques such as levels, saturation, sharpening, HDR, Helicon Focus and panoramic stitching are permitted as long as they do not change the nature story or the pictorial content.  Modifying the scene to remove the hand of man using processes such as cloning the contents of the image is not permitted. "

Many photography clubs often mention that the "hand of man" is not permissible in their Nature competition. The following discussion authored by Nancy Sams (in pdf format taken from "The Photographic Society of America" or PSA) is provided here to provide a better understanding of the term. Click Here:

A Club Plaque is awarded once each year to the camera club with the combined Spring and Fall five highest competition scores in each Division. The winner of the Club Plaque for Prints is Phoenix Camera Club, and the winner of the Club Plaque for Projected Images is Phoenix Camera Club.