Adopted by the Executive Committee, March 29, 1978.

Revised August 14, 2013
Revised August 14, 2018
Revised August 31, 2020
Revised October 27, 2023

General Rules For Competition

(Print Competitions are on hold for 2025 – 2026)

Please read Print Competition Rules and Digital Image Competition Rules  for requirements specific to those competitions

  1. Competition is open to all paid up members, life members and honorary members.
    Those from whom dues are payable must have paid by October 15, otherwise no entries will be accepted from that person and their prior point accumulation will be forfeited.
  2. The Competition Year begins in September and ends in May.
    Monthly competitions will be held according to the calendar for the current season. The competition dates may be changed by the President when reasonable notice can be given. Advanced notice will be given for all special competitions.  All digital images must be uploaded to PhotoContest Pro by midnight on the Saturday before the competition.
  3. Competitions will be held in the following categories:
    Digital Pictorial
    Digital Nature
    Black & White/Monochrome Prints – (Prints are on hold)
    Color Prints – (Prints are on hold)
  4. Competition entries will be judged in three classes:
    Beginner (Class “B”), Advanced (Class “A”), and Salon. If a member competes in Nature and Pictorial, Color Prints and Black & White Prints, he or she may be assigned to different classes for each category.
  5. New members will be assigned to Class “B “, unless the Scorekeeper or category Chairpersons determine that Class “A” is indicated. This may be decided when a new member joins or within a reasonable time.  No new members will be permitted into Salon Class.
  6. Except for new members, class changes may only be made at the end of a Competition Year.
    A member in Class “B” receiving high score or seven (7) or more acceptances in monthly competition year will be promoted to Class “A”. Class “A” high point winner will be moved up to the Salon Class. This will apply to all categories. Advancement into the Salon Class can only occur from Class “A”.
  7. Entries will be scored by the judge from 6 to 9 points.
    9 is a medal; 8 is an award; and 7 is an honorable mention. In computing point accumulations, one extra point will be credited for each entry submitted for the first time.
  8. Accepted entries, those entries that have already received a 7, 8 or 9, may not be re-submitted in any other category at any time or in any form ever, except in the current-year-end competition. For example, an image submitted digitally may not be resubmitted as a print, and a color print may not be resubmitted as a black & white. (Prints are on hold)
  9. An entry that is different but similar to an entry already judged will not be considered a new entry. If an entry is determined to be similar by the Scorekeeper, the image will be disqualified.
  10. (Note removed)
  11. Entries scoring six (6) may be edited and resubmitted one time in the same club competition year.
    Nature images scoring 6 or are disqualified may be edited and entered into Pictorial.
    Pictorial images scoring 6 may be edited and resubmitted into Pictorial.
    The title must remain the same.
    (Previously these edited and resubmitted images lost an extra point for not being new. Now these images will not lose the extra point.)
  12. Any member may submit only one TCC “studio night” photograph per competition, in each category.
  13. All entries must have titles.
    An entry submitted with “no title” or “untitled” will not be accepted for competition.
  14. Entries must be original images taken by the entrant and with a camera, tablet, or cell phone. Images may not be created from scratch by drawing, using computer software, or any other non-photographic means. Images generated solely by AI (Artificial Intelligence), and not as a digital file from a camera, are not allowed.
    Digital photographs from a camera may use AI plug-ins or any photo editing apps to improve the image.
  15. All photographs must be digitally edited and prepared for competition by the photographer and not by another party. Digital editing using Photoshop, Lightroom, and other software is considered part of the artistic process and must by performed by the photographer.
  16. Photographs of other people’s artwork (paintings, sculptures) are not allowed, unless the artwork is just one component of the photo.
    For example: A photo of just a painting is not allowed, but a photo of the same painting with people viewing the painting is allowed.
    Photo of a sculpture is not allowed, but photo of same sculpture as part of a large landscape with other components is allowed.
    This rule does not apply to architecture, buildings, doors, windows.
  17. Photos taken with cell phone cameras are allowed. They must be resized per the Digital Competition instructions.
  18. A member who has missed a competition shall be allowed to submit make-up entries in the next regular competition immediately following the missed competition.
    This “grace” will be granted to each member only once during the competition year. Members are allowed to submit makeup entries for one missed competition for Digital Pictorial, Digital Nature, and/or Prints.
  19. The category Chairperson and Scorekeeper shall be charged with monitoring entries and making appropriate decisions to ensure that all rules are complied with.
  20. All questions and disputes by any member shall be resolved by the Executive Board.
  21. Minimum number of entrants per class for monthly competitions will be two. If there is only one entrant, that person will have the option to compete in the next higher level, if possible.
  22. Number of entries for each competition shall be decided by the Executive Board and posted in the Calendar page on the website.

Rules For Year-End Competitions

See the Calendar page in the weeks before the Year End Competition for detailed instructions.

New Jersey Federation of Camera Club’s (NJFCC) Competitions

The ‘New Jersey Federation of Camera Clubs is an association of local camera clubs in the New Jersey area. Teaneck Camera Club is a member club.  njfcc.org
All current club members are eligible to enter the NJFCC Competitions. You do not have to compete in our monthly club competitions to enter images, but you must be a club member in good standing (current dues must be paid).
The NJFCC holds approximately 6 competitions throughout the year for camera club members. There are competitions for Pictorial and Nature images.

Every club member can enter 2 images in each competition. Club members who compete in our monthly club competitions have the option of choosing which of their images to enter in the NJFCC competitions or have their 2 images chosen for them by our Outside Competition Chairperson Joe Giordano. Joe has previously chosen the images from our club competitions.

If you want to choose your images you will email them to Joe Joegrdano@aol.com.  An email will be sent to all members advising the date the images are due to Joe.
Images should be a jpeg and sized as done for our regular club competitions. (1050 pixels on the long side.)
In your email to Joe include the titles. Also add your name if it is not obvious from your email address.
Joe will upload the images to the NJFCC.

As the Competition approaches an email will be sent to club members with the link to view the Competition. It will involve registering with Eventbrite.

Pictorial Competition Rules
There are two (2) separate Contests in each Pictorial Competition.
The Contest Categories are:
1) Pictorial-Creative: Images presented in such a manner that post processing or in-camera manipulation is obvious to the average viewer.
2) Pictorial Open: Images where the subject matter precludes it from being included in any other NJFCC contest.
Stroke – For images with dark areas on the outer edges of the image, a “Stroke” (a thin white line or border) should be applied so that the Judges can identify the exact area of the image.
A ‘Pictorial Open’ Competition Stroke may only be White in color.
Only ‘Pictorial-Creative’ can have a Colored Stroke.

Nature Competition Rules
All Nature Competitions are divided into 4 individual Contests (categories).
The Contest Categories are:
1) General Nature: This category includes landscapes, seascapes, rock formations and anything else that does not fall into Botanical, Ornithological or Zoological.
2) Botanical: This category includes plants and fungi.
3) Ornithological: This category consists of birds as the main subject.
4) Zoological: This category includes all animals except for birds. Basically, if it walks, crawls, flies or swims, it is an animal and must be entered in the Zoological category.
Stroke – For Nature images with dark areas on the outer edges of the image, a “Stroke” (a thin white line or border) can be applied so that the Judges can identify the exact area of the image.
In Nature images the Stroke must only be white.

See the NJFCC Competition Rules page for more specific details: CompetitionRules

To View NJFCC Competitions Taking Place in Other Clubs

Go to the New Jersey Federation of Camera Clubs website njfcc.org click on this link.
Go to the top row there & click on COMPETITION.  On the top of the COMPETITION drop down menu click COMPETITION SCHEDULE. 
On the top of this menu select the specific competition (Fall Nature, Spring Pictorial, etc.). 
You will see the host club.  On the right side of that is URL registration – click on it.  This will take you to Eventbrite (Eventbrite.com) Click. 
Under Eventbrite a big logo box listing pertinent information. Then under that box in bold black letters is the name of the competition (Fall Nature, Spring Pictorial, etc.).  To the right of that after date is a red box saying Get Tickets.  Click on that.  
The next window on the bottom right is another little red box reading Register.  Click on that.
The next window requires you to fill in your name & email address. After filling in the appropriate information another final window will show a listing of NJFCC camera clubs.  Select the box or boxes of the camera club or clubs to which you are a member. 
On the lower left of this final window you will see “Complete Order”.  Fairly soon after clicking “Complete Order” you will receive an email with the link at the email you filled in with the link for the contest.