IPF National Shield – Digital 2021
The National Shield will be a Digital Competition in 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic. After restrictions have passed, it will revert to a print-only competition.
Key Dates
Registration – Your intention to participate, on or before Friday 15th October 2021
Competition closing date: Friday 29th October 2021
Judging: tbc
Results per Zoom: 14th November 2021
Entry fee: € 60.00 The reduced fees for 2020 reflect the reduced costs arising from this being a digital rather than a print competition.
Dates could change due to circumstances outside our control – please check back occasionally.
The National Shield is an inter-club competition, open only to non-advanced photographers from affiliated clubs / Societies in good standing with the Irish Photographic Federation.
The Competition
You must register two weeks before the closing date, your intention to participate in the National Digital Shield, so you can receive your club’s registration number.
The National Shield shall be competed for in each of the following categories: Monochrome Digital and Colour Digital. The National Shield is awarded to the club with the highest aggregate total score across the two categories. Please read section 3.9 of the rules.
Clubs may compete in any or both of these two categories.
To compete, a club must submit eight images in each of the categories in which they wish to compete. Up to two substitute images may be submitted which may be substituted in case of a dispute relating to an image on a panel. Of the eight images submitted in each category, the following shall apply.
Only one image per photographer per panel is allowed. Each participating club may enter up to two images per panel from advanced photographers provided that the only criteria that determine them to be advanced is that they hold a LIPF distinction from the IPF or similar distinction from another recognized photographic organization. Photographers with any of the following are not eligible.
- Any person who has received an IPF Associateship or Fellowship distinction or similar from FIAP, the PSA, or any other similar distinctions from any other photographic organization.
- Any person who has been awarded more than one IPF medal in IPF National Competitions.
- Any person who had an image that was chosen to represent the IPF in international competitions.
- Any person who has received acceptances with five or more image titles, or any award including a ribbon, at FIAP, and/or PSA recognized salons.
- Any person whose club considers him or her to be of advanced standing in any discipline of photography.
- Any person who holds a diploma or degree in photography from any recognized educational institution in Ireland or elsewhere.
A Digital A4 contact sheet containing thumbnail images of entries is required.
- All images entered in the competition must be the work of the persons stated to have created them and must have originated in-camera according to international competition rules. Where the IPF requests proof of authorship, such proof shall be provided without delay.
- All images entered have the permission of the photographer and they are a member of that Club/Society at the time of the competition.
- No person may represent more than one club in this competition.
- Images used in any previous National Shield competition shall not be used in the current competition.
- Infringement of any of the rules may cause the relevant image and panel to be disqualified.
- A club shall not use the same images in more than one panel. Where an image is so used, all versions of the images shall be disqualified.
- Clubs entering the competition are strongly advised to read and check the rules carefully of the IPF National Shield Digital 2020 competition.
Image Titles
As of 2017, clubs entering the competition will be required to provide a list of image titles (maximum of 35 characters per title) for each panel. These titles will be provided to the judges to assist them to interpret images. No additional marks will be awarded for titles. The provision of titles is intended to assist judges to interpret images and arises from requests from numerous judges in different competitions that they be afforded such a facility. It is good practice for photographers to title their images properly and we wish to encourage this. However, any title containing the photographer’s name or the name of the club, will not be allowed.
Points per image
Each judge will award a maximum of ten points per image (= 30 points in total per image).
The aim of the National Shield is to encourage clubs to enter their best images. No marks will be awarded for panel cohesion. This is not a change from previous years, merely a reminder. Clubs are advised to enter their very best images.
The Judges
Mr Gerry Andrews FIPF, ARPS, EFIAP
Mr Des Connors FIPF
Gwen Charnock FRPS MFIAP APAGM
Judging Procedures
As in all IPF competitions, scoring is carried out separately by the judges whose scores are then totaled at the end of judging. Judging will be done in private. This year, however, judges will provide commentary over Zoom.
The results of the 2020 National Shield Competition will be announced within seven days of the judging all Clubs/Society will be informed.
Presentation of awards will not take place until the Government Covid-19 regulations allow the IPF to do so in reasonable safety.
Complaints Procedure
Before the results are announced, the competing panels shall be displayed on the IPF Website after the completion of judging and shall remain there for 5 days during which time objections or complaints may be lodged as outlined hereunder.
Objections or complaints relating to an entry, an entrant or a panel, must be made in writing by a club secretary, a club competition secretary, or a member of the IPF Council. Objections from any other source shall not be entertained under any circumstance, as outlined in item 3 above. The objection must state clearly, in writing, the reasons for the objection and must be accompanied by an investigation fee of €50. The matter complained of will then be investigated by the Coordinator and competition referee. If the objection is upheld, then the investigation fee will be returned. If the objection is deemed invalid, the IPF will not refund the investigation fee. A penalty of not less than €50 and not more than €150 may be imposed on the club against whom the objection has been proved valid.
Payment
Please pay the entry fee via this link. PayPal is preferred.
Our Sponsor
Sheldon Long and his company, Fine Art Papers, are delighted to once again be involved as sponsors for the forthcoming National Shield 2021 which will be held via Zoom on the 14th of November next. Fine Art Papers are Ireland’s leading supplier of Epson printers and papers by Canson, Hahnemuhle, Fuji, Epson and St. Cuthbert’s. As a fully accredited Epson Gold Pro Partner for the supply of Epson printers, they have a fully functioning demonstration and printing suite for large format printers and Sheldon himself is available for printing and training workshops on both a club and individual level. You can check out their products on the following link: https://www.fineartpapers.ie or contact Sheldon directly on 087 2572688
Sheldon has had a long track record in supporting the National Shield and acknowledges the efforts put in by nearly thirty clubs every year to showcase the works of their non-advanced members. In his own words, “It is fantastic to see camera club members grow from their initial involvement with the Shield to advance members competing on the world stage”.
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Info
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National Co-Ordinator:
Date: tbc
Closing Date: 29th October 2021
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