The 2017 IPF National Shield Competition is now open for entries. Will Dundalk Photographic Society retain the title they won last year or will the competition prove too fierce for them this year from another club? Will it be your club who are crowned champions!?
Date: Sunday 26th November 2017
Closing Date: Midnight Sunday November 12th 2017
Location: Casteltroy Park Hotel, Limerick
Host Club: Limerick Camera Club
Entry Fee: €80
A number of significant changes have been made to the rules for the 2017 National Shield Competition. These changes are being implemented as part of the review of national competitions which will be phased in over a period of time. These are outlined below. Please study these in conjunction with the 2017 Rules document which is available to download below.
The co-ordinator for this year’s National Shield is Bill Power, FIPF. The assistant co-ordinator is Patrick Kavanagh, LIPF.
We are delighted to welcome back Canson Infinity papers, along with their distributor Fine Art Papers as sponsors for this competition. They will be with us on competition day ready to answer all your questions about paper with a large stock to choose from.
To read more about the Shield Competition and its purpose, please read this document about it and browse through the galleries of previous years.
Clubs entering the competition are stongly advised to check the new revised rules for the competition. Please read the rules carefully.
The judges are;
• Anne Cassidy, FIPF, FRPS, AFAIP (Ireland)
• Janet Haines, ARPS (Netherlands)
• Podge Kelly, FIPF, EFIAP, LSWPP (Ireland)
This is the first time Irish photographers will be involved in the judging team, however none of those involved are members of any clubs affiliated to the IPF or associated with clubs involved in competing in the National Shield.
Number of images per panel: 8
Number of panels per club: 1 monochrome + 1 colour
Number of images per photographer
Not more than one image from any qualifying photographer may appear on any one panel (no more than one in colour and no more than one in mono). However, in the case of clubs with small memberships (defined as those who have affiliated as a small club in 2017 – under 30 members), a request may be made in writing to the National Shield Co-ordinator who, at his or her discretion, may allow up to two entries per photographer, up to a maximum of two photographers per panel. This is purely to facilitate smaller clubs to encourage them to enter the competition. This facility will not be allowed to larger clubs.
Schedule
The full schedule for the 2017 IPF National Shield Competition is now available on the event page.
Whose photographs are allowed on National Shield panels?
This is the most significant change from previous years. Previously, entry was restricted to non-advanced photographers only. Non-advanced was defined as persons who had not been awarded IPF distinctions or equivalent distinctions from other photographic organizations such as FIAP, PSA and the RPS, or persons who had won a set number of national or international awards.
From 2017 onwards, up to two images per panel may be allowed from photographers who have been awarded LIPF distinction. However, as heretofore, anyone who has won medals at national or international competitions will be excluded from entry in this competition along with the other conditions that define advanced.
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). Previously it was 20 points per judge 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.
Judging procedures
As in all IPF competitions, scoring is carried out separately by the judges whose scores are then totalled at the end of judging. Judging will be done in private, however, judges will provide commentary prior to the awards ceremony.
Complaints procedure
Each competing club will be required to nominate two persons to represent their club at the competition. Complaints in relation to any image or panel will only be accepted from those designated representatives, an IPF Council member or a regional officer. A fee of €60 must accompany any complaint from a club official. If the complaint is upheld, the €60 will be refunded. The IPF Council may take further action against the offending club.
Payment
Please pay the entry fee via this link. PayPal is preferred but even if you are paying by cheque, please fill out the short form on this link.
Queries
Please address any queries regarding the above to the competition co-ordinator Bill Power via the contact page on our website.
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