The Royal Photographic Society’s International Print Competition has reached its 150th year, no mean feat given the relative youth of photography. Over 120 prints will be selected and one Gold, two Silver and three Bronze medals will be awarded. This year all entrants will receive a special anniversary edition of the Print Exhibition catalogue. The deadline for the call for entries is Friday 23rd March 2007.

Royal Photographic Society Press Release

ROYAL PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY ANNOUNCES DEADLINE FOR 150th INTERNATIONAL PRINT COMPETITION:

FRIDAY 23rd MARCH 2007

Terry O’Neill and Ken Lennox join anniversary judging panel

The deadline for the call for entries for the 150th year of The Royal Photographic Society’s International Print Competition is Friday 23rd March 2007. 

The Society invites amateurs, students and professional photographers from around the world to submit work for consideration.  Over 120 prints will be selected and one Gold, two Silver and three Bronze medals will be awarded – last year’s Gold Award for the 149th International Print Exhibition was won by Ray Spence FRPS for Reflection (above).  This year, a Special Under-25 Gold Award and a prize of an E400 Digital SLR camera, kindly donated by Olympus, will also be presented for the best image by an entrant under 25 years of age.

In celebration of the 150th year of the exhibition, all entrants will receive a special anniversary edition of the Print Exhibition catalogue.  In addition to a full colour reproduction of all the selected images, it will also feature a chronicled history of the 150 years of the Exhibition.

The Royal Photographic Society is the foremost photographic society in the world, and gaining an acceptance for the International Print Exhibition has always been coveted by professionals and has helped many aspiring photographers to launch their career and achieve recognition. 

The Exhibition has been staged almost every year since the formation of the Society in 1853 and has built up an internationally renowned reputation for its exciting breadth of genres and styles, from the artistic to documentary, from portraiture to natural history. To commemorate the 150th anniversary, The Society has unveiled plans for a one-off retrospective exhibition to tour the UK alongside the Print Exhibition

A prestigious group of selectors have been invited to judge this year’s competition.  The visual art photographer Bill Wisden Hon. FRPS is chairing the judging panel, which includes celebrity portrait photographer Terry O’Neill Hon. FRPS, reportage photographer Ken Lennox, professional travel photographer Roger Reynolds Hon. FRPS, fine arts photographer and lecturer Ray Spence FRPS, and digital creative photographer Anne Sutcliffe FRPS.

Professor Ralph Jacobson ASIS Hon. FRPS, President of The Royal Photographic Society said: “Over the last 150 years, the International Print Exhibition has stood for the very best photography that the world has to offer.  To those planning on submitting entries for this year’s International Print Exhibition, I wish them the best of luck – we have a judging panel this year of the very highest order and I look forward to seeing the winning images.  I would also like to thank Olympus for their sponsorship of the Special Under-25 Gold Award – their support is very much appreciated.”

Entry forms for the International Print Competition can be downloaded from The Society’s website (www.rps.org).
www.rps.org

Rules of entry for the 150th International Print Exhibition

1. GENERAL REGULATIONS GOVERNING ENTRIES
Completed entry forms should be enclosed with the prints and payment, and sent to The Royal Photographic Society, 150th International Print Exhibition, Fenton House, 122 Wells Road, Bath BA2 3AH England. Send by letter, parcel or printed matter post and, if sending from abroad, ensure that the package is clearly marked “Temporary Importation – Exhibition Material. No commercial value”. The name and address of the entrant along with the title/print number of the photograph must appear on the reverse of each print. These details should be placed in the lower left 50mm (2”) of each print. Do not put names on the front of prints. To avoid damage to other entries, prints with any adhesive residue or velcro tabs from previous display will not be presented to the selectors. Packing used for sending prints will be re-used for return and must be suitable for such a purpose. We recommend flat packaging e.g. a photographic paper box or hard-backed envelope, not tubes. No package ma y exceed 3kg in weight or 22” x 26” in size. Please do not send overweight or oversize packaging.

2. ENTRIES
Any person is invited to submit a maximum of four individual prints for consideration by the selectors: these may be colour, monochrome or a mixture of both. Any subject matter is eligible.

3. SELECTION
The Selectors will particularly be looking for new work that has not previously been seen in exhibition. The Society has the right to accept or refuse any work. No individual assessments are available and the selectors’ decision is final.

4. UNMOUNTED PRINTS
Selected prints will be matted to fit a specific set of frames 20” x 24” (50.8 x 61cm).  The image size of submitted work should therefore not exceed 16” x 20” (40.7 x 50.8cm) though the complete print, with borders can be up to 20” x 24” (50.8 x 61cm). Prints should preferably be unmounted. 

5. AWARDS
The selectors will award one Gold, two Silver and three Bronze medals, plus a Special Under 25 Award. 

6. ENTRY FEES AND RETURN OF PRINTS
The entry fee will be £15 (€25). Prints not accepted for exhibition will be returned by the stated date (if return is required). Return postage must be paid for in advance and be included with the entry fee. The Society reserves the right to charge an entrant’s credit/debit card with a sum not exceeding the cost of return postage if necessary. The cost of Recorded Delivery should be included if required. Entries received without any fee will be neither considered nor returned.  Accepted prints will be returned within one month of the last showing of the Exhibition’s tour. Exhibitors are warned however, that in view of the number of showings, accepted entries will be away in excess of a year and may be sent overseas. Unless notified to the contrary it will be assumed that the authors agree to their work being transferred to other locations after the initial showing and that The Society has permission to retain their work as long as the Exhibition remains on tour.  All work not to be returned will be destroyed unless The Society contacts the photographer for use of their image/s for alternative purposes.

7. INSURANCE
If you feel your prints warrant insurance cover we would advise you to take out your own personal insurance as no cover will be offered by The Society. 

8. CATALOGUE
A free catalogue will be supplied in June 2007 to all entrants. It will include a reproduction of all selected prints.

9. COPYRIGHT AND REPRODUCTION
The copyright of all submitted work, including full control of use, must be at the disposal of the entrant.  All images contributing to the final photograph must be the work of the photographer and clip art and other imagery derived from a commercial source is unacceptable, even if free of copyright. The Royal Photographic Society accepts no liability for any breach of copyright by an entrant.  The copyright of all entries remains with the authors.  The Society reserves the right to reproduce, without payment, any accepted images for The Society’s Exhibition catalogue and for publicity and promotion purposes in connection with the Exhibition and The Society, including The Society website and Society’s Portfolio One (see website, under News).

10. DAMAGE
The responsibility for damage to or loss of photographs, however caused, is the responsibility of the photographer. The Royal Photographic Society and any of the venues to which the Exhibition tours will not be responsible for any loss or damage, whether or not caused by negligence.

11. ACCEPTANCE OF REGULATIONS
Submission of any entry implies acceptance of the rules and regulations.

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