Competition
FAQs
Competition
Fees & Payment
Q. Why
do you charge a fee to enter?
Q. How many images can I enter
and how much does it cost?
Q. The Scottish Wildlife and Scottish
Landscape categories have been sub-divided this year – how does that work?
Q.
Can I enter the same image in more than one category?
Q.
Can I pay by debit or credit card?
Q.
Who do I make my cheque payable to?
Q.
Can I pay using my PayPal account?
Q.
I am the Parent or Guardian of a Junior entrant, how do I pay their entry fee?
Q.
Why do you ask for a telephone number on the Paypal checkout?
Q.What
happens after I have paid my entry fee?
Competition
- Judging and Timetable
Q. When do entries open?
Q.
What is the closing date for the competition?
Q.
When will I know if my image has been selected for the shortlist?
Q.
When will the Scottish Nature Photography Award winners be announced?
Image
Usage
Q. How will my images be used?
Submitting
Images and Image Setup
Q. How do I submit my images?
Q.
I’m having a problem using the uploader to submit my images, what should
I do?
Q. Should I submit digital camera files or scans?
Q.
What forms of digital processing are acceptable?
Q.
Which colour mode should I submit images in?
Q. Can I use
cropping?
Q. Can I enter an image that has been published
in a magazine or other media?
Q. Can I enter an image that
has been entered in another photographic competition?
Q.
Can I get my images back after the competition?
Shortlist
Questions
Q. How do I submit images after the shortlist
process?
Competition
Fees & Payment
Q.
Why do you charge a fee to enter?
We have
kept the entry fees as low as possible whilst still helping to cover the costs
associated with organising and running the competition, the website, and the exhibition
tour.
Q.
How many images can I enter and how much does it cost?
Main categories
(Scottish Nature Photographer of the Year section):
£5.00 per
category (£4.00 Early Bird until 31/05/11). This automatically includes
1 image entry to that category.
You can enter as many categories as you
want.
You only need to pay the fee for each category you are entering ONCE.
If
you wish to enter more images, the additional fees are as follows:
5 extra
images £5.00
10 extra images £10.00
15 extra images £15.00
20 extra images £20.00
25 extra images £25.00
You can
submit all your extra images to one category, or spread them over any of the categories
that you have entered. Therefore, if you enter all 5 categories and select the
25 extra images option, you can submit a total of 30 images to the competition.
Student
Scottish Nature Photographer of the Year section:
Entry for a portfolio
of 3 images is £5.00 (£4.00 Early Bird until 31/05/12). Extra images
cannot be entered to this category.
Junior
Scottish Nature Photographer of the Year section:
Entry
for up to 5 images is £3.00.
Q.
The Scottish Wildlife and Scottish Landscape categories have been sub-divided
this year – how does that work?
You still only pay £5.00 to
enter the category. You can then choose which of the sub-categories to enter your
image into when you upload it.
Example 1. You enter the Scottish
Wildlife category and pay £5, which includes 1 image entry. You then choose
whether to submit it to Wildlife Portrait or Wildlife Behaviour when you upload
it.
Example 2. You enter the Scottish Landscape category and pay
£5, which includes 1 image entry. You also select 5 extra images at £5.
This gives you a total of 6 images to enter into the Scottish Landscape category.
When you upload your images, you might choose to enter 3 into The Sea & Coast,
2 into The Land and 1 into Urban Greenspace, or any combination of those sub-categories.
Example
3. You enter the Scottish Landscape category
and pay £5, which includes 1 image entry. You also enter the Environmental
category at £5, which includes 1 image entry. You select 10 extra images
at £10. This gives you a total of 12 images to enter into the Scottish Landscape
and Environmental categories. When you upload your images, you might choose to
enter 3 into The Sea & Coast, 3 into The Land and 6 into the Environmental
category.
Q.
Can I enter the same image in more than one category?
No. Each individual
image can be entered into one category only.
Q.
Can I pay by debit or credit card?
You can pay for online entries by a
credit or debit card via Paypal. You do not need to register with Paypal or have
a Paypal account if you just want to pay with your debit or credit card. We regret
that we cannot accept credit or debit cards for postal entries. These must be
sent with a cheque.
Q. Who do I make my cheque
payable to?
Please make cheques payable to “N & J Irvine”.
Cheques can only be accepted from UK banks and entries will be accepted on clearance
of the cheque.
Q.
Can I pay using my PayPal account?
Yes. All online entries can be paid
for via PayPal using your Paypal account.
Q.
I am the Parent or Guardian of a Junior entrant, how do I pay their entry fee?
You
can pay by any of the above methods. When you are entering online, please type
in the name and age of the Junior entrant in the text box beside the "add
to cart" button. If you forget to do this, we will ask for this information
when we email your receipt. Entry to the Junior category must be with the permission
of a Parent or Guardian and the Parent or Guardian must assume responsibility
for the Junior entrant’s compliance with the rules.
Q.
Why do you ask for a telephone number on the Paypal checkout?
As a backup
in case we have a problem getting an email through to you.
Q.What
happens after I have paid my entry fee?
After
you have completed the online entry checkout, we'll process your entry and send
you an email containing confirmation of your entry and the username and password
you'll need to upload your images. This stage is completed by staff rather than
automated so, although we're usually much quicker, please allow us up to 2 working
days to send you the confirmation and upload details. To avoid delays, please
make sure that the email address you supply is up to date and one you check regularly!
If
you submit a postal entry, we'll send you a confirmation email when we have processed
it.
Competition
- Judging and Timetable
Q.
When do entries open?
Entries open on 30th
April 2012.
Q.
What is the closing date for the competition?
The competition closes on
30th November 2011(midnight GMT) for ALL entries. No entries will be accepted
after this date. If you enter online within the week prior to the closing date,
you will be advised of a deadline of a few extra days after the closing date in
which you can upload your images. This ONLY applies to entries placed in the week
prior to, or on the closing date. All other images must be uploaded prior to the
closing date. Postal entries with a postmark date of 30/11/11 or before will be
accepted if they are received after the closing date.
Q.
When will I know if my image has been selected for the shortlist?
Photographers
will be informed if any of their images have been shortlisted at the end of January/beginning
of February 2012. If we have not contacted you by this time, you have been unsuccessful
in being shortlisted. If shortlisted, entrants to the Student Category will be
asked to confirm the details of their course and where they are studying.
Q.
When will the Scottish Nature Photography Award winners be announced?
The
winners will be announced in March 2012.
Image
Usage
Q.
How will my images be used?
The Scottish Nature Photography Awards aims
to promote its Photographic Competition and to provide a platform for promoting
the Photographers who take part. Therefore, we have made provision for license
to use images submitted to the competition for that purpose as detailed in the
competition rules. For any use that
falls outside the scope of promotion of the competition, exhibition etc. (as detailed
in the rules) royalties will be discussed & negotiated with the photographer
concerned.
Submitting
Images and Image Setup
Q.
How do I submit my images?
Online
– Once you have selected your categories and any extra images and paid your
entry fee online, you’ll be sent an email receipt along with a username and
password to upload your images to the server via the upload area (link
on top right of each page of the website). You should upload RGB JPEG image files
that are 800 pixels on their longest side. When you upload your images,
please follow the instructions within the uploader to insert the details of the
category you are entering and image name for each image file e.g. "Scottish
Wildlife_Wildlife Portrait_Red Deer Stag".
If
you are shortlisted, you’ll be asked to provide high-resolution TIFF
image files at:
Main categories and Student
category – Minimum A3 300dpi size (TIFF, Adobe RGB 1998, 8-bit) for final
judging. Please ensure that any image you enter is available at that size, should
it be required.
Junior Category – Minimum A4 300dpi size (TIFF
or JPEG, Adobe RGB 1998, 8-bit) for final judging. Please ensure that any image
you enter is available at that size, should it be required.
Post
- All entries submitted by post must be clearly labelled. Your CD should have
your name written on it along with your completed entry form and payment. You
can provide high-resolution TIFF images on the CD, or provide RGB JPEG image files
that are 800 pixels on their longest side, as long as you have the high-resolution
files if they are required for the shortlist (see above guide for online entry).
In
the event that the high-resolution file submitted for a shortlisted image does
not meet the technical standard required by the judges, the image may be eliminated
from the shortlist.
Q.
I’m having a problem using the uploader to submit my images, what should
I do?
The server can get busy at times. If you are having any problems
either with your username and password, or uploading your images, please email
us for help. We will assist you as soon as we can and, if necessary, will provide
an alternative method for you to submit your images. Please be aware that the
demand on the server will be high around the closing date, so try to upload your
images in good time!
Q. Should I submit digital
camera files or scans?
Either digital camera files or scans of slides (transparencies)
and negatives are fine. In either case, images should ultimately be capable of
meeting the A3 300dpi (A4 300dpi for Junior section) requirement for shortlisted
images. Please ensure that all images are clean at 100%. Do not submit RAW files.
Q.
What forms of digital processing are acceptable?
Digital adjustments including
minor cleaning work, levels, curves, colour, saturation and contrast work may
be undertaken. This kind of work is comparable to what would be deemed as acceptable
traditional photographic techniques. The aim is to achieve a true representation
of the subject. Major retouching, alteration, montaging etc. will not be accepted.
Q.
Which colour mode should I submit images in?
Images should be submitted
in the Adobe 1998 RGB colour space.
Q. Can I
use cropping?
Yes, cropping is allowed, but please bear in mind that cropping
reduces the file size and therefore high levels of cropping could result in the
deterioration of image quality. Remember that all images entered should be capable
of meeting the A3 300dpi (A4 300dpi for Junior section) requirement for shortlisted
images.
Q. Can I enter an image that has been
published in a magazine or other media?
Yes. However, part of the judging
criteria is originality and a widely published image may have a reduced chance
of winning on these grounds. You must ensure that any image you enter is not subject
to any exclusive rights and that the image is your own and you have full copyright.
Q.
Can I enter an image that has been entered in another photographic competition?
Images
that have won an award or has been shortlisted/commended in a nationally promoted
competition, or that have been entered in such a competition where the results
are still pending, are not eligible for entry. You must ensure that any image
you enter is not subject to any exclusive rights and that the image is your own
and you have full copyright.
Q. Can I get my
images back after the competition?
We will return CDs if requested and
on receipt of a stamped, self-addressed envelope of appropriate size and value.
Otherwise these will be destroyed. All images uploaded online to the server will
be deleted on completion of the judging process.
Shortlist
Questions
Q.
How do I submit images after the shortlist process?
Shortlisting will take
place in January 2012. If your image is selected for the shortlist, we will contact
you by email at the end of January/beginning of February to request your high
resolution TIFF file (minimum A3 300dpi or A4 300dpi for the Junior section).
If
you have any more questions, you can contact us by completing the contact
form.
