The Neerim Bower – Gateway To The Neerim District

CONDITIONS OF ENTRY

GENERAL

All images must have been taken by the entrant. Any manipulation where permitted (see definitions) must have been made by the photographer (author).
Entries in Print sections will be accepted from residents of the Commonwealth of Australia and its Territories.
Entrants to the Digital Section must be residents of the Baw Baw Shire.
The greatest care will be taken with entries, but no responsibility will be accepted for loss or damage.
On-line entry is via the Neerim Bower website: www.neerimbower.com.au 
Cost of entry is $5 per Print section. Entrants may submit up to a maximum of four entries per section.
Entry into the Digital section is free but restricted to local residents. An entrant may submit up to a maximum of four entries.
Payment of entry fees is via the PayPal payment portal (see web site).
Entries must be sent POST PAID. Sufficient return postage must be included with entry fees if entries are to be returned. Entries received without the entry fee being paid will not be judged. Entries received without sufficient return postage will not be returned and will be disposed of. Please check with your post office on the cost of returning your entry.
Group entries may be packaged together for convenience. The entry form includes a specific field for your group name. This will be an essential aid for Print Stewards in ensuring all entries within the group are returned together. 
Print entries are to be sent to:
Neerim Bower Photography Competition, c/- Community Bank Neerim District, 143 Main Neerim Road, Neerim South, Vic. 3831
Entries close 31st October, 2021.
Entries may be hand delivered to the Bank during weekdays or on weekends to Serigraph Gallery, 157-161 Main Neerim Road, Neerim South.
Entries to be picked up at the Community Bank or Serigraph Gallery must be collected by 31th December. Entries left after this date will be disposed of.
PRINT entries must be accompanied by a digital version of all entries via the on-line entry system.
Unless otherwise specified, permission to reproduce entries for publicity purposes will be assumed.
Each entrant will receive via email a Report Card (and Award Certificate, where appropriate). The Report Card will be sent within a week of judging. (Please check your Spam/Junk folder!).
The same or substantially the same image cannot be entered in more than one section of this exhibition regardless of image titles. Colour and monochrome images produced from the same image capture are considered the same image for this rule.
Images that won prizes in the previous Neerim Bower Photography Competition are not eligible for entry into this or future Neerim Bower Competitions.
The decisions of the Organising Committee or its delegates are final and no correspondence will be entered into. It is assumed upon receipt of an entry that the entrant accepts these rules and conditions.
The Committee reserves the right to withhold any accepted entry from display.
A maximum of FOUR ENTRIES may be submitted in each section.
By submitting images to this exhibition in either print or digital form, the entrant agrees to accept without exception or objection the following terms:

1. To ensure that images comply with the Conditions of Entry, including all relevant definitions, the exhibition organisers may ask the entrant to provide original images, with EXIF data intact, by a specified deadline.
2. If the entrant does not supply the requested image(s) in the specified time, those images will be deemed to be in breach of the Conditions of Entry.
3. Images that are deemed by the exhibition organisers to breach the Conditions of Entry will be removed from the exhibition. Any acceptances or awards allocated to those images will become void.

DIGITAL IMAGES

The image must have been taken by the entrant. Any manipulation where permitted (see definitions) must have been made by the photographer (author).
Images must be in JPG format.
For entrants who do not understand image resizing, please ignore point #4 below. Oversized images will be automatically resized to fit within the maximum pixel dimensions of the screen used for judging.
For more experienced photographers:
Images will be judged using a screen calibrated to the sRGB colorspace with 1920×1080 pixels set to a luminosity of 120 cd/m2. To optimise your images for judging, images should not exceed a maximum horizontal dimension of 1920 pixels and the maximum vertical dimension of 1080 pixels.

PRINTS: MONOCHROME AND COLOUR

All Prints must be mounted. Mats must be 400 x 500mm (with the similar older standard of 16×20 inch also acceptable). No other size mats will be accepted. Any size print within this mat size is allowed. THICKNESS of mounts MUST NOT exceed 5mm. Any notconforming will not be presented for judging.
A PDF file of print labels suitable for home printing on Avery or equivalent one up A4 will be emailed to all entrants who submit print entries. Print and cut up the labels (4 per A4 page) and fix to the back of prints.
Labels are to be attached the BOTTOM LEFT CORNER on the back of each print. This is to indicate the correct orientation of the print for viewing.
Framed prints will not be accepted.

Note on Print Judging

     Prints will be judged under illumination from Solux 4700K MK16 bulbs against a neutral grey background.

PACKAGING INSTRUCTIONS

Package your prints safely for transport to and from the competition, including via personal collection (not just via AusPost). 
A plastic bag is simply not safe enough and does not protect your prints adequately enough to avoid damage.  We recommend the Jascar A2 Kraft Art Folio or similar.
Do not pack your prints individually in plastic or paper sleeves. 
If dropping off your prints please ensure your full name and address is clearly and securely marked on the outside, also addressed to the Neerim Bower (see Section 6 of General Rules above).

JUDGES

Ruth Burleigh AAPS SSVAPS

Ruth is a Warragul resident who is a professional photographer with many years of experience in photographic judging, President of the Warragul Camera club for several years and mentor for many aspiring photographers.

Jane Woodcock FAPS EFIAP
David Woodcock FAPS EFIAP

Jane and David are local Neerim residents who have been active in the amateur photography community since 2011. They have between them over 900 images accepted in international photography competitions with many awards including Best in Show, Firsts and Seconds. Jane is Chair of the Warragul National Photography Competition that in 2021 was held for the 48th time.