Photographic competition rules

LepSoc conference 2010 – Photographic competition

Rules of the competition

1. Any person who enters the competition accepts the rules of the competition.

2. The owners of the competition are the Lepidopterists' Society of Africa and SANBI. The competition is open to any member of the Lepidopterists' society of Africa, AS WELL AS to all members of the public who wish to enter, but the selected judges will not be allowed to enter.

3. The closing date for entries is 31 August 2010

4. The categories are as follows:

Under 14s (C1)

This category will be open to all photographers under the age of 14. Any photo

of a butterfly, moth or their eggs, larvae or pupae will be accepted.

Pictorial – Beginners (C2)

This category will be open to any beginner (members and non-members of

LepSoc) who wishes to enter photographs of butterflies, moths or their eggs,

larvae or pupae.

Pictorial – Advanced (C3)

This category will be open to any member of LepSoc or any member of public, who wishes to enter high standard photographs of butterflies, moths or their early stages. The overall winner of the competition will be selected from this category, and will be crowned the LepSoc photographer of the year, and the bigger prizes are awarded in this category. The entry fee for this category is R20.

Scientific (C4)

This category is open to all, but is meant for photographs that show some extraordinary occurrence or interesting behaviour of Lepidoptera such as predation, ovipositing behaviour or mating pairs. Aesthetic photographs of butterflies that have been classified as either threatened, endangered or critically endangered in the Red Data Book 2010 will also be accepted for this category. The subject must however be completely wild and may NOT have been photographed in captivity. This category is judged mainly on the scientific value of the photograph, and to a lesser extent on the aesthetic value of the photograph.

Botanical Gardens (C5)

Any photograph of butterflies, moths or their eggs, larvae or pupae taken in any of SANBI's Botanical Gardens in the past 5 years.

People and butterflies (C6)

Any photograph of lepidopterists (people interested in butterflies and moths) in action, such as humorous photographs of photographers stalking their targets or photos of lepidopterists doing what needs to be done to get their target. Also, landscapes and scenic shots, as well as anything else that has to do with butterflies and moths will be accepted.

No photograph may be entered into more than one category, and it is up to the photographer to decide in which category his photograph should be entered. Photographers are allowed to enter up to 3 photographs per category, but photographers entering the advanced category may not enter the beginner category. Only photographs of African butterflies are allowed to be entered, and it is the photographer's responsibility to ensure that photographs of butterflies taken in butterfly houses are of indigenous species. Photographs of exotic butterflies (i.e. butterflies not naturally occurring in Africa) will be disqualified.

5. Entries for ALL categories should be provided as follows: Each photograph should be resized so that the file size is less than 1MB and the photograph is no more than 1024 pixels wide for landscape photos, and 768 pixels high for portrait shots. For more information on how to resize images, go to the following link: http://www.lepsoc.org.za/component/option,com_kunena/Itemid,461/catid,9/func,view/id,226/#226

If the photograph reaches the final round, the originals will be requested in the highest possible resolution, but they have to be larger than 3 mega pixels. The winning images will be printed for display on the public day, which is why they need to be of suitable resolution and quality. The files must also be renamed as follows:

-category-title-author.JPG

eg. -C2-Yellow pansy-John Smith.JPG

-C4-Chrysoritis phosphor-John Smith.JPG

-C6-Mad Lepidopterist-John Smith.JPG

Photographers that enter category C3 (Advanced pictorial) has to send a proof of payment with their entries. The entry fee can be paid into the following account:

Nedbank

Account number: 1905032617

Florida Branch

Branch code: 190541

Use your initials and surname for a reference.

Remember to add your name and contact details (e-mail and telephone number) to the e-mail. The entries and further questions should be e-mailed to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Should the photographer wish to personally deliver a CD with entries, they can contact André Coetzer at 082 363 8131, or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

6. Adjusting your image: The faithful representation of what was captured at the time of the shot being taken must be maintained. Digital adjustments are only acceptable if limited to minor cleaning work (removing dust spots), levels, curves, colour, saturation and contrast work. Sharpening and cropping is allowed, as long as the resolution remains high enough.

7. Compositing, multiple exposures, sandwich shots and double exposures are not permitted. Adding or removing animals, parts of animals, plants, distractions, people etc into/from the image is not allowed.

8. In the scientific category, the subject has to be photographed in its natural environment. For the other categories photographs of bred specimens or early stages in captivity will be allowed.

9. The judges will be appointed by the council of the Lepidopterists' society of Africa. The owners' decision on all matters is final, and no correspondence will be entered into the competition's judging and organisation. Should the quality of entries fall below the required standard, the owners reserve the right not to award prizes.

10. The winners will be notified in September 2010 and are urged to attend the prize-giving ceremony on Sunday the 26^th September 2010 at the Walter   Sisulu Botanical gardens in Roodepoort.

11. Copyright and reproduction: You must be the sole author and owner of the copyright for all images entered. You will retain copyright of your entries at all times and always be credited alongside your picture. By entering your images into the competition, you grant permission to the owners for a non-exclusive license to reproduce the images.

12. Liability: All entries are sent in at the photographer's own risk. The owners cannot be held responsible for any loss or damage of any images entered, nor for any other loss or damage resulting from there.

13. The owners reserve the right to change or modify the rules during the year, but only before final closing date on the 31st August.