Competitions – External

PPS participates in four annual external competitions alongside other clubs:
2023-24 dates will be updated to 2024-25 *after* the hand-in for the 2024 SPF Portfolio

Hand-in for PPS membersCompetition dateCompetition Name
01 Nov 2327 Nov 234-Way Battle
25 Oct 2319 Nov 23SPF Digital Championship
24 Jan 2418 Feb 24SPF Print Championship
22 Apr 24Jun/Jul 24SPF Portfolio

PPS also conducts internal competitions for its own members.

Annual Four-Way Photographic Competition (Four-Way Battle)

Hand-in for PPS members’ entries Wed 01 Nov 2023
Hand-in for PPS club entry Fri _____ Nov 2023

Competition Mon 27 Nov 2023

For the club:

The Four-way Battle is an annual competition between

  • Dundee Photographic Society, hosts for 2023-24 Season
  • Glenrothes Camera Club
  • Perthshire Photographic Society
  • St Andrews Photographic Society

Entries from PPS members should be handed in a week ahead of the date for Club entries, to allow time for selection of the club entry by a small representative sub-committee.

Clubs are invited to enter as follows:

  • 20 images per club are required for the competition:
    6 mono prints, 6 colour prints and 8 projected digital images.
  • No image, print or PDI, should be more than two years old.

For 2023-24, entries for Mono Prints, Colour Prints, and Digital Images, will be welcomed.

For members wishing to enter:

Members are invited to enter as follows

  • Each individual club member may enter no more than:
    2 Mono Prints, 2 Colour Prints and 2 Digital images.
    By all means hand in more, and the club selection process will choose.
  • No image, print or PDI, should be more than two years old.

Entry guidelines, where different from PPS guidellines, are:

  • Prints are to be marked with title only on the back.
    All other identifiable references must be hidden or removed.
  • Projected digital images should follow the file naming scheme:
    Dundee : DPS_P_Title.jpeg
    Glenrothes: GCC_P_Title.jpeg
    Perth: PPS_P_Title.jpeg
    St Andrews: SPS_P_Title.jpeg

Guidelines – general
Guidelines – print images
Guidelines – digital images

SPF Digital Championship 2023

Hand-in of PPS members’ entries 25 Oct 2023
Hand-in for club entry 09 Nov 2023
Competition date 19 Nov 2023

For the club:

Normally, the SPF Digital Championship is a club competition, held in November each year. It is judged by three judges, in front of an audience.

For full details see the SPF Website – Digital Championship
Note that the SPF website addresses itself more to clubs than to individuals.

For members wishing to enter:

Entries from PPS members should comprise JPGs, maximum size 1600 x 1200.
Full rules for 2021, are on the SPF website in a downloadable PDF.
Rules for this year will be linked here when they are available.

Digital entries must be received by our PPS External Competition Secretary by ‘Hand-in of PPS members’ entries’ date given above.

For contact details of our External Competitions Secretary, see Guidelines – digital image.

Hand-in of PPS members’ entries 24 Jan 2024
Hand-in for PPS club entry 10 Feb 2024

Competition 18 Feb 2024

For the club:

The SPF Print Championship is a club and individual competition, open to monochrome and colour prints, held in February each year. It is judged by three judges, in front of an audience, mostly members of Scottish clubs.

For full details see the SPF Website – Print Championship
Note that the SPF website addresses itself more to clubs than to individuals.

For members wishing to enter:

Entries from PPS members should include
– Mounted Prints only (max 500mmx400mm) [not ‘unmounted prints up to A3 size’, that was for during covid], and
– Documentation (a brief SPF Form, provided by PPS for entrants to complete, to identify each entry).
Full rules for 2024 are on the SPF website as a downloadable PDF.

Print entries must be received by our PPS External Competition Secretary by ‘Hand-in of PPS members’ entries’ date given above.

For contact details of our External Competitions Secretary, see Guidelines – digital image.

SPF Print and Projected Image Portfolios

Hand-in of PPS members’ entries 22 Apr 2024

For the club:

The SPF Portfolio is a club and individual competition, open to monochrome and colour prints (each accompanied by a digital version), and to digital images. It is held in July each year. It is judged ‘in camera’ by three judges.

In the November following the judging, the results are sent on a CD or DVD to competing clubs. PPS usually devotes one meeting of the season to viewing the entries, with commentary from an experienced For the date of this, see our Programme page.

For members wishing to enter:

Entries from PPS members should include images and documentation (a brief SPF Form, provided by PPS for entrants to complete, to identify each entry).

For full details see the SPF Website – Portfolio
Note that the SPF website addresses itself more to clubs than to individuals.

Print and/or digital entries must be received by our PPS External Competition Secretary by ‘Hand-in of PPS members’ entries’ date given above.

For contact details of our External Competitions Secretary, see Guidelines – digital image.