Competitions & Rules

Rules

Club members can choose to enter at one of two levels - Intermediate or Advanced, subject to the following rules:

1. New members, or existing club members, can join either group by notifying the Competition Secretary.
2. Existing Intermediate members can join the Advanced Group by notifying the Competition Secretary at any time.
3. Existing Advanced members who wish to join the Intermediate Group must apply to the Competition Secretary giving suitable reason for their proposed change in status. This will then be put before the Committee for consideration.

It has been noticed that new members can feel intimidated when entering images against the more experienced members of the club and expect to face fierce criticism by the judge as a result. This does not happen; judges make constructive comments designed to help and encourage members.

Once pictures are entered, the Intermediate Group images will be identified for the judge. The judge then takes note of this, and makes allowances for the member’s lack of experience. At the end of the season, the Intermediate member with the most points will be awarded a trophy. An Intermediate member cannot win the best overall image in a competition, as their group is judged separately.

Is Content Aware Fill allowed in competitions?

Based on Photographic Alliance of Great Britain (PAGB) guidance, traditional Content-Aware Fill is generally allowed, but Generative Fill (AI) is prohibited.

Here is a breakdown of the rules regarding this tool:

Allowed (Traditional Content-Aware): You may use Content-Aware Fill, cloning, healing, or patching tools to remove or replace elements, provided the source data used to fill the area comes wholly from within your own original image.

Prohibited (Generative AI/Fill): Tools that use generative AI to create new content or "invent" pixels based on text prompts or external data—such as Adobe Photoshop’s "Generative Fill" or "Generative Expand"—are not permitted in most PAGB-affiliated competitions.

Nature Competitions: In Nature-specific competitions, rules are much stricter, and any significant manipulation, including extensive content-aware filling, may be forbidden.

Key Principle: All elements of the image must be taken by the photographer. If the tool adds content that was not in your original photograph, it is likely to be disallowed.

Open PDI, judged by Linda Bell. Hand-in 01/10/2025.
On the Beach PDI, judged by Jill Bunting. Hand-in 29/10/2025.
Open Print, judged by John Smith. Hand-in 19/11/2025.
Reflections PDI, judged by Dave Jones. Hand-in 14/01/2025.
Transport PDI, judged by Dave Custance. Hand-in 11/02/2025.
Buildings & Bridges Including Dereliction PDI, judged by Sue Clark. Hand-in 11/03/2025.