2025 Prairie Zone Competition

2025 Prairie Zone Competition

Scope of Competition

This is an open theme competition and all submitted images must have been captured in the Prairie Zone.

This competition welcomes a variety of subjects such as animals, birds, insects, landscape, nature, people, domesticated animals and wildlife and can include altered reality images.

However, images depicting individuals experiencing homelessness, infirmity, or people in crisis will not be accepted. We consider the exploitation of the misfortune and suffering of others for the sake photography demonstrates a disregard for the well-being of our fellow individuals.

Participation in this competition is open to current individual members and CAPA camera clubs.  Camera club submissions must be from different photographers. All submitted images must come from photographers who are permanently residing in the Prairie Zone, which includes Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Northwest Territories.

In response to the feedback from our 2023 CAPA Survey, we have introduced the Zone Tiered Skill-level model. Details about this model can be found here:

During the image upload process for this competition, participants will be presented with a skill-level drop-down menu for each image.

Unless listed below, all other entrants should choose “Novice” from the skill level dropdown menu.

Competition Process

Competition Coordinator – Cheryl Bramble – Assist CAPA Director of Competitions – cbramble@shaw.ca

Questions about the scope of the competition and/or the editing criteria should be directed to the Coordinator well in advance of  the closing day of the competition.

Closing Date of Competition – April 15, 2025 at midnight Standard Time (Ontario).

Check out our – How To Upload Images To CAPA Competition here. 

Special Note : Following a period of 2 weeks after the competition’s closing date, you can access the final competition report by logging into the CAPA website and navigating to the ‘Competition Reports’ under the ‘Competitions’ dropdown menu

The following photographers will select “Intermediate/Advance” from the skill dropdown menu:

  • Andrea Belcher
  • Dan Sigouin
  • Diane McKinnon
  • Hans Arnold
  • Cathie Aalders-Taylor
  • Cathleen Mewis
  • Colleen sayer
  • Oliver Dolinsky
  • Olivia Dolinsky
  • Ottmar Philipp
  • Peter Coombes
  • Robert Royer
  • Traci Beattie
  • Vincent Morban
  • Zbigniew W. Gortel
  • Colleen Sayer
  • Diane McKinnon
  • Linda Treleaven
  • Oliver Dolinsky
  • Ottmar Philipp
  • Robert Royer
  • Vincent Morban

One month prior to the closing of this competition, the Director of Competitions will update the listing of members in the “Intermediate/Advance skill group.

A Novice photographer has the option to compete in the “Intermediate” or “Advanced” skill dropdown menu. However, a photographer in the “Immediate” or “Advanced” skill level cannot compete at a lower level. Any attempt to do so will result in the respective image remaining in the competition. However, this image will not receive any CAPA award.

In cases where a club member, designated as either an “Intermediate” or “Advanced” group is selected to represent their club, the club competition coordinator will assign the appropriate “Intermediate” or “Advanced” skill level to the submitted image. It is the responsibility of the “Intermediate” or “Advanced” group member to confirm with the competition coordinator that the correct skill level is chosen.

If a Novice camera club member wishes to have their image entered into the “Intermediate” or “Advanced” categories, they must communicate this desire to their competition coordinator.

Photographers can request to be raised to a higher skill level with supporting rationale. 

For this competition, three sets of CAPA medals are being awarded for Advanced, Intermediate and Novice skill groups.

The competition, awards will be based on a single image.

SPECIAL NOTE – In view of the fact that awards will be based ONLY on a single image, there will be no club or individual aggregate rankings.

No merit awards will be awarded in this competition, but Honourable Mention Award e-certificates will be presented by CAPA.

For Zone competitions only, judges will score all of the images, and additionally one judge will ONLY provide comments on each image submitted into the novice skill category.

Maximum Submitted Images

  • Camera clubs are limited to uploading a maximum of eighteen (18) images each from a different club member.
  • Individual CAPA members are restricted to uploading a maximum of two (2) images.

Competition Details (click arrow for more details)

Editing Criteria

  • Eligibility Criteria – Prior to submitting any photo in a CAPA competition, all entrants must first read the CAPA Eligibility Criteria relating to images submissions. – READ ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA HERE
  • Permitted Editing Techniques:

All In-Camera Techniques: Any adjustments made directly within the camera during image capture.

On-Camera Techniques: Utilizing on-camera features and settings for image enhancements.

Post-Processing Techniques: Editing the image using post-processing software.

Sky Replacement: Sky replacement is permitted, but the replacement sky must have been captured by the same photographer submitting the image into the competition.

Triptychs (an image of three (3) separated images contained in a single image) are  permitted in this competition.

  • Editing Techniques Not Permitted:

Images without Photographic Origin: Images that are entirely generated electronically with no photographic origin.

Frames, Borders, Pin-lines, and Mats: Photograph must not contain any decorative elements like frames, borders, pin-lines, or mats.  This includes the edges and markings of scanned film.  When the frame is integral to the captured image, for instance a window frame or door frame that has been captured by the camera, these elements are permitted.

Artificial Intelligence Renderings: Images that have been created or modified using specific AI generative techniques are not permitted for submission into our competitions. This includes:

      • In-painting (where AI fills in generated elements not captured by the photographer or removes and replaces elements from a photograph with AI-generated content);
      • Out-painting (where AI extends beyond the original boundaries of the photograph using generated elements); and
      • Image-to-image AI (where AI transforms an entire photograph based on text prompts or style references)

These restrictions apply whether or not text prompts are used in the AI generation process.

We strongly encourage you to review our “December 13, 2024 – Updated CAPA Stance on AI-Generated Images in Photographic Competitions” (English) (French)”

  • Image Metadata Required:

For all submitted images, the photographer must preserve intact with no alternations, the original metadata (EXIF) of images.  It is recommended that photographers leave the metadata in submitted image files intact in order to ease the analysis of potential winning images.

The Director of Competitions will request and receive the original un-retouched JPEG or RAW file for a potential winning image in a competition for the purposes of image verification and authentication of competition compliance.

Upon notification that their image is a potential winning entry, photographers may be required by the Director of Competitions to submit all original images, such as unretouched JPG or RAW files, along with other image files that were integrated into the submitted image.

Failure to comply with the Director’s request for image files will result in the potential winning image being withdrawn from the competition and the competition results will be re-sorted.

 These requirements aim to ensure transparency and verify adherence to the competition’s specifications regarding image authenticity and compliance with the editing criteria.

  • Accepted Image Types:

– Colour images
– Black & White images
– Colour images converted to black & white
– Infrared images which can contain a range of colours beyond black & white

Image Specifications

Title of Image

When images are uploaded into a competition, you are required to enter the title of your image into the Title Field.  Title can be in either  English or French or both.

Do Not: enter your name, the name of the photographer or the club name in the Title Field (that is for the Title of the image)

Do Not: include punctuation or symbols (such as / –_  , ; : ‘’ “” ! ? & $%*{} [ ] @ # &) or quotation marks in the Title of your image.

The Image Title should be simple, and introduce or set the mood or perspective for your image.  For example:  Sublime Nova Scotia Sunset

A weak image title, such as ‘pretty flower,’ will fail to stimulate the judge’s interest in the image and may result in a lower score than expected.

Image File Name

The image file name that you create prior to uploading into this competition should also be simple, and could be the same as the Image Title. For example: John Snow-Sublime Nova Scotia Sunset

Image Size – Dimensions

You must ensure your image is re-sized to meet the following two parameters:

    1. Saved as a jpg image with a maximum file size of 1.8 MB.
    2. Dimensions: Maximum horizontal size: 1400 pixels and maximum vertical size: 1050 pixels.

Example of Image Sizing – Double-click to view image

Note: Images smaller than the maximum dimensions will ONLY be accepted when one of the image edges has a horizontal size is 1400 pixels or the vertical size is 1050 pixels.  For example: square image – 1050 x 1050 pixels; 1400 x 800 pixels; or 700 x 1050 pixels.

Note: Images will NOT be rotated by the judges and will scored as submitted.

During the uploading process of your image, our online competition system will verify if the image is less than 1.8 MB and meets the two parameters.

If your image fails this verification process, you will receive an error message and it will appear below the upload image box.

Depending on the error message – you will need to either reduce the file size of the image to be 1.8 MB or less or re-size the dimensions of your image.  After doing so, please re-try uploading your image.

Suggestions – Use sRGB colour space for your image.  For colour accuracy: we strongly recommend that you calibrate your monitor to ensure colour accuracy from your monitor to the image projected to the judges.

Judging Criteria

  • Judges will assign scores primarily based on the Creative Intent of the image maker. Creative Intent refers to the characteristics of originality, expressiveness and imagination in communicating a story or eliciting an emotional response that gives the image a strong and lasting impact.
  • Judges will also take into consideration in their scoring the degree to which the Organizational and Technical Components contribute to or support the Creative Intent.
    • Organizational Component refers to composition/design, use of space, balancing of elements, use of lighting, and presentation of the image.
    • Technical Component refers to the exposure triangle (aperture, ISO, shutter speed), sharpness, in-camera and post-processing techniques such as intentional camera movement, use of colour, monochrome, duo and multi-tone, HDR, focus stacking, or any other technique permitted by the competition rules. 
  • An Image’s title may be used by the judges in evaluating a submission, so entrants should take care in selecting a title that complements or contributes to the vision or message being presented in the image.