I am a new CAPA member. How do I enter a CAPA Competition?
When you become a member of CAPA, you will receive a unique username and password which will permit you to access members-only information on our website and to enter images into many of our competitions. Camera Clubs that become members of CAPA will receive a similar unique username and password.
Prior to entering in any of our competitions, it is critical that you first read and comply with all the details contained on the respective competition webpage: Scope of Competition, Editing Criteria and Competition Processes.
In addition, it is important that you also read and agree to the details contained on our Eligibility Criteria webpage.
Images that do not comply with the competition details will be ‘deemed unsuitable’ for presentation to the judges on the ‘day-of-judging.’
For CAPA Competitions, is there a time limit on when the image was taken?
At present, there are no limitations on when the image was taken but it must have been taken by yourself.
Can I re-enter or re-crop an image for which I received a CAPA award (medal, merit ribbon/certificate or an honourable mention ribbon/certificate)?
No. Your image has been recognized and honoured with a CAPA award. Therefore, you must submit another image for the respective competition. The Director of Competitions maintains a database of past winners and may review past competitions prior to approving competition results.
Can I use any type of photo-editing software to edit my image being submitted for a CAPA Competition? If so, are there limitations?
Yes, you can use any photo-editing software to perform post-processing on your image. However, the limitations in using post-processing are outlined in each competition’s Editing Criteria. Exceeding the competition specifications will disqualify your image from being judged or be recognized as a winner in a competition.
Can I get an extension on submitting my image beyond the closing date of the CAPA competition?
No. Images will not be accepted for a competition after the closing date. Only exception is with the approval of the CAPA Director of Competitions and the Director’s decision is final.
What is the process once my images have been uploaded to the CAPA online system?
The respective Competition Coordinator will download all the submitted images and review them to ensure they all fall within the competition description. In the event an image is ‘deemed unsuitable,’ the Competition Coordinator will endeavor to contact you and asked that you re-submit a replacement image prior to the ‘day of judging’ provided there is sufficient time to do so.
On the ‘day of judging,’ the Competition Team will randomly present competition images to at least three experienced judges. Judges will provide a collective score not exceeding 30.
Once the judging has been completed, the judges will break any ties for the Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal winners as well as for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Merit Award Ribbon winners. Honourable Mention Ribbons will be presented to 10% of the total number of Entrants.
After the ‘day of judging,’ the Competition Coordinator will develop a CAPA Final Competition Report which will be reviewed for completeness by the appropriate Competition Chairperson.
When appropriate, the CAPA Director of Competitions will use various techniques to analyze all potential winning images to ensure editing criteria conditions have been met. Potential winning photographers may be requested to submit their original RAW or JPG images for this analysis. Once the images have been confirmed, the winners and all entrants will be advised of the competition results.
Final Competition Report and winning images will be posted on the CAPA website. Winning images will be open for public viewing. However, the final competition results can only be viewed by logging into the CAPA website by either a CAPA member or a camera club’s CAPA representative.
The final competition report and images will also be sent to the editor-in-chief of our Canadian Camera magazine for possible inclusion in a forthcoming magazine edition.