Many questions may be answered by looking at the FAQ section on the BPE website.
Below will cover some frequently asked questions;
Record Keeping for BPE Crown Awards
Who can enter
To start entering exhibitions you do not need to register with BPE.
Whilst the majority are, you do not need to be a member of a camera club to participate in BPE members exhibitions.
BPE (British National Exhibitions) entry is open to any amateur photographer who resides in the UK, Channel Isles, I.O.M or BFPO.
Permitted images
All entries/pictures must have originated as a photograph, either film or digital and been taken by the entrant. Copyright of the image and any components therein must belong to the author. Computer generated and AI images are not permitted.
Natural History – see section on Nature
How to enter
Digital entries, are a maximum of 1600 x 1200 pixels width & height, thus portrait images should not exceed 1200 pixels in height. Images should be saved as jpg format in the sRGB colour space at quality/compression 10.
An image should not be entered into more than one category of the same exhibition, including mono versions of a colour image or PDI and Print.
Prints must be sent unmounted on A3 paper. The image may be any size within the paper.
PRINTS WILL NOT BE RETURNED
All prints must be marked with the image title and entrant’s name on the reverse. Only pressure sensitive (self adhesive) labels will be permitted and should be affixed to the bottom left of the image rear. The titles of the prints must match the titles on the Entry Form.
You must submit a digital version of your print during the entry process. The digital image should conform to the same requirements as the digital image entry. The digital image should have the same content and colouration as the print.
The digital version will only be used in catalogue production (where appropriate), website galleries and any public showing of accepted / awarded images; they will NOT be viewed by the selectors.
Naming of entries
Please do NOT include your name as part of/in any image title, as this could result in your name accidentally being read out at the selection – some selection software automatically reads the full image title, if this happened then the selectors will not score the image and it will not be accepted.
Similarly, your name should never appear visibly in your image. Selectors could be accused of prejudice if they were advised of your name e.g., you could be a member of the same club. Your name is always recorded separately with your entry.
In print exhibitions, whilst your name will be on the rear of the print together with the print title, selectors are not allowed to view the rear of the print.
For Natural History images then entrants are advised that in general “The use of Cute or Humorous titles are best avoided”.
Record Keeping for BPE Crown Awards
Please ensure that you keep a record of all of your acceptances as these will be needed when you apply for a Crown Award.
It is your responsibility to maintain your own acceptance records.
BPE do not retain a central record against every entrant, of what acceptances have been gained, BPE do however have the ability to validate Crown Award applications when they are made.
Please ensure that you have kept records and that the exhibitions were members of BPE at the time of your acceptances – it does not matter if the exhibition subsequently lapsed as a BPE member. The details of exhibitions which are part of BPE are listed on the main BPE website.
Acceptances do not have an expiry date – thus old acceptances in BPE member exhibitions can still be used towards a future crown award application.
Image Eligibility
It is important to maintain records, so that you do not enter the same image, which has already been accepted whether colour/monochrome, print /PDI, in a previous year of that same member exhibition.
Once an image has gained an acceptance its name should not be changed.
A monochrome version of a colour image is considered to be the same image, as is generally a print & PDI from the same exposure.
An image which has been accepted in one exhibition may however be entered in a different exhibition.