Judging Photographs for Competitions
In early 2025, I was honoured to be invited by two local photographic clubs to serve as a judge for their inter-club annual challenge. This was the first time I had been asked to take on such a role, making it a steep learning curve filled with new experiences and perspectives. The opportunity not only challenged my ability to critically evaluate diverse photographic styles but also provided valuable insights that will undoubtedly influence and enrich my own photography practice moving forward.
My first task was to carefully establish a set of rules by which to Judge each of the 40 images, which spanned a wide range of photographic genres, including landscape, astrophotography, still life, portrait, wildlife, intimate, and floral photography. Conducting a thorough internet search allowed me to gather and compile the following comprehensive list of criteria, designed to ensure consistency and uniformity in my overall approach:-
General Competition Rules
All images are to be judged on their own merit.
All images will be judged on impact, and technical perfection.
Images for themed competitions have been pre-screened to comply with the theme.
For themed competitions, how well the theme is conveyed should be a significant factor in determining the score.
Do not give an image a score of 5 or 6 so that it can be fixed and re-entered.
There will not be an initial viewing of the images.
Scoring (based on 5 being poor and 10 being excellent)
For a score of 5, has significant technical and compositional deficiencies that cannot not be addressed by editing.
For a score of 6, has technical and compositional deficiencies that may or may not be addressed by editing.
For a score of 7, must meet all of the technical criteria but has compositional and/or artistic deficiencies.
For a score of 8, must meet all of the technical criteria but has minor compositional and/or artistic deficiencies.
For a score of 9, must meet all of the technical criteria, has no compositional or artistic deficiencies and has visual impact.
For a score of 10, must meet all the technical criteria, has no compositional or artistic deficiencies, has visual impact and creates a strong emotional response.
Critiquing
Provide a brief description of the positive aspects of the image followed by constructive criticism to improve the image.
An image should be disqualified (DQ) if it was entered into the wrong contest; e.g. a ono image entered ito a color competition
Where the club requires that the entire content of an image originate from the maker. If a component suck as the sky, texture, background, etc did not originate from the maker, the image should be disqualified (DQ.)
Allow more time for critiquing the Beginner and Advanced images than for the Salon and Master images.
Technical Criteria
Is the photograph properly exposed – too light or too dark?
Is the main subject in focus?
Is the depth of field shallow or deep? Does the depth of field work or should more or less of the image be in focus?
What type of color do you see? Are the colors too vivid or not vivid enough? Are the colors true?
Is the color balance correct?
Is there enough or too much contrast?
Is the horizon straight?
Are there visible traces of image manipulation?
Composition
What is the center of interest in the photograph?
Did the photographer get close enough to the subject or does the photo include wasted parts that do not add to the message of the photograph?
Are there compositional elements that draw you into the photograph (leading lines, “S” curves)?
Is the composition dynamic (rule of thirds, diagonal lines)?
Is the background compatible with the main subject?
Are reflections, patterns, contrast, shadows, etc. properly dealt with?
Art
How does the photograph make you feel?
Does the photograph create a mood, and if so, what is the mood?
Storytelling: An image that shows an action or an occurrence of things, such as weather, events, people, animals, etc.
For themed competitions; does the image strongly convey the theme to the viewer.
Reviewing the Images
I then set to work and created a detailed score sheet which included each of the images along with their corresponding titles. For every image, I carefully made a note of my initial observations and emotional reactions. I felt it was important to capture this instinctive response right away so that when I moved on to a more detailed and deliberate marking of the image, those first impressions would still be reflected.
Next, I gave thoughtful consideration to the titles assigned to each image, and in most cases I found that the titles suited the images well and added meaningful context.
Over the course of several weeks, I spent time carefully reviewing each image against the established criteria. My goal was to ensure that the feedback I provided would be constructive, supportive, and genuinely helpful. I vividly remembered an experience where a comment on one of my own images made me doubt whether I should continue pursuing photography, and I was determined that no one attending this session would leave feeling discouraged or hesitant about creating more photographs in the future.
During the week leading up to my presentation, Once again, I carefully reviewed each image along with my initial comments before assigning a final score. Among the collection, three images clearly stood out as exceptional. At this point, I faced the challenge of deciding which of these three would become my ultimate winner. To make this decision, I revisited both my scoring and detailed notes, focusing primarily on selecting the image free from any technical flaws and one that evoked the strongest emotional response. The finalists were diverse: a striking portrait, a captivating landscape, and a dynamic wildlife photograph. Although each was compelling in its own unique way, there was one image that ultimately rose above the rest. After thorough consideration, I found my ultimate winner—a breathtaking photograph of a Sanderling, captured on the beach.
The Event
I arrived at the hall on the evening of the event, allowing myself plenty of time to speak with the organisers and to get everything properly set up. Gradually, photographers the participating photographic club members began to arrive and settle themselves comfortably for the evening ahead. After a brief introduction, it was time for me to start reviewing each of the images and providing my considered feedback.
I felt a little nervous about how my comments would be received by the audience, but those nerves soon began to ease. At first, I concentrated closely on my notes, wanting to ensure that everything I said was an accurate and fair reflection of the images. However, I also noticed that the appearance and rendition of some photographs changed significantly when projected onto the larger screen, so I made sure to comment on these differences whenever I observed them.
I was pleased when we reached the halfway point, allowing me to take a short, much-needed break. During this pause, I took the opportunity to speak with the event organisers to ensure they were happy with the way I was providing feedback. I was very reassured and encouraged to hear that they thought my approach was excellent, one of them specifically commenting that they greatly appreciated how, when suggesting possible improvements to images, I used phrasing such as “if this was my image I might …” followed by the specific suggested action or actions. This thoughtful wording was seen as both respectful and constructive. Having delivered the feedback on all images and announced my final winner I was pleased and interested to hear from the author of that image about how he had created it.
All in all, I very much enjoyed the experience and feel that I have greatly benefitted from being able to critique others’ work. One of the key advantages of doing this is that I had no experiential or emotional attachment to the images, which allowed me to objectively analyse the strengths and weaknesses of each photograph, based on my clearly defined criteria. Participating as a competition judge has offered me the unique opportunity to engage with a diverse range of photographic styles and perspectives, enriching my own appreciation of the craft. My insights have hopefully inspired members to refine their work. My approach is to combine technical knowledge with a balanced, respectful approach – ensuring every submission receives the attention it deserves and receives helpful feedback
If you would like me to judge your photo club competitions, please email me at photosbyangelao@gmail.com.