SHUTTER S BEST (On-the-Spot Photography Competition) Rules and Mechanics THE COMPETITION The Shutter s Best is a competition where STI students convey their interpretation of a given theme through an artistic and original photograph. The competition shall be conducted at two competition levels: Local and National. The Local Level competition shall be conducted and organized by the schools. To equalize the playing field, schools will have to determine a single date, schedule, and venue based on the theme. Participating students will conduct an on-the-spot photo shoot using a digital camera. Champions at the Local Level shall be eligible to vie for the National Level competition. Only one entry is allowed per school. The National Level competition shall be organized by the Tagisan ng Sining (TNS) National committee and will employ two (2) screenings: The first (1 st ) screening shall determine the finalists (Best 10 photographs) from among the entries. The finalists will then be invited by the TNS National Committee to participate in an on-the-spot photo shoot to compete for the National Level. The specific date, schedule, venue, and theme shall be prescribed. Only one (1) photograph per finalist shall be considered as official entry for the 2 nd screening. The 2 nd screening shall determine the Champion, 1 st Runner Up, and 2 nd Runner Up from among the finalists based on the photographs taken during the on-the-spot photo shoot and identified as official entries for the National level. OBJECTIVES The Shutter s Best aims to: 1. Challenge students creativity as they reinvent a simple subject into different ways, perspectives, and interpretations through the power of photography; 2. Promote students critical-thinking as they redefine their ideas, beliefs, and emotions to exhibit the one best photograph that embodies the competition s theme guided only by the competition rules and mechanics; 3. Strengthen the students character as they imbibe the value of sportsmanship; and 4. Exemplify excellence by recognizing and rewarding exemplary talent, style, and skills in the art of photography. Page 1 of 7
THE LOCAL LEVEL THEME Photographs can capture a slice of life that can reshape minds, spark dramatic changes, and even transcend the future. In this light, this competition has been organized to encourage STI students in capturing the best image that can genuinely live-up to the theme: Altered Perception An innovative mind can look at ordinary things in a different perspective. A single image can change one s perception about a chosen subject. THE COMPETING INDIVIDUAL To qualify, the participating student or entrant must: 1. Be enrolled for two (2) consecutive terms at the time of the competition; 2. For the current term, must have a study load of at least 75% of the total units prescribed for the term or the remaining study load for graduating students; 3. Have not won or been declared as the National Champion in the previous Tagisan ng Sining Shutter s Best competition. The National Champions will not be allowed to compete in the same event, but may join in other event competitions. The entrant is considered as the official school representative and shall be the only authorized person to file a protest. MECHANICS Local Level Screening 1. The school shall inform all students about the competition and its requirements. 2. Interested students must signify their intent to participate by submitting the accomplished Shutter s Best Entry Form (FT-SDW-044-00) to the school. 3. Entrants shall be informed of the schedule and venue of the on-the-spot photo shoot at least three (3) days before the local competition date. 4. Before the start of the on-the-spot photo shoot, entrants are informed of the theme. 5. Entrants shall be allowed to wear casual clothes. This is to allow them to move freely while taking their shots. 6. Before the start of the competition, the Event Competition Committee shall: Set a random date for the entrants' camera. Entrants should not be aware of the set date. Ensure that the memory card to be used by the entrants is empty. Page 2 of 7
7. During the on-the-spot photo shoot, entrants are given two (2) hours to take photographs using a digital camera. Smart phones and tablets shall not be allowed. The two (2) hours may or may not be fully consumed by an entrant. 8. At the end of the photo shoot, entrants shall submit their memory cards to the Event Competition Committee. 9. Entrants shall be asked to draw lots to identify their computer unit. Each unit shall be equipped with Windows Photo Viewer (units should not have software applications such as PICASA and Adobe Photoshop) and a folder named according to the drawn number. Equivalent folders for each entrant will be created in the computer to be used by the Event Competition Committee. 10. The Event Competition Committee shall record the drawn number and save the entrant's photos to their assigned folder. 11. Upon proceeding to their assigned computer unit, entrants shall be given one (1) hour to access their files, choose one (1) photograph from among the pictures taken as their official entry, and save the entry in their assigned folder using their drawn number and title of their entry as the filename (ex. 01 Innovation) 12. The Event Competition Committee shall retrieve each entry and print a copy to be used for judging. 13. All entries should comply with the prescribed format for each category as follows: a. Type: Colored b. File Format: JPEG c. Image Resolution: Minimum of 1 MB Non-adherence in any of the categories shall result to a five-point deduction from the judges averaged score. 14. Only one (1) entry per entrant is allowed. 15. Winners shall be judged based on the criteria for this competition. The Champion, 1st Runner-up, and 2nd Runner-up will be awarded based on the ranked averaged scores. 16. The Board of Judges decision is final and irrevocable. 17. The Champion s winning entry at the Local level shall be the official entry to the National level. If the Champion is unable to compete, the 1st Runner-up s winning entry shall be the official entry to the National level. In the same manner, if the 1st Runner-up is also unable to compete, the 2nd Runner-up s winning entry shall be the official entry to the National level. National Level 1 st Screening (Initial Screening) 1. The school shall register their official entry through http://tns.sti.edu from January 23 to 29, 2016. The following should be uploaded through the website: a. Registration forms of all the members of the school s official entry (previous and current terms); Page 3 of 7
b. Shutter s Best Score Sheets and Score Summary (FT-SDW-046-00); and c. Declaration of Winners (FT-SDW-047-00) at the Local Level signed by the Academic Head and the President/School Administrator/Deputy School Administrator. 2. A copy of the winning entry in a disc that is properly labeled with the names of the school and the entrant should be submitted to the TNS National Committee through the Senior School Administrator/ School Operations Manager on or before January 29, 2016. 3. Late entries for National Level shall not be accepted. It shall be the school s responsibility to check and ensure that its entry for the National Level has been received by the TNS National Committee. 4. All competing entrants shall be notified by the TNS National Committee upon receipt of their official entries through the school. 5. An entry must not be digitally enhanced, mounted, or framed. Otherwise, it shall be disqualified. To avoid subjectivity, any picture that goes through Photoshop, Picasa, or any other editing software regardless if these were used only as a photo viewer, will be considered enhanced and therefore be disqualified. 6. From among all entries, the ten (10) best photographs shall be identified. Only the entrants to whom the best photographs belong to shall be the declared as finalists and shall proceed to the final screening stage. National Level 2 nd Screening (Final Screening) 1. The ten (10) finalists will be notified and invited by the TNS National Committee through their respective schools. 2. The finalists will undergo another on-the-spot photo shoot at a venue and schedule prescribed by the TNS National Committee. 3. Finalists shall be allowed to wear casual clothes. This is to allow them to move freely while taking their shots. 4. Before the start of the competition, the TNS National Committee shall: Set a random date for the entrants' camera. Finalists should not be aware of the set date. Ensure that the memory card to be used by the entrants is empty 5. During the on-the-spot photo shoot, finalists are informed of the theme and given two (2) hours to take photographs using a digital camera. Smart phones and tablets shall not be allowed. The two (2) hours may or may not be fully consumed by the finalist. 6. At the end of the photo shoot, finalists shall submit their memory cards to the TNS National Committee. 7. Finalists shall be provided with their own computer unit. Each unit shall be equipped with Windows Photo Viewer and a folder named according to the finalist's school. Equivalent folders for each finalist will be created in the computer to be used by the TNS National Committee. 8. The TNS National Committee shall save the finalist's photos to their assigned folder. Page 4 of 7
9. Upon proceeding to their assigned computer unit, finalists shall be given one (1) hour to access their files, choose one (1) photograph from among the pictures taken as their official entry, and save the entry in their assigned folder using the title of their entry as the filename (ex. Innovation) 10. The TNS National Committee shall record the titles per entrant, retrieve each entry, and print a copy to be used for judging. 11. All entries should comply with the format for each category as follows: a. Type: Colored b. File Format: JPEG c. Image Resolution: Minimum of 1 MB Non-adherence in any of the categories shall result to a five-point deduction from the judges averaged score. 12. Only one (1) entry per finalist is allowed. 13. Winners shall be judged based on the criteria for this competition. The Champion, 1st Runner-up, and 2nd Runner-up will be awarded based on the ranked averaged scores. 14. The Board of Judges decision is final and irrevocable. COMPETITION DATES Activity Date Competition Site Local Level Competition Submission of Entries for National Level National Level Competition 1 st Screening Announcement of Finalists (Best 10 Photographs) National Level Competition 2 nd Screening Announcement and awarding of National Level Winners School s discretion but not later than January 22, 2016 On or before January 29, 2016 February 11-12, 2016 February 15, 2016 March 3, 2016 March 3, 2016 STI School STI Head Office TBA STI College Bohol Page 5 of 7
JUDGING CRITERIA RELEVANCE TO THEME Clarity of an entrant's vision of the theme. It includes the message and interpretation created by the image and the visceral impact it has on the viewer. CREATIVITY AND ORIGINALITY Ability of the entrant to present the visual elements in a unique and interesting manner. QUALITY OF IMAGE Use of natural lighting and focus. COMPOSITION General organization of the image resulting to the immediate recognition of the subject that is the most important element in the photograph. 0-35 points 0-25 points 0-20 points 0-20 points TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS 0-100 POINTS THE BOARD OF JUDGES The Board of Judges (BOJ) for this competition is composed of three (3) members. The members of the BOJ should be selected with due consideration for their expertise, experience and/or achievements, and integrity. Their individual prominence and collective authority should significantly enhance the spirit of healthy competition and sense of academic excellence, which the competitions seek to foster. A Member of the Board of Judges must be: 1. An industry practitioner, academician from a non-competing school, or a member of a recognized professional media group; and 2. With significant experience in the area of photography, visual arts, or other related fields. Duties and Responsibilities A Member of the Board of Judges must: 1. Be at the venue 30 minutes prior to start of the screening; 2. Provide the school with a copy of his/her most recent resume for proper recognition; 3. Familiarize oneself with the rules and mechanics of the competition; Page 6 of 7
4. Serve as witness to and arbitrator among parties during the proceedings to settle questions on the qualification or disqualification of entrants based on the provided competition rules and mechanics and other matters that are not clearly indicated in this competition rules and mechanics; and 5. Be willing to provide feedback to the organizers and entrants for further development of the competition. GENERAL PROVISIONS 1. By submitting one s photograph, an entrant agrees to the competition rules. 2. Submitted entries shall be the property of the STI Education Services Group, Inc. (STI ESG). Consequently, STI ESG reserves the right to feature, reproduce, and promote the photographs. 3. Entries will be evaluated "as is" for the purpose of the competition. However, the TNS National Committee reserves the right to resize the images for any collateral presentation. 4. Only the top ten (10) finalists will be invited to the on-the-spot photo shoot for the National level. Transportation, food, and accommodation expenses for this level will be subsidized. The school may refer to memo number CMD-1301-0002-N released by Channel Management Division dated January 31, 2013 for the subsidy details and the Network Events Fund (NEF) Subsidy Procedure (PR-SDW-001-01) released on April 30, 2015, which can be downloaded from the school portal. 5. Finalists and their schools shall receive due recognition and prizes. 6. Entries that contain any image that is damaging to the name of STI as an academic institution shall be disqualified. This includes any image that is perceived as discriminatory, offensive, sexually explicit, and unlawful. 7. The use of STI Logo should adhere to the Brand Policy. Otherwise, the entry shall be disqualified. It is the responsibility of the school to orient the entrants about the Brand Policy. 8. The TNS National Committee reserves the right to revise, update, or cancel any rule, condition, or competition mechanics should it be deemed necessary. Schools shall be notified accordingly. Page 7 of 7