SCPF Print & PDI Championships Success

On Sunday 23rd March, the New Forest Camera Club hosted the 2025 SCPF Print & PDI Championships. The format of this competition is the familiar one we see at large events, with three judges each giving a score between 2 and 5 for each image, whether that’s prints or PDIs. The three marks are then added up to give the total score for that image, which will range from 6 to 15.

Unlike our club competitions, there is no critique, no discussion between the judges, just a mark. The judges arrive at their decisions very quickly and as soon as an image has been marked they move on to the next one. Typically each image is displayed for less than ten seconds unless a judge wants a closer look at the print or to have it tilted forward to remove a distracting reflection from glossy paper, etc.

The three judges at this event were:

• Martin Fry FRPS FBPE EFIAP/d3 AV-EFIAP/b APAGB
• Pat Couder CPAGB BPE1* QPSA
• Annie Healey FRPS EFIAP/g DPAGB BPE5* (standing in for Sandie Cox)

In the morning the three judges had the mammoth task of scoring a total of 578 PDIs from 39 clubs. They then had to look through the highest scoring images to allocate the medals and Highly Commended awards.

When all the marks had been added up, Chichester had the highest total score with 182, Yateley Camera Club were two points behind in second place and New Forest were in third place with 173. The top two clubs will be invited to represent the SCPF at the national PAGB Inter-Club PDI Championship which takes place in Warwick in July.

Julia Wainwright narrowly missed out on the Gold Medal for her “Iridescent Starlings”, which scored one of only two 15s awarded during the morning session and was awarded a Highly Commended. Other Highly Commended awards went to Andy Bracey for “Porth Nanven Pebbles” and Andy Dulson for “Nina Kennedy”, both of which scored 14.

After the lunch break we were treated to 281 prints from 20 clubs, which the judges scored in the same way. High scoring prints were put onto the print stands behind the audience and when the judges had finished marking all the prints they went to the back of the hall for their deliberations about which prints would get the awards.

Once again, Chichester had the highest total score with 179, Yateley were two points behind in second place and Southampton in third place with 176. The top two clubs will be invited to represent the SCPF at the national PAGB Inter-Club Print Championship which takes place in Blackburn in October.

Julia Wainwright received a Judges Medal for her “Black Grouse Reaching for Bud”, which scored 14. There were four prints scoring 15 in the afternoon session, one of which was Jim Munday’s “Troubled Waters”. Although it missed out on an award, it gets the consolation prize of being the featured image above.

I should also mention that Gordon Gentles received one of the other Judges Medals for his print “Trees in the Mist” which also scored 15, although he was there representing Havant Camera Club, and Jean Brookes received a Highly Commended award for “The House with the Blue Doors”, again representing Havant.

Many congratulations to all our award winners over both competitions. Featured image is our selection committee chair and SCPF representative, Jim Munday handing over the PDI winners certificate to Sue Nash, Chair of CCC.

April’s SCPF Newsletter has a full report of the event with club positions and photos from the day and that can be found here.