Rules and Guidelines for 2026
ASCCA is excited to invite all members to take part in our Monthly Photography Competition and Quarterly Writing Competition. These friendly competitions are designed to encourage creativity, community spirit, and digital participation among our members.
1. Eligibility
- Open to all financial members of ASCCA-affiliated clubs.
- Entries must be submitted by individuals; collaborative entries are not permitted.
- Clubs are encouraged to support and promote participation among their members.
2. Competition Categories
Monthly Photography Competition
- One entry per person per month.
- Photographs must be original and taken by the entrant.
- Basic editing (cropping, colour correction, brightness/contrast adjustments) is permitted, but AI-generated or heavily manipulated images must be clearly identified as such.
Quarterly Writing Competition
- A new writing topic will be announced at the beginning of each quarter.
- Entries may be prose or poetry.
- Maximum word count: 500 words.
- Submissions must be original and written by the entrant.
- AI-generated text is allowed only if clearly acknowledged at the time of submission.
3. Entry Requirements
- All entries must be submitted by the announced deadline (monthly for photography, quarterly for writing).
- Late submissions will not be accepted.
- Each submission must include:
- Entrant’s full name
- Club affiliation
- Category (Photography or Writing)
- Title of entry
- Clear indication if AI tools were used
4. Use of AI Tools
- Entrants may use AI to assist in their creative process, but this must be clearly declared in the submission.
- Any entry found to have used AI without acknowledgement will be disqualified for that month or quarter.
5. Judging and Awards
- Entries will be reviewed by an ASCCA judging panel.
- Awards will be given in the form of virtual gold stars.
- A leader board will be maintained throughout the year, updated after each round.
6. Annual Recognition
- The individual with the most gold stars at the end of the year will be named ASCCA Creative Champion.
- 1st place = 5 gold stars
- 2nd place = 4 gold stars
- 3rd place = 3 gold stars
- highly commended = 2 gold stars
- Clubs with the highest level of member participation across both competitions will receive special recognition from ASCCA.
- Each member entry = 1 gold star for the Club
7. Rights and Permissions
- By entering, participants grant ASCCA the right to display their entries (with credit) in ASCCA’s eNews, website, and other official publications.
- Copyright remains with the entrant.
8. Community Standards
- All entries must be respectful, inclusive, and suitable for a broad senior audience.
- Offensive, discriminatory, or inappropriate content will not be accepted.
9. Final Decisions
- The ASCCA judging panel’s decisions are final.
ASCCA reserves the right to amend these rules if necessary, with notice to all members.