General  Rules

1. - Title
The Society shall be called Felixstowe Photographic Society. 

2. - Objects
The object of the Society is the advancementof Photography as an art and a science through the mutual assistance and friendly criticism among its members.

3. - Membership
Membership is open to any persons interested in photography, amateur or professional. A person shall be considered a junior member if they are under 18 years old at the start of any Society year. 

4. - Subscriptions 
The membership subscription, the joining fee and the visitors fee, shall be as determined by the committee from time to time and adopted subject to approval of two thirds majority of the members present and voting at a general meeting. Subscriptions shall be due on 1st January and are paid in advance. Any member whose subscription remains unpaid on the 31st March shall be assumed to have resigned from the Society. Such members may be re-admitted to the Society at any time on payment of their subscription but are liable for the joining fee.  New members joining after 31st March shall have their subscription reduced pro rata.  Non members may attend up to two ordinary meetings without charge, on subsequent visits non-members shall pay the visitors fee.

5. - Management
The affairs of the Society shall be managedby  a Committee consisting of President, Vice President, President Elect, Secretary, Competition Secretary, Programme Secretary, Treasurer and one committee member. Four or more shall form a quorum. Should any vacancy occur the committee have the power to fill it. They shall also have the power to appoint additional officers and form sub-committees from the membership as the need arises. 

6. - Election of Officers
The President shall  be the President Elect from the previous year. The Vice President  shall be the president from the previous year. the President Elect shall be chosen by the Committee from the total membership. All other Officers shall be elected for a period of one year at the Annual General meeting. 

7. -The Annual General meeting
This will be held in January’ of each year when the Balance sheet for the previous year, audited by member(s) of the Society shall be presented. A report on the Society’s activities shall also be presented

8. - Special General Meetings
The Secretary shall call a Special General Meeting upon receiving a written request signed by a minimum of one third of the membership. Notice of this meeting, indicating the nature of the business shall be published to all current members at least twenty eight days in advance, of the meeting. 

9. - Special Powers
The Committee shall have the power to decide any questions not specifically mentioned in these rules 

10. - Expulsions
Any member charged with bringing the Society into disrepute shall be invited, on 14 days notice, to attend a meeting of the Committee and give an explanation of their conduct. The committee may then decide by a majority of not less than three quarters of the full committee to expel the member. 

11. - Alterations to Rules
These rules may not be altered except at an AGM or Special General Meeting called for that purpose. Twenty Eight days notice in writing to the Secretary’ is required. Such a proposal shall be published at ordinary meetings of the Society. Any resolution requires the assent of at least two thirds of the members voting at that meeting.  

Competition Rules

1. These rules supersede all previous rules.
2. Interpretation of these rules is the responsibility of the committee.
3. The Judges decision is final.
4. Trophies are held by the winners for one year and are
    the responsibility of the holder
5. Slides may be mounted in glass.
6. Slides must be correctly spotted in the bottom left hand
    corner when viewed correctly by eye.
7. In the event of a tie the President will organise a tiebreak.
8. Images must have been taken during the five previous years.
9. Each entry must be titled and coded to identify the trophy in which it is entered.
 

Definitions

1. Member  - In accordance with the Rules of the Society
2. Judge  - A person or persons who in the opinion of the
     committee is competent to judge.
3. Sizes  - minimum print: monochrome 48 sq ins, colour 35 sq ins.
    Maximum mount 500 x 400 mm
    Slide must be a 2" x 2" slide mount.
4. Process - Photographic material, prints, slides and
    negatives may be processed by any means, traditional wet
    chemistry, electronic by either the entrant or a commercial
    processing house.
5. FPS: -  Means Felixstowe Photographic Society.
6. FTCCT  -  Means Felixstowe Town Council Challenge Trophy.
7. All Images must be the copyright of the author.

Intermediate Worker  - A member who has not won an
    Intermediate status monthly trophy. 

Advanced Worker  -  A member who has won Intermediate
    status monthly trophy. A member who in the opinion of the
    Committee is an Advanced Worker

Monthly Competition Rules

Notes

A. Scoring. The images are placed in order of merit by the Judge(s). The points awarded are 1st=4 points, 2nd=3 points, 3rd= 2 points, 4th=1 point. In addition each member submitting images in any competition is awarded 1 point in that competition.

B. In each competition the winner is that member who at the end of the competition year (December) has the highest score in that competition.

C. All prints must be suitably mounted.

D. All monthly competitions have a set theme, see current programme.

E. Once entered in a monthly competition, an image cannot be entered in another FPS monthly competition but may be entered in an Annual competition.

F. Members may only score points in a maximum of n-1 competitions where n= the number of monthly competitions in the competition year. (Any member who enters all competitions will not score points in the last competition entered).

G. A member wishing to enter the Intermediate competitions may do so if eligible

H. Any member may enter the Advanced Competitions whether an advanced worker on not, but the category of the competition must be stated at the time of entering the first monthly competition of the competition year.  (All following competitions must be in the same category.)

Annual Competition Rules

1. Apart from the Reg Thurlow Cup, Felixstowe Town Council
    Challenge Trophy and the Claude Weeks Cup, images can be on
    any subject.
2. The Reg Thurlow is based on a set subject usually sport or action
     (see current programme).
3. The set of four slides for the Jack Byham Cup should show a
     varied set of photographic skills.
4. The set theme for the Claude Weeks Cup is Portrait.
5. See Current Programme for details of entry closing date.
6. Once entered in a FPS Annual Competition, an image cannot be
    entered in any other FPS Annual Competition but may be in
    entered in a monthly competition.

Notes

1. See current programme for details of the Reg Thurlow Cup,
    the Felixstowe Town Council Challenge Trophy and the Claude
    Weeks Cup.
2. The Reg Thurlow, the FTCCT  and the Claude Weeks Cup    
    alternate formats, slide ,colour print  and  monochrome print.
3. The Photographer of the Year is awarded to the member who    
    scores the highest aggregate score in all monthly   
    competitions during the competition year.