End-of-Year Awards

There are two types of awards given at the end of the SSCC year:

1. Image of the Year

2. Photographer of the Year

The winners of each these awards are determined using different processes, and the information below describes each process.

Image of the Year Award

The Image of the Year (IoY) award is based on the results of the final competition hosted in May. In this competition, all images that have received a 1st, 2nd or 3rd place award throughout the year are entered. Honorable Mention and non-placed images are excluded. 

 A judge will run this event as an “in/out” competition. In the in/out process: 

1. We will choose one category at a time (ex.: Nature – Wildlife) for the judge to evaluate.

2. We will project one image at a time from the selected category onto the screen.

3. The judge will select if the image moves forward in the competition, or is rejected (hence, in/out). 

4. This process will continue for multiple rounds within the category until only one photo remains (has never been rejected).

5. This remaining photo will be the image of the year for that category.

The judge will work their way through all six categories until there is one photo from each category that has been selected as the photo of the year for that category. The categories for the 2019-20 SSCC year are:

1. Open Color – Beginner

2. Open Color – Intermediate

3. Open Color – Advanced

4. Open Color – Master

5. Black and White

6. Nature – Wildlife

7. Nature – General

8. Assigned category

Once a single image has been selected as the IoY for each category (a total of eight images), the judge will begin an in/out selection process, after which a single photo will remain. This photo is the overall Image of the Year. The judge will have the option of viewing all eight photos at one time if they wish to instead of completing an in/out process.

Winning IoY does not require you to move up a level.

Photographer of the Year Award

The Photographer of the Year (PoY) award process is different from the IoY process. In this case, the PoY relies exclusively on the scores received by each photographer who has entered a competition during the SSCC club year. The scores given to every photo entry (not just the placed photos) are added up for each photographer for the entire club year. The following levels will be used when determining PoY:

1. Beginner

2. Intermediate

3. Advanced

4. Master

Whoever has the most cumulative points for each of these levels will be considered the PoY for their level. In the case of a tie, each of the photographers will be declared PoY.

Any photographer who is declared Photographer of the Year due to their high scoring must move up to the next level the following year The Beginner PoY moves up to Intermediate; the Intermediate PoY moves up to Advanced; and Advanced PoY moves up to Master. The Master PoY does not move up as there is no level above Master.