Power of Photography

The Power of Photography® Show & Exhibit is an annual photography show organized by the Wide Angle Photography Club, Inc. of Pensacola, Florida.

The WAPC POP Show is the largest photography show in the Florida Panhandle! It is the largest annual event held by the Wide Angle Photo Club where we present our community with the art of photography.

2021 POP Show & Exhibit

This year’s Power of Photography Show will be our 28th Anniversary show, scheduled for the weekend of August 20–22, 2021. Since Gallery Night is returning to Pensacola in July 2021, we are having a live contest again at The Voices of Pensacola on 117 E. Government St., Pensacola, FL which is directly across the street from Seville Quarter.

Information About the POP Show & Exhibit

All amateur and professional photographers are welcome to participate and compete for prizes and cash. Proceeds from the POP Show are used to benefit local and national charities.

The Wide Angle Photo Club will accept up to 1,500 entries this year. Each photographer may enter unlimited photographs online between May 10 and June 21 and/or until the time when POP has reached its total submission capacity of 1,500 images. No images will be accepted after June 21 and/or the 1,500 image limit has been reached. After the judging process, only 325 photos will be accepted for exhibition.

How POP Works

All images entered in the POP contest go through three Phases:

Phase One

Our three Judges vote on each submitted image, assigning a “Yes,” “No” or “Maybe” to each one. Any image that receives two “No” votes in Phase One is automatically removed from the competition without being scored. All remaining images are then advanced to Phase Two.

Phase Two

In Phase Two, images are judged based upon Subject, Lighting, Composition, and Originality. Each category is worth up to 10 points for a total of 40 points per judge — resulting in a maximum of up to 120 points per image. At the end of the judging, a cut-off score is assigned to the top 325 photos. Images that fall below the cut-off and do not meet the desired quality to enter the show are removed from the competition and will not enter the show.

Phase Three

Depending on the total number of entries, approximately the top 325 images are admitted to the current year’s POP Show.

Rules & Regulations for the Power of Photography Show 2021

POP Show 2021 Details

1. POP 2021 Live and Virtual Winner’s Gallery
2. Award Presentations Live and Online Friday, August 20, 2021 at 5 p.m.

Requirements for Participation:

1. Any amateur or professional photographer may participate.
2. Wide Angle Photo Club membership is not required for entry.
3. Photographs must be the photographer’s original work in its entirety, appropriate for public display, and not previously exhibited at a POP Show. Photographs previously submitted for POP judging but not accepted for display may be reentered.
4. All participants agree that their images may be used by the Wide Angle Photo Club for publicity purposes. Winning photographs may be displayed on the Club’s website, Facebook page, or used in any other future POP or Wide Angle Photo Club advertising.

2021 Timeline Schedule:

• May 10 – Jun 21: Submit Photos
• Jun 22 – Jun 29: Round 1 Judging
• Jun 29 – Jul 06: Buffer Week
• Jul 06 – Jul 13: Round 2 Judging
• Jul 13 – Aug 13: Printing if necessary with drop-off by Aug 14

Photograph Submission:

1. Submit photos electronically for judging. Images must be 72 dpi, sRGB, jpg, JPG, jpeg, png or PNG format and no larger than 5 MB.
2. Be sure to save your original file size; if your images are accepted to the show, the online entry at 72 dpi will not be large enough to print.
3. An unlimited number of images may be submitted by each photographer, but please only submit 10 at one time.
4. Submit images between May 10–June 21 and/or until POP has reached its capacity of 1500 images. No images will be accepted after June 21 and/or the 1,500 image limit has been reached.
5. Entries with watermarks WILL be disqualified.
6.  A photograph can be entered in only ONE category and that category must be specified.
7. There is no limitation on the amount of post-processing for any particular category. However, if the processing does not enhance the image, points will be reduced.
8. A photograph entered in an inappropriate category will be excluded for judging (e.g. an image of a dog entered in the People at Work and Play category).
9.  If a photograph is selected for exhibition and a printed copy is not submitted for the live show, all prize money will be forfeited.
10. Digital images must be submitted without a digital border or frame.
11. Photographs selected for a live exhibition may have a single matted border or a single digital border.

Entry Fees:

1. The Entry Fee is $10 per photograph.
2. To be eligible for the Youth (Under 16 Category), artists must be under 16 as of June 31, 2021. The photographer’s date of birth must be listed on the entry form and the signature of a parent or guardian must be included on the POP label.
3. Youths must have their own individual POP account and email address.
4. If your photograph is available for sale, there is a field on the entry form for the URL where that image can be purchased. It is the photographer’s responsibility to provide correct information. All sales transactions of POP Show photographs will be between the photographer and the customer. Photographers will be given the customer contact information at the close of the show. The photographer is responsible for all applicable taxes.

Photo Exhibition Preparation

1. If one or more of your photos are selected for exhibition during POP, you will be notified by July 13. Selected images must be printed, matted, and delivered by August 14.
2. Any photograph depicting identifiable children must be accompanied by a completed Parental Minor Model Release Form (PDF)
3. Images shall be no smaller than 8” x 10” and no larger than 16” x 20”. Panoramic images are allowed, but must be at least 8” tall, but no taller than 12”, and no wider than 28”.
4. All photographs must be single matted by an outer board mat (either white or black), with or without a single color (either white or black) digital mat.
5. The mat must not be smaller than 11” x 13”, nor larger than 20” x 24”.  Panoramic mats must not be larger than 16” x 32”.
6. All photos must have a rigid backing of the same size as the mat. The backing must be rigid enough such that the photograph can stand without buckling.
7. No frames or glass are allowed.
8. There must be no added writing on the mat or on the photograph. No names or titles.
9. The use of plastic sleeves to protect the photograph is discouraged.

Local Printers

If desired, the following local retailers can print, mat and deliver your high-resolution images for the POP exhibition. Please drop off your photos at either Calagz Photo in Pensacola, The Stackhouse Fine Art Printery, or Marty Campbell Gallery & Frame Shop in Gulf Breeze by August 14, 2021. For Mobile/Fairhope/Spanish Fort/Daphne artists please drop your photos at Calagaz Photo in Mobile by August 14, 2021.

Judging

1. Any photograph entered and found not to meet stated requirements will not be judged or hung in the POP Show, and the entry fee will not be refunded.
2. Three independent, qualified judges will review and select the top 325 submissions to be scored on a 10-point scale for Subject, Composition, Light/Exposure, and Impact/Originality.
3. Winning photographs for categories and special awards will be announced at 5 p.m. at the Friday opening of the show. The New Member’s Award and the People’s Choice Award will be announced at opening on Sunday.

Categories

Choosing the appropriate category for your photograph can be difficult in some cases. Please use the following guidelines to help with your selection. When choosing a specific category, be sure to answer, “What is the subject or focal point of the photograph, and is it obvious to others?” Note: Judges may mark down photographs they feel are submitted in an inappropriate category.

Animals (Mammals)

Category Prizes: 1st Place $100, 2nd Place $50, 3rd Place $25, Two Honorable Mentions

Images of pets, wildlife, zoo life and farm animals.

Animals (Birds, Reptiles, Insects, etc.)

Category Prizes: 1st Place $100, 2nd Place $50, 3rd Place $25, Two Honorable Mentions

Includes all animals EXCEPT mammals.

Art & Abstract

Category Prizes: 1st Place $100, 2nd Place $50, 3rd Place $25, Two Honorable Mentions

This category is for photographs taken with an artistic bent and digitally processed as a piece of art. The photograph may be of portions of a larger subject emphasizing the abstraction of color or design. This category is appropriate for digital images created or drastically altered using software for this purpose. They may consist of any subject matter.

Architecture/Elements of Design/City Scapes

Category Prizes: 1st Place $100, 2nd Place $50, 3rd Place $25, Two Honorable Mentions

This category will focus on the design and style of the man-made environment. It includes everything from the small details that make up a structure (elements of design) to entire skyline panoramas.

Flowers/Plants

Category Prizes: 1st Place $100, 2nd Place $50, 3rd Place $25, Two Honorable Mentions

These images should be really interesting, unique and beautiful pictures of flowers, plants or trees. They may be taken outdoors or photographed in a studio. They may be an arrangement on your kitchen table, a field of wildflowers, an unusual tree or grouping of trees.

Landscapes

Category Prizes: 1st Place $100, 2nd Place $50, 3rd Place $25, Two Honorable Mentions

These images should embody the spirit of the outdoors including sunrises, sunsets, seascapes, night skies and panoramas which showcase outdoor natural beauty. Photos predominantly depicting animals or plants DO NOT BELONG in this category.

Macro/Close-Ups

Category Prizes: 1st Place $100, 2nd Place $50, 3rd Place $25, Two Honorable Mentions

Images of small details that suggest a larger story. It may be an enlarged portion of a photograph or an actual macro photograph. Anything goes as long as it is a tight composition of a detail.

People (Portraits)

Category Prizes: 1st Place $100, 2nd Place $50, 3rd Place $25, Two Honorable Mentions

Images of a face which captures the essence of a person’s identity, attitude, beauty, or uniqueness. NO NUDES PLEASE

People at Work or Play

Category Prizes: 1st Place $100, 2nd Place $50, 3rd Place $25, Two Honorable Mentions

These “environmental portraits” are executed in the subject’s usual environment; for example, their home, workplace, or sports field which illuminates the subject’s life and surroundings.

Still Life

Category Prizes: 1st Place $100, 2nd Place $50, 3rd Place $25, Two Honorable Mentions

Images depicting inanimate subject matter; typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, rocks, shells, etc.) or man-made (bottles, books, vases, jewelry, pipes, etc.)

Transportation

Category Prizes: 1st Place $100, 2nd Place $50, 3rd Place $25, Two Honorable Mentions

All things that move people such as bicycles, boats, cars, trucks, trains, airplanes, etc.

Travel/Places

Category Prizes: 1st Place $100, 2nd Place $50, 3rd Place $25, Two Honorable Mentions

This category includes images that express the joys and adventures of travel photography, showcasing place as an important part of the photo.

Youth Under 16

Category Prizes: 1st Place $100, 2nd Place $50, 3rd Place $25, Two Honorable Mentions

This category is for budding photographers who are less than 16 years old on June 31 preceding the POP Show. Any subject is acceptable.

Special Awards

Special Awards are made from the highest-scoring 300 exhibited photographs. Specialty Awards may be added in the months prior to the show. The 2020 Specialty Awards List:

Please Note: every precaution will be taken by the Wide Angle Photo Club to protect and prevent damage to the entries. However, the Wide Angle Photo Club is not responsible for any damage to the photographs or mats sustained during the check-in, storage, judging, hanging and exhibition of the photographs.