General rules
- You must be an RCPS member to enter, and can then enter all of our competitions.
- NEW for 2025-26: You may enter FIVE images. These can be 3 prints and 2 PDIs OR vice versa – but not 4 of one and 1 of the other, or 5 and 0.
- Each competition has a brief, so check what we’re looking for.
- You can submit images taken using digital cameras, film cameras or smartphones to both the print and PDI categories.
- All images must be your own work. Please observe any guidance on the use of AI.
- Entries must be with the competition co-ordinator by the published closing date.
- If your entry is awarded a place (1st, 2nd or 3rd), a ‘highly commended’ or a ‘commended’, it will be displayed on the RCPS website unless you ask for it not to be. You may be asked to provide a short commentary on why/where you took the image, and how you edited it.
- Any image which has peviously been awarded a place (1st, 2nd or 3rd) or ‘highly commended’ cannot be resubmitted for any further RCPS competitions. However, you are welcome to submit images which have been successful in any external competition.
Rules for prints
Presentation: Your images must be mounted onto board or foamcore of any colour, and either glued to the board or window-mounted. **If your mountboard has velcro on the back, this MUST be removed before submission, as it could damage other people’s images during storage, transit and judging**
Print sizes:
PRINTED IMAGES Inches Millimetres Minimum size 6×4” (landscape)
4×6” (portrait)152x101mm (landscape)
101x152mm (portrait)Maximum size No max, but must fit the max mount size
Mount sizes:
| MOUNTS | Inches | Millimetres |
| Minimum size | 11.7×8.3” (landscape) 8.3×11.7” (portrait) | 297x210mm (landscape) 210x297mm (portrait) |
| Maximum size | 20×16” (landscape) 16×20” (portrait) | 508x406mm (landscape) 406x508mm (portrait) |
If you plan to submit your image to the annual YPU exhibition, it may help you to cut your mount to 500x400mm (or vice versa) so you can use it for both competitions.
Labelling: On the reverse of your mount, write your image title followed by your membership number, eg: Poppies 97-25. If you think the judge may be in any doubt, draw an arrow to indicate which way is up. DO NOT WRITE YOUR NAME on the mount.
Digital reference: You must provide a digital reference image for every print entry. This is for double-checking entries; for our records (because your print will be returned to you); and for possible inclusion on our website.
Rules for projected digital images (PDIs)
Presentation: On judging night, all PDIs will be projected onto a screen, in alphabetical order according to their titles.
Image sizes
Easy tip: Regardless of whether it’s landscape, portrait or square, no image can ever be more than 1600 pixels wide, and no image can ever be more than 1200 pixels high. This means:
| Format | Pixels |
| Portrait | Up to 1200 high Up to 1199 wide |
| Landscape | Up to 1600 wide Up to 1200 high |
| Square | Up to 1200 on both sides |
Saving format:
- Save to the colour mode sRGB IEC6 1966-2. In Photoshop, for example, you’ll find this in the menu: File > Convert to profile (Why?)
- Save your image as a JPG using “baseline (standard)” format, not “progressive” format (Why?)
- Save at the maximum quality (largest file size).
Labelling:
- Give your image a filename including your image title followed by your membership number, like this: Daisies 97-25.jpg
- Do not put your membership number before the image title, as we need the images to display alphabetically.
- If you include content (such as ‘resized’ or ‘v1’) in your filename, these will be part of your image title.
- Do not include your name.
Submitting your files
DPIs – Please upload these using the Dropbox link (make sure you use the right Dropbox link – there are two: one for DPIs, one for prints). The links will be emailed to you ahead of each closing date, and can also be found on the entry page in the ‘members area’ of our website.
For prints, you’ll need to
- use the other Dropbox link to upload a digital reference image for each print. Please make sure you use the right Dropbox link.
- hand in your hard-copy prints on a club night.
Entry form
Use the new online entry form for all of your submissions for Open Colour (2025-26). Entries cannot be accepted without an entry form. If you need to re-submit an image (eg due to incorrect sizing), you don’t need to do another entry form if that image was listed on your original entry form.
Deadline
Please observe competition deadlines, because there’s a lot of work in getting the images ready for judging and then they must be passed to the judge, and the judge needs time for judging. However, everyone has personal circumstances – so if you know you need extra time, you can have up to a week more. However, you need to (a) tell the competition co-ordinator you need extra time, and (b) ensure your entry form has been submitted by the deadline (even if your images haven’t) – then we know to expect them, and can include them in the lists. The extra week is a hard deadline and can’t be extended.