Thurston County

Exhibitor's Guide

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Department III - Open Class

Division E - Open Class Photography

Superintendents: Dale & Colleen Easley 360-561-0075

OPEN CLASS PRINT COMPETITION

How to Enter a Print

Obtain an entry form for the ‘Open Class Photography Exhibit’, available from July 1 through July 20 at Beard’s Framing, Fred Meyer Shopping Center, Lacey; Olympia Framemakers, 1822 Harrison Avenue on Olympia’s Westside; the Olympia Camera Club website or at The Thurston County Fair website or office. Fill out the form completely following the detailed instructions on the back of the entry form as shown in 2 and 3 below. Entry forms will also be available on both Friday, July 22 4pm to 7 pm and Saturday, July 23, 10 am to 4 pm, at the Photo Entry Desk in the Hobbies/Craft Building, Thurston County Fairgrounds.
Exhibitor number is the first letter of your last name plus the last 4 numbers of your phone number.
Enter the following in the upper left corner on the back of EACH PRINT mount. (Prints will become separated from the entry form.) This information is essential:

Title of your print
Your exhibitor number (see #2 above)
Your full name
Your complete address
Your phone number
Lot and class
Print number (taken from the line on the entry form)

RULES

The exhibitor of the picture must be the original maker of the image.
Prints will be accepted only as specified in #1 above.
Prints entered MUST be identified with the information specified in #3 above.
Any print with words or logo that identify the maker will be disqualified.
All exhibits must be mounted and/or matted. Foam core mounts and/ or matte board style is preferred. Framed prints, metal prints, and prints mounted with wood, glass or acrylic will not be accepted.
No hooks or wires are to be placed on the back of the print mounts.
A maximum of 8 prints will be accepted from each exhibitor. A maximum of 5 prints may be entered in any one "Lot"
The minimum entry size is 8" x 10" and the maximum entry size is 16" x 24". Entry sizes will be measured, including matte (if applicable). Odd sized entries are acceptable so long as the shortest side is no longer than 16" and the longest side is no more than 24". Panorama images are an exception to this rule but may not exceed a 12" x 36" measurement.
An entry may contain multiple images on one mat or mount so long as dimensions in rule #8 are not exceeded. Multiple image entries will be judged as a single entry.
Hand colored black and white prints are acceptable in the Black and White category, so long as there is only one color in addition to black and white. Any entry with two or more additional colors will be considered a color print.
An exhibitor may not make multiple copies of an image and enter them into different lots.
Any print previously entered in the Thurston County Fair Division E - Open Class Photography may not again be entered.
Following acceptance of prints, the prints will be judged the following day, Sunday, July 24 at 10am. Exhibitors may attend the judging so long as exhibitors in no way interfere with the judging process. Judges are encouraged to talk about the images and give feedback to the audience as time allows.
Admission tickets to the Fair are not provided to exhibitors.
Ribbons will be awarded to winners. All ribbons will be hung with the print in the exhibit.
Exhibits must be picked up at the Photo Exhibit desk in the Hobbies/Crafts
building, Thurston County Fairgrounds on SUNDAY July 31, the closing day of the Fair, between the hours of 8pm and 8:30pm or on Monday following the Fair closing between 4 and 7pm. Entries will NOT be mailed to exhibitors. Entries will NOT be returned to the frame shops. Following the Monday after the fair’s closing, prints must be picked up at the main office of the Thurston County Fairgrounds.
All precautions possible will be taken with entries. The Fair or its volunteers cannot be held responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged exhibits.
As this is an exhibit for all age groups consideration should be given as to the content of an image; the Superintendent reserves the right to disqualify and withhold from display any photograph they deem inappropriate for a family fair.

SECTIONS, CLASSES, LOTS.

SECTIONS are:

A - Adult
J – Junior (12 years old or younger as of January 1, present year)
T – Teen (between the age of 13 and 18 as of January 1, present year)

Three judges will collaborate to judge each lot and will award ribbons within the lot using a modified "Danish" system. They will be permitted to award as many of each ribbon as they feel is merited by the photographs in the lot. The judges will award a "Best of Lot" ribbon to the print selected as the best in each lot and they will award a "Best of Class" ribbon to one entry from each class. Finally, the judges will collaborate to choose one print as "Best of Show" for the Adult section and one "Best of Show" for the "Junior/Teen" sections. In addition, each judge will award a "Judge’s Choice" ribbon to a print of their individual choosing. There will also be a "People’s Choice" ribbon awarded for each day of the fair. Each print may earn only one "Peoples Choice" ribbon.

NOTE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT: As the world of photography changes, we have to update some of the rules that go along with this competition. Digital photography is now more prominent than film photography. We encourage everyone to do what they feel is necessary to correct colors, improve sharpness, and make their entries the best they can before the fair. However, if you are creating an image from multiple photos to create a whole new image, please remember to use LOT I so that your creativity can be judged on the same level as other images that are equally creative. We want to encourage everyone to feel their work is accepted and judged fairly here at the Thurston County Fair.

Exhibitors Guide - Division