Divisions and Classes
All Divisions are Adult Divisions except Division 1210.
DIVISION 1201: COLOR SCENIC – LANDSCAPE
Images should reflect the season, regardless of when they were taken. For example, an image with fall colors should be entered in Class 003 – Fall, and one with snow or bare trees in Class 004 - Winter. Images of the Arctic/Antarctic may be entered in Class 004 - Winter. Waterscapes, Seascapes, Black & White Landscapes, Night/Astrophotography, and Cityscapes must be entered in Division 1202 or 1205.
Class 001 Spring
Class 002 Summer
Class 003 Fall
Class 004 Winter
Class 005 Timeless Landscapes - scenic color landscapes that aren’t seasonal, including, but not limited to: deserts, dunes, coniferous forests, monuments in landscapes, foggy scenes, and aerial/drone images.
DIVISION 1202: COLOR
Class 006 Waterscapes, Seascapes, Waterfalls, Water Details, etc.
Class 007 Architecture or Cityscapes
Class 008 People, formal – Includes studio and environmental portraits. Artificial lighting, props and other staging are allowed. In-kind awards donated by George’s Camera
Class 009 People, informal – Informal candid images may include travel, street, concert, and other non-posed and un-staged images.
DIVISION 1203: COLOR NATURE
Zoo animals and aquarium sea life are allowed, but not photos of domestic animals. Studio photography is permitted in Class 010 and Class 011 only.
Class 010 Flowers. In-kind awards donated by George’s Camera
Class 011 All Other Plants and Trees
Class 012 Wild Animals – Mammals
Class 013 Wild Animals – Birds
Class 014 Animals – Insects, Reptiles, Amphibians, and Aquarium Sea Life
DIVISION 1204: CELL PHONE
Color or black-and-white images taken with a cell phone.
Class 015 Cell Phone
DIVISION 1205: BLACK & WHITE
Duotones, including sepia-toned images, are acceptable. No colors other than black or white or sepia tones are allowed. No photos of domestic animals. Studio photography is allowed in Classes 017 and 019.
Class 016 Scenic – Landscapes, waterscapes
Class 017 Nature – Plants, insects, and wild animals
Class 018 Architecture or Cityscapes
Class 019 People – Formal or informal
DIVISION 1206: COLOR OR BLACK & WHITE
Class 020 Documentary – Must be a single image that is not staged or altered to change content. May include travel photos if they meet the above criteria. Basic cropping, dodging, and burning of the image is allowed. No other manipulation is allowed.
Class 021 Close Up, Macro, and Micro – Photo must be equal to or greater than life-size (1:1). May include photomicrographs and electron microscope images of things that cannot be seen with the naked eye.
Class 022 Sports
Class 023 Still Life – A collection of inanimate objects arranged in a specific way; may include flowers, food, a game, or man-made objects. In-kind awards donated by George’s Camera
Class 024 Abstract – Usually not recognizable as an object. May include detailed shots of nature.
Class 025 Water Experience- The photographer must be submerged underwater or deep within the water when capturing these images, not on a boat or other vessel. This category includes marine life and underwater model photography.
Class 026 Family Moments – The image should capture the essence and spirit of human family relationships, emphasizing connection, love, and togetherness. Including family pets as integral members of the family is also welcome.
Class 027 Night – Low-light images of night skies, astrophotography, moon and eclipse photography, and painting with light. May include images from dawn, dusk, or aurora borealis (northern lights).
Class 028 Fair Theme – San Diego County Fair: Summer Pet-tacular! Celebrate our furry, feathered, and scaly friends through captivating portraits, dynamic action shots, and close-up photography.
Class 029 At the Fair – Moments and scenes from San Diego County Fair from any year.
Class 030 All Things Mechanical – Trains, planes, automobiles, farm equipment, and industrial machinery; may include people as secondary elements.
DIVISION 1207: FILM AND ALTERNATIVE PROCESSES
Images produced through traditional wet darkroom techniques and alternative genres such as Polaroid prints, cyanotypes, and emulsion lifts. Photo restoration or hand coloring of photographs are also allowed; for these, work should include the before and after images in equal size.
Class 031 Film and Alternative Processes. In-kind awards donated by Camera Exposure & Safelight Labs
DIVISION 1208: DIGITAL ART
Artwork based on photographs and manipulated digitally. Work must conform to Eligibility Requirements and Use of Artificial Intelligence Rules. For Tier 1 digital image upload, the original source images must be included as thumbnails placed along the outer edges without obscuring the main image. If accepted to Tier 2, the delivered print does not need to include the thumbnails.
Class 032 Digital Photographic Art
DIVISION 1209: LARGE PRINTS
Color or black-and-white images, any subject and any style, which are larger than 20” x 30” but no larger than 40” on the longest side (including any matting). Large prints may not exceed 7 lbs.
Class 033 Large Prints. In-kind awards donated by George’s Camera
DIVISION 1210: THROUGH THE EYES OF YOUTH
Independent youth photographic work by youth between the ages of 13-17. Work may be done with any type of camera and in color or black & white.
Class 034 People & Animals – The image should center on people and/or animals, including pets and wildlife. This can encompass candid or formal portraits, as well as documentary or street photography where the main subject is either a person or an animal. In-kind awards donated by George’s Camera
Class 035 Nature and Environment – The image should primarily focus on nature or the environment, including scenic landscapes, architecture, cityscapes, or waterscapes. Macro photography is also permitted. In-kind awards donated by George’s Camera