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Rules & Guidance

ASPS Picture Postcard Class Competition Rules

1 The organisers shall be deemed to be the Council of the Association and their nominated Picture Postcard Class organisers.

2 Entries: The Class is open to members of societies affiliated to the Association. No person may submit more than one entry per year. An entry which has once won the class may not be resubmitted in any subsequent years unless considerably altered. Details of the alterations must accompany such entries.

3 Entry forms must be submitted by the specified date.

4 Submission of entries: Entries must be in the hands of the nominated organiser by the date specified on the entry form.

5 Size of Entry.

5.1 The entry must be mounted to fit within one standard frame size of 1200mm high by 1020 mm wide. i.e. It must be the equivalent of 16 standard philatelic exhibition sheets. The mounted entry must be capable of being glazed in the normal manner, and fit onto a standard four-row mounting board.

5.2 The entry must be numbered consecutively on the back of the sheets, or a display plan provided.

5.3 The entry must be suitably protected.

6 Insurance: Whilst the Organisers will take all reasonable care of entries, they cannot accept any responsibility for entries and it is recommended that each entry should be insured for the total time that it is out of its owners hands.

7 Delivery/ Collection of entries should be by registered post or by hand.

8 Ownership: Each entry must be the bona fide property of the entrant.

9 Organisers’ rights: The organisers reserve the right to refuse an entry which does not comply with the Class rules.

Guidelines for Entrants

Judgement Factors

The judges will be required to assess all exhibits based on a number of factors, details of which are provided below. In general, the first two factors will look at the overall design and execution of the exhibit, the third will consider evidence of the depth of the exhibitor's collection, whilst the final three will assess the cards themselves. Details of each factor are shown below.

1. Appeal of the display (25 points)

The display should be designed to entice the viewer to look more closely at the exhibit, and to complement the cards therein, e.g. through introduction of a common aspect or by novel treatment of a familiar subject. However, it is important that any artwork or ephemera used in the display should not overshadow the cards.

2. Commentary/Research (30 points)

The purpose of this factor is to recognise the effort made by the exhibitor to provide the viewer with an appreciation of the background to the exhibit. The exhibit should be presented in a way which illustrates a theme or provides an interesting story so that it can be appreciated by both the casual and the knowledgable viewer. Exhibitors will be expected to show a good knowledge of the exhibit by demonstrating a full and accurate appreciation of the chosen subject or treatment, demonstrating a study of existing information wherever possible, and also demonstrating knowledge of the deltiology of their cards. Evidence of original research will be well regarded.

3. Breadth of Coverage (15 points)

In this factor, marks will be awarded for ecidence of the breadth of a collection within the topic exhibited, including structure (or plan). Exhibitors should note that the number of cards in the display will not necessarily indicate the breadth of the collection, and that excessive use of repetitious material may detract from the quality of the exhibit. Rather, the judges will look for evidence that the collection covers all aspecvts of the subject.

4. Rarity (10 points)

Judges will assess the cards displayed for relative rarity. It is not expected that all of the cards in any exhibit will be rare, but the judges will look for the inclusion of appropriate rare examples within the theme of the exhibit.

5. Condition (10 points)

It is expected that all cards within any exhibit will be free of major faults, including creasing, staining, missing pieces or trimming. Any exhibit displayiong cards failing to meet this minimum standard will be penalised. The only exception to the foregoing will be made for any card which is deemed to be of such extreme rarity as to be important despite its condition. Providing all cards reach the previously stated minimum standard, judges will look for overall condition of the cards displayed. To achieve high marks all cards must be free of creases, blemishes, staining or faults. However it is recognised that the condition of the cards is of variable importance depending on card type, as detailed below : Modern cards must be in pristine condition. Artist and thematic cards should be in very good condition, free of creasing or blemishes. Topographic cards, either real photographic or printed, may be in lesser condition than other categories, provided the main image is in no way defaced. Any creasing or blemishes in the main image will be faulted. Severe fading of photographic cards constitutes a major fault. Postally used cards will not be penalised for minor blemishes occasioned by their passage through the postal services.

6. Appeal of the Cards (10 points)

This factor will be used to evaluate the cards presented on display. It will not cover the condition of the cards or the manner in which they are displayed, as these factors have been covered above. The cards will be assessed for visual appeal, and their worth in, and contribution to, the display.

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This page was last modified on 14th September 2020


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