General Rules

We do not break ties so all images scoring the same will receive the same placements.
Placements will be awarded in each division in each category.
For the digital and print competitions, there will be First, Second and Third place awards and Honourable Mentions (HMs) for images with sufficiently high scores to warrant placements. HMs will be awarded for scores with a minimum score of 23.0 for the Novice & Intermediate divisions and 23.5 for the Advanced & Masters divisions, providing those images are no lower than 5th place. Any images scoring a minimum of 24 points, that do not receive a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place, will be awarded an HM, independent of the overall ranking in the division.
Note: The number of placements is contingent on sufficient entries in each division and category. The competition team has the authority to reduce the number of placements or combine divisions for awarding placements if there are insufficient submissions in a division or category.

The policies for earning achievement points for advancements to higher skill levels in the club can be found on Skill Levels page.

(Note that the rules have changed slightly from year to year, so all winners listed here did not necessarily conform to the currently stated rules.)

Awards for the 2019-2020 Season are posted here.

Awards for the 2020-2021 Season are posted here.

Awards for the 2021-2022 Season are posted here.

Year-End Awards Criteria For 2022-2023

The awards for the Assigned, Natural Things, and Pictorial Photographer of the Year will be based on the highest total, based on the top 10 scores out a possible of 15 digital entries (3 entries in each of the 5 digital competitions).

For the Photographer of the Year, based on skill level, the four members with the highest totals, based on their top 21 scores out of a possible 28 digital and print entries will be awarded appropriate recognition. There must be at least one score in each of the categories (assigned, pictorial, natural things, and prints). Entries in the Photo-Essay, Video-Short, or Nature Trophy competitions are not be included for the Photographer of the Year criteria.

Print-Maker of the Year will be awarded to the member with the highest total, based on their top eight scoring print entries (out of a possible 8), regardless of skill level. The three members with the highest total in each skill level, based on their top 8 prints, will be awarded appropriate recognition.

This year there will be five digital competitions and two print competitions.

Please note that awards are based on the absolute scores. They are not based on placement points.

Photographer of the Year – Assigned Topics

Winners

2013: B Dass
2014: Ron Goodlin
2015: Larry Rezka
2016: Luba Citrin
2017: Rhonda Starr
2018: Isabel Kelly
2019: Rhonda Starr
2020: Rhonda Starr
2021: Rhonda Starr
2022: Rhonda Starr

Photographer of the Year – Pictorial Category

Winners

2013: Larry Rezka
2014: Ron Goodlin
2015: Ron Goodlin
2016: Rob Kline
2017: Josie Stauffer
2018:   Claude Sassoon
2019:   Claude Sassoon
2020:   Betty Chan
2021:   Ory Varzgar
2022:   Ory Varzgar

Photographer of the Year – Natural Things

Winners

2017: Bruce Carmody
2018:   Ron Goodlin
2019: Margaret Krzepkowski
2020:   Kevin Kwong
2021:   Betty Chan
2022:   Nick Shearman

Printmaker of the Year

Winners

2013: Larry Rezka
2014: Ron Goodlin
2015: Ron Goodlin
2016: Kathy Constantinou
2017: Kala Lakhani
2018:   Margaret Krzepkowski
2019: Margaret Krzepkowski
2020:   Margaret Krzepkowski
2021:   No Prints This Year
2022:   No Prints This Year

Photographer of the Year – By Skill Level

Novice Division – “Josie Stauffer Trophy”

Winners

2013: Margaret Krzepkowski
2014: Guy St. Louis
2015: Luz Elena Espinosa
2016:   Rodolfo Luciani
2017: Isabel Kelly
2018:   Betty Chan
2019: Iulian Ursache
2020:   Hans Leung
2021:   Ben Liu
2022:   Ron Thiel

Intermediate Division – “Bud Newton Trophy”

Winners

2013: John Kot
2014: Marina Leyderman
2015:   Margaret Krzepkowski
2016: Bruce Carmody
2017: Kala Lakhani
2018:   Katie Mak
2019: Debbie Gottdenker
2020:   Qing Li
2021:   Louie Luo
2022:   Barry Green

Advanced Division – “Joseph Leduc Trophy”

Winners

2013: Kathy Constantinou
2014: John Kot
2015: Yung Niem
2016: Luba Citrin & Marie Algieri-Goldgrub
2017: Bruce Carmody
2018: Isabel Kelly
2019: George Cates
2020: Betty Chan
2021: Kevin Kwong
2022: Kam Ming Mak

Masters Division – “Gitter Family Trophy”

Winners

2013: Larry Rezka
2014: Ron Goodlin
2015: Ron Goodlin
2016: Ron Goodlin
2017: Ron Goodlin
2018:   Margaret Krzepkowski
2019:   Margaret Krzepkowski
2020:   Margaret Krzepkowski
2021:   Betty Chan
2022:   Nick Shearman

Breakthrough Award (Rising Star)

Only members who have never received an RHCC or YRCC award, other than the President’s Award, are eligible.

Each eligible member’s 10 best individual scores, encompassing at least 5 competitions from the current season, are totaled. The member with the highest total receives the award. If the member is the trophy winner in either Pictorial, Assigned, Natural Things, Printmaker of the year, or a Division Photographer of the Year he/she would not be eligible for this award.

Winners

2013: Rob Kline
2014: Marie Algieri-Goldgrub
2015: Luba Citrin
2016: Rhonda Starr
2017: Katie Mak
2018: Katherine Wong
2019: Helena Chu
2020:   Philip Wong
2021:   Daisy Lai
2022:   Fern Gitter

President’s Award

Awarded for the most outstanding contribution to the club in the current season, irrespective of competitions. The recipient or recipients are determined by the President.

Winners

2013: Joe Leduc, Lance Gitter, Kathy Constantinou, B Dass, Larry Rezka, Mark Girard
2014: Judi Martin
2015: Ron Goodlin
2016: Lil Shneidman
2017: Mark Girard, Lance Gitter, Judi Martin, Josie Stauffer
2018: Fern Gitter, Lance Gitter
2019: George Cates, Ron Mantay
2020:   Debbie Gottdenker, Isabel Kelly
2021:   Atul Asthana, Ron Mantay, Ed Orendorff
2022:   Philip Wong, Debbie Gottdenker

Digital Image of the Year Trophy

The trophy for The Digital Image of the Year Trophy will be selected by a panel of accredited judges from all of the images from the five digital competitions ( Assigned, Pictorial or Natural Things ) placing 1st, 2nd, 3rd.

Winners

2014: Arjuna Somaskandan
2015: Jeff O’Brien
2016: Josie Stauffer
2017: Ed Orendorff
2018: Luba Citrin
2019: Frankie Chan
2020:   John Kot
2021:   Louie Luo
2022:   Ben Liu

Print of the Year Trophy

The trophy for The Print of the Year Trophy will be selected by a panel of accredited judges from all of the prints that placed 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in the three print competitions. The original eligible prints must be resubmitted to the competition committee by the established deadline in order to be included in the judging session. A winner, runner up and 2 HM’s will be chosen.

Winners

2014: Ron Goodlin
2015: Rob Kline
2016: Luba Citrin
2017: Isabel Kelly
2018: Margaret Krzepkowski
2019: George Cates
2020:   No “Print of the Year” awarded due to COVID-19 constraints
2021:   No “Print of the Year” awarded due to COVID-19 constraints
2022:   No “Print of the Year” awarded due to COVID-19 constraints

Phoenix Trophy

The Phoenix Trophy will be selected by a panel of accredited judges from members’ entries submitted by the established deadline. Each member will be entitled to submit up to 3 images of the same format in which they submitted them to any of the five digital assigned/pictorial/natural things competitions and the three print competitions * during the current season. Eligible images will be those which are not eligible for either the Print of the Year or the Digital Image of the Year Trophies. This is known as a “second chance” competition. A winner, runner up and 2 HM’s will be chosen.
* Note: 2020-no prints eligible due to no live judging due to the COVID-19 constraints.

Winners

2014: Luz-Elena Espinosa
2015: Josie Stauffer
2016: Judi Martin
2017: Ken Alexander
2018: Luba Citrin
2019: Rhonda Starr
2020:   Peter To
2021:   Rob Kline
2022:   Philip Wong

Nature Trophy Competition

Winners

2013: Kathy Constantinou and Lance Gitter
2014: Rob Kine
2015: June D’Souza
2016: Ron Goodlin
2017: Nicholas Tian
2018: Nicholas Tian
2019: Rob Kline
2020:   Rob Kline
2021:   Katie Mak
2022:   Nick Shearman

PhotoEssay Trophy

A Photo Essay is a presentation of a selection of images on any topic, and it may have an audio track. Photo essays may use any number of still images, and, while the emphasis is on still images, video clips are permitted. The sound track may include narration, music and sound effects. A single photo essay represents many hours of work, so the RHCC has one such competition each year.

Winners

2013: Lance Gitter
2014: Sunchie Yang
2015: Mark Girard
2016: Ron Goodlin
2017: Isabel Kelly
2018: Ron Goodlin
2019: Ron Mantay
2020:   Ron Mantay
2021:   Ron Mantay
2022:   Ory Varzgar

Video Short Film Trophy

A Video Short Film is a short film on any topic. Video short films may use any number of video clips, and, while the emphasis is on video, still images are also permitted. The sound track may include narration, music and sound effects. A single video short film represents many hours of work, so the RHCC has one such competition each year.

Winners

2022: Ron Mantay