The HOS Photographic Competition is held annually during the HOS Autumn Southern Meeting. Winning pictures are published in the HOS Journal and on the HOS website. The Maren Talbot Photographic Trophy is awarded to the best image in any format in the competition. The trophy may be held for one year, and must then be returned.

Those members who wish to enter but cannot attend the meeting may send their photos in advance to the Photographic Competition Organiser.

Digital image classes will be judged prior to the meeting and the winning photographs will be projected for the audience at the Autumn Southern Meeting.

In addition to the competititive entries, HOS is always pleased to mount an exhibition of members’ non-competitive photographs.

Additional details and submission deadlines will be placed on this website in advance of the Autumn Southern Meeting.

Jon Evans published a summary article "Submitting Entries to the Photographic Competition" in the July 2017 JHOS. To view the complete article CLICK HERE.

 

HOS Photographic Competition

Entry details for the competition at Kidlington
November 16th 2025


In light of declining submissions for print entries in recent years, the decision has been made to discontinue print classes in this year's competition. For a complete list of competition classes and rules, please see below. Please ensure that you follow all the rules. Digital entries should be submitted, preferably by using a file transfer service, and sent to Neil Evans at photocomp@hardyorchidsociety.org by end of the 16th October 2025

Please note that the rule stating entries for any class must be photographed within the current or preceding calendar year has now been removed.

Please name you files in the following format: Your Full Name, Class, Name of Orchid, Location. The Schedule of Classes and Rules are found below.

FOR GENERAL ENQUIRIES ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION

To contact Organiser
Use photocomp@hardyorchidsociety.org
or use the Neil Evans email from the Committee list inside the front cover of JHOS

Rules & Classes for HOS Photographic Competitions

It is important that orchids and orchid sites are not damaged by HOS members. Please take extra care when photographing orchids and other plants. Heavy fines may be imposed if plants are damaged.

Rules for HOS Photographic Competition

  1. Only current members of the Hardy Orchid Society may enter.
  2. Judging is based on the quality of the pictures, not on the rarity of the plants, and the Judge’s decision is final.
  3. Only Orchids that are “hardy” are acceptable.
  4. Contact details of the Organiser and deadline dates for entry will be notified well in advance in the Journal and on the website.
  5. Images need to be submitted to the organiser by the deadline date given.
  6. Each member may enter one picture only in each class.
  7. Pictures entered previously in HOS competitions are not permitted.
  8. Each image must be named in the following format: Your full name, Class, Name of Orchid, Location. Files not correctly named will be returned to the member for resubmitting. 
  9. When a class states ‘a group of orchids,’ the picture must include the whole plants, from the point where the stem or leaves first become visible above the ground or surrounding vegetation, to the top of the orchids and tips of the leaves.
  10. When a class states ‘a single orchid spike,’ the picture must include the whole plant, from the point where the stem or leaves first become visible above the ground or surrounding vegetation, to the top of the orchid and tips of the leaves.
  11. For Class 8, a Novice is defined as an HOS Member who has never been placed first in any class in any HOS Photographic Competition.
  12. Techniques that enhance the presentation of the photograph without changing the story of the picture are permitted, including HDR, focus stacking, dodging/burning, and limited manipulation to remove distracting items. Techniques that remove elements added by the camera, such as dust spots, digital noise, and film scratches, are allowed. All adjustments must appear natural. Stitched images are not permitted. Colour images can be converted to greyscale monochrome. Infrared images, either direct captures or derivations, are not allowed.
  13. For the purposes of this competition, the definition of an orchid in cultivation is any orchid that is grown in a pot or garden setting. The orchid does not have to be grown by the photographer.
  14. Any orchid not defined as ‘in cultivation’ is considered to be in its natural environment.

Photographic Competition Classes

  1. A view of an area (landscape or habitat) showing orchids in their natural environment, in JPEG form.
  2. A group of orchids containing at least three flower spikes in their natural environment, in JPEG form.
  3. A flower spike of a single orchid in its natural environment, in JPEG form.
  4. A close-up of an orchid, showing one or more entire inflorescence(s), in its natural environment, in JPEG form.
  5. A close-up of an orchid showing part of an inflorescence in its natural environment, in JPEG form.
  6. A view of an orchid with a pollinator, in its natural environment, in JPEG form.
  7. An orchid subject that is growing in cultivation, in JPEG form.
  8. Novice class: any hardy orchid, in JPEG form.
  9. A hardy orchid subject that has been manipulated creatively using any advanced software technique to create an artistic image, in JPEG form.

 

Winners of the 2023 Competition

The Maren Talbot Photographic Trophy was won by Gillian Elsom for this image of Anacamptis pyramidalis with Melitaea cinxia (Glanville Fritillary) taken in Corfu.

Anacamptis pyramidalis

CLICK HERE for Winners of all Classes in the 2023 Competition

Archives of Previous Competition Winners

Original thumbnail pages have been updated and alternative mobile-friendly pages
are being added.

Thumbnails Mobile/Tablet
2022
2018
2018
2017
2017
2016
2016
2015
2015
2014
2014
2013
2013
2012
2012
2011
2011
2009 & 2010
2009 & 2010
2006-2008
2006-2008

 

Winners of the 2023 Competition

The Maren Talbot Photographic Trophy was won by Gillian Elsom for this image of Anacamptis pyramidalis with Melitaea cinxia (Glanville Fritillary) taken in Corfu.

Anacamptis pyramidalis


CLICK HERE for Winners of all Classes in the 2023 Competition

Archives of Previous Competition Winners

2013
2012
2011
2009 & 2010
2006-2008