LeConte holds a judge-scored photo competition every month — except September, which is the annual Awards Ceremony. Here's the full cycle from submission to results.
📤 Submit Photos
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🎬 Projectionist Preps
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⚖️ Judges Score
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🏆 Winners Announced
📅
When
First Tuesday of each month, 6:30 PM — King Family Library, Sevierville
🚫
September
No competition — September is the annual Awards Ceremony
📆
Season
October through August — 11 competitions per year
📷
Members
Submit photos before the deadline — up to 2 per class plus Assignment
🎬
Projectionist
Downloads all photos, organizes them, and runs the slideshow
⚖️
Judges
Three judges score each photo 3–9 independently
Lesson 02 · Categories
The Four Categories
Photos compete within their class — you're judged against photographers at the same level. Three skill classes, plus one open-to-all Assignment category.
BEG
Beginner — 0 to 19 points
All new members start here. Reach 20 placement points to advance to Advanced.
ADV
Advanced — 20 to 39 points
Mid-level competitors developing their style. Reach 40 total placement points to advance to Star.
STAR
Star — 40+ points
The top division. Judges are drawn preferably from Star class members.
ASN
Assignment — open to all members
A monthly theme announced at the previous meeting. Any member at any level may enter 1 photo. Assignment placement points count toward your class advancement total.
Lesson 03 · Member Role
Submitting Your Photo
Every member may submit up to 2 photos in their class plus 1 Assignment photo. The submission window opens the night of the previous meeting and closes the Friday before the next one.
📷
Standard: up to 2 class photos
Plus 1 Assignment photo if you choose to enter
🏅
Judge Bonus: up to 3 class photos
If you judged last month, you earn one extra photo slot this month
1
Export a JPEG from your editing software
You can replace your submission before the deadline if you change your mind
2
Log in → Submit Photo on your member dashboard
Enter a photo title, select the photo file from your computer, and upload
3
Confirm your entry appears in your dashboard — you're done
Submissions close at midnight the Friday before the meeting
🚫
The deadline is firm
The projectionist downloads all photos before the meeting. Late submissions cannot be added.
Lesson 04 · Special Rules
Special Submission Rules
Your judging schedule affects what you can submit. And one rule applies permanently to every photo that ever places.
+1 BONUS
You judged last month → 3 photos this month
A thank-you for judging. You earn one extra class photo slot the following month. You cannot judge consecutive months.
NO SUBMIT
You are scheduled to judge this month → no photos at all
Applies to class photos and the Assignment category. You cannot submit anything the month you judge.
REPLACED
Replacement judge called at the meeting
If a scheduled judge is a no-show, an officer designates a replacement. The replacement's already-submitted photos are disqualified for that month only — but they earn the bonus next month. The no-show judge loses their bonus.
🚫
The Photo Retirement Rule
Any photo finishing 1st, 2nd, or 3rd is permanently retired.
It can never be submitted to a LeConte competition again — ever. This is a hard rule enforced automatically by the website.
Lesson 05 · Judge Role
The Judges
Three judges score every photo independently on a scale of 3 to 9. Their three scores are totaled — maximum possible is 27 points. Judges are drawn preferably from the Star class and cannot serve in consecutive months.
9
Outstanding
Exceptional technical skill and artistic vision
8
Excellent
Strong composition, near-flawless execution
7
Very Good
Above average — minor areas for improvement
6
Good
Competent work with clear room to grow
5
Average
Meets basic standards, needs development
3–4
Below Average
Significant technical or compositional issues
🏆
Maximum: 27 pts
Three judges, each scoring 9
🎯
Photographer hidden until all scored
Judges score the image, not the person
Lesson 06 · Projectionist Role
The Projectionist
The projectionist is the technical backbone of competition night — they organize all photos after the deadline and run the slideshow while the room watches and judges score.
1
Wait for the competition lock on the competition deadline day
Once locked, the submission list is final — no photos can be added or changed
2
Download the photo ZIP from the Day-of-Show page
Photos arrive pre-sorted in category folders (Beginner, Advanced, Star, Assignment), numbered in display order
3
Load into presentation software
Lightroom — numbered filenames sort correctly
4
Arrive early — test projector and display before the room fills
Dark room conditions mean brightness calibration matters
5
Advance slides on the scorekeeper's cue throughout the competition
Each photo stays on screen while judges score silently
Lesson 07 · Competition Night
Competition Night Flow
The competition runs Beginner → Advanced → Star → Assignment. Every submitted photo is shown and scored before moving to the next category. Here's exactly what happens for each photo.
1
Photo appears on screen
Projectionist advances on the scorekeeper's cue
2
Photo title announced — photographer NOT revealed yet
Identity stays hidden until all photos have scored
3
All three judges score silently and independently
Judges cannot see each other's scores
4
Scores read aloud and entered by the recorder
Total calculated automatically
5
Repeat for every photo in the category— then top 3 announced
After all photos in a category are scored, placements are announced before moving on
6
Photo feedback — brief judge feedback
Listen even when it's not your photo — this is the most valuable learning of the evening
Lesson 08 · Tiebreakers
Tiebreakers
When two or more photos tie on total score and that tie affects a placement position (1st, 2nd, or 3rd), a tiebreaker round is held immediately using a ranking system — not rescoring.
1
Only the tied photos are shown — one at a time
Same display process as regular competition
2
Each judge assigns a unique rank: 1 to N (number of tied photos)
1 = lowest, N = highest. Each rank used exactly once per judge — no two tied photos get the same rank from the same judge
3
Highest total rank wins
If the tiebreaker itself ties, a new round is held immediately
⚡
Tiebreakers are rare — and exciting
They're only called when a tie directly affects a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place position. Two photos tying at 19 points with no placement impact don't trigger a tiebreaker. The scoring recorder uses a dedicated tiebreaker interface on the website.
📊
Example with 2 tied photos
Each judge ranks them 1 or 2. If the totals come out 4–2, one photo collected three "2" votes — that photo wins.
Lesson 09 · Recorder Role
The Scoring Recorder
The recorder sits at a laptop during the competition and enters each judge's score as it's announced. The website calculates totals automatically. Speed and accuracy are the entire job.
1
Log in before the meeting — scoring interface locks to the current competition
2
Enter the three judge scores as they're presented — one per judge
3
Press Save & Continue — full-screen score reveal appears
Shows the photo, title, and total score for the whole room to see
4
Dismiss overlay → next photo. Handle tiebreakers when prompted.
5
Finalize the competition after the last photo
Publishes results, updates all advancement point totals, makes the gallery visible to members
Lesson 10 · Advancement
Advancement & Points
Placing 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in any category earns you 1 placement point. Points accumulate forever — they never reset — and when you hit the threshold, you advance permanently.
20
Points to advance
Beginner → Advanced
40
Points to advance
Advanced → Star
∞
Points never reset
They carry forward every year, forever
🏅
1 point for any placement — 1st, 2nd, or 3rd
The same 1-point value applies to all three positions in every category, including Assignment. Any placement counts.
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Officer confirms advancement on the Advancement Tracker page
Your division updates immediately on the website and a congratulatory email goes to all active members
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View your points anytime — My Progress on your member dashboard
Full competition history, current point total, and your path to advancement
🏆
You're ready
Go Submit a Photo
The competition is friendly, the judges are helpful, and every placement moves you forward. Submit something you're proud of and see what happens.