Competitions

The Society holds annual philatelic competitions open to all members. The "Society Competition" is formal and the "Members' Competition" less so. The "Single Sheet" competition is self explanatory.

Society Competition

The competition is divided into a number of categories to encourage participation at all levels of experience, and the 'rules' are as simple as we can make them. Entries within each class can consist of 9 (junior entries only), 16 or 32 sheets.

Competition Classes

Exhibits may be entered in any of the following philatelic classes: Aerophilately, Postal History, Postal Stationery, Revenues, Cinderella, Thematic, Traditional (stamps), Open (includes Social Philately) and Picture Postcards. A Society Trophy will be awarded to the highest scoring 16 or 32 sheet entry in each of the following categories:

It helps the Competition Secretary and the Judges to have sight of what will be shown on competition evening. So please help them by completing an Entry Form in good time. Return it to the Competition Secretary together with a scan of your first (introductory) page.

Competition Categories

The Sixteen and Thirty-two Sheet Competitions
1. The Fassnidge Plate 16 or 32 sheets (including introductory page) of Traditional stamps.
2. The Basil Owen Award 16 or 32 sheets (including introductory page) of Postal History.
3. The Bob McDonald Trophy 16 or 32 sheets (including introductory page) of Aerophilately.
4. The John Stockley Rose Bowl 16 or 32 sheets (including introductory page) in the Thematic class.
5. National Westminster Bank Trophy 16 or 32 sheets (including introductory page) in the Open class.
6. Millennium Trophy 16 or 32 sheets (including introductory page) of Revenues.
7. Adams Cup Postal 16 or 32 sheets (including introductory page) of Postal Stationery.
8. The Sharman Trophy 16 or 32 sheets (including introductory page) of Picture Postcards.
Other Competitions
1. The Marianne Trophy One single sheet entry in any philatelic class. No additional sheet for explanation is required. This competition will be judged by the Society members present.
2. Members Competition Shield Awarded to the winner of the informal Members' Competition that can include entries of less than 16 sheets (see rules below).
3. The Vernon Junior Medal Up to 9 sheets in any class entered by a Junior Member (age limits in accordance with national rules).

The Gordon Thorne Trophy is awarded to the best overall winning entry from either the sixteen or thirty-two sheet competitions. At the Committee’s discretion the two 16 sheet entries with the highest scores will qualify as the Society's entries in the Howard White Inter-Society Competition at HAMPEX.

Competition General Rules

Exhibit sheets should not exceed 250mm x 300mm (appx. 10" wide by 12" high).
Exhibitors shall only include their bona fide property in an exhibit.
All entries shall be suitably mounted and protected in a transparent display cover.
Each competitor must write his or her name on the back of each sheet as well as the number of the sheet indicating the order to be viewed.
If a photocopy of a philatelic item is used it must be reduced by at least 25% of actual size and labelled as a copy.
The Judges may transfer an entry to another class if they consider it appropriate.
A full copy of the rules, procedures and marking protocol for each class will be available from the Competition Secretary for all entrants.
The winning entries (only) in any of the 16 or 32 sheet competitions cannot re-enter in any class for 3 years from the date of winning, regardless of how many pages have been changed.
No entry fee will be required. No sheets entered in one competition can qualify for another competition.
The Committee and Competitions Secretary may make minor changes to these rules from time to time in order to comply with changes at Federation and National Level.

Members' Competition Shield Rules

The Members' Competition is far less structured than the traditional Society Competition evening and more of a fun event and opportunity to display your material.

Entries can be 12 to 16 sheets.
Formal write-up encouraged including an introductory page. (The introductory page simply outlines the story of the display - what is being shown and why.)
Very brief spoken introduction as to the intended story of the entry is permitted.
A trophy to be awarded based on the votes of all the members present on the evening.
Where welcomed, confidential feedback will be available from more experienced members.
Opportunity for entrants to participate in a future workshop to provide interactive discussion and advice in a small group setting.

General Hints and Tips

Hints and tips concerning entries for competitive display may be found on the Hampshire Philatelic Federation Competitions website together with more information about philatelic classes.

The resources listed below may be helpful:

Workshop: "How to write up for competition" by Kevin Chard. The slides are available here.
Talk: "Writing up for Display and Competition" by Julian Jones. Slides available here.