PAGB Awards

The SPF run FREE PAGB Awards Workshops/Assessment Days at least twice a year to help you through this process. Please take the opportunity to attend one of these if you are interested in finding out more whatever stage you are at. All SPF Workshops, although they are free, require to be pre-booked as spaces are limited. If you are interested in attending please also contact Libby Smith. Your details will then be added to our e-mailing list. This list will get first refusal on a future workshop. When the next available Workshop is being thrown open to everyone to book, details will be posted here after the emailing list is informed.

Attending an SPF run PAGB Awards workshop can now count as one of your SPF Pre-Qualification requirements, assuming you have work assessed. Please see full details under SPF Pre-qualifying Competitions below.

NEW FULL DETAILS of our 2023 PAGB Awards Events are Now Available - The SPF have 3 PAGB Awards events for you before the end of 2023! More details on all three events are available from the downloads area below '3 PAGB Awards Events in 2023' PDF. Also available in the downloads area below are details of our NEW Dunblane venue. 

EVENT 1 - SPF's PAGB Awards Assessment Day on Sun 17th Sept 2023 at Victoria Hall, Dunblane. 

This FREE event must be pre-booked. Bookings are now being taken. Please complete the booking form included in the '3 PAGB Awards Events in 2023' PDF in the downloads area below, which also contains more details on all three events. Please return the Booking Form for Event 1 by 10th Sept as there are limited spaces. Also see the downloads area below for details of this NEW Dunblane venue. 

EVENT 2 - PAGB Awards for Photographic Merit Presentation by the PAGB on Mon 2nd Oct 2023 at 7pm, via zoom.

This FREE event requires no pre-booking. Please email Libby by 24th Sept if you are not on her APM mailing list to ensure you receive the zoom link.

EVENT 3 - PAGB Awards Day run by the PAGB on Sat 18th Nov 2023 at Victoria Hall, Dunblane (This is being held the day before our SPF Digital Championship).

This FREE event must be pre-booked. We are not yet taking bookings for this event. Please email Libby if you are not on her APM mailing list to ensure you receive full details. A Booking Form and more details will become available in the downloads area below marked for EVENT 3 when bookings are being taken for this event. In the interim please see more details on this event available from the downloads area below '3 PAGB Awards Events in 2023' PDF. Also see the downloads area below for details of this NEW Dunblane venue. 

NEW to the PAGB Awards scheme? -

All you need to know about the PAGB Awards for Photographic Merit is given on this page or (click here) for full details as a PDF, including details on all FIVE levels - BPAGB - CPAGB - DPAGB - EPAGB - MPAGB

Following a busy SPF workshop period in late 2022 and early 2023 as things started to get back to normal again, the PAGB again held it's normal April Aduducation in 2023. This time the event was hosted in Aykesford, Kent by the KCPA. 6 SPF applicants were successful, 1 at CPAGB and 5 at DPAGB. Click on the following to visit each of the successful SPF applicant's Galleries containing all of their successful submission pictures - Cathy Davies CPAGB - Chris Briggs DPAGB - Sandy Gilmour DPAGB - Lorna Hayton DPAGB - Ruth Hayton DPAGB - Peter De Marco DPAGB 

All you need to know about the PAGB Awards for Photographic Merit is given below or (click here) for full details as a PDF (also available from the downloads area below).

In addition to this FIVE STAGE process section please see the More About the Five Levels of Awards - BPAGB - CPAGB - DPAGB - EPAGB - MPAGB sections further down this webpage which supplements the Five Stage process given here.

You can also view all of the SPF's successful photographer's submissions in our Galleries Section of this website. These galleries will change on a regular basis (click here).

To qualify to take part you must prove that you are an 'active photographer*' by taking part in Federation events as detailed in the ‘SPF Pre-Qualification Requirements’ below, together with a list of ‘SPF Qualifying Competitions’ . 

This ‘pre-qualification’ requirement also helps give you a gauge of the level of your work at a national level, and even what medium you should perhaps be applying in.

You do not need to have completed this stage to attend our ‘SPF Workshops’ (Stage 2). You should however be able to pre-qualify before you use the ‘PAGB’s Online Advisory Service’ this is taken on trust.

In addition to the below details, please ensure you have read the area above 'Gaining These Awards is a Five Stage Process' particularly as regards the SPF Pre-Qualification requirements at Stage 1.

There are two new levels being trialled in 2023, the BPAGB and EPAGB. Both are currently only open to print applications.

Our Adjudicators are able to assess an image against the many criteria which contribute to a good photograph in a very short time, but they must also apply their judgement in relation to the level of Award being considered. The images needed to achieve the Badge Award can be described as approaching “Good Club Photography”.

Photographs which meet the requirement for BPAGB will probably do well in a good Club in an Advanced Section of their internal competitions or in Inter-Club competitions, the kind of image which a Club may sometimes choose to represent them in Federation events. However, this is simply offered as general guidance since there is no such thing as a consistent “Club Standard”. The quality of photography varies considerably from Club to Club and what is “Good” in one Club may not be so successful in another one. We cannot know the standard of work in your Club or in your Federation and, by the sheer variety of Club work, there can be no consistent “Club Standard”. It is our experienced Adjudicators who define for this Award what the requirement is for “Good Club Photography”. They have judged at a great many Clubs, and they are well equipped to do this, plus we have in place a permanent team and careful briefings to ensure that the process is as fair and consistent as is humanly possible. Adjudicators are likely to be receptive to a greater range of images than may be successful in some Clubs.

To achieve the BPAGB Award - you require to submit 7 prints of a good Club standard. These are considered by 6 adjudicators scoring between 2 and 5. The lowest score per picture is 12, the highest is 30, and you need a total of 125 from your 7 pictures to succeed.

The images needed to achieve the Credit Award can be described as “Good Club Photography”.

Photographs which meet the requirement for CPAGB will probably do well in a good Club in an Advanced Section of their internal competitions or in Inter-Club competitions, the kind of image which a good Club might choose to represent them in Federation events. However, this is simply offered as general guidance since there is no such thing as a consistent “Club Standard”. The quality of photography varies considerably from Club to Club and what is “Good” in one Club may not be so successful in another one. We cannot know the standard of work in your Club or in your Federation and, by the sheer variety of Club work, there can be no consistent “Club Standard”. It is our experienced Adjudicators who define for this Award what the requirement is for “Good Club Photography”. They have judged at a great many Clubs, and they are well equipped to do this, plus we have in place a permanent team and careful briefings to ensure that the process is as fair and consistent as is humanly possible. It is not a requirement that images entered should have won Club awards and our Adjudicators are likely to be receptive to a greater range of images than may be successful in some Clubs.

To achieve the CPAGB Award - you require to submit 10 prints or 10 digital files of a good Club standard. These are considered by 6 adjudicators scoring between 2 and 5. The lowest score per picture is 12, the highest is 30, and you need a total of 200 from your 10 pictures to succeed. * Please remember that the technical quality of your work should be good.

The Adjudicators are looking for photographs that, in their opinion, should be good enough to achieve a high level of acceptance in Open Exhibitions but, although there can be a much greater commonality of standard at exhibition level, there are still considerable variations. Some Exhibitions accept up to 40%, or more, of the entries, many accept around 20%. Some Exhibitions have experienced judges whom the PAGB would choose as Adjudicators, some don’t. Some Exhibitions, particularly overseas, apply different criteria and standards. Not necessarily poorer but different. Exhibitions cannot therefore be relied upon to define a consistent “Exhibition Standard”. Other bodies, such as FIAP, BPE and PSA award their distinctions for a high number of exhibition acceptances but the PAGB Award is given based solely on an assessment by an expert panel of Adjudicators. They will not be informed of any previous Exhibition successes although they may, of course, be aware from their own experience. The pictures do not need to have been previously entered in any Open Exhibition although success at this level is obviously a good guide. However, a high number of exhibition acceptances for an image does not guarantee it a high mark in the PAGB Adjudication. Our Adjudicators will also give due credit to photographs, such as Record and Documentary, which meet our requirements but may be less likely to be accepted into exhibitions.

You require to enter 15 prints or 15 digital files and, bearing in mind that the adjudicators are looking for international* exhibition standard, you have to score a total of 300 points to get the award. * Please remember that this is a UK Award, and that the technical standard of the work should be very good.

Only existing holders of the DPAGB Award may apply for the EPAGB and none of the images used at DPAGB may be used for EPAGB.

The Adjudicators are looking for photographs that, in their opinion, should be good enough to achieve a high level of acceptance in Open Exhibitions but, although there can be a much greater commonality of standard at exhibition level, there are still considerable variations. Some Exhibitions accept up to 40%, or more, of the entries, many accept around 20%. Some Exhibitions have experienced judges whom the PAGB would choose as Adjudicators, some don’t. Some Exhibitions, particularly overseas, apply different criteria and standards. Not necessarily poorer but different. Exhibitions cannot therefore be relied upon to define a consistent “Exhibition Standard”. Other bodies, such as FIAP, BPE and PSA award their distinctions for a high number of exhibition acceptances but the PAGB Award is given based solely on an assessment by an expert panel of Adjudicators. They will not be informed of any previous Exhibition successes although they may, of course, be aware from their own experience. The pictures do not need to have been previously entered in any Open Exhibition although success at this level is obviously a good guide. However, a high number of exhibition acceptances for an image does not guarantee it a high mark in the PAGB Adjudication. Our Adjudicators will also give due credit to photographs, such as Record and Documentary, which meet our requirements but may be less likely to be accepted into exhibitions.

You require to enter 15 prints, bearing in mind that the adjudicators are looking for international* exhibition standard, you need to score a total of 330 points or more to gain this award. *Please remember that this is a UK Award, and that the technical standard of the work should be very good.

Master Award (MPAGB) is awarded for “the very best amateur photography”. 

The Adjudicators are looking for photographs that, in their opinion, should be good enough to achieve a high level of acceptance in Open Exhibitions but, although there can be a much greater commonality of standard at exhibition level, there are still considerable variations. Some Exhibitions accept up to 40%, or more, of the entries, many accept around 20%. Some Exhibitions have experienced judges whom the PAGB would choose as Adjudicators, some don’t. Some Exhibitions, particularly overseas, apply different criteria and standards. Not necessarily poorer but different. Exhibitions cannot therefore be relied upon to define a consistent “Exhibition Standard”. Other bodies, such as FIAP, BPE and PSA award their distinctions for a high number of exhibition acceptances but the PAGB Award is given based solely on an assessment by an expert panel of Adjudicators. They will not be informed of any previous Exhibition successes although they may, of course, be aware from their own experience. The pictures do not need to have been previously entered in any Open Exhibition although success at this level is obviously a good guide. However, a high number of exhibition acceptances for an image does not guarantee it a high mark in the PAGB Adjudication. Our Adjudicators will also give due credit to photographs, such as Record and Documentary, which meet our requirements but may be less likely to be accepted into exhibitions.

You require 20 photographs, a much more stringent adjudication standard with an average score of 22.5 required, and 450 points to succeed. * Please remember that this is a UK Award, and the technical standard of the work should be excellent if not flawless.

When Federations and the PAGB were unable to run their PAGB Awards Workshops, this service was organised by the PAGB.

Note - Please be aware that those volunteers acting as mentors have not been confirmed as having any particular level of knowledge before taking on this role. Also bear in mind that if you apply in prints you should have prints assessed by your mentor as the print quality is very important. Images will in the main have been assessed on monitors, and not projected on an 8’ screen using calibrated equipment in the way your work will be assessed at the actual adjudication. You are therefore advised to ensure that you can see your work projected on fully calibrated equipment on an 8’ screen prior to submitting an application form.

The Awards for Photographic Merit (APM) Advice Service is available to members of PAGB Affiliated Clubs. Before applying for Advice, you need to meet the eligibility criteria for the APM level you request. You do not need Federation approval of your eligibility: your honest opinion is sufficient. You can apply for Advice to see whether your photographs might meet the standard. Information about eligibility is in APM Leaflet One (click here for a copy).

For Information about the PAGB APM Advisory Service (click here) To apply for Advice, complete the form on the PAGB website (Click here) to access the webpage.

2020 was a year like no other for the PAGB Awards, with postponements and cancellations of all of its Adjudications due to be held in 2020. After extensive work and trialling the PAGB Awards team put in place an Online Adjudication using full quality images through the PAGB Competitions Entry System, and the first online Adjudication took place in early January for all PDI entrants who had signed up for the Closed 2020 event. All 2020 Print entrants were held over to May 2021 when it was hoped a closed Adjudication would be possible.

The successful SPF candidate at this first Online Adjudication January 2021 was Ken Gillies, Edinburgh PS. You can see one of his successful images on this page. Click on the following to visit the successful applicant's Gallery containing all of his successful pictures - Ken Gillies DPAGB

The second Online Adjudication for PDI Applicants took place on 26th April 2021. The successful SPF candidate at this Online Adjudication April 2021 was Jean Robson, Dumfries CC. You can see one of her successful images on this page. Click on the following to visit the successful applicant's Gallery containing all of her successful pictures - Jean Robson CPAGB

The delayed May 2021 Print Adjudication did run as a closed event over the 26th and 27th June 2021 at Smethwick's Clubrooms. No SPF candidates were successful at CPAGB or MPAGB level, but 5 were successful at DPAGB they can be seen listed below. One of each of their images can be seen on this page. Click on the following to visit each of the successful applicant's Galleries containing all of their successful pictures - Keith Beard DPAGB - Maybeth Jamieson DPAGB - David Sadler DPAGB - Barrie Spence DPAGB - Fiona Spence DPAGB.

2021 ended with a normal face to face PAGB Adjudication on 27th and 28th November and hosted by the WCPF in Newton Abbot. The SPF had 3 successful applicants at CPAGB, and one successful applicant at DPAGB. Click on the following to visit each of the successful applicant's Galleries containing all of their successful pictures -  Sandy Gilmour CPAGB - David Halliburton CPAGB - Graham MacKinnon CPAGB - Gillian Temple DPAGB

2022 saw the usual April and November events run face to face for both Prints and PDIs. In April 2022 there were no SPF applicants. In November 3 SPF applicants were successful, 2 at CPAGB and 1 at DPAGB. Click on the following to visit each of the successful applicant's Galleries containing all of their successful pictures - Kevin Flanagan CPAGB - Michele Campbell CPAGB - Brian Cathie DPAGB

Awards for Photographic Merit (APM) are available in audio-visual. Joint applications are permitted.

The Levels (designated CPAGB/AV, DPAGB/AV, MPAGB/AV) are the same as for still images.

Media is by digital projection with sound, and information is given in the AV Leaflet.

Adjudications are hosted by the PAGB and may be annually or every eighteen months, depending on demand. It may help to indicate in advance that you are thinking of applying so that demand is known.