A number of changes to competitions were introduced this year, principally the replacement of two Monthly Competitions with the Hedda Morrison Trophy for a print portfolio in May, and the Fletchers Fotographics Slide Portfolio in August. Both of these major competitions attracted a good number of entries and some strong portfolios.

A consequence of the format change was a decrease of two ordinary monthly competitions, and fewer judges being needed. As outside judges have sometimes proved hard to obtain this helpfully eased the requirements.

CPS also competed with Murray Bridge CC again in the annual slide event. And jointly with the Southside (Canberra) Photo Club in the Allied Camera Clubs event later in the year, where five states and territories provided entries.

Entries in the regular monthly competitions varied through the year, some months having very large numbers of entries, some rather small numbers. The number of members competing in A grade monochrome decreased this year; likewise, there were a lot fewer entries in B grade slides. B grade prints, colour and mono, was strongly represented through the year, with several members demonstrating they needed to be promoted to A grade. A grade colour prints likewise had a strong showing most months.

Increasingly digital printing has taken over from traditional darkroom even when the photograph was taken on film, helped by the great improvement in digital printing technology in the last couple of years. And several members have taken to experimenting with images, again using the possibilities made more available by digital technology. Therefore in the coming year we will look at having a category for the more 'experimental' image-making that's growing in popularity.

Judges for 2005 included some of our favourite regulars, including Bob Cooper and Garry Raffaelle, along with Marc Fenning, Geoff Comfort, Chris & Lindy Holly, Greg Battye, Elizabeth Hawkes, and for the first time David Chalker from PhotoAccess. A variety of judges, with a corresponding variety of viewpoints, is healthy for giving CPS members useful feedback on the images they put on show in the competitions.

In October the exhibition "Fresh" was held at Strathnairn Gallery, Holt, allowing a public showing of a lot of recent work by our members, not all of it previously shown at CPS meetings. It was positively reviewed in the Canberra Times and visited by several hundred people despite no bonus publicity on TV or newspaper. Some of the new pictures shown will no doubt find their way into future competitions.

I hope for the coming year we will continue to see the good variety and quality of work that has characterised 2005. And that there will be more monochrome print workers than we've had this year, particularly in A grade.2006 will have a new Competition Director, and I trust they will have an interesting time organising these events.

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