Annual Awards

The following awards are given for photographic achievement at the Annual Awards Program in January. A gallery summarizing the awards for 2023 is available here.

Highest Average Score Awards: Recognition is given for the photographers with the highest average scores during the year for each category: Creative Editing, Nature/Expanded Nature, People, and Open. In each case, the photographer must have a minimum of five images in a category to be counted in the highest average score calculation. Year-end awards will be based on the highest averages and will include 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places, as well as Honorable Mentions. An up-to-date summary of current year scores for all photographer is available here.

Special Assignment Award: Each year the club has a special assignment in each of our four digital categories. Any member who submits an image for all four of the Special Assignments is eligible for recognition for the Special Assignments Award. More information about this year’s special assignments is available here

Image-of-the- Year Awards: Recognition is given for the photographers whose work is judged the best for each category: Creative Editing, Nature, People, and Open. All prints and digital files that have reached the level of Acceptance eligible for this award. Image-of-the-Year judging is performed by professional judges after the November Juried Exhibition using a special judging process closed to the general membership, and the results are not announced until the Annual Awards Banquet.

Merrill C. Hart Award: The Merrill C. Hart Memorial Award was initiated in our club by Joe Ronto in memory of Dr. Hart and was put into effect by Dr. Hart’s widow. The award is presented to a
member or non-member in recognition of devoted service to the Channel City Camera Club. The first award in 1964 was given to Joan Hart (incidentally not related to Dr. Hart) who had edited the Angle for 20 years. It is currently awarded on a periodic basis and the recipient is selected by the club president and the previous recipient.

Recent Merrill C. Hart awards have been made to: Damian Gadal (2023), Chris Seaton (2022), Bob Wagener (2021), William Banning (2020), Barbara Hodgdon (2019), Ron Williams (2018), George Welik (2017), Patti Gutshall (2016), David Hancock (2015), Ken Pfeiffer (2014), David Orias and Walter Naumann (2013), Damian Gadal (2012), Gerry Aspen (2011), Dan Moore (2010), Robert Rottenberg (2009), Aavo Koort (2008) Terry Straehley (2004), Stuart Wilson (2000).