CISS Competitions

Every year our first meeting at The Royal, (RPSL), in London is our Competitions Day. This is the opportunity for ALL members to put together those special items in an entry to one or more of the Competition categories that are on offer each year.

This year is slightly different in that some categories that have not been well 'subscribed' to have been split into two groups, one in 2011 and the other in 2012, in other words alternating every year. A list of which categories are on offer when is further down the page.

When you have seen some of the quite stunning displays that have been given at the meetings, not withstanding the quite awe-inspiring display given by members of the Society for the RPSL in October this year, it is understandable that some members have quite grave concerns whether or not their entry can 'hold a candle' to those from more experienced and established members of the Society. Let's put those fears to rest, when the Judges are deciding on a winner, it does not mean that they will automatically choose the biggest, with the most stunning content of the rarest items, but how it is put together and how it tells it’s story.

Entries are anonymous to the Judges and so everybody has the same chance. The idea of this page is to put together some guidance on how to put together your entry and the rules of the competitions, which can be found on the Competition Rules page.

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First some display guidelines from our President and Editor of the Journal 'Les Iles Normandes':

Ordinary meeting displays
Displays can be of any length up to 12 sheets (1 frame), ideally 24 sheets (2 frames) with a maximum of up to 48 sheets (4 frames) latterly by pre-arrangement with the Secretary.
Sheets should be written-up in a manner where they are self-explanatory, tell a story and enhance the item displayed on the page.
The talk accompanying the display should be brief and give just an overview of the subject displayed. Important or unusual items may be pointed out, but the talk should be no more than 5 minutes for displays up to 24 sheets and no more than 10 minutes for displays of up to 48 sheets. DO NOT TALK TO YOUR SHEETS ON THE DISPLAY FRAMES, BUT TO YOUR AUDIENCE.
These points accord with standards presently practiced at meetings of national postal history and philatelic societies and seek to ensure a maximum number of members’ displays can be accommodated within the available time of the respective meeting.

Weekend meeting displays
Displays brought by members can be of any length, but suggest 24 sheets (2 frames). Special or larger displays may be up to 48 sheets (4 frames), but this must be clearly shown on the weekend booking form, pre-arranged and agreed with the Secretary well prior to the meeting. A second display of 48 sheets (4 frames) may be permitted if time allows a second display. Special arrangements for displaying at weekend meetings will be detailed in the respective Meeting Application form.

New Acquisitions
Members have long been encouraged to bring and show new acquisitions of up to 12 sheets (1 frame) on any recognized Channel Island subject. These do not necessarily have to be written-up on sheets although good presentation should clearly highlight the displayed item and can allow helpful comment from colleagues.

Write a brief Report for the Secretary
To help the Society Secretary a very brief report should be prepared describing your display, preferably in typescript, and handed to or emailed to the Secretary for inclusion in the next Journal.
If a Report is not submitted, your display may not be detailed in the Journal.

Note:
These guidelines embrace all our Channel Island collecting subjects viz, stamps, postal history, postcards and ephemera.

Competition Day

The following competitions will be held each year:

• The Society Cup for Stamps
• The Sussex Cup for Postal History and Postal Markings
• The Tom Green Cup for Occupation Postal History and Postal Markings
• The Society Cup for Postcards
• The Absent Members Competition

In addition to those held every year, the following will be held on alternating years:

• 2011
  The Ephemera Cup
  The Society Plate for Channel Island Local Issues
• 2012
  The Picton Phillips Cup for General Entries
  The Sarnia Trophy for Social Philately