Another photographic society affiliated contest result is in, this one from the Vesta salon in Montenegro. For this one, I entered six out of the nine categories, a total of 24 photos, and they were all judged only once, which is typical for a salon that includes a "nude" category -- it seems like no matter where you are in the world, it's hard enough to find judges willing to judge specifically figurative photos that it's impossible to put together a circuit. Hey, everyone! I'll be a judge for you! But, I live in the USA, which is too conservative to ever offer a nude category, and tends to run below-average on number of figurative photos accepted. Oh well.

Anyway, out of 24 photos, seven were accepted, including two in photojournalism categories and five figurative. Seven of twenty-four is 29%, which is a pretty average acceptance rate, so it's probably just the lack of multiple acceptances per photo (which you only get in a circuit) that makes it feel tepid. And to be fair, even the ones that weren't accepted were given decent scores. On the flip side, the ones that were accepted were generally given scores just enough to pass. And no awards. So, all in all, kind of a middle-of-the-road, moderate result.

Here are the five figurative photos accepted this time around:

1. "Calico" (Nude PIDC), Marzipanned, Seattle, January 2019
2. "Exclusive" (Nude PIDC), Marzipanned, Seattle, January 2019
3. "Rest and Upheaval" (Open Monochrome PIDM), Queen Dandelion, Rialto Beach, July 2018
4. "Discretion" (Open Monochrome PIDM), Zi Gattina, Seattle, June 2017
5. "Sounleip" (Portrait PIDC), Sounleip, Puyallup, October 2011: this one was entered and accepted for the first time.

Calico (Nude PIDC) (Accepted) Exclusive (Nude PIDC) (Accepted) Rest and Upheaval (Open Monochrome PIDM) (Accepted)Rest and Upheaval
6I8A5363 (09-17-2020)
07-31-2018
Rialto Beach, Olympic National Park, Washington

2021-05-02 Pirin Salon (Razlog, Bulgaria) (Nude PIDC): Accepted
2021-05-29 MTN Photo Salon (Kolkota, India) (Nude PIDM): Judge's Choice
2021-06-30 Marika Magazine (published in Toronto, Canada) (Summer 2021): Published
2021-07-02 Hilliard Gallery (Kansas City, Missoiuri), "14th Annual Contemporary Figurative Show": Exhibited
2021-07-05 Moscow International Foto Awards (online contest based in Moscow, Russia) (Amateur Nude), as part of a 7-photo series titled "Rest and Upheaval": Honorable Mention
2021-07-30 3 Square Art Gallery (Fort Collins, Colorado), "Figure That!": Exhibited with a Gold Award
2021-10-15 Kladovo Summer Circuit (Cuprija and Kladovo, Serbia; Vidin, Bulgaria) (Nude Mono PIDM): Accepted; Salon Gold (Cuprija)
2021-11-20 Shadowhunter Circuit (Serbia, Croatia, Malta, and Montenegro) (Nude PID): Accepted; Salon Silver (Croatia); Salon Ribbon (Serbia); DIPA Diploma (Montenegro)
2021-11-29 Clickerz International Salon (Kolkata, India) (Nude PIDC): Certificate of Merit
2021-11-30 Photo Fest Bitola (Bitola, Macedonia) (Nude PIDC): IAAP Bronze Medal Discretion (Open Monochrome PIDM) (Accepted) Sounleip (Portrait PIDC) (Accepted)