Of course! Many new members prefer to come along, watch, and enjoy the evenings before entering their own images. There is no pressure to compete until you feel ready.

You will still enjoy all the benefits of membership, including learning from the judges’ feedback, meeting other photographers, and picking up new ideas and inspiration.

When you feel comfortable, you can start entering competitions at your own pace.

No, you do not have to be there in person. We also host our meetings on Teams, so you can still watch the judging, hear the feedback, and be part of the evening even if you cannot make it to the venue.

That said, attending in person is always more fun. You get the chance to connect with other members, chat during tea breaks, and enjoy the atmosphere of the live judging.

Whether you join us in person or online, you will never miss out

Each member may submit up to 4 photos per month:

• 3 photos from any category

• 1 photo for the Theme of the Month

👉 That’s a total of 4 images maximum.

Special Update (until September 2026):
For this period, members are allowed to submit 5 images in total:

• Your usual 4 entries

• Plus 1 extra image in the CERPS Macro category, and it must be Macro (Colour).  Manipulation is allowed.

⚠️ Important:

• The extra image cannot be used in any other category — it’s only for CERPS Macro.

• If you don’t have a Macro image to enter, you can still submit the standard 4 images.

This temporary change helps us build a strong set of images for the CERPS competition (likely October 2026).

We have 7 main categories you can choose from, plus the Theme of the Month:

• NA – Nature 🦁🌿
  Animals, birds, insects, plants, and natural scenes (no human influence).

• SC – Land / Sea / Cityscapes 🌄🌊🏙️
  Landscapes, seascapes, or urban/city scenes.

• PI – Pictorial / Open 🎨
  Almost anything goes — your creativity sets the boundaries.

• AR – Contemporary / Experimental / Altered Reality 🌀
  Creative edits, composites, or abstract/experimental work.

• PO – Portraiture / Figure Study 👤
  People-focused images, portraits, or figure studies.

• PJ – Photojournalism / Photo Travel / Sport 🏆
  Storytelling images, events, documentary-style, or travel photos.

• SL – Floral / Still Life 🌸🍎
  Flowers, plants, or carefully arranged still life compositions.

• TH – Theme of the Month 🎯
  A different set theme chosen each month — everyone can have fun interpreting it!

Please see Photo sizes explained, to see the full details of the photos sizes.

Not greater than 1080 pixels height and 1920 pixels width

See Photovault explained

To enter use https://www.photovaultonline.com/

There are many benefits for you as an individual to become a member of the Photographic Society of South Africa:

•  Join a club and become part of the worldwide photographic community
• Submit your images at club nights and have them judged by accredited PSSA judges
• Participate in salons and obtain acceptances, certificates of merit or medals for your winning images
• Obtain national and internationally recognised honours and awards
• Obtain diamond ratings for achievements at National and International salons (competitions)
• Obtain Impala Trophy awards for achievements at national salons
• Get access to the PSSA online magazine, e-Image
• Have your articles and images published in the e-Image
• Receive frequent PSSA newsletters via email
• Learn new skills through workshops, tutorials and other training opportunities
• Attend workshops (JAP courses) to obtain accreditation as a judge of photography within the Society
• Enjoy discounted entries to photographic salons recognised by PSSA
• Receive awards for service and excellence in photography
• Enjoy discounts when attending National and Regional Congresses

Click here to join as a member

PSSA Salons

Wikipedia: “From the seventeenth century to the early part of the twentieth century, artistic production in France was controlled by artistic academies which organized official exhibitions called salons.”

To be able to exhibit your work on a salon, you had to obtain the approval of the judges.
Today it is still the same in photography that all entries received are evaluated by the jury and only those found acceptable will be exhibited.

And this is how we think of a photographic salon today – an exhibition of photography.

Photographers are invited to submit their images in various categories for possible inclusion in the salon exhibition. A panel of judges scores all the submitted images and chooses approximately 20% for exhibition. The images that are chosen are known as “acceptances” and these are the “salon acceptances” that are required for Club promotion.

The acceptance rate will be different for each event and is set by the jury but within the parameters set by the organisations which approved the exhibition (salon) and lend their name to it (patronage).

In South Africa, PSSA as the national organisation representing amateur photographers, uses a guideline for acceptances for PDI (projected digital images) salons at between 20 and 25% and up to 35% for prints and Audio Visuals. Overseas you may see rates between 25 – 45%!

The prime reason for presenting a salon is to see work that you would otherwise not see and share that with all our members and the public.

The entry fee is there to cover cost and if there is a surplus that is a bonus.

Salons are either National ones where only photographers from South Africa (as well as all members of PSSA worldwide) may enter or International ones where photographers from all over the world compete.

A list of salons is published on the PSSA website, in Club newsletters and entry for SA salons is generally via PhotoVaultOnline. 

Conditions of Entry

The salon conditions of entry document (salon brochure) will provide all the detail of the event such as:

• Time table – Closing date, judging dates, when results will be available and exhibition dates.
• Awards – Medals and other awards which can be won.
• Categories of entry and their definitions.
• Names of the judges.
• Entry fees
• How to enter

The Honours Division controls the awards made to members in recognition of a high standard of photographic ability and/or service to PSSA and to photography in general.

Application is only open to full members of the Society. Anyone interested in applying for Honours may join at the same time as applying. Proof of status of current membership must be included with your application.

Honours may either be applied for by submitting a panel for judging or by accumulating salon acceptances.

Panel submissions may be made twice annually with the closing dates being 25 January and 1 July.

Salon Honours may be applied for at any time during the year.

Honours - Panel Submission

Members submit a panel of images for judging by a panel of judges – application may be made in Digital (PDI), Prints, Audio Visual (AV) or Applied.

Licentiateship: The LPSSA is the entry level Honours and is awarded for a high level of basic skill and competence.

All applicants must start with an LPSSA unless they already hold a 3 Diamond rating in the medium in which they are applying.

The panel consists of 10 images or 2 AVs.

Associateship: The APSSA is awarded for a high standard of technical skill, competence and creative ability. This award recognises a high standard of achievement in the art and science of the medium and is awarded in recognition of work of a good aesthetic and technical standard.

This panel consists of 15 images or 3 AVs.

In order to apply for an APSSA a member must either hold an LPSSA or a 3 Diamond Rating in the medium of application or an APSSA in any medium.   The exception to this ruling is that an applicant in Audio Visual must hold an LPSSA in Audio Visual.

Fellowship: The FPSSA is awarded for excellence and distinguished ability. The Fellowship recognises a high standard of achievement in the art and science of the medium and is awarded for excellence. The applicant must hold an APSSA in the medium of application.

This panel consists of 25 images or 4 AVs.

Master:  The MPSSA is the highest award which may be applied for by a member of PSSA.

The application consists of an educational, illustrated lecture as well as a panel of between 15 and 25 mounted top quality exhibition prints.

General:  Application for higher honours may only be made once the lower level has been achieved in that specific medium.

Honours application explained