2025 RPS IAVF Programme FINAL by Royal Photographic Society

Welcome to the 26th RPS International AV Festival

Festival Director – Alastair Taylor ARPS DPAGB/AV AV-AFIAP

I bid you a very warm welcome to the 26th RPS International Audio Visual Festival (IAVF). I am sure you will enjoy the Festival and will be inspired by the wonderful AV productions you will see. If you are an author, I wish you every success and thank you for your entry.

For this IAVF, we have adopted a different approach. Gone are the days when we would ll a lecture theatre with 100 or more AV enthusiasts. In this “post pandemic” world we are facing some difcult challenges around nding appropriate venues and the costs of accommodation and other requirements. At the same time, we now have technology at our ngertips which allows you to receive a good quality visual experience over the internet and some people even use a projector to show AVs on a big screen. Sat on your sofa with your favourite tipple whilst viewing AVs on your 4K television screen is understandably an attractive option for many.

I hope you nd our approach sufciently inclusive. With our on-line sessions on three consecutive evenings, this should t in nicely with the various time zones of our international entrants. A few of you will be just getting up and for others it will be late evening. This way, everyone gets to see all of the IAVF entries.

For those who like the full “big screen, big sound” experience, we will be showing around half of the entries and announcing the IAVF results at the Gala Show. We have chosen a new central venue at Worcester University and by tting the show into a single day, this will accommodate efcient travel plans for those who want to attend. I look forward to seeing you there.

So here’s to a successful 26th IAVF. Thank you for your participation.

Thanks and Acknowledgements

The IAVF is a team effort, and we extend our thanks and appreciation to the following:

 The RPS AV Group Committee for their support and ideas on how to make the IAVF a success, and the general contribution to the Gala Show;

 Sheila Haycox for looking after the IAVF pages on the RPS website and booking system;

 Andrew Gagg for his work producing the various IAVF graphics, certicates and media and his patience in waiting for the IAVF Director to make decisions;

 Ian Bateman for coordinating the projection of the on-line shows;

 Linda Gibbs for her role as the MC for the IAVF on-line sessions and Gala Show;

 Edgar Gibbs for providing support and advice based on his previous experience as Festival Director;

 Martin Addison and Andrew Gagg for liaising with the University of Worcester;

 Keith Watson for being the ofcial Gala Show photographer;

 Alastair Taylor for looking after the nances as the AV Group Treasurer; and

 The Staff at the RPS and Worcester University for their support.

The Jury

We are grateful to the 2025 RPS IAVF Jury for agreeing to act as Judges and for their hard work reviewing the entries and arriving at decision on winners and acceptances. Thank you.

Robert Albright HonFRPS

Robert gained his and FRPS in AV in 2002 at the 25th anniversary of The RPS AV Group. He went on to receive the HonFRPS distinction in 2017 when he became the RPS President for which he served a two year term.

He has judged the RPS International AV Festival when it was held at the Royal Agricultural College and the and RPS National AV Championship at Sutton Bonington. He is the current Chair of the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain (PAGB) AV Awards assessments and was previously Chair RPS Slide-Sound Distinctions Panel.

Robert has judged AV competitions in Australia, Italy and the UK and most recently in 2024 the Irish International and National Championships – after a very bumpy ight! He has twice won the Gold Medal at the RPS NAVC, the Silver Medal at the RPS IAVF as well as Gold Medals at the European Championship (Belgium), The Great Northern AV festival and the IAC Geoffrey Round/Peter Coles AV Competition.

Robert assesses AV in the context of literary story-telling, art history, the history of photography since 1827 and lm history from 1890. The production must aim to engage, inform, move emotionally, to entertain or to amuse. His pet hate is use of the word ‘sequence’ as this implies part of a scene in a lm or a string of images with no meaningful content.

Jean Paul Petit

Robert Albright (Jury Chair)

Jill Sneesby

Jean Paul Petit EFIAP

Jean Paul has been passionate about photographic lm since 1975, and he has created, with varying degrees of success, around thirty AV Productions, or Slideshows as he likes to call them. He has shared this passion by writing two educational books on slideshows ("Slideshows: An Art, a Hobby, a Passion" and "Create Your Digital Slideshows").

He has organised “the Paris Trophy” with Michel Paret for 21 years, and chairs the Objectif Image association, which is very active in the audio visual eld.

Jean Paul is interested in the projected image in all its forms and visits many contemporary art exhibitions where you can see a huge number of very interesting video works from a creative perspective. He also enjoys wandering around museums.

He is particularly sensitive to originality and creativity and likes to be kept on the edge of his seat from the beginning to the end of a AV production. Rigor, thoroughness of work, technical cleanliness are also criteria to which he attaches great importance.

Jill Sneesby Hon MPSSA, MPSSA, FPSSA(Dux), AV-FPSSA, MFIAP, ESFIAP, FPSA

Jill is a club, salon & honours judge and has travelled extensively to judge many international events including the HIPA Awards in Dubai, the Emirates Photography Competition in Abu Dhabi, the Al Thani Awards in Austria, the FIAP Nature Biennials in India as well as numerous international events in China and the Adelaide Audio Visual Festival in Australia. Jill is delighted to add the RPS International Audio Visual Festival to her list

When she is not called on to judge she often enters and has achieved considerable success both Internationally (Wildlife Photographer of the Year & Nature’s Best) and Nationally (Fuji, Getaway & Agfa Awards) as well as on the salon circuit. Her most notable win being of the Toyota Landcruiser in the Africa Photographic Awards.

Jill has been awarded honours in prints, slides and audio visual and was the rst person to achieve the MPSSA. Internationally she also achieved her FRPS and MFIAP in nature prints and her FPSA and was awarded the Hon CPA and Hon FIP.

For Jill, the magic of audio visual is the ability to use images, sound and AV techniques to share emotions and to tell the story.

Your Timetable for the Festival (On-line Show)

The On-line ZOOM session will take place as follows.

Tuesday 18 November 2025

1915

ZOOM Waiting Room Opens

1930 to 1940 Welcome and Introductions

1940 to 2035

Projection Session ONE

2035 to 2050 Break

2050 to 2145

Projection Session TWO

2145 End

Wednesday 19 November 2025

1915

ZOOM Waiting Room Opens

1930 to 1940 Welcome and Introductions

1940 to 2035

Projection Session THREE

2035 to 2050 Break

2050 to 2145

Projection Session FOUR

2145 End

Thursday 20 November 2025

1915

1930 to 1940

1940 to 2035

ZOOM Waiting Room Opens

Welcome and Introductions

Projection Session FIVE

2035 to 2050 Break

2050 to 2145

Projection Session SIX

2145 End

Your Timetable for the Festival (GALA Show)

The Timings for the GALA Show are approximate until the results are nalised

1000 to 1010 Welcome and Introductions

1010 to 1115 Results and Awards Part 1

 Commended – Six RPS Certicates

 Highly Commended – Six RPS Certicates

1115 to 1145 Tea/Coffee Break

1145 to 1300 Results and Awards Part 2

 Highly Commended – Six FIAP Ribbons

 Best Interpretation of a Song – Martin Fry Medal

 Best First Time Entry – the George & Doreen Pollock Medal

1300 to 1400 Lunch

1400 to 1410 A few words from the RPS Representative followed by advertisements and announcements

1410 to 1530 Results and Awards Part 3

 RPS Silver Medal for Photography

 FIAP Silver Medal for Production

 The FICS Medal for Sound

 Judges Award – RPS Bronze Medal

 Judges Award – FIAP Bronze Medal

1530 to 1600 Tea/Coffee Break

1600 to 1645 Results and Awards Part 4

 Thanks and acknowledgements

 FIAP Gold Medal

 RPS Grand Prix Trophy, RPS Gold Medal, RPS Group Silver Salver, and the FIAP Blue Badge

1645 Closing Remarks

1700 End

RPS International AV Festival Awards and Acceptances

There is a total of 27 awards. All of these will receive a FIAP acceptance. Judges may award further FIAP acceptances at their discretion.

Highly Commended and Commended Awards - There will be 6 RPS Ribbons and 6 FIAP Ribbons for Highly Commended, and 6 RPS AV Group ribbons for Commended.

FIAP Ribbon (HC)

RPS Ribbon (HC)

AV Group Certificate (C)

Top of Festival Awards

RPS Grand Prix Trophy and RPS Gold Medal

FIAP Gold Medal

Recognition Awards

Photography (RPS Silver Medal)

Production (FIAP Silver Medal)

Sound (Sound Hunters Medal)

Judges Awards - Two Bronze Medals will be available for the Judges to award them at their discretion for attributes such as script, video, concept, humour, innovation, creative imagery, natural history, documentary etc.

RPS Bronze Award

FIAP Bronze Award

The George and Doreen Pollock Medal - This medal will be awarded in line with the RPS AV Group's requirements i.e. to be awarded to a first time entrant who had not won any other award in a previous Festival/Competition.

The George and Doreen Pollock Medal

The Martin Fry Medal - To be awarded to the best interpretation of a song.

The Martin Fry Medal

Audience Vote

Tuesday On-line Show

Wednesday On-line Show

Thursday On-line Show

Festival Statistics

The GRAND PRIX TROPHY

Also known as the George and Doreen Pollock Trophy, the Grand Prix Trophy is awarded to the winner of the RPS International AV Festival. The Trophy was designed by David Linley Furniture (now known as Linley), owned by Viscount Linley, now 2nd Earl of Snowdon. It was generously purchased in 1990, by the late Arthur Packham, then Chairman of the RPS International AV Festival Committee. Arthur and his wife visited Viscount Linley’s studio to select the design, which is reminiscent of the top of an Ionic column. Sir George Pollock was a founder member of the RPS AV Group, and he was strongly supported by Lady Doreen. In later years, Arthur thought that being at the forefront of AV and leading lights in the AV world, the naming of the trophy “The George and Doreen Pollock Trophy” was a tribute to them both. Due to its value, the winner does not retain the Trophy, but they do receive an RPS Gold Medal and an RPS AV Group Silver Salver.

In order to list the winners of the Grand Prix Trophy, a board was subsequently commissioned from Viscount Linley to record the names of those who have received this award.

RPS IAVF Graphics

You will recall from previous festivals that the various graphics used seek to celebrate the location used for the IAVF. It is no different this time and we are grateful to Andrew Gagg for taking on this challenge. And it is Andrew’s home city!

To quote Andrew

"The black pears on Worcester’s coat of arms are steeped in local legend and historical symbolism. They represent the Black Worcester pear, a hardy cooking variety with deep roots in the region’s identity.

One of the most enduring stories dates back to 1415, when Worcestershire bowmen are said to have carried banners depicting a pear tree laden with fruit at the Battle of Agincourt. The poet Michael Drayton even referenced this in his poem about the battle: “Wor’ster a pear tree laden with its fruit”.

Another key moment came in 1575, during a visit by Queen Elizabeth I to Worcester. The city authorities reportedly transplanted a pear tree heavy with fruit to the Foregate in her honour. So impressed was the Queen by the tree’s abundance and the fact that the fruit had not been picked, she is said to have granted Worcester the right to add three black pears to its coat of arms.

Today, the black pear remains a proud emblem across Worcestershire from the city’s crest to the county cricket club’s badge. It’s a symbol of resilience, heritage, and a touch of royal favour."