Stroud Camera Club played host to its fifth Annual Three-Way Team Challenge, and by all accounts it proved to be one of the most hotly contested evenings in the event's history. With three teams fielded under the captaincies of Richard, David and Karen, sixty images went under the judges' microscope in what turned out to be a night of passion, disagreement, and genuine photographic excellence.

Each team contributed twenty images to the competition, covering a remarkable breadth of subject matter — from wildlife and landscapes to portraiture, abstract and travel photography. Scoring was conducted by the membership on a scale of one to five, and with an excellent turnout on the night, no fewer than 27 scorers cast their verdicts on every single image entered. That produced a grand total of 1,620 individual scores, and when the final tally was counted, the numbers told a fascinating story.

The overall score for the evening came to 5,570, giving an average of 92.8 per image and a mean individual score of 3.44 out of 5 — a solid benchmark that reflects just how competitive the standard was across all three teams. The top ten images all averaged 4.00 or above, and an impressive fifteen images broke the 100-point barrier — no mean feat when 27 eagle-eyed judges are involved.

The standout image of the night was Got one by Rene Cason of Team Richard, which topped the scoreboard with 118 points and an average of 4.37. Remarkably, it was never scored below a 3 by any judge, making it not only the most popular image but arguably the most consistently admired. Ten images in total received more than seven maximum scores of 5, reflecting a healthy spread of genuine crowd-pleasers across the evening's programme.

But if the top end of the scoreboard told a story of consensus, the broader picture revealed just how divided opinion can be when photographers judge each other's work. A striking 38 images — nearly two-thirds of the entire entry — produced a scoring spread of three points, meaning every one of those images attracted both enthusiastic admirers and sceptical critics. Even some of the evening's best performers, including Lion light (Rene), Kingfisher (Mark), Reflection (Sam) and Tribute to John Singer Seargent (Sam), were not immune, each receiving a score of 2 from at least one judge despite their overall excellence. Six images did receive a score of 1 on the night, though in each case it was a solitary verdict, suggesting individual taste rather than any broader consensus.

The scorer self-assessment results also made for intriguing reading. Eleven photographers awarded their own work a 5, while eight gave themselves a more measured 3 — perhaps the most telling sign of how difficult it can be to judge one's own images objectively.

Even the Team Captains had picks which did not feature in the Top 10.

Team Richard – top 3 picks

Penguin Pilates – Leslie Holmes

Evening Equestrian – Pete Downing

Anti-Social Media – Paul Rowland

Team David – top 3 picks

Mating Thick-headed Flies Sicus – Joyce Barrus

Mongoose on the lookout – Phil Walker

Morning Song – John Davies

Team Karen – top 3 picks

Full steam ahead – Gary Canning

Red Three – David Walls

Reflection – Sam Bowen

The Overall Top 10 images were:

Twilight - Francis Mridha

Night Traffic - Francis Mridha

Kingfisher - Mark Halling

Rural Trio - Trish Bloodworth

Tribute to John Singer Seargent - Sam Bowen

Lion light - Rene Cason

Red Three - David Walls

Red Squirel with Acorn - Malcolm Marner

Morning Song - John Davies

Got one - Rene Cason

When all the points were totalled and the three teams ranked, it was Team Richard, captained by Richard, who claimed victory and took home the bragging rights for 2026. Congratulations to the winning team, and to captains David and Karen for leading their members with such competitive spirit. Roll on the sixth annual challenge.

Take a look at our Stroud Camera Club Facebook Group for a short video of the winning Team entries.