Chairs: Jim Kennedy, USA, and Luc Le Blanc, Canada
International cartographers are invited to submit entries for the Cartographic Salon. No entry fee is
required. All maps submitted will be judged according to the following criteria, but maps may also be submitted
for display only if space permits. Maps previously winning awards at functions other than the International
Congress of Speleology may be submitted to this salon. Maps must depict caves and karst features. Maps may be hand-drafted or digitally rendered; no distinction will be made between the two during judging. No more than five maps may be entered for judging by any cartographer. Judging will be done during the ICS by an international team of experienced cave cartographers, and all entered maps will be displayed for viewing during the entire ICS. This competition blends both technical expertise and artistic depiction, but entered maps must contain certain basic information to allow comparative judging. The rules and judging criteria are below. For more information, contact Jim Kennedy cartsalon@ics2009.us, Cartographic Salon
Coordinator.
RULES FOR ENTRY
Please complete and include with your submission the entry form. All maps must be representations of caves or karst-related features. Enter high-quality copies of maps, not the originals. There is no restriction on methods of presentation; innovative techniques are encouraged. All mailed entries must reach the ICS address by 10 July 2009, or be hand-delivered to the Cartographic Salon exhibition area at the ICS by noon on Sunday,
19 July 2009. Entrants may also select the Display Only option for additional maps if space permits, and maps so accepted will not be judged.
RIGHTS AND CONDITIONS
All entrants retain copyright and all moral and intellectual rights to their work. Maps will not be reproduced without the cave owner's and cartographer's permission. Unless otherwise requested by the cartographer, all maps submitted will be considered donations to the UIS or NSS and will not be returned. The UIS and/or NSS request(s) the following rights, which are optional. Indicate your agreement with any or all by marking the box(es):
 | The UIS and NSS may use low-resolution images of these maps, or portions thereof, in publications and on Web sites to announce the winners of this competition, for not more than one year.
|
| The NSS may use low-resolution images of winning maps, or portions thereof, in publications for the purposes of promoting future competitions, for not more than four years.
|
| The NSS may use low-resolution images of these maps in a CD/DVD of all entries. This CD/DVD will be lent to NSS members for viewing at no charge.
|
MAILING/SHIPPING ADDRESS FOR EARLY SUBMISSIONS
15th International Congress of Speleology
Post Office Box 691965
San Antonio, Texas 78269-1965
JUDGING CRITERIA
The following is an explanation of how the maps are judged. The intent is to provide uniform standards by which
the maps can be fairly judged, and to guide cartographers in developing better cave maps.
The judges will evaluate the maps in seven categories based on the length of the caves, as follows:
- under 100 meters
- 100-500 meters
- 500-1000 meters
- 1000-5000 meters
- 5000-10000 meters
- over 10000 meters
- map atlas (compilation of many separate quadrangle sheets to depict a large, complex cave)
The judges first look for certain mandatory features, without which a map will not be considered for an
award. Second, the judges will look at quality factors and assign appropriate point values to each factor.
The mandatory and quality factors are described below. The individual judges will provide the reasons for
their point selection in the "Comments" portion of the judging form. Following the first round of judging,
where the judges evaluate each work individually, the point totals will be tallied for all the maps by
combining the judges' scores. All maps scoring more than a prescribed number of points will be eligible for
further consideration. From these, the judges will confer to select the winners. A Cartographic Salon workshop
will be held to discuss the maps and provide a forum for learning from which all cave cartographers, including
those not entering maps in the Cartographic Salon, may benefit. All critique forms will be available
to those Cartographic Salon entrants present at the workshop. Those critique forms not picked up will be disposed of after the ICS.
MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS
Cave Name: All cave maps must indicate the name of the cave or cave system, or part of the system with the full system name if the map depicts only a section of the entire cave. This name should be neither too bold nor too difficult to locate. Abbreviations should not be used in the cave name, or anywhere else on the map.
Entrance or Connection with the Rest of the Cave: All maps must show an obvious entrance or a connection with the rest of the cave. If the map is a quadrangle that connects to other quadrangles or a section of a larger cave system, then the places where a cave passage extends off the edge of the quadrangle are considered the obvious connections and should be clearly labeled.
North Arrow: All cave maps must have a north arrow. This arrow should point to true north and may include a subordinate magnetic north arrow. If a magnetic north arrow is shown, a date must be displayed. The north arrow must be long enough to be useable, and it should not be overly ornate.
Bar Scale: All cave maps must have a bar scale, and this bar scale must include the linear units. The cave map may include two bar scales, one for meters and one for feet. Ratio scales, such as 1:600, or written scales, such as 1 cm = 5 m, are not desired because, if the map is reduced or enlarged, the scale becomes inaccurate.
Vertical Control: All maps must have some kind of vertical control such as either a profile or symbols. Both methods can be utilized together. If a profile is used, it should include a vertical bar scale and be labeled as to type (e.g., Projected Profile, Expanded Profile, or Idealized Profile). If vertical symbols are used, they should include cave elevations, pit depths, ceiling heights, and water depths. In addition, a zero datum should be labeled near the cave's main entrance. Instead of the above methods, the map can utilize contours or a large number of cross-sections that are properly orientated vertically. Other methods may also be utilized as long as the height or depth from the datum point of any portion of the cave is readily apparent to the viewer.
Date: All maps must include the date(s) or time period when the cave was surveyed.
Cartographer or Survey Group: All cave maps must include the cartographer or the survey group's name(s).
See the following page for quality factors that will be evaluated by the judges.
