Ideas for the next big contest?

The most recent contests have needed and the winners announced. We are awaiting the posting of the winning photos.
In the meantime, let's "put on out thinking caps" and offer suggestions. Be fairly specific and practical. It needs to be something that the site owners can administer and still offer a real challenge to excel.
It also needs to build "posts" like the last one and/or encourage new members to join and participate.

So think - and post.

Thinking cap is off for the evening due to a long day in the office but if your after a post building theme how about a subject that requires you to take a number of shots that you come back to that tell a story, say three or four photo's based on the same theme although realistically would be required to posted in one post...

Any comp that requires you to build posts could be awkward as posts would seperate the shots.

Excellent idea John ....
The photo contests that I see have a single theme, or they have categories for images.

Examples .... This months theme might be "Left-handed Monkey Wrenches" the next month might be "Babies" ... and on and on .... simple contests with prizes or maybe nothing more than recognition on the PT site.

Another option is a contest with specific categories i.e;
Landscapes
Cityscapes
People
Inanimate Objects (Still Photo)
Black & White
HDR or other technically altered type of images
Macro
Animals (domestic)
Animals (wild)
Birds

And lots of other potential categories

Whatever ideas we come up with I would hope it would be a challenge that would stretch our abilities. The problem I see in this is the vast diversity of our group. I might be a contender in say landscapes or nature shots but would fail terribly in an area like macro or portraiture. We each would like a contest in our strongest area or expertise.

That being said I'm thinking one of two possibilities. #1. A contest in which each competitor would have to submit an image for multiple disciplines like Macro, Portrait, Wildlife and Landscape... etc. Each contestant could accumulate points on each individual image for a total point score. #2. Multiple contests for different subjects. Each contestant can register for any number of subjects and compete individually. We could still accumulate points for a grand prize like a MVP (most valuable photographer).

Or just be assigned a number for a drawing to be held at a later date...

bhowdy wrote: Excellent idea John ....
The photo contests that I see have a single theme, or they have categories for images.

Examples .... This months theme might be "Left-handed Monkey Wrenches" the next month might be "Babies" ... and on and on .... simple contests with prizes or maybe nothing more than recognition on the PT site.

Another option is a contest with specific categories i.e;
Landscapes
Cityscapes
People
Inanimate Objects (Still Photo)
Black & White
HDR or other technically altered type of images
Macro
Animals (domestic)
Animals (wild)
Birds

And lots of other potential categories

All good ideas...

chasrich wrote: Whatever ideas we come up with I would hope it would be a challenge that would stretch our abilities. The problem I see in this is the vast diversity of our group. I might be a contender in say landscapes or nature shots but would fail terribly in an area like macro or portraiture. We each would like a contest in our strongest area or expertise.

That being said I'm thinking one of two possibilities. #1. A contest in which each competitor would have to submit an image for multiple disciplines like Macro, Portrait, Wildlife and Landscape... etc. Each contestant could accumulate points on each individual image for a total point score. #2. Multiple contests for different subjects. Each contestant can register for any number of subjects and compete individually. We could still accumulate points for a grand prize like a MVP (most valuable photographer).

Or just be assigned a number for a drawing to be held at a later date...

WOW ... The multiple photo discipline idea is an outstanding idea, in my opinion! To expand on this suggestion ... Maybe each entrant is responsible for submitting five different types of images from a list of 7 or 8 categories ... Not to large a number over the required amount of required images would be good I think. -- Super suggestion IMHO

Taking the idea of mulitple disciplines further why not a single discipline per month where the one discipline is chosen per month with points beig awarded per image with a running board throughout the year to create a leaderboard with a 'champion' being chosen at the end of the year which would result in a photographer winning it by proving the ability to shoot with a diverse skillset?

Okay another idea while my thinking cap is on and functioning reasonably well (for me anyway)

Maybe a 50mm contest, then a 100mm, etc. Entry into these contests would not have to be with only prime lenses, but could be done with zoom lenses as well. The only stipulation might be that the image would have to be within 5mm in each direction. I.E. 45mm to 55mm, etc.

Just throwing ideas up against the wall to see if any of them stick.

Hmmm could limit us little people once you reach 500+ lol

Not everyone shoots all the categories mentioned. Sorry didn't read through all of the posts so don't know all that was said. I have been in contests where you have your friends vote, and I don't care for that, it's a popularity contest, not a photo contest done that way. I prefer judges to view photos as long as they are trained. I know this is a site that likes interactions but that is a lot of work for people that have other things to do than be on a computer. I think it should be about the quality not the quantity of photos posted and just keep the discussions separate. I didn't care for the the way you had to weed through all the photos to comment. I like how Facebook is where your photo is there and everyone comments and the comments stay with that photo. That's just me though:silly:

That could be easily sorted if there was one gallery which everyone could post one image in as you would be able to view purely the images for that comp. As for time one discipline per month gives everyone a chance withing a 4-5 week window

Nikonjan wrote: Not everyone shoots all the categories mentioned. Sorry didn't read through all of the posts so don't know all that was said. I have been in contests where you have your friends vote, and I don't care for that, it's a popularity contest, not a photo contest done that way. I prefer judges to view photos as long as they are trained. I know this is a site that likes interactions but that is a lot of work for people that have other things to do than be on a computer. I think it should be about the quality not the quantity of photos posted and just keep the discussions separate. I didn't care for the the way you had to weed through all the photos to comment. I like how Facebook is where your photo is there and everyone comments and the comments stay with that photo. That's just me though:silly:

A simple solution for separating the wheat from the chaff is to have a thread where you can post only, with no replies being allowed. Mirror that thread into a second thread where replies and quotes are allowed. I'm betting Chris could come up with a few ways to accomplish that goal.

I also belong to the Betterphoto.com site and their monthly contests have categories as listed:
Nature and Landscape
Animals and wildlife
people
elements of design
digital darkroom
travel and place
flower
details and macro
catch-all
monthly theme, this month was sharing.

When you post to the contest part of the site others view and can comment to you but the judging is done by Betterphoto. They also have editors picks that post under each photo on your own site. Of course their prizes aren't as big as this one. But I like how they do the contests and you can still have discussion groups, and all the things they have here. Just an idea.

Nikonjan wrote: Not everyone shoots all the categories mentioned. Sorry didn't read through all of the posts so don't know all that was said. I have been in contests where you have your friends vote, and I don't care for that, it's a popularity contest, not a photo contest done that way. I prefer judges to view photos as long as they are trained. I know this is a site that likes interactions but that is a lot of work for people that have other things to do than be on a computer. I think it should be about the quality not the quantity of photos posted and just keep the discussions separate. I didn't care for the the way you had to weed through all the photos to comment. I like how Facebook is where your photo is there and everyone comments and the comments stay with that photo. That's just me though:silly:

Gallery designated "Contest Name" by each entrant where their photos would be posted, then be searchable by "Contest Name" would allow photo comments. Would that do what you are thinking of?

TheNissanMan wrote: Hmmm could limit us little people once you reach 500+ lol

No mention made of anything over 100mm for right now, although 200mm and possibly 300mm seems like a maybe