Ideas for the next big contest?

bhowdy wrote:

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

Just assumed the etc would keep climbing up

I am not very good at thinking ideas up so my only comment would be that I like the idea of a themed monthly competition, with points building up over a year with the top 3 maybe getting prizes at the end of the 12 months.
I think a limited amount of photos per theme for each photographer would be best, say 3 maximum, but only the best one of the 3 scores the points.
At the end of each month Alex and the team could pick the best twenty photos scoring the top photo 20 points right down to 1 for 20th place.
A small prize each month for the top photographer would be good.
with a bigger prize at the end of the 12 months for the top 3.
On the judging side maybe Alex could involve the sponsers by asking them to judge each month, twelve sponsers to cover the year and maybe they may donate a prize each month relevant to there product.

World Open 9-Hole Par-3 Tournament

This takes many of the above comments/ideas and combines them.

1. The Admins would create 9 Albums, one for each "hole".
2. Each week, a "hole" would be designated with a specific theme.
3. Each participant may play 3 "strokes" (photo entries) per "hole".
4. Newer site members can go back and play the previous "holes" to catch up to the field.
5. Forum topics can be ongoing commentary but they wouldn't be bogged down with re-posts.
6. Admins/judges can keep a running tally of submitted images and scores but not post until the end.
7. The tournament would take 9 weeks to complete (duh, Dave).
8. Each week would have a "hole" winner, worth 5 points, and 4 runners-up, worth 4,3,2,1.
9. Contestants may win or place in more than one "hole".
10. The overall winner is the contestant with the highest cumulative score, and however many places the Admins decide is adequate.
11. Prizes, if any, would be up to the Admins, sponsors, and based on availability.

Fore!

And, while I was typing all that up, David was working on the same basic idea and getting it posted first... Great minds thinking alike once again!

DestinDave wrote: World Open 9-Hole Par-3 Tournament

This takes many of the above comments/ideas and combines them.

1. The Admins would create 9 Albums, one for each "hole".
2. Each week, a "hole" would be designated with a specific theme.
3. Each participant may play 3 "strokes" (photo entries) per "hole".
4. Newer site members can go back and play the previous "holes" to catch up to the field.
5. Forum topics can be ongoing commentary but they wouldn't be bogged down with re-posts.
6. Admins/judges can keep a running tally of submitted images and scores but not post until the end.
7. The tournament would take 9 weeks to complete (duh, Dave).
8. Each week would have a "hole" winner, worth 5 points, and 4 runners-up, worth 4,3,2,1.
9. Contestants may win or place in more than one "hole".
10. The overall winner is the contestant with the highest cumulative score, and however many places the Admins decide is adequate.
11. Prizes, if any, would be up to the Admins, sponsors, and based on availability.

Fore!

I like the golf tournament type of format, but I am not a big fan of the need to post a specific themed image in an exact week ... for example ... the week of Landscapes it rains and rains and rains where you live ... now you either drag out an old image or don't enter that week's category. Which raises the question ... Is this for all / any photos in a person's inventory, or for new images each week?

I also don't think that any photo entered in the previous contest should be eligible for a future contest.

Just adding a few comments / ideas ...

bhowdy wrote:

DestinDave wrote: World Open 9-Hole Par-3 Tournament

This takes many of the above comments/ideas and combines them.

1. The Admins would create 9 Albums, one for each "hole".
2. Each week, a "hole" would be designated with a specific theme.
3. Each participant may play 3 "strokes" (photo entries) per "hole".
4. Newer site members can go back and play the previous "holes" to catch up to the field.
5. Forum topics can be ongoing commentary but they wouldn't be bogged down with re-posts.
6. Admins/judges can keep a running tally of submitted images and scores but not post until the end.
7. The tournament would take 9 weeks to complete (duh, Dave).
8. Each week would have a "hole" winner, worth 5 points, and 4 runners-up, worth 4,3,2,1.
9. Contestants may win or place in more than one "hole".
10. The overall winner is the contestant with the highest cumulative score, and however many places the Admins decide is adequate.
11. Prizes, if any, would be up to the Admins, sponsors, and based on availability.

Fore!

I like the golf tournament type of format, but I am not a big fan of the need to post a specific themed image in an exact week ... for example ... the week of Landscapes it rains and rains and rains where you live ... now you either drag out an old image or don't enter that week's category. Which raises the question ... Is this for all / any photos in a person's inventory, or for new images each week?

I also don't think that any photo entered in the previous contest should be eligible for a future contest.

Just adding a few comments / ideas ...

PT Golf Shirts for every winner and a new car for the guy making this suggestion.... Yay!

How about an "ugliest model" theme? I'm sure that would draw a crowd...

Screamin Scott wrote: How about an "ugliest model" theme? I'm sure that would draw a crowd...

No self-portraits allowed JK

chasrich wrote:
PT Golf Shirts for every winner and a new car for the guy making this suggestion.... Yay!

I'd rather just have an "old" car? Like a 1947 MG-TC?

DestinDave wrote: And, while I was typing all that up, David was working on the same basic idea and getting it posted first... Great minds thinking alike once again!

Like the great minds bit Dave [/b][/color]

bhowdy wrote:

DestinDave wrote: World Open 9-Hole Par-3 Tournament

This takes many of the above comments/ideas and combines them.

1. The Admins would create 9 Albums, one for each "hole".
2. Each week, a "hole" would be designated with a specific theme.
3. Each participant may play 3 "strokes" (photo entries) per "hole".
4. Newer site members can go back and play the previous "holes" to catch up to the field.
5. Forum topics can be ongoing commentary but they wouldn't be bogged down with re-posts.
6. Admins/judges can keep a running tally of submitted images and scores but not post until the end.
7. The tournament would take 9 weeks to complete (duh, Dave).
8. Each week would have a "hole" winner, worth 5 points, and 4 runners-up, worth 4,3,2,1.
9. Contestants may win or place in more than one "hole".
10. The overall winner is the contestant with the highest cumulative score, and however many places the Admins decide is adequate.
11. Prizes, if any, would be up to the Admins, sponsors, and based on availability.

Fore!

I like the golf tournament type of format, but I am not a big fan of the need to post a specific themed image in an exact week ... for example ... the week of Landscapes it rains and rains and rains where you live ... now you either drag out an old image or don't enter that week's category. Which raises the question ... Is this for all / any photos in a person's inventory, or for new images each week?

I also don't think that any photo entered in the previous contest should be eligible for a future contest.

Just adding a few comments / ideas ...

Thats why I suggested monthly and as for the newbies we cant hold up comps just for every newbie, they would have to fit in as they arrive, and I agree all photos should have been taken for that very competition.
I do hope Alex is following all this ALEX ARE YOU THERE guess he is still moving

photobod wrote: I do hope Alex is following all this ALEX ARE YOU THERE guess he is still moving[/b][/color]

Does his U-Haul have a GPS?

It seems the ideas for the format are coalescing, and, with some refinements, will address some of the problems we all dealt with in the last contest.
Would it be possible to navigate directly to a page in the postings. It wouid facilitate viewing of not too recent posts, and promote comments. Interaction does seem important on PT.
I am not sure I understand the reasonig behind the proposal tnat only unsubmitted images could be entered. I have several reasons to think it's not good or necessary:
There were over 5,000 entries in the last contest, of which no one, except Don Durante, of course, saw more than a fraction. And one wonders how the judges could have had the time to carefully look at each image before sieving it out. There wilkl be fewer entries to judge at each "hole", and they can be examined more thoroughly. Some may well feel their work would benefit from a second look.
As far as looking, the enlarged images hardly did justice to the photos in the last contest. Is there any way to get them to open to a larger size?Then If someone has taken pains with exposure and focus, it will become evident, as well as superficial editing, with poor focus accepted, and blown highlights or shadows with no detail.
Some submitted only what they consider their best work, and haven't tried to accumulate postings by entering every decent image in their folders, photos tnat represent good ideas, but have not benefited from accurate editing. It wouid help those trying to improve to know that they need to be self-critical to submit an entry.
Perhaps Alex, or Chris could address some of the technical implications of what I suggest.

John Landolfi wrote: It seems the ideas for the format are coalescing, and, with some refinements, will address some of the problems we all dealt with in the last contest.
Would it be possible to navigate directly to a page in the postings. It wouid facilitate viewing of not too recent posts, and promote comments. Interaction does seem important on PT.
I am not sure I understand the reasonig behind the proposal tnat only unsubmitted images could be entered. I have several reasons to think it's not good or necessary:
There were over 5,000 entries in the last contest, of which no one, except Don Durante, of course, saw more than a fraction. And one wonders how the judges could have had the time to carefully look at each image before sieving it out. There wilkl be fewer entries to judge at each "hole", and they can be examined more thoroughly. Some may well feel their work would benefit from a second look.
As far as looking, the enlarged images hardly did justice to the photos in the last contest. Is there any way to get them to open to a larger size?Then If someone has taken pains with exposure and focus, it will become evident, as well as superficial editing, with poor focus accepted, and blown highlights or shadows with no detail.
Some submitted only what they consider their best work, and haven't tried to accumulate postings by entering every decent image in their folders, photos tnat represent good ideas, but have not benefited from accurate editing. It wouid help those trying to improve to know that they need to be self-critical to submit an entry.
Perhaps Alex, or Chris could address some of the technical implications of what I suggest.

I am not sure I understand the reasonig behind the proposal tnat only unsubmitted images could be entered. I have several reasons to think it's not good or necessary:

I can understand your reasoning about the above sentence John and could happily live with images from the last competition being used, have a few of my own I would revisit.
I also did what Don did revisiting older photographs but unlike Don I did it about 50 pages each time, I also suggested at one point that more people should do it so that the newbies just arriving may see the older entries, no idea how many took me up on it.
As to the more technical suggestions you brought up John, only Alex and his team could address those, and I am sure they learned heaps throughout the give away competition.

Baydream wrote:

Screamin Scott wrote: How about an "ugliest model" theme? I'm sure that would draw a crowd...

No self-portraits allowed JK

Someone took this photo of me. So I'd win for sure:

As for the contest. Yes I agree people should be able to submit old entries (though, perhaps if that entry had won/placed in a contest previously, it couldn't be submitted).

I also think entries should be limited to say 3 per person.

I like the idea of a specific gallery/thread people could post in but not reply to (the last one got a bit too huge to keep up).

Finally, the judging should be solely based on the photos' merits.

Personally I don't think we even need prizes. Maybe a custom title like "Best Macro Photo 2011" or something like that. On another forum I use to go to... they use to have custom titles like "Landscape Photographer of the Year 2005" and so on. It could therefore be a bragging rights only competition. Therefore encouraging people to say on the forum. Not just Spam and run like some have done in the last contest (no one who posts on this thread is guilty of that).