POTM Rules up for Discussion

[Pennies2Cents]

Charter Members,

I would like to get your thoughts about the current POTM rules. Seems they may need a little modifying.

Here are the current rules as they now stand.

Official POTM Rules:

1) Must be a Charter Member to submit picture and vote.

2) One picture per member monthly.

3) Subject picture posted must be taken by you from your current tank.

4) Member may only win once per year with the exception of POTY.

5) a) If submissions require multiple polls because of volume, then the
top submission from each poll goes to the final poll.
(b)In the event there is a tie in one or both of the polls, there will be
a 3 day run-off to find a winner for each poll.
(c)If submissions warrant a single poll, then the top 2 submissions
will go to the final poll.

6) There will be 11 POTM with December being the POTY.


Please feel free to voice your opinion, thoughts and or changes that you feel may contribute to the future success of this contest.

After all this is for you all to enjoy...

[OrionN]

It is not like we got huge amount of entries, or our price is very valuable. If we want more entry, then either increases value of our prizes or remove restrictions or both
I am not a good photographer. If a great photographer won the contest 6 months out of the year, then everybody else need to eat their lump and bear it. At least we will have great winning photographs. May be we should restrict people to 4 or 6 win per year, but not one. Open it up for everybody not just for charter member. Maybe we can get one or more of our sponsors to provide better prize, plus the T shirt.

Maybe we should get the copy right to the photographs that enter/or win and publish it in a calendar and use it to raise money for better prize thus increase the competition.

All I know is that I would love to increase the level of competition of the contest and get better winning pictures.

[allan]

You know I do like the idea of opening up entries to webmembers with one stipulation. They would get an honorable mention but only charter members can actually place. In other words, if the largest vote went to a WM, they would be mentioned, however for placement into the newsletter or to claim the prize one must be a CM.

In my opinion there are a lot of members (both CM and WM) that are most excellent photographers and allowing more than one selection within a year can seriously hinder the novice camera man (people like me) from ever having the opportunity to win. Sounds selfish, but that's not the intent.

[OrionN]

What good is winning if we have to handicap and restrict entries. If someone is not good at something, then get good at it, then he/she can win. Not to say that the pictures from the last year were bad, but to win a photo contest the picture must be good, or else, what 's the use?

[Europhyllia]

I like the idea of Hors de Concours entries both for web members as well as previous winners.
JT just won and won't be able to show another picture of his tank for the whole rest of the year. That sort of stinks. I also don't want him to win every t-shirt for the next 6 month though! (sounds selfish but that's the intent. lol)
So just like we had an entry in the seahorse POTM that wasn't eligible to count it was still okay to show it.
In dressage (horse) shows we have an option to enter Hors de Concours which means you are there for the feedback, not for the ribbons. You can show what you got without being part of the competition.

[ErikH]

I never got a t shirt?

I totally agree with Orion, anyone know someone with a print shop?

I think it should be open, no topics.

[Kristy]

More advanced notice / prep time!


OR... just brainstorming some ideas here...

What if we nominated each other's photos and not our own, anything posted on MAAST within the past month or since XX date? If not always, that would make an interesting contest topic for one month or even once per year.

Also, a compromise: can only win once a quarter? Or, last month's winner is ineligible so cannot win twice in a row?

[Still Learning]

Here is what I was thinking....

1) Must be a Charter Member to submit picture and vote.

Either way....CM or WM.
3) Subject picture posted must be taken by you from your current tank.

I have had lots of tanks over the years. I would like to be able to submit pictures I have taken without it having to be a current tank. I would like to see this rule changed to "Subject picture posted must be taken by you."
4) Member may only win once per year with the exception of POTY.

I would like to see this rule removed. I believe that the best should be rewarded. I think a way to help the 'average' photographer is to not make it about the equipment. This could be controlled with the topic. For example...coral polyps would win with the best macro lens where FTS is more about the whatcha got in your tank.

People tend to be critical of themselves. If the pictures submitted where kept private until the voting started maybe this would encourage people to submit photos. If they can't see what has already been submitted to judge their own photo.

[Still Learning]

Also, a compromise: can only win once a quarter? Or, last month's winner is ineligible so cannot win twice in a row?

I think this could work well if the topics were known in advance of the quarter.

[Still Learning]

bump for more input

[allan]

I still don't think this should be opened up to WMs, not that I wouldn't welcome their photos, but to compete I think they should be CMs.

I also like the current picture of a current tank as a requirement.

And I can see a once a quarter limit to the winners.

I don't remember what the prizes are for winning, but I kind of remember someone mentioning a t-shirt.

Rather than putting four t-shirts in the closet of a very talented photographer (that's the general direction I see this going), why don't we instead award each months winner with a framed copy of their photo emblazoned with the month and year of the win? I think a simple plaque can be picked up for about 20-30 bones to include a brass card with fifty characters.

Not that I think a whole lot of folks will want to cover their walls with these things, but... some probably will. Most will at least want to earn one or two for their fish room.

Anyway, just my two cents.

[Gilbert]

I still don't think this should be opened up to WMs, not that I wouldn't welcome their photos, but to compete I think they should be CMs.

I also like the current picture of a current tank as a requirement.

And I can see a once a quarter limit to the winners.

I don't remember what the prizes are for winning, but I kind of remember someone mentioning a t-shirt.

Rather than putting four t-shirts in the closet of a very talented photographer (that's the general direction I see this going), why don't we instead award each months winner with a framed copy of their photo emblazoned with the month and year of the win? I think a simple plaque can be picked up for about 20-30 bones to include a brass card with fifty characters.

Not that I think a whole lot of folks will want to cover their walls with these things, but... some probably will. Most will at least want to earn one or two for their fish room.

Anyway, just my two cents.

:applause: i agree with this guy.

[kkiel02]

I like what allan said. I don't participate yet as I don't have a camera that takes good enough shots and spending the cash to get a dslr that I would only use for the aquarium just isn't feasible as of now. I would drop the one winner per year as I think that limits the entrys quite a bit. I would also like to add that I like allans idea of adding wm but they would get honorable mention. This would help to open up the contestants even more.