"i could model a wonderful space module, with all the widgets, whistles, and bells...post it...and, those who are into widgets would be very impressed...but, would it impress those of us who like a bit of feeling? i think not. " Exactly! :) So if there was an award for modelling, it could well go to somebody with plenty of time on their hands but not much artistic talent. Which was my point about specifics. "I have Lightwave, a Wacom, and Painter. I suck as a still artist. My animations aren't necessarily pretty either but I try to use original music and storyline to create a "whole" that accomplishes the same thing still artists try to accomplish." :) I get what you're saying, but I don't think I made my own point very well, hence the confusion. I wasn't suggesting that a significantly less talented person could beat a more talented person by just buying more s/w and gadgets, rather that, given two people of roughly equal talent, the one with more resources would almost certainly win a contest based on specifics (e.g. modelling, texturing). I don't suppose there's much can be done about this, but I think that taking a step back and making a contest about just "art" - no explanation - may help, rather than concentrating on, say, modelling or lighting or realism.