my 2 cents... {begin soapbox} it's going to be impossible to please everyone all the time. Last summer and fall we had a long string of challenges that were open to all forms of imports and post-work. After a while, people started asking for an all-Bryce challenge. Then, when winners start choosing all-Bryce challenges, others start complaining. Like I've said here before, IMHO, these challenges are all supposed to be for fun and to help increase everyone's understanding of the program. There is no 'best technique' for creating 'your' art. Use whatever technique you feel the most comfortable with and whatever you need to use to create the art that is inside your head. These challenges shouldn't dictate your theories on art and how you create images... they should, however, inspire folks to explore the limits of the program and themselves. If the previous month's winner decides that he/she needs to improve their technique in a certain area, then, by all means, that should be the target of the following month's challenge. That became their prerogative when the forum voted them the winner. And if you don't feel like you need or want to create an image following that month's rules.... then don't. It's not mandatory, and it's not the end of the world to miss a month... Just a friendly, formal, CHALLENGE amongst fellow artists/hobbyists. If you don't like the rules of that months challenge, then issue yourself (and others?) another, less formal one, concentrating on what you would like to work on. That's what the Challenge Arena Forum is for, but I've never known anyone in this forum who didn't appreciate a good challenge every now and then. The main thing, though, is to make ART...and have fun doing it. {end soapbox}