Ok, I have to be honest here. None of the people who posted here would make good judges because they can't accept the outcome did not mirror their own. To be even more honest, I followed the link of where people posted who they thought who should win. If any of those would have one I would have been sick and there would have been riots. Some of those choices were out right clear non winners. They didn't like the choices of who won here and I didn't like the choices they made. So who wins? Who's opinion should matter?

To me, judges should be of people who's own work is greatly respected by members here(not just one image the entire body of work as a whole). If a lot of people like their work, then their style is something the community likes and that makes sense of when you want judging that represents the community. So the next round of judges should be made up of those whose work is respected.

LillianH
Mind if I give my opinion on tips to make a better contest?

The first thing I would like to see is no showing of entries until the deadline is hit. I posted this a while ago but I want to go into details. When people see entries as they are posted, I sometimes see comments like "I had an idea but somebody else did it already so I need to think of a new idea." Nobody wants to be a copycat. If you don't show entries people will enter what the feel is their best work, not what they made to avoid looking like they are copying.

And my second thing is contest themes. I feel they are often so open and vague that any picture qualifies. This holiday one was so open that virtually any image would qualify. Even if there is a tiny tiny reference to the theme it is good to go. I feel that pictures should have a very tight relation to the theme. I would like judges to take off points for something that vaguely connected to the theme.

But that means you have to write rules a bit better. I see you are having a February contest. So I am guessing either love or spring based contest. What we usually see is "Spring time: Make an image that what comes to your mind when you think of spring. It can be flowers or what spring looks like on another planet or the wierdest spring ever." So basically we end up with images all that can be anything which begs the question "Why bother with a theme at all." But more often than not judges follow classic themes. So you give users free reign but judging doesn't follow that openness.

So tighten up the theme. Set a solid theme and stick with it. And one last thing, no text descriptions, or if you allow them, don't allow the judges to see them. If a picture can't stand on its own, they didn't do a good job designing the image, imho.

Well thats all, just my opinions on some rules I think will make the contest better. I'm sure many will disagee. :)