rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Congratulations on your second place award. In all fairness, you can take comfort in knowing you placed first in an honest competition.

I've never quite understood art contests in the first place. Any competition judged by one or a group of people is going to reflect the prejudices of those judging. However, the judging should be by competent judges, knowledgeable in the particular area of the contest. Letting the general public vote leads to just what you saw, a popularity contest and ballot box stuffing.

photoman315

This sounds more bogus every time I read it. Better luck next time.

LongHair Loc: Where the sea meets the shore.

sounds like cheap tuition into how life really works...take your work elsewhere and keep moving forward...CONGRATS!!! on s legitimate 2nd!

2 Dog Don Loc: Virginia Beach VA

Well, I would have voted for this picture. I really like landscape photography. I think landscape requires more of a photographer than other formats.

jolly1

In some sixty years of entering photographic shows, or contests, I have won more than my share of first place, second place, third place, honorable mention, and judge's choice awards. Also, Best of Catagory, Best of Show, Best of Class, (never have figured out what that was for) and lot's of sponsor's ribbons. And an occasional award offered in memory of a dearly departed.

During this time I have won a one thousand dollar award in a National contest, and three State awards in the amount of five hundred dollars. In "local" shows or contests, the best offered has been anywhere from twenty-five up to two hundred and fifty dollars. Local show cash awards are usually self-generating pots from entry requirements of anywhere from five dollars a entry up to fifteen dollars an entry.
If a hundred dollars comes with the blue ribbon, a hundred and fifty dollars may well go to the Best of Show award. I've never seen a "People's Choice" award in an amount of more than fifty dollars, and I've won a few of them.
Speaking from experience, I would say that if this person's "local photographic show" was giving two thousand five hundred dollars just for a Popular Appeal Award, then the entry fee for each photograph would have been, at the very least, fifty to seventy-five dollars. A little steep for me. And it leaves me wondering what the award for the First Place Blue Ribbon, that the judges awarded, was.

PATRIOT Loc: Elko, Nevada

Sorry about your experience. Hate to bring politics into this forum but that is exactly what runs the world. It won't get you the $2500 but you know (or should know) your own worth. was the winner related to the Chicago Daleys family ?

PNagy Loc: Missouri City, Texas

I think that it is an atrocity. Moreover, because there was a cash prize for the contest, it may be a legal issue. Best to see a lawyer, which I am not.

PNagy Loc: Missouri City, Texas

Judy: How can a cheater have a clear conscience? More easily than you think. Your conscience would have prevented you from doing such a thing in the first place. Someone who cheats evidently does not have normal ethical and moral barriers. The only thing that would bother them would be getting caught and paying penalty for their deed.

gessman Loc: Colorado

You hit on the judges primary conundrum. The rules are set up but then many of the winners are submitted by people who have trouble following other's guidelines in "their art." They break the rules but often have the winning entries and it is evident to anyone who would view the images. What do you do, toss out the winner because of a non-related infraction of some dumb rule that would pigeonhole everybody into some nonsensical mode for a convenience not related to the quality of the images. I've seen it repeatedly - rule breakers win contests, often. It stinks but it happens all the time.

Sorry J.

These two images you've shared here are indeed magnificent. I haven't seen "the winner" but I'll take your word for what happened. I don't do contests 'cause I don't react well to the various inconsistencies I've encountered such as this is for you.

billyzee Loc: Austin

I had that happen once in an online contest run by Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth TX. It was put to a vote by anyone who got on their site and turned into a popularity contest for whoever had the most friends and family. Now I only enter an occasional contest and only if it is clearly judged by a professional photographer or a panel of pros. Any local gallery shows that I have entered have always been juried to get your work displayed and judged by a prominent local pro.

lindmarie7

It must have been really important for her to win by cheating. Hope she has trouble sleeping at night. What a shame there are people who will do anything for the almighty buck.
In my eyes you really won. Cheaters never prosper!

Tea8 Loc: Where the wind comes sweeping down the plain.

Well the thing is they did toss out one competitor for breaking the rules in a category. In the enhanced category you had to enter both the original and the enhanced photo. When I went in to enter my picture in the enhanced category I explained that this is what the rules stated and that is why I had them both. Someone else who entered the enhanced just had the one enhanced picture and they were disqualified, and I am sure they would have beaten me if they hadn't been disqualified. They disqualified that person in that category but not others in other categories. Why not have let that person continue to break the rules and win the category like the others did?

gessman Loc: Colorado

Often, in our society, we reward rule breakers, especially in anything artistic. It happens! My understanding of the very definition is encouraging the breaking of rules, being new, fresh, innovative, different, and you can't do that if burdened by a lot of rules not related to the furthering of knowledge, appreciation, and acceptance of "new" ideas and results. "Everything on a white mat" smacks of sameness and control over the eventual outcome - "leveling of the playground," as it were. "Making it even for everyone, or uniform because it 'looks better' is not my idea of furthering innovation. That's all I was saying. Personally, when I break the rules, I get slammed. Guess I'm not an artist! :roll: :-)

Tea8 Loc: Where the wind comes sweeping down the plain.

Lol. I am sure you would be considered an artist.

I don't know why they wanted white, other than besides white poster paper comes in those bright colors like neon pink and green. Which is what most of the rule breaking pictures were placed on. (This is just a little county fair for a small county and there seem to be very few people who know that you can freely enter if you aren't a part of one of the little "clubs" around.) Even if I play fair and never win against rule breakers I will still continue to enter. (Its free to enter. Other than my costs of printing.)

JohnM Loc: Springfield, Illinois

What your talking about happens all over the country, all the time. Particularly in the area of car and motorcycle shows. You took a picture and were beaten by a better campaign.

Can you imagine spending a few years maybe, along with hundreds maybe even thousands of dollars building, designing, painting a custom car to be beat by some idiot with a lot of money who went out to the Ford or Chevy lot and bought a new car but is local, well known and maybe even popular (or at least his daddy is the local cop or loan officer at the bank).

Nothing in this world is fair. When I was a kid my dad suggested I check the back of my birth certificate to see if I got one of the rare ones that had a guarantee of some sort. If not, expect life to be life.

Sorry you got beaten this way, just saying, it happens, all the time.