Photography Contest - We have a winner!! [Archive]

Assassin

Mon, 08-04-2008, 07:55 PM

Alrite boys and girls, its finally time to start.

In this thread i will give you the basic layout of the contest, and explain how things work.

First things first. The contest has 24 participants, 4 brackets, 4 rounds and 13 objects.

Here is a visual example (it shows 8 people/tier, but ignore that. it was an initial draft):

Example Setup (http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/7147/photocontestgwwc2.jpg)

This is how it'll work. We've split the 24 participants into groups of 6. Each round will take 1 week to complete. In the first round 2 people will be eliminated from each bracket and the remaining 4 will move on. In round 2, another 2 people will be eliminated. Round 3 will have one person kicked out, and in round 4, the remaining participants from each bracket will compete for the title.

The participants have already received a pm from me telling them what they will be photographing for the first round. To keep things interesting, we've decided to keep the brackets anonymous for the first round. Only the mods know which 6 people are competing against each other and we'd like to keep it that way, so please refrain from discussing with each other for the time being.

The rules are simple.

1) No photoshoping
2) No outside help (ie: can't get your uncle who's a professional photographer to do it)
3) The subject/object can be portrayed in any manner of your choosing, so long as the focus is on that object.
4) Action shots, black & white, artsy pics...its all fair game. Do whatever you think works best for you.
5) Final judgment will be based on how interesting the picture is, not necessarily how 'good' or 'professional' it is. What does that mean? well thats all up to the forum goers as they will be the ones voting.

The schedule for this contest will be as follows:

Monday - Subject/Object released. Entries must be in (PM'd to me and xan) by thursday nite, 11:59 pm eastern time.

Friday - Polls go up and voting begins. Voting lasts till sunday nite. Results go up monday and winners move on to the next round.

Ok, now for the voting. We've decided that it will be an open poll, one for each bracket (So each friday there will be 4 polls). To ensure we dont have people just voting for themselves, the participants are not allowed to vote for their own bracket. In addition, all participants must vote in every round. That is, in round 1 there should be a minimum of 18 votes for each poll. Failure to do so will result in disqualification. For each round thereafter, those who are kicked out are encouraged, though not obligated to vote.

Any questions, post here or pm me. The first polls open in 4 days. Good luck to you all.

Edit:

Just a clarification. By 'no photoshop' i mean you can't use photoshop or the like to 'improve' the picture. However, any photographic effects are allowed, so long as they can be done by anyone and dont require any special skills/programs. If you have a high end camera with built-in effects, its fair game. Just no outside editing other then something basic (like a black/white photo to enhance the effect for example).

Psyke

Mon, 08-04-2008, 09:27 PM

oyabun

Mon, 08-04-2008, 09:32 PM

Ok got it!

Lucifus

Mon, 08-04-2008, 10:08 PM

Gotta say, nice work on putting this together. Good job. Hmmm...lets get started then.

XanBcoo

Mon, 08-04-2008, 10:13 PM

Great! Just a question. How much flexibility are we allowed for the said item? I mean, just an example that the word "balls" can range from soccer/basketballs to human body parts.... Sorry but it's the first example I thought of. :p
We've made the items specific enough so that there won't be much room for that kind of confusion, so don't worry.

That said, if your item was "balls" and you decided to take a picture of a scrotum, you'd definitely have my vote because that would be both hilarious and creative.

Assassin

Mon, 08-04-2008, 10:17 PM

My response is pretty much what xan said....though i wouldn't exactly be amused with a picture of your (or someone elses) scrotum, it would definately get my vote. Creativity and authenticity is a big part of this contest, and i would encourage everyone to not stick to standard definitions. Be different, unique, extra ordinary....have fun with it.

Buffalobiian

Tue, 08-05-2008, 03:13 AM

Would you be able to post the times in GMT standard please? I'd help a lot.

And great job with this guys!!

Ryllharu

Tue, 08-05-2008, 04:42 AM

Two questions:

Is cropping using photoshop fine? This could potentially "improve" the image though it is not modifying it in a significant way.

How do you want the photos uploaded through PM? Would you prefer just a link to the hosted image, or the image crammed into the PM?

KrayZ33

Tue, 08-05-2008, 05:25 AM

Would you be able to post the times in GMT standard please? I'd help a lot.

And great job with this guys!!

I think It's GMT +02:00 (egypt, greece etc.)

edit: size of the picture? or do you resize the pictures yourself, so we don't have to give a crap about that?

oyabun

Tue, 08-05-2008, 05:44 AM

How should we submit the picture? Email or photobucket etc?

Sapphire

Tue, 08-05-2008, 06:01 AM

If I'm lucky enough to make it to the next round... I don't know if I can participate.. I'm in the middle of moving to NYC

Psyke

Tue, 08-05-2008, 06:59 AM

Just submitted my entry!

Think I'm first..... Well, I had some ideas but didn't have enough resources so something simple will have to do..... :p

KrayZ33

Tue, 08-05-2008, 07:21 AM

me too (06:43 AM :P)
but the topic was really weird... and I couldn't come up with anything usefull... so I just made my picture very quickly to get it over with

staffcc

Tue, 08-05-2008, 07:36 AM

how did you guys submit your entries?

Buffalobiian

Tue, 08-05-2008, 07:48 AM

I don't think it really matters how you do it as long as you submit it in a PM, so either PMing a link to imageshack, or an attatchment or similar should suffice. I won't have time till closer to the due date, so I'll need the GMT standardized deadline, if a mod would kindly post it.

KrayZ33

Tue, 08-05-2008, 10:10 AM

Well uploaded it on Imageshack and PMed it to Assassin... I didn't resize it (1600x1200) but I guess they will make it smaller anyway

@ Buffalo

not only that, it would be helpfull if they tell us *which* eastern time they are talking about ^^

East Africa Time
(EAT)
East Indonesia Time
(EIT)
Easter Island Time
(EAST)
Eastern European Time
(EET)
Eastern Standard Time
(EST)?

Well I guess it's EST (new york + quebec etc.) -> GMT -5:00

Animeniax

Tue, 08-05-2008, 10:20 AM

Here is a visual example (it shows 8 people/tier, but ignore that. it was an initial draft):

Example Setup (http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/7147/photocontestgwwc2.jpg)
Is that from a hungry hungry hippos board?

I assume this will be an anonymous entry contest? ie no one will know who took what photo? I think it will help keep voting more objective, yes?

Assassin

Tue, 08-05-2008, 10:34 AM

For the timing, basically take whatever time you see in my original post and add 40 hours. My first post went up at 9 pm monday nite....and currently its 11:30 am for me. I dont care too much about it being exactly on time, just as long as its in before friday morning (in south eastern canada)

Is cropping using photoshop fine? This could potentially "improve" the image though it is not modifying it in a significant way.

yes cropping is fine. The idea is to avoid ub3r photoshop skillz that some people have *cough*lucifus*cough*.

How do you want the photos uploaded through PM? Would you prefer just a link to the hosted image, or the image crammed into the PM?

Well a direct link from imageshack would be ideal, but as long as i can either directly link it or upload it somewhere else and link it, its fine.

size of the picture? or do you resize the pictures yourself, so we don't have to give a crap about that?

Size is also up to you...if having a smaller/bigger picture is part of your artistic style, thats fine. Im going to assume whatever i get is how it's intended to be seen, so i wont be resizing anything. Just dont send something HUGE or with a file size of 10 mb. If its gonna cause problems for someone viewing the forums thru dial-up, try another approach.

How should we submit the picture? Email or photobucket etc?

PM to me and xan (on the off chance that i dont get to it, i dont want the whole thing being delayed). an imageshack link will be fine.

If I'm lucky enough to make it to the next round... I don't know if I can participate.. I'm in the middle of moving to NYC

send a picture of your bewbs and i'll guarantee you'll make it ;)

I assume this will be an anonymous entry contest? ie no one will know who took what photo? I think it will help keep voting more objective, yes?

yes, we're just gonna put up the links. the names will be revealed once the polls close.

Buffalobiian

Wed, 08-06-2008, 02:31 AM

Awesome, thanks for clarifying, Assassin.

For everyone's convenience, The standardised due date is Friday 4:59AM GMT (no DST).
[KrayZ was right about Assassin being GMT -5 I think, minus DST :p]

Good luck everyone!!

Ryllharu

Thu, 08-07-2008, 06:09 PM

PM'd my entry into Assassin and Xan. Convenient when you're in the same timezone as the deadline. Was having a little trouble getting the manual focus to work the way I assumed it did, but it turned out alright.

Board of Command

Thu, 08-07-2008, 07:03 PM

I withdraw from the contest. My brother took my camera.

This sucks. I think this will turn out to be a really fun contest and I'm going to miss out. Good luck to all the other participants.

Buffalobiian

Thu, 08-07-2008, 09:23 PM

I submitted around 14 hrs ago. It looks nothing like what I intended from the start, but that's art for you.

UChessmaster

Thu, 08-07-2008, 09:47 PM

can`t wait to see what you guys made

XanBcoo

Thu, 08-07-2008, 10:29 PM

I withdraw from the contest. My brother took my camera.

This sucks. I think this will turn out to be a really fun contest and I'm going to miss out. Good luck to all the other participants.
:(

Are you sure you have no other option? No webcam? Cell phone camera?

I've actually been extremely impressed with most of the entries I've received so far. Admittedly that's only less than half of the total entries (so I hope everyone else has sent the rest to Assassin), but keep up the good work guys. Hurry and get those last minute submissions in!

Board of Command

Thu, 08-07-2008, 10:55 PM

I actually had a really good idea (a visual pun) for my picture, but I have no camera.

:(

(it involves buying a bag of ice cubes)

Jaitne

Thu, 08-07-2008, 10:57 PM

I had no good idea and I had no idea how to really use the camera :( So at least you're not embarrassing yourself.

Plus I did it at the last minute because I had no ideas >.> I'm not really a photo person.

Buffalobiian

Thu, 08-07-2008, 11:49 PM

None of my ideas worked out, but they were really good one paper. One required photoshop, another a detailed piece of equipment, and the last one a dead cat.

Jaitne

Thu, 08-07-2008, 11:57 PM

I just took a lot of pictures, and then asked some friends which onees they liked best >.> where I was told that two of them were creepy, because one made me look dead and the other made it look like I was being attacked.

I only entered the contest because I was told to twice in a rep thingy T_T So I don't find myself winning, when I can't use my equiptment and usually.. rely on photomanipulation to make pictures D:

Sapphire

Fri, 08-08-2008, 12:16 AM

and the last one a dead cat.Wow. Same.

Psyke

Fri, 08-08-2008, 06:24 AM

Dead cat? You guys are really serious about this contest! :p

Likewise, I can't wait to see the photos!

XanBcoo

Fri, 08-08-2008, 01:18 PM

There's a shitload of people who haven't sent us their entries. We're considering whether to drop them from the contest or extend the deadline for a few days.

Like, I'm talking a good quarter of the contestants.

Animeniax

Fri, 08-08-2008, 01:22 PM

I vote to extend the deadline and let those of us who have submitted re-submit if we like, for adjustments and fine-tuning. People are busy and giving us the weekend to come up with something would have been a better idea from the start.

Otherwise you should temp ban anyone who said they would participate but didn't, to keep them from voting in the contest, and to punish them for their insolence.

XanBcoo

Fri, 08-08-2008, 01:29 PM

I vote to extend the deadline and let those of us who have submitted re-submit if we like, for adjustments and fine-tuning. People are busy and giving us the weekend to come up with something would have been a better idea from the start.
Yeah, that was my reasoning. I also don't think a lot of people have even seen the thread. Some of the people participating have limited internet access, so it would be pretty unfair to them if they didn't even have a chance to submit their entries.

I'll let everyone know how long the extension is once I get some feedback from Assassin.

Sapphire

Fri, 08-08-2008, 07:25 PM

Can we add text to the picture?

XanBcoo

Fri, 08-08-2008, 09:44 PM

Can we add text to the picture?

Just a clarification. By 'no photoshop' i mean you can't use photoshop or the like to 'improve' the picture. However, any photographic effects are allowed, so long as they can be done by anyone and dont require any special skills/programs.

Still waiting on feedback from Assassin to extend the deadline. Ideally, I'd like to push it back one more week.

Archangel

Sat, 08-09-2008, 10:46 AM

Well let us know if it's gonna happen or not asap Xan, i have a few more concepts i'd like to work on that i didn't have the time for in the first week.

XanBcoo

Sat, 08-09-2008, 01:09 PM

OK, Assassin has gone AWOL for some reason or another and none of the other mods want to help with this, so I'll take the initiative here. As of today we're still missing a full 1/3 of the entries, so I'm extending the deadline to next week.

New deadline: Thursday, August 14th
New deadline: Thursday, August 14th
New deadline: Thursday, August 14th

Yes, I'm allowing resubmissions for all those who would like to change their first submission. For anyone who takes advantage of this, I'd like for them to include "Resubmission" as the title of their PM. Good luck.

Archangel

Sat, 08-09-2008, 01:21 PM

Just out of curiosity, how many ppl haven't submitted yet xan?

darkshadow

Sat, 08-09-2008, 01:53 PM

he wouldnt be able to tell for sure, since some ppl send it to assassin, like me.

Animeniax

Sat, 08-09-2008, 01:58 PM

So when's the new deadline?

You can send PM's to multiple recipients, so Xan and Assassin can both receive it, which will be helpful in case one vanishes during the contest.

@BoC: with the new extension, will you participate? If the concept is good, even a disposable camera will be enough. If the concept is good.

Assassin

Sat, 08-09-2008, 03:27 PM

Sorry for not being around, i was rather busy with some personal things. Like xan said, the deadline is now next thursday. go ahead and re-submit if you guys want

You can send PM's to multiple recipients, so Xan and Assassin can both receive it, which will be helpful in case one vanishes during the contest.

precisely why i said to pm both me and xan. most ppl it seems did. the dutch are just lazy, thats all. they spend too much time smoking weed.

David75

Sat, 08-09-2008, 03:54 PM

Sorry to be out for this. I never thought it would start in the middle of my hollidays and I didn't even bring a camera :o (good memories are much better than bad pictures...)

KrayZ33

Sat, 08-09-2008, 03:56 PM

do we *have* to send our pics in the future to both recipients now? or is one still enough

(because I don't have the picture on the PC anymore :/)

Assassin

Sat, 08-09-2008, 04:55 PM

the ones that were sent are all take care of, so dont worry about it. but for the next round, or if you resubmit, do send them to both. that way, if i disappear again (very likely) the contest can still go on.

Can we add text to the picture?

Im going to say no, just because its a picture contest not a caption contest. if you absolutely must have it, its ok as long as you make it 'artistic' and dont just write something using MS Paint. if you must, include it in the picture itself. But i want the focus of this contest to remain on the picture, and your ability to make it look good.

XanBcoo

Sat, 08-09-2008, 06:14 PM

Sorry to be out for this. I never thought it would start in the middle of my hollidays and I didn't even bring a camera :o (good memories are much better than bad pictures...)
You didn't bring a camera on your holiday!? That's even more shocking!

@Sapphire: No. Captions are not allowed.

There are 2 exceptions. You can take a picture of written words, so long as the focus is still on the item itself, or you can give your picture a title (other users have done this) as long as it's not too descriptive or telling. Otherwise, no.

KitKat

Tue, 08-12-2008, 06:18 PM

Whew, I thought I would have been disqualified from this by now. My camp was struck by lightning last week, and it took out our internet. We've only just gotten connected back up today, although it's apparently still 'sensitive' because we need to replace some hardware that got damaged. I'm relieved to see that I can still participate! Going to submit my entry soon!

Assassin

Tue, 08-12-2008, 09:27 PM

you should've harnessed that lightning to power a make shift modem built from kitchen utensils and duct tape.....i know you probably have one. crazy engineers >.>

XanBcoo

Tue, 08-12-2008, 09:53 PM

Now if several more members who I've seen posting recently can learn a lesson from KitKat's enthusiasm we can get this contest rolling. Why have no new submissions come in? :confused:

Happy to see that you're still in this KitKat!

XanBcoo

Thu, 08-14-2008, 07:53 PM

Why have no new submissions come in? :confused:
OK, it's Thursday evening and I'm still wondering about this.

If we don't get at least 2 more submissions by tonight, then voting for Brackets 2, 3, and 4 will not be possible at all. That is, there won't be any eliminations and the "voting" round will simply be everyone looking at the submissions.

Of the people who are missing, I've seen at least 3 of them posting recently, so I know it's not due to extenuating circumstances outside of the forums. What the heck are you guys doing?

Jaitne

Thu, 08-14-2008, 07:56 PM

:o How do we know what bracket we're in. Or is that not until later? And.. are the pictures going to be posted up exactly at (or near) 12am EST, or.. a little later that day?

XanBcoo

Thu, 08-14-2008, 08:00 PM

Voting rounds will be open tomorrow whenever Assassin decides to post them.

Brackets for Round 1 are anonymous, as the first post states.

Jaitne

Thu, 08-14-2008, 08:18 PM

Oh. Well I meant more as.. the people knowing which one they're actually in, secretly. Since we all secretly know what our pictures are.

Assassin

Thu, 08-14-2008, 09:01 PM

no one knows what bracket they're in because we haven't disclosed what object is associated with each bracket.

now, i suppose you could pm everyone and ask who else has the same object as you but that seems rather pointless and unnecessary.

The polls have been made already, and they will be up later tonite or tomorrow.

oyabun

Sat, 08-16-2008, 06:42 AM

Will the bracket member change for the second round? Or do you shuffle it again?

Buffalobiian

Sat, 08-16-2008, 11:03 AM

Well, according to Assassin's schematic diagram, the groups shouldn't change. It'll just be elimination all the way to the last one standing (though mixing is possible, and easily done).

To eliminate bias, I think all contestants will have to submit their pictures without their name in the file-name. I guess we didn't see this problem coming.

The rules didn't restrict us from working out who's in which bracket, and the mods probably even expected this, so here's an incomplete list:

Tier 1(Eyes): Buffalobiian, Dark Shadow, Bagandscalpel, masamuneehs
Tier 2(Hands): Animeniax, Jaitne, Psyke
Tier 3(Nails): Death Boo Z, Saman, KrayZ33, KitKat
Tier 4(Hair): Oyabin, Shinta|Hikari, 6Zabuza9

The list is incomplete because some (ex)competitors haven't voted (8), while some voted in all 4 brackets, including their own (3).

Psyke

Sat, 08-16-2008, 12:08 PM

I thought naming the file that way would make it easier for the mods to organise the photos.... :(

Jaitne

Sat, 08-16-2008, 12:37 PM

Well, I thought your picture was awesome. At least everyone knows you're creative.

Lucifus

Sat, 08-16-2008, 12:41 PM

I thought naming the file that way would make it easier for the mods to organise the photos.... :(

LoL, blame er on the mods, they should have foreseen this little quandary. :D

KitKat

Sat, 08-16-2008, 12:41 PM

I ran into the same problem when I hosted a sig contest a while back. I ended up renaming every file, and hosting them all on imageshack to keep things completely anonymous.

Jaitne

Sat, 08-16-2008, 12:44 PM

LoL, blame er on the mods, they should have foreseen this little quandary. :D

Pfft <.< you pointed it out in public.

Assassin

Sat, 08-16-2008, 01:17 PM

To eliminate bias, I think all contestants will have to submit their pictures without their name in the file-name. I guess we didn't see this problem coming.

on the contrary, i did see this particular problem while creating the polls. And i have changed the file names of some of the pictures, but that was because the poll system wouldn't let me have more then a 100 characters in the link. But since most brackets only have 4 people, and they're all moving on, it doesn't really matter whether you guys know who submitted what. Changing it just meant more unnecessary work for me, and im lazy.

Buffalobiian

Sat, 08-16-2008, 07:38 PM

I guess we didn't see this problem coming.
In that case, I'll gladly take those words back.

Jaitne

Sat, 08-16-2008, 10:36 PM

If everyone already knows which one we did/are in.. could I just post all my rejected photos in the post my picture thread? XD

Since it's all not so secret anymore..

Or should I just wait?

shinta|hikari

Sat, 08-16-2008, 11:09 PM

I think everyone should be allowed to vote even in their own bracket, just not themselves. That way, it would be much more difficult to determine who is in which bracket.

Jaitne

Sun, 08-17-2008, 12:40 AM

If who voted where is secret for most users, can a moderator still tell? Because that could be a workaround for it.

Buffalobiian

Sun, 08-17-2008, 01:27 AM

I remember thatwhen Xan or Assassin gave out the topics, they said not to discuss the objects with anyone until after the first round. From that I gathered that after that it didn't matter. I don't think it matters knowing who's in your group, but rather who's picture it is (the file name thing).

Jaitne

Sun, 08-17-2008, 10:16 AM

I kind of don't like people knowing which picture is mine during the voting process >.< But I guess for my category, it doesn't matter because we're all going forward? If we all stay in our current groups, I can't really take pictures using me unless I'm real secretive about it all.

But, I guess they did also say that this was the only one that really needed to be secret, and then half the participants dropped out >.< so it doesn't matter on half the topics.

Buffalobiian

Sun, 08-17-2008, 10:22 AM

Yeah, the eye group was the only one that really needed the voting.

On a different note, will we get a 2 week window for the next submission? I got it done in 1 week last time, but I think having that extra week will make it a bit easier time management wise. Meh, your call, mods.

Jaitne

Sun, 08-17-2008, 10:43 AM

So, think this means I can post my other ones up?

And yea, two weeks would be nice (in its own way), but one week keeps everything fast paced and upbeat. Though, I was kind of hoping that the voting period would be finsihed, since about everyone who was supposed to vote.. already voted. Then we'd have more time to think up what to do.

Psyke

Sun, 08-17-2008, 10:55 AM

I'd hope that the deadlines are short and sweet. I hate waiting to see the entries....

XanBcoo

Sun, 08-17-2008, 12:59 PM

I can't really take pictures using me unless I'm real secretive about it all..
Actually, one of the players from this round told me they used someone else for their picture, so you could always go that road. It doesn't have to be of you.

On a different note, will we get a 2 week window for the next submission? I got it done in 1 week last time, but I think having that extra week will make it a bit easier time management wise.
I'd like to keep it down to one week, but we'll see how it plays out. I'm not against extending the deadline again, but I'd prefer to keep it as short and sweet as possible, like Psyke said. We'll finalize plans for Round 2 tomorrow.

XanBcoo

Tue, 08-19-2008, 05:31 PM

Well Round 1 was a success! We got a lot of good entries. Most of you had probably figured out who's entries belonged to who, but here's the full list, for anyone interested:

EYE:
masamuneehs (http://kdhnet.info/ht/users/hentaitraders/IMG_0819.jpg)
Bagandscalpel (http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/8193/photocontestsubmissionnkf4.jpg)
Buffalobiian (http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/6230/buffaloeyebf5.jpg)
Sapphire (http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/5419/lookhereinmyeyesgc4.jpg)
Darkshadow (http://img363.imageshack.us/img363/2411/eye2wg1.jpg)

HAND
Animeniax (http://img364.imageshack.us/img364/6435/img3011kn0.jpg)
Psyke (http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/7789/psykeentrydq7.jpg)
Jaitne (http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/3084/elfinpj5.jpg)
The Archangel (http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/paulosergio96/Vote_for_me_or_the_monkey_gets_it.jpg)

NAIL
Kitkat (http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d125/engphysgirl/cardoor.jpg)
Saman (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v472/saman19/contestentry.jpg)
DeathBooZ (http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/4267/cimg6512jv3.jpg)
KrayZ33 (http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/5687/img0148ws1.jpg)

HAIR
Oyabin (http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f260/oyabin21/ETC/Blondes.jpg)
6Zabuza9 (http://img376.imageshack.us/img376/274/dsc00590go8.jpg)
Showdown at Kamioka - Ryllharu (http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/8071/showdownatkamiokatv2.jpg)
Cat in the Santa Hat - Shinta|hikari (http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g310/shinta617/catinthehat.jpg)

Condolences to Sapphire, who was the only participant eliminated this round.

-----

Round 2 Details:

Participants in Round 2 have already been PM'd their items.

Deadline is: Thursday, August 28th

Same rules as Round 1 apply to Round 2. This time, 2 participants will be eliminated from each bracket, so y'all better step up your game! Good luck to everyone. Questions can of course be posted in this thread if there's anything I've forgot to mention.

We have also decided to keep Round 2 anonymous, so there should still be no discussion of the photographs and items, and all participants are expected to vote once outside of their own bracket. The brackets posted above have also been re-shuffled, so no one will know who's picture their voting on. Exciting!!

Jaitne

Thu, 08-21-2008, 07:40 PM

Deadline is: Thursday, August 28th

Thank goodness! I have another week! Even though my subject is not cooperating D:

I thought it was due today or tomorrow.

Buffalobiian

Mon, 08-25-2008, 01:59 AM

I suppose it's the same format as last time, so Standardised time is:

"For everyone's convenience, The standardised due date is Friday 4:59AM GMT (no DST)."

Correct me if I'm wrong.

Animeniax

Mon, 08-25-2008, 02:53 AM

Crap I've been busy with work and have so little inspiration for the subject for round 2.

It doesn't help that so few of this particular object are available where I'm at, and taking pictures out in the open is dangerous where I'm at since deadly force is authorized.

I might have to drop out of the contest.

XanBcoo

Mon, 08-25-2008, 09:43 AM

I'll say the same thing I said to masamuneehs: Think outside the box man.

If you can't take a straight-up picture of your item, then don't just take a straight-up picture of your item.

If "inspiration" is a problem, I'd much rather you send in a shitty picture than no picture at all.

Psyke

Mon, 08-25-2008, 09:56 AM

I'm trying to find time too, but I'm going to submit it before the deadline. If only the ideas can start flowing...

Assassin

Mon, 08-25-2008, 10:52 AM

I suggest you guys just start taking pictures. Once you have something solid to look at, you mite figure out how to improve it, or modify it to make it better.

Buffalobiian

Wed, 08-27-2008, 06:52 AM

I just submitted. Ideas too ages before anything decent popped up. And I thought the first round was hard.

In the end, it turned out more or less how I wanted. Just had a little problem with lighting.

Now that it's finally done, I should do something that should have been started on weeks ago....essays :(

XanBcoo

Wed, 08-27-2008, 09:04 AM

Thanks Buffalobiian. Yours is one of the only three submissions I've received so far.

Everyone else, you've got one day left. Get cracking.

Edit: Oh yes, I forgot one thing that Munsu mentioned to me and Assassin. We'll be adding titles to the pictures this round.

If you want to title your own picture, please include it in the PM. If not, Assassin or I will name it for you.

!!!

Jaitne

Wed, 08-27-2008, 04:33 PM

I sent mine in :(

Assassin

Wed, 08-27-2008, 04:38 PM

i've recieved pictures from a few people, but certainly not everyone. for those who've sent them in already without a title, send another pm to me or xan if theres a particular title you want. theres still time.

oyabun

Thu, 08-28-2008, 03:45 AM

Just a minute Assassin, I'm gonna send mine in a hour or so.

XanBcoo

Thu, 08-28-2008, 02:46 PM

Last day, kids. We're still missing a handful.

I love all the ones sent in so far, though. There have been some good entries.

Buffalobiian

Thu, 08-28-2008, 10:12 PM

What's it.....like 50mins to go now?

XanBcoo

Thu, 08-28-2008, 11:11 PM

The time isn't totally important. Just as long as it's in before tomorrow.

That said, we've almost got everyone's, but there's still a good chunk missing. Especially worrying since most of the missing ones are in the same bracket.

Actually we've only got one bracket completely filled up. What the heck?

Buffalobiian

Thu, 08-28-2008, 11:58 PM

I can honestly say I'd be kind of cut if my bracket was empty. It would have meant that all the effort was unnecessary. Anyway, looking forward to the voting. Good luck people.

shinta|hikari

Fri, 08-29-2008, 01:16 AM

Did you guys get a confirmation message when you sent your entry in? I didn't get one when I sent mine yesterday, so I just wanted to be sure.

Kraco

Fri, 08-29-2008, 01:50 AM

Your entry seems to be registered, don't worry.

Assassin

Fri, 08-29-2008, 11:36 AM

Due to a severe lack of interest and an over abundance of last minute entries, im defaulting to the original setup of the contest.

Starting next round, all participants will have only 1 week to submit their entries. That means, round 3 submissions are due next thursday nite/friday morning.

darkshadow

Fri, 08-29-2008, 12:03 PM

not lack of interest, i just missed it, school stuff came up >_<

Jaitne

Fri, 08-29-2008, 03:27 PM

XanBcoo

Fri, 08-29-2008, 03:50 PM

Yes, we have everyone's pictures who's sent them in. Voting for Round 2 will begin shortly. If there's anyone who hasn't sent their picture in yet, please take 5 minutes to photograph the first thing you see.

There are 3 brackets with missing submissions and one bracket with only one submission. This is pitiful.

Jaitne

Fri, 08-29-2008, 04:08 PM

Shortly, as in today EST (Friday) or tomorrow EST(saturday)?

Buffalobiian

Fri, 08-29-2008, 06:15 PM

Shortly, as in today EST (Friday) or tomorrow EST(saturday)?

Well, when you posted it was 17hrs past the original due time, so I guess ASAP?

oyabun

Fri, 08-29-2008, 11:38 PM

When's the poll coming up?

Animeniax

Sat, 08-30-2008, 02:40 AM

I submitted my entry but I'm not proud of it. Too much going on at work so I couldn't spend any time for the contest.

Maybe we should try this contest at a less hectic time of year? August is the start of school for a lot of folks, so they won't be able to spend time on something like this. This contest could be so much more if people had time to devote to it.

Ryllharu

Sat, 08-30-2008, 05:17 AM

Buffalobiian

Sat, 08-30-2008, 06:52 AM

I spent the first week thinking, and the second half gathering necessary resources/rethinking.

I'll either have to have a good inspiration early next round, or I'll end up with a subpar picture. That or a dodgy assignment.

Animeniax

Sat, 08-30-2008, 08:50 AM

You'd still get the same problem then. People like to say they'll do something for so many weeks, and then they always bail out halfway through when they either forget or make excuses about how "busy" they have been.

"[Work/school/wife/kids/life ] has been crazy, I can't make it to the [contest/gym/recidal/bar/barbeque/protest ]"

That kind of thing won't ever change, no matter what time of the year it is. In this case it is better to stick to the original rules and just leave the people who will actually commit to doing it. I know when this round became two weeks instead of the one, I waited until the second week to even start taking photos.Maybe that's how you roll, but not me. I wanted to work on this every day, but couldn't find the time because of work. Once I got home I was too damn tired to be creative. Not all of us live at home/don't work/are on summer break/have nothing better to do.

If trying another time frame doesn't help, then harsh punishment for failing to participate should. Maybe temp bans would motivate these slackers.

Ryllharu

Sat, 08-30-2008, 10:13 AM

Maybe that's how you roll, but not me. I wanted to work on this every day, but couldn't find the time because of work. Once I got home I was too damn tired to be creative. Not all of us live at home/don't work/are on summer break/have nothing better to do.
It's really not that hard to make the time if you really want to do it. These past two rounds, I get home from work after I've come up with an idea and just take the hour or so it takes to set it up before I make myself dinner. You can come up with the idea anywhere, during the commute, at lunch, or waiting for someone to call you back.

I do agree on the proposal of some minor form of punishment. Bailouts make it suck for everyone. I believe we did something similar during the Gotwoot Survivor when entire teams bailed out.

Psyke

Sat, 08-30-2008, 11:32 AM

It's a commitment and if we have committed ourselves into it, we have to make time for it. But it's all in the name of fun, and we should just take a few minutes off to do it. I just went along with my first idea and did it before going to bed after a long day.

*edited for speeeling.

Assassin

Sat, 08-30-2008, 04:27 PM

Jaitne

Sat, 08-30-2008, 09:16 PM

So how many people are going to be disqualified this round (out of the pictures being shown)?

Ryllharu

Sat, 08-30-2008, 09:16 PM

There are supposed to be four in each bracket, narrowing down to two per bracket.

Buffalobiian

Sat, 08-30-2008, 09:29 PM

I'm thinking, would it be better to have 4 groups of 2 or 2 groups of 4 next round?

I personally prefer 2 groups of 4, since there's more comparing and judging.

(4 groups of 2 was the original plan I think)

Edit:

Actually with "sunset" having only one choice, it kind of throws that idea out. It'll be hard to come up with something entirely fair, but I suggest picking a would-be-eliminated contestant this round based on popularity of their picture. Or just straight out popularity :p

Jaitne

Sat, 08-30-2008, 09:43 PM

I could always just drop out, if it makes things even.

Buffalobiian

Sat, 08-30-2008, 10:54 PM

I could always just drop out, if it makes things even.

I don't like that idea. Eliminating worthy contestants because of non-submissions doesn't cut it.

Animeniax

Sat, 08-30-2008, 11:29 PM

as psyke said, you dont need something spectacular....any picture will do. honestly, it shouldn't take you more then a day to do this. even if you have no inspiration, the type of object we've been giving out dont necessarily need any. you can just take a picture of your own eye/hand/hair and send it in (referring to the last round). atleast its something.
I disagree. What's the point of simply snapping a photo that lacks creativity or effort just to meet a deadline? Might as well not participate in that case.

Buffalobiian

Sat, 08-30-2008, 11:34 PM

I disagree. What's the point of simply snapping a photo that lacks creativity or effort just to meet a deadline? Might as well not participate in that case.

I disagree with your disagree. Somewhat.

We should be trying to be creative and all with this contest. It's what makes it fun, like you said.

But if you can't think of something ideal, I would prefer a submission over a non-submission. You should just submit the best picture you can come up with based on your circumstances.

Animeniax

Sat, 08-30-2008, 11:38 PM

I'd rather submit something I can be proud of instead of just submitting anything just to meet a deadline.

Jaitne

Sun, 08-31-2008, 12:03 AM

I don't like that idea. Eliminating worthy contestants because of non-submissions doesn't cut it.

Everyone who submitted a picture is worthy, and someone's picture has to go.

Also.. when's the last day we have to vote? The same technical time as last time?

Buffalobiian

Sun, 08-31-2008, 12:22 AM

Everyone who submitted a picture is worthy, and someone's picture has to go.

Also.. when's the last day we have to vote? The same technical time as last time?

I'd say the same time as last round, which makes it sometime monday night depending on where you live.

As for someone has to go, why can't we have one more rather than one less? Right now, we'd have six people qualifying from the other three groups, while only one from the Sunset, making 7. If we decide on one more person who's picture is well liked (I'm open to the method), then we get 8 contestants for the next round, rather than losing you and making 6.

Of course, there will be the issue of who should deserve the chance to advance, and your idea doesn't have this problem. I still believe though, that more contestants will be better than less.

XanBcoo

Sun, 08-31-2008, 02:39 AM

I had suggested to Assassin that only one person be eliminated from Bracket 1 this round. That would even things out, and to me it seems just as likely that someone from Bracket 1 could have not submitted their picture than any of the other brackets.

It's not totally fair since someone in the other three brackets might have been randomly placed in the "Sunset" bracket and got a free pass, so if anyone else likes Buffalobiian's suggestion of basing the 8th advancing contesting on total number of votes, please speak up.

darkshadow

Sun, 08-31-2008, 05:35 AM

I'd rather submit something I can be proud of instead of just submitting anything just to meet a deadline.

Completely agree, sry guys but I didn't want to just take a picture of water, my bracket, and been done with it, then its not a competition anymore, just randomly sending some dude some shitty pictures.
My idea got thwarted by completely sudden school stuff, and seeing how my idea required plenty of time and effort, I just couldn't make the deadline anymore.
There was no room to make time.

Psyke

Sun, 08-31-2008, 06:36 AM

I understand what you guys are saying, but personally I'll submit an entry if I decided to compete. Granted, it won't be at a quality I'll be proud of, but to me it's still better than quiting.

Assassin

Sun, 08-31-2008, 10:55 AM

Jaitne

Sun, 08-31-2008, 12:29 PM

Well.. I never really liked my pictures, and the comments don't really help out.

It seems kinda like I'm still here because people just didn't take their pictures :P which doesn't make going onto the next round any better since I'm passing by default.

darkshadow

Mon, 09-01-2008, 12:10 PM

my problem is, you guys can tell yourselves its not worth it to submit sub par material, but that still fucks us (the organizers) over in the end. I'd rather not deal with all this 'who gets eliminated now' bullshit thats currently going on. you dropping out effects everyone else as well.

in anycase, we're working towards a solution and we'll have something by the time voting ends.

It doesn't really matter what your problem is >_>, this is a competition, a competition has winners, losers and disqualifications, the organizers of any competition should know how to act accordingly in such situations. If a competition means I can submit shitty material, i'd rather not compete at all.
You either win, lose or don't make it.

Ryllharu

Mon, 09-01-2008, 03:40 PM

They should not have to deal with only half of the entrants competing each round because in some certain cases:
a) The randomly chosen theme didn't appeal to them
b) The idea they wanted to do didn't pan out the well they thought it might, so they just give up
c) They forgot about it
...and then in an effort to save face, claim they didn't have time.

That's not to say there are not entrants who really did not have time (resolving a server crash because your lazy coworker forgot to turn on the fans that your too-cheap management settles on because rather than giving out the correct amount of capital to install a proper HVAC system they told you to make do with $400, etc) but when people agreed to participate there is some minimum level of commitment to actually seeing it through.

I'm willing to bet that (a) is the most common actual reason for some many flaking out.

I would expect them to be able to handle one or two dropouts over the course of the entire contest, not the constant reshuffling because one entire bracket flaked out and the rest of the brackets were submissions in the last 4 hours before the deadline. What was it, three entrants for Round 2 submitted before the beginning of the final day?

If you don't want to submit shitty material, fine. If you want to claim there isn't enough time to make something "of quality," I highly suspect that even a month per round would fail to solve the "problem."

XanBcoo

Mon, 09-01-2008, 05:11 PM

The odd thing is, two of the several participants who didn't send their submissions in actually PM'd me well after the items were given out. Even if there were some extenuating circumstances, I'm sure they still would have had enough time if they actually cared to put forth the effort.

Not that this is serious business, but as has been said, if you guys can't be bothered to participate when you said you would, it makes things harder on us the organizers and makes things less fun for everyone else. I'm actually very impressed with the submissions of those who said they didn't have adequate time, but sent them in anyway.

It doesn't really matter what your problem is >_>, this is a competition, a competition has winners, losers and disqualifications, the organizers of any competition should know how to act accordingly in such situations. If a competition means I can submit shitty material, i'd rather not compete at all.
You either win, lose or don't make it.
If we ever decide to hold another contest, please don't expect to participate.

Anyway we've reached a solution for Round 3. It will be announced once voting for this round is over, so expect to get an update by tomorrow.

Jaitne

Tue, 09-02-2008, 01:48 PM

:( man, do I really have to do this one?

How many people are going on from this one, anyway? If only one person's leaving, then I can go.

>.< I was being honest when I said it.

I could always just drop out, if it makes things even.

XanBcoo

Tue, 09-02-2008, 02:44 PM

Jaitne, stop asking questions that people have answered several times already!

Anyway, Round 2 is officially over. Despite the lack of participation on the part of several members, I enjoyed all your submissions. Here is a copy of the bracket setup from this round:

Bracket 1: Tree
Animeniax - Not Quite Natural (http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/4977/img3099rg9.jpg)
Kitkat - Trust me, this is how real ninjas hide (http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/5883/ninjadisguisebh0.jpg)
Buffalobiian - Snow Embrace (http://img391.imageshack.us/img391/9185/snowembracedz7bf0.jpg)
Oyabin - Death of Tree (http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/3098/deathoftreeku2.jpg)

Bracket 2: Sunset
Shinta|hikari - Sunkist Sets (http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/9922/sunkistsetsvc6.jpg)

Bracket 3: Bug
Saman - Its a cruel world (http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d74/theflyingace19/contest2.jpg)
Jaitne - Upside down (http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/2294/bug3fh5.jpg)
Bagandscalpel - Exterminate! (http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/595/fotoentreefinalbj6.jpg)

Bracket 4: Water
DeathBooZ - Abstract Art (http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/7449/winnerzd9.jpg)
Ryllharu - Viscosity doesn't always cooperate (http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/1228/gotwootdropqp5.jpg)
Psyke - Concentrate! (http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/6998/watercq4.jpg)

Congratulations to Buffalobiian, oyabin, Shinta|hikari, Saman, Bagandscalpel, Ryllharu, and Psyke! You have all advanced to Round 3!!!

This gives us 7 members advancing. To make it an even 8, we are filling the empty slot by holding a Wild Card Round this week. 5 eliminated members recieved a PM from me this morning and were given an extra item to photograph. The submissions are due This Friday and voting will be held this weekend. There will be one winner from the Wild Card round, and he or she will advance to Round 3 with the rest of the winners.

Exciting!

Round 3 starts next Monday, September 8th. Winners of this round, and the Wild Card entry will recieve their Round 3 items on that day, if not a few hours before. I will post a reminder in this thread as well. Good luck to the Wild Card entries!

Jaitne

Tue, 09-02-2008, 02:54 PM

You just answered the question I was asking edit -nvrm

darkshadow

Tue, 09-02-2008, 05:02 PM

If you don't want to submit shitty material, fine. If you want to claim there isn't enough time to make something "of quality," I highly suspect that even a month per round would fail to solve the "problem."

Plz, spare me the bullshit, just because something doesn't apply to your situation doesn't mean it can't happen. I'm someone who plans and organizes but something dropped on me really unannounced.
Excuse me for picking something that's actually important in my life over some (trivial) forum contest.

If we ever decide to hold another contest, please don't expect to participate.

Oh that's fine, I actually care little for wasting my time on competitions planned as badly as this one.

Jaitne

Tue, 09-02-2008, 06:29 PM

well, yes, I'm sure lots of people had real reasons, but we shouldn't take shots at people when they didn't point any fingers. I suppose no matter how it all goes down, you did make a tiny commitment to the contest, so it would be fair to say or hope that you would send a picture into the contest, even if you'd rather not D:

Though if you can't, or just don't want to. I can perfectly understand that. No one needs to be insulted, though, it makes things messy.

oyabun

Tue, 09-02-2008, 07:16 PM

Nicely said Jaitne.

Responsibility, that is all. And oh good luck to the wild cards! I'm actually surprised I got in round 3.:D

Buffalobiian

Wed, 09-03-2008, 02:44 AM

Nice, we get a week's break. I'll try to do all my assignments by then so I have the whole week to do this :D

Animeniax

Wed, 09-03-2008, 02:46 AM

Gee, I wish I had that much free time to spend on this contest ;)

Buffalobiian

Wed, 09-03-2008, 02:49 AM

Gee, I wish I had that much free time to spend on this contest ;)

Yeah, but that time came (and will come) at a cost. ;)

Animeniax

Wed, 09-03-2008, 03:00 AM

Well enjoy it while you can. When you join the 8-to-5 rat race that some of us are already a part of, you'll yearn for those easy college days.

Psyke

Wed, 09-03-2008, 08:41 AM

I spent 8 hours a day at home the past week, and will be having the same tight schedule for the next 2 weeks. All thanks to a non-office environment job that demands 24/7. Nonetheless, I took less than 5 min to shoot and submit. Granted, I spent time in toilets breaks at work thinking how to pull it off....

My point? It doesn't take long and you don't need it to be perfect. I thank the organisers for taking the time and dedication to plan this.

Animeniax

Wed, 09-03-2008, 09:48 AM

I got you beat: I work 12 hours a day 7 days a week and have been for the past 2.75 years, with a 2-3 week break every 4 months. During the week of the 2nd stage of this contest, my boss was in town, so I was working close to 14 hours a day, on top of being grilled by my boss everyday and being put in charge of several initiatives that are above my pay grade.

Not really making excuses, but giving reasons why.

Psyke

Wed, 09-03-2008, 10:05 AM

Haha.... you win then. At least I get my weekends to myself and my family. :p

Ryllharu

Wed, 09-03-2008, 04:50 PM

I got you beat: I work 12 hours a day 7 days a week and have been for the past 2.75 years, with a 2-3 week break every 4 months. During the week of the 2nd stage of this contest, my boss was in town, so I was working close to 14 hours a day, on top of being grilled by my boss everyday and being put in charge of several initiatives that are above my pay grade.
I was kinda making a joke about it before, but do servers constantly crash or something? Or am I remembering someone else in IT?

Animeniax

Thu, 09-04-2008, 02:03 AM

Not constantly, but it's like nurses at a hospital: you never know when a patient might deadline and need immediate assistance.

XanBcoo

Fri, 09-05-2008, 12:30 PM

Yeah, I haven't gotten any of the Wild Card entries yet...

DBZ and Jaitne have dropped out, KitKat and Animeniax are seem to be very busy, and Sapphire hasn't posted in several weeks.

Guess I shouldn't hold my breath.

Jaitne

Fri, 09-05-2008, 03:48 PM

I was going to try and send something in, actually. :( there's just not much I can do, and no real reason to continue, in my opinion.

KitKat

Fri, 09-05-2008, 08:02 PM

You should know by now Xan that I always put everything off until the last minute. Don't despair! (I'm going out to a knitting night with some of the girls and will send you my entry when I return tonight.)

Archangel

Fri, 09-05-2008, 08:03 PM

Mind if i join in then Xan? I missed the sunset photo because i suddenly was told i was going on vacation...

XanBcoo

Mon, 09-08-2008, 05:25 PM

Well, the Wild Card round had a smaller turnout than expected, but it got the job done.

Congratulations to Jaitne, Ad Infinitum (http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/3664/33225842aj0.jpg) was a success! You will be joining the others for Round 3!!

KitKat, your picture Stalkers (http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/176/stalkerszp1.jpg)made me laugh. Also it made me look over my shoulder.

Thanks to the both of you for playing along.

-----

Round 3

Here are the remaining participants, in alphabetical order:

Bagandscalpel
Buffalobiian
Jaitne
oyabin
Psyke
Ryllharu
Saman
Shinta|hikari

8 Participants left in the second to last round. Everyone has just been sent a PM informing them of their item.

Submissions are (tentatively) due Monday, September 15th. That gives you all of this week plus the weekend to get your submissions in.

Rules are of course the same. Submissions will again remain anonymous during the voting. However, I feel as if there are few enough participants remaining to allow everyone to vote for their own submission this round if they'd like. So have at it!

Questions, etc. in this thread or PM'd to me. Good luck.

Ryllharu

Mon, 09-08-2008, 05:30 PM

I hope that date is not correct or I had better get really busy, really fast, and wonder why my PM came so late.

Also, how many brackets are this round, four of 2, or two of 4?

XanBcoo

Mon, 09-08-2008, 05:32 PM

I hope that date is not correct or I had better get really busy, really fast, and wonder why my PM came so late.
I apologize for the lateness of the PMs. I only just sent them out because I had a busy day today and not much internet time. Similarly, Assassin's internet usage is limited, so the planning stages were a little slower.

I'm not against extending the deadline by a few days if everyone really wants it.

Ryllharu

Mon, 09-08-2008, 05:34 PM

I'm referring to the fact that the PM was recieved Monday 09-08-2008 06:01 PM, that you posted only 10 minutes ago, and the date above says they are due tonight.

Aside from that, I think a week is plenty enough time.

XanBcoo

Mon, 09-08-2008, 05:36 PM

Hahaha, shit shit shit. Sorry about that!!

Edited for clarification. Yeah, the submissions are due one week from today. Thanks Ryllharu.

Oh yes, and there are 2 groups of 4 in Round 3.

KitKat

Mon, 09-08-2008, 11:13 PM

Good luck to everyone in round 3! I'm looking forward to some awesome entries.

Buffalobiian

Thu, 09-11-2008, 07:45 AM

To whoever came up with my topic, I just want to say, I hate you :p

XanBcoo

Thu, 09-11-2008, 11:03 AM

To whoever came up with my topic, I just want to say, I hate you :p
I came up with both of this round's topics. Honestly, if I were competing I think I'd prefer to get the one you were assigned. Not that one is any harder than the other, I just think I'd have much more fun with yours.

Psyke

Thu, 09-11-2008, 11:08 AM

I've pondered over a few toilet breaks and still can't come up with a decent idea. :(

Assassin

Thu, 09-11-2008, 02:39 PM

All i can say is, think outside the box (have i said that already?). You dont have to take a picture of object we assigned....a metaphor or something along those lines works just as well (or even better). For example, Animeniax's idea for the wild card round (stepping on an ant hill). It represents the subject witout physically displaying it.

We'd all rather see something like that then a simple picture of the assigned objects.

Jaitne

Thu, 09-11-2008, 02:45 PM

Ooh.. there goes my idea.

How many people are being kicked out of this round? 4? 2 from each bracket?

XanBcoo

Thu, 09-11-2008, 05:49 PM

How many people are being kicked out of this round? 4? 2 from each bracket?
That's correct. This round will eliminate half of the remaining people, and the next round (the final round) will decide the winner.

All i can say is, think outside the box (have i said that already?).
I believe that was me who said it last round.

Psyke

Sat, 09-13-2008, 09:01 AM

Just sent my entry in. Not my fave of the entries I've submitted so far, but it will have to suffice.

XanBcoo

Sun, 09-14-2008, 12:42 PM

Just a reminder, everyone, you've got now got a day and a half left to send in your submissions!

Jaitne

Sun, 09-14-2008, 04:07 PM

So.. they're due on Monday EST, not by monday?

And if I send one in now can I send in another one if I think it came out better?

XanBcoo

Sun, 09-14-2008, 04:14 PM

So.. they're due on Monday EST, not by monday?

And if I send one in now can I send in another one if I think it came out better?
Basically before Tuesday morning, because that's when I'll be putting up the polls.

And yes, resubmissions are totally fine. If you want to send in a "rough draft" now and then replace it by tomorrow or something then that's cool.

Buffalobiian

Mon, 09-15-2008, 08:01 AM

SUBMITTED!!

This round was most interesting...can't wait for voting. And the next round, if I make it that far :D

oyabun

Mon, 09-15-2008, 08:42 AM

Just submitted my entry! And yes this round is indeed interesting.. took me a while to have an idea.

Buffalobiian

Mon, 09-15-2008, 09:24 AM

Just submitted my entry! And yes this round is indeed interesting.. took me a while to have an idea.

Nice. Is the turnout looking good so far Xan&Assassin? Full participation is a must!

XanBcoo

Mon, 09-15-2008, 10:10 AM

We're just missing one person's submission, but he's completely reliable, so I'm not worried at all.

Looking good guys!

Ryllharu

Mon, 09-15-2008, 03:29 PM

Sorry about that. I didn't realize I was holding everyone up. I was torn between two images/ideas, and spent most of the last two days thinking about it.

Sent it in a second ago.

Jaitne

Mon, 09-15-2008, 04:01 PM

I don't think you're holding everyone up if we have until tomorrow to send them in.

XanBcoo

Mon, 09-15-2008, 04:44 PM

Yeah Ryllharu, don't worry about it. Polls aren't going up until tomorrow morning, so you were fine.

Having said that, I now have all the entries, making this the first round where all the participants have sent in their submissions. Good job guys.

Resubmissions are still ok if anyone changes their mind.

Jaitne

Mon, 09-15-2008, 07:26 PM

I can't find the camera to redo my submission :(

oyabun

Mon, 09-15-2008, 10:45 PM

What time will the poll be up? Its about 1140am in the morning here.. Although I live on southeast side..

XanBcoo

Mon, 09-15-2008, 10:47 PM

It's 10:45 Monday night for me. I'm giving anyone who wants to resubmit the night to get it done, then I'll put the polls up first thing when I wake up.

That is, if I don't oversleep. I do have classes in the morning.

In any case, the voting will last until Friday, so you'll have enough time to vote no matter when I put them up tomorrow.

Buffalobiian

Tue, 09-16-2008, 02:46 AM

What time will the poll be up? Its about 1140am in the morning here.. Although I live on southeast side..

Assassin's timezone is GMT-5. I think Xan's is in close proximity to that?(-6?)

Buffalobiian

Thu, 09-18-2008, 09:08 AM

When the comp's over, can the mods make either a table or a tree diagram of what every contestant submitted and how they advanced? I thought it would be a good way to summarise and round up the contest before we move onto the awards.

Jaitne

Thu, 09-18-2008, 01:20 PM

Can all my submissions be taken out of that then? >.>

XanBcoo

Sat, 09-20-2008, 01:22 PM

Dudes and Ladies, Round 3 was a roaring success!

It was the first round where all the participants got their entries in on time, and I personally liked every single photo. Looks like all those creative juices are coming out in these last rounds.

Here is a copy of the brackets from Round 3.

Bracket 1: Light
Psyke - Light-Kun (http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/9161/lightkunls5pr4.jpg)
Saman - Tricks of Light (http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/7463/tricksoflightnv6.jpg)
Jaitne - Light Pillows (http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/7449/dscn01686ps0.jpg)
Buffalobiian - Lights out (http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/2361/lightsoutiwilldoyoutonigr2.jpg)

Bracket 2: Dark
Bagandscalpel - In The Dark (http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/2915/inthedark1os4ee5.jpg)
oyabin - Dark Faith (http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f260/oyabin21/DarkFaith.jpg)
Ryllharu - The Sun Sets on Mr. Toad (http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/5058/sunsetonmrtoadhe4.jpg)
shinta|hikari - Dark Future (http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g310/shinta617/DarkFuture.jpg)

Thank you to Saman, Jaitne, oyabin, and Ryllharu. All of your entries in this competition have been really bad ass and I'm glad you all participated. Thanks for helping make this competition great.

With you four eliminated, that leaves us with only 4 participants left! It's time to enter the last round!

-------

ROUND 4 - FINAL ROUND

Here they are, the creme of the crop:
Psyke
Buffalobiian
Bagandscalpel
shinta|hikari

These four have proven themselves through 3 and a half rounds of voting, looked deep within their souls, and confronted eternity. They now find themselves on the precipice of victory. Just one more picture is to be taken.

I have just PM'd these 4 champions their final item. I think it's a tough one! Rules are of course the same.

Submissions are due Monday, September 29th.
Voting for the last round will take place during that week, ending on the following Friday.

Questions, etc go here.

shinta|hikari

Sat, 09-20-2008, 01:31 PM

The dark concept was really tough. And All the pictures were really good.

Ryllharu

Sat, 09-20-2008, 04:35 PM

I knew mine was a little weak, going for shock factor and only loosely tying to the theme. In retrospect, it did have a vague Naruto element, much like a photo from each of the previous rounds :)

In case you were wondering, I happened upon that scene a few months ago when I came home from work. I ran upstairs flat out to grab a camera. I've been saving it, and I have about 20 more photos of the snake eating it. Eventually, it retreated underneath the steps to finish it's meal. The toad had been living in flowerboxes near my front door.

That said, if I could have voted in my bracket, I would have voted for shinta's, "Dark Future." That one made me laugh the moment I saw it. Well done and much better deserved than I to continue on.

Buffalobiian

Sat, 09-20-2008, 08:30 PM

Alright, last round here we go!! Good luck everybody :D

Psyke

Sat, 09-27-2008, 10:07 AM

Just sent mine in! Really, its my first picture without an anime theme. :p

oyabun

Sun, 09-28-2008, 07:23 PM

Woot I'm excited to see your entries! Its already monday from where I am. Good luck everyone!

Buffalobiian

Sun, 09-28-2008, 11:25 PM

*sigh*....24hrs to go......this is cutting it close

XanBcoo

Tue, 09-30-2008, 12:46 AM

Where the fuck are your pictures? Jesus Christ guys.

Psyke is the only one to have turned his in.

Edit: Bagandscalpel just got his into me.

Buffalobiian and shinta, what the fuck? :(

Buffalobiian

Tue, 09-30-2008, 01:40 AM

Where the fuck are your pictures? Jesus Christ guys.

Psyke is the only one to have turned his in.

Edit: Bagandscalpel just got his into me.

Buffalobiian and shinta, what the fuck? :(

Sorry, submitting in like 10mins... I stand by my words that crap picture > no picture.

I was counting on making it before Xan puts it up in the morning.

XanBcoo

Tue, 09-30-2008, 01:54 AM

Don't worry about it. I was considering extending the deadline to this Friday anyway.

I've been pretty busy with my life lately, and I don't want to rush this or half-ass it. If you want a few extra days, it's cool.

Buffalobiian

Tue, 09-30-2008, 02:07 AM

I just submitted.

I'm not sure if I want an extension, since I don't personally think I can come up with something significantly better. Of course, there are all these awesome, albeit impractical ideas swimming in my head, but I've exhausted the ones I can perform I think.

More over, I feel it would be a bit unfair to Psyke and Bag, who submitted theirs on time, so I'll submit mine as is.

(my 2008th post goes to the Photography Contest Thread 2008 :))

shinta|hikari

Tue, 09-30-2008, 03:34 AM

Can we have an extension? Please make it Friday, Xan. It would really help out a lot. Been really busy as of late.

If Friday is too much, considering that everyone else has submitted except me (sorry about that), just one more day is fine, so tomorrow if possible.

XanBcoo

Tue, 09-30-2008, 02:37 PM

I'll put up the poll on Wednesday morning.

Resubmissions are fine with me.

Psyke

Tue, 09-30-2008, 09:45 PM

I'm fine with the extension, though I'm not going to resubmit. Good luck Shinta!

shinta|hikari

Tue, 09-30-2008, 10:58 PM

Already sent mine in. Sorry for the delay. Good luck to everyone!

Buffalobiian

Tue, 09-30-2008, 11:15 PM

I sound like the bad guy now :o

Oh well, all's well.

The one I handed in can be my final too.

XanBcoo

Wed, 10-01-2008, 04:57 PM

I have everyone's entries. Bagandscalpel mentioned wanting to resubmit, so I might give him until this evening to do so.

This week has been/still is extremely busy for me, so I'll put up the poll as soon as I get word from him. I want this last round to be the best, so I hope everyone's happy with their own submissions. I apologize for my busy-ness this week.

The poll will go up ASAP, and voting will last for one week.

Buffalobiian

Fri, 10-03-2008, 09:04 PM

Does Gotwoot have any staple competitions? I think the photo contest would be popular, and accessible enough to be held once every year. Or bi-yearly.

Bit more work on the mods I suppose :p

Archangel

Sat, 10-11-2008, 09:24 PM

So who won?

oyabun

Sat, 10-11-2008, 11:43 PM

Oh I know! But lets wait for the official announcement.

Assassin

Mon, 10-13-2008, 12:28 PM

Alrite ladies and gents. Sorry for the slight delay, we'll all been a little busy. But here we are at last, at the end of this contest.

Here are the final contestants and your winner:

Buffalobian - 40 seconds (http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/1875/40secondsmo4.jpg)
shinta|hikari - The Clock Struck First (http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/4774/theclockstruckfirstbn6.jpg)
Psyke - Counting Down (http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/7723/countingdowncr5.jpg)
Bagandscalpel - Time Waits for None (http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/33/timewaitsfornone2hs9.jpg)

Congratulations to shinta|hikari on winning the final round with his homicidal entry "The clock struck first". Shinta, as the winner you get to choose between the following prizes.

1) larger ava/sig size
2) custom title
3) animated ava/profile pic.

As for the runner-ups....you get zilch. You guys will have to be content with bragging rights for being the top four contestants in GW's first ever Photography contest.

I'd like to thank everyone who participated (mods and users alike) and put aside some time for this contest, we all appreciate your creative input and your often wacky ideas. A special thanx to Xan for helping to run this contest, without him we probably would've stopped after the first 2 weeks.

Some of you have suggested making this a annual, or bi-annual thing. Whether that will be the case is still up for discussion. Originally, that was my idea, but if this contest were to happen again, it would probably be on a smaller scale and with a shorter time period. Lets see how things progress.....if theres enough members who want another photo contest, i'd be willing to give it a shot.

As for whats next, well there are some other things in the works. Again, it all depends on user participation. I believe NM said he'd take charge of the next one, so annoy him until he caves. Once again, and ideas or suggestions can go to the proper thread in the Support forum (i think thats where it was). We look forward to seeing what you guys have to say.

Once again, congrats to shinta|hikari, and thank you all for being a part of this. Now GTFO of my thread >_>.

XanBcoo

Mon, 10-13-2008, 12:42 PM

Welp, despite a few members dropping out, I'm really happy this thing went off with very few hitches. I'd like to call it a success! I hope everyone who participated had fun with this thing. I'd also like to do this again in the future. Look forward to it.

Assassin already covered the formal stuff. Congratulations shinta|hikari. You are the 2008 Gotwoot Photography champ! I hope you enjoy your prize.

Psyke, Buffalobiian, Bagandscalpel: You all did really well. I had actually predicted one of the 3 of you winning, but it looks like shinta delivered a knockout punch in the last round. Congrats, all 4 of you!

I had no idea this community could be so creative. Thanks to everyone for playing.

For reference purposes, here is a recap of how the contest went, taken from my updates in this thread:
Round 1 (http://forums.gotwoot.net/showthread.php?p=394832&postcount=72)
Round 2 (http://forums.gotwoot.net/showthread.php?p=396357&postcount=123)
Wild Card Round (http://forums.gotwoot.net/showthread.php?p=397447&postcount=141)
Round 3 (http://forums.gotwoot.net/showthread.php?p=398853&postcount=170)
And Round 4 is listed in Assassin's post above mine.