Hi Adam,
Thanks for your question.
Purchasing a number of pieces of stock, photographing and working them, then choosing a submission from among them would be acceptable under the contest rules, provided that the "Before" photos meet the deadline and specifications and only one entry is submitted.
This interpretation is based on Rule 2F, which identifies that having photos approved prior to styling is a recommendation, not a requirement.
Quote:
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F: Your before photos and entry will be approved by Will or Matt within 48 hours. You might want to wait for approval in case there is a problem with the entry or photos.
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(I added emphasis in bold)
This is another point we might choose to revisit in future contests, but as it stands there is nothing specifically prohibiting it. From a practical standpoint the judge(s) would have no way of knowing, based on some before pictures, if the tree had already been styled subsequently, unless they were told.
Regards,
Matt