Before the voting begins....

Will_Heath

I would like to say that we have some remarkable entries this year, the talent on this forum is incredible. I am proud to be a part of a forum that has so much talent.

Thank you all for entering, good luck to each of you, you all deserve praise and respect, it is not easy to showcase your talents but you showed that a first styling does not have to mean a bad styling.

Please be sure to read the rules carefully before you vote and pay attention to the first comment on each entry.

I will post here when the voting can begin.

Again, thanks for entering and good luck to all of you.


Will

Advertisement

pootsie

Oh, and a hearty "THANK YOU" to Will for his work in coordinating.
And of course to our esteemed Ringmaster, Matt.
And to those who donated prizes.
And to those who will vote.
And to the participants for participanting.
And so on ...

pootsie

__________________
p.s. My cat is a bonsaiTALK Master.
Columbus Bonsai Society

soonami

I wish I had known more about bonsai before I entered the contest because since I have entered this forum has taught me so much, so maybe I'll have a better showing in the next contest. Either way, I'm very appreciative of all the organizers and donators that contributed.

A lot of the trees look great and I'm excited to see who's responsible for which

Will_Heath

Although there is no way to prevent this, I would ask, for the sake of integrity, that the entrants in this contest refrain from telling anyone which bonsai is theirs.

It surely is far better to win when no one knows who styled the bonsai and the votes are cast solely on the design and not the person who designed.

Due to requests made during the last few contests, Matt has arranged a completely anonymous contest where the creators will not be known until after the voting and judging is done. This is a great thing and we need your help to keep it honest.

Also like Pootsie, I'd like to thank all those who donated prizes, those who solicited prize donations, and those who will vote on these excellent entries. This is certainly one of the best contests ever!


Will

pootsie

Let me also mention that I've heard several people mention in previous contests how much they appreciate constructive comments in the voting (as do I).

So voters don't hold back if you want to give a reason for your vote, or explain what would have led you to give a higher vote.

pootsie

__________________
p.s. My cat is a bonsaiTALK Master.
Columbus Bonsai Society

soonami

Of course I would want this contest to be as fair as usual, but with the roster of participants, I'd really like to know who made what (after the contest).

Also, is there a way to vote anonymously? I wouldn't want someone to hold it against them if I vote low or comment in a way that they do not like

Will_Heath

We are all big boys and girls, this is also an educational contest and like it or not, we all are at different levels.

The contests I have entered in the past were great learning experiences and both the high scores and low ones contributed to that.

I always look at all the trees and give the best a 10 and the worst a 1, then I base all my other scores on these two. But each has their own methods.

Does a 10 mean it is a world class tree? No, it means I think it was the best of all the entries in this contest. Does a 1 mean it is the worst bonsai I have ever seen? No, it means there were simply other entries that were better.


Offended? Why? This is not about the person, this is about the design, the styling, the bonsai.


Will

Ian_Homer

If I might be so bold as to say, that out of over 7000 members, that under 40 made the effort, it should mean that the minimum we should consider as a score should be a 4.

Look at your sliding scale when voting.... perhaps something along these lines might help.

4 = Average but you made the effort.
5 = Above Average
6 = Good
7 = Very Good
8 = Excellent
9 = Exceptional
10 = Masterpiece

To mark below that is in my book a little unfair.

At least if everyone is using some sort of "benchmark", the voting will certainly be representative of the quality, time and effort made in producing each submission.


Best Regards,
Ian.

__________________
help save The Vulcan...
Return to Flight

pootsie

Ian, I agree with your sentiment but find your system impractical. Sorry.

The constraints of the contest do not allow any entry to qualify as a masterpiece for one thing. That, coupled with the potential for less than average among the submissions, leaves a small range for judging.

I prefer the bell curve (having been subjected to its rigors in the dark and dreary past of law school hell). It's useful for comparing members of a set against each other without having to refer to outside measures.

The best of the bunch is a 10, the worst a 1, and the rest scored as compared to those. So, if all submissions are masterpieces, we can still pick among them. Ditto if they are all dogs (hypothetical example ONLY!)

And then ... Everyone who didn't enter gets a ZERO!

pootsie

__________________
p.s. My cat is a bonsaiTALK Master.
Columbus Bonsai Society