bonsaiTalk 2004 Styling Contest Rules

Will_Heath

With the last qualified entries trickling in, Phase II of the contest has nearly begun. 33 bonsaiTALK Artists who qualified by posting their raw material photos by October 10th are now hard at work completing their entries to meet the October 31st Deadline. Follow the action and the fantastic prizes, including a tool set, painting, pots, handbuilt stand and more!


CONTEST RULES

CONTEST SUMMARY:
The objective with this contest is to obtain nursery stock for $50.00 or under and style it into the best bonsai you can within the time frame. The stock must be purchased from a nursery but cannot have been worked in any way. It must indeed be raw material.


THE RULES

1. Material Selection

a. Obtain the best stock you can for US $50.00 or under from any nursery, box store, or the like. Beware of bonsai nurseries as most these trees have been worked.

b. NO COLLECTED MATERIAL - we want this to be mainly a styling contest!

c. No past material will be accepted so don’t go digging out those old pictures. Go out and select new stock.

d. One Entry per person.

2. The BEFORE photographs
Photos must be posted to the bonsaiTALK Forum as attachments to a message. Do not link to images on another server.

a. Provide a "Before" picture of the stock. The tree should also be in it's original nursery container and unstyled for bonsai. Previous work will disqualify the entry. We are using the honor system to assure that the price paid is $50.00 or below. Please save your reciept in case a question arises.

b. The "Before" Pictures deadline has been extended to midnight, Sunday October 10th, 2004 (all times Pacific) due requests related to catastrophic weather conditions in the southeast. You may submit sooner if you like. The submission of the before pictures will qualify you for the contest.

c. You must submit THREE (3) pictures of your stock selection. FRONT, BACK, AND TOP. Assuming you can't tell which side is the front yet, we'll accept your best guess.


d. Include the following information, if known:
· The tree
· species and common name
· Tree approximate age
· Purchase price
· Unstyled height


3. Work with your Tree!

The sooner you start, the more time you'll have to work.

4. Submit the FINISHED photograph

a. No bonsai is truly finished, unless it's dead, but for the purposes of this contest you need to enter a FINISHED photo so we know how you've developed your material.

b. The "Finished" picture shall be submitted by midnight, October 31, 2004. (ALL TIMES PACIFIC) This will give everyone ample time to complete there entry.

c. The first "finished" picture you post will be your official entry. Once again, no exceptions here. If you are not finished with your tree by the time it is time to get it in under the deadline, then send it in unfinished, otherwise you are out of the running. We can accept only one Finished View. Alternate views will be rejected, so decide on your best front.

d. Let us know the finish height.

5. JUDGING

a. Tree will be judged in nursery container or a bonsai pot if repotted. The tree is being judged, not the container. No Virtuals of pot or tree! Any touchups on the finished picture will disqualify it.

b. Popular vote to determine first five places. Popular vote will run from November 1 through November 7th. Please vote as soon as possible so we can get a fair vote. Vote only once. There will be no exceptions to the ending date this time. Popular vote closes November 7th.

c. Walter Pall to pick winners. I have not talked with Walter about this, but I hope he will graciously accept this challenge. It will be a good one. Walter will pick the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd from the five finalists. Matt will post the five finalists for Walter to choose from, and the winners should be posted by November 14 or sooner. In the event that Walter is unable to do this due to previous engagements or commitments, Matt will choose the final three. I feel he is more than qualified to do this.

6. PRIZES:

EDIT- There is an updated list of cool prizes in this thread

a. I will make three contributions to BonsaiTalk in the first, second, and third place winners names. $20.00 $15.00 and $10.00 respectfully.

b. Other prizes will be announced as I compile a list of donations from members. (please pm me)

c. If by some odd twist of fate I win any place, I will request that my contribution prizes be passed down the line and that a forth place winner also be selected to receive the extra contribution in his/her name. (Fair?)


Post any questions you have right here. Click NEW THREAD
(above right) to place your entry, beginning with the Raw stock.

Special thanks once again to BonsaiAl who did all this work before and left a well blazed trail to follow.

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Will_Heath

Hmmm, I would have expected about a zillion questions......

Adam_MA

Ok here goes... Typically at my local bonsai shop they don't have any "tags" on the trees. The nursery stock doesn't even have anything in the pots about the tree either, they just sit in sections with signs stating what it is and how much..
How would I proceed with using any of this inexpensive untrained nursery stock?

Thanks
Adam

TreeBay

I PM'd Will on this subject. I don't usually see such tags at the nurseries I frequent. I have suggested the honor system should be adequate, but this is Will's baby and he will be the authority on this one.

Regards,

Matt

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Will_Heath

By general consensus, the honor system it is then.

I have updated the rules to reflect this and I suggest that you save your receipt in the unlikely case that your honor is called into question.

We would appreciate any prize donations and/or suggestions. Feel free to pm me at anytime.

Adam_MA

Will,
That sounds fair. Thank you for the clarification.

Adam

TpaBayFlyFisher

This contest is a great idea and I will see if I can get in despite the hurricanes here in Florida. Has anyone thought about holding auctions for the "winners" with any amount over the purchase price being donated to increasing the site's bandwidth?

Attila

It goes without saying that the windswept style would be the most appropriate

(sorry, I am really bad)

Adam_MA

I think that would be a great idea!

Adam