A Decision, an Apology and a Promise......

I have come to a very difficult decision.

 

And I have three reasons for that decision.

 

So as not to cause drama, I will get right to it.

 

 

I have decided to discontinue my monthly

FREE PHOTO CONTEST

for now and during 2013 as well.

 

 

It was like my child.

 

But like any family, I had to review how things were going.

 

 

Here are my three reasons:

 

1. Entries have dropped off significantly. Not that the ones entered aren't spectacular. But I need at LEAST ten or more photos each month for the contest to have any meaning. The winners should feel good about winning against several competitors, not just two or three others. I realize a lot of the drop off in entries is because I am not blogging as often (which I hope to improve over this coming winter months, thus the word PROMISE in the title of this post).

 

2. I'd  like to give the winners something of value. I loved having widgets made where the winners could post their winning widget on their blogs for forever bragging rights. Try as I might, I could not find another widget maker for me. If you all know of someone who can do this at a reasonable rate, please send me a message? Because I still hope to do this contest again beginning in 2014, if I can find another designer.

 

 

3. My Judges got worn out. I believe I will need to recruit three SAME permanent Judges, ones that know photography and are willing to Judge the contest every month. I think I can ask someone in my photography club to do this for me, but I need to make sure when I reinstitute the contest that #1 and #2 (above) are in place first. I think that having knowledgeable photographers that are consistent and can give professional reasons why they picked the winners they do will help us amateur photographers improve as we see why each winning photo was chosen.

 

 

***************************************************************************

That being explained, I want to thank each and every one of you that submitted photos into my photography contest faithfully all these months from the bottom of my heart.

 

You have such talent. And? I loved getting your email entries...they made my day as they were entered!

 

 

*******************************************************************

 

Since I did get some entries for the last month's theme of :

"something round",

and we won't be picking a "winner"....

I still want to share them with you as I think they are wonderfully creative and they ALL deserve to win.
 

Thanks to everyone who did enter this one, and I know my readers will love looking at them as much as I did!!

This one was from Margaret Gosden. Her blog is called: "Margaret Gosden 2".

This one is from LindyLouMac. Her blog is called: "News from Italy".
 

 

 

 

 

This is from Arti S. Her blog is called: "My Yatra Diary".

This is from CrazyCris. Her blogs are called: "Here, There and Everywhere" and "Cris Crossing the Globe".


***********************************************************
Weren't they wonderful??????????????!!!!!

I am going to miss this monthly contest...but if all goes right,
LOOK for it to RETURN in 2014
along with new, consistent Judges
AND
widgets for your blog if you win!

Thanks everyone for your understanding of this decision,
and most of all, thanks to each and every one of you that entered photos over the past!!