Should we keep up the monthly photo Contests?

[Jens]

Hello everybody and a late Happy New Year to everyone.
JohnC and me were talking about this years Cactus Picture Contest and we are not sure if it should be kept the way it is or maybe run in a different way.
Since both of us are quite busy with our everyday work and didn´t always answer all the posts in this category we feel that attention and participation to/in the picture contest has been decreasing due to inactive moderartors.
Maybe it is not good to anounce the topics for all of the year in advance either?
We would be very happy if you would tell us what you think about this section of Cacti Guide.

John C and Jens

[cactushobbyman]

If not a contest, can post pictures of a monthly theme/topic. I enjoy seeing what other people are doing.

[Jens]

Like Picture theme of the month similar to Cactus of the Month? That is a good thought too.
But it might make it a little more random compared to other topics on the forum and compared to a contest with fixed setting.

[MJPapay]

The idea of sharing photos on a particular topic is a good one.

The fact that it wouldn't be a contest might elicit more people to respond.

[MJPapay]

From my greenhouse....

Mammillaria perbella and Echinocactus grusnoii.

[Harriet]

I like the theme idea. However, I believe we should limit the number of entries from each person, and still require contest-quality photos. At year end we could all vote on our top 5 or 10 favorites.

The reason I like the contest is to see the HIGH Quality pictures!!!

I have some suggestions for themes, which I hope will cover everyone's interests:

Cacti in bloom
Jungle cacti
Tall cacti and cacti with branches
Short cacti and cacti in mounds
Cacti in the landscape
Pride of the Greenhouse
Cacti seen while traveling
Fat Plants
Agave, Yucca and other "woody lillies"
Succulents
Succulents in bloom
Succulents in the landscape

[Robb]

instead of one contest per month, we could have one month for entries and one for voting.
I like the fact that if you win you get a prize, but instead of the corona cactus voucher the winner could get some cactus/succulent seed of their choice which could be supplied by anyone who happens to have that particular seed.

[MJPapay]

Presented for your consideration:

What if instead of a prize for every contest that at the end of the year the top 12 photos are selected, then these made into a calendar. Nurseries who donate to the calendar production could have their nursery name and website listed on the calendar, perhaps as a longer page that is always extended below the monthly displays?

The Grand-Prize Winner (#1 popular photo) would get a free calendar.

The other calendars for sale to any and all interested.

[Aiko]

I like the fact that if you win you get a prize, but instead of the corona cactus voucher the winner could get some cactus/succulent seed of their choice which could be supplied by anyone who happens to have that particular seed.

I like the idea about winning seed of your choice. But I think it would be a bit hard to find seeds of Phyllobolus pearsonii or Mitrophyllum mitratum out there, let alone even choicier species...

[Ivan C]

I like the idea about winning seed of your choice. But I think it would be a bit hard to find seeds of Phyllobolus pearsonii or Mitrophyllum mitratum out there, let alone even choicier species...

I too like the idea of seeds as a prize. It could then be sent outside the US. But is it fair to ask Darryl to supply the seeds? Or who would supply them?

[Robb]

I guess we could ask around after the person has chosen what seeds they want. It couldn't be too hard to find the seeds they chose.

[Harriet]

Seeds don't do a darn thing for me as I regularly kill seedlings; and, as it is, a $10 credit barely covers shipping. So the idea of a "prize" really doesn't do much for me. Basically just "winning" is a pretty good motivator as far as I am concerned, I like the idea of getting acknowledgement from fellow cactus and succulent lovers. (I've won the contest two or three times, and the best part really has been the good words and validation at the end of the vote.)

Whatever is decided, I do like the idea of voting on "top photos of the year", and I like the idea of a calendar even though it would probably be too expensive to have printed, and is certainly time sensitive and 'deadline intensive'. However, a year or two ago, Hob (or was it Ian?), posted a file that, when printed, was a pretty good calendar. Maybe we could do something along those lines (a downloadable file). Or, better yet, one of us could create a downloadable slide show/screen saver - the screen saver could consist of the winning pictures and credit for each photographer. If it is done well enough an annual screen saver might be a good thing to share with C&S (or other) garden clubs to promote our hobby and CactiGuide.

[cactushobbyman]

The cost of printing up a calendar starts at 18 dollars and the price goes down with bigger lots. You just have to download the files and pay. It took about a week for me to receive some magnets I had printed up. FYI

[bluetexasbonnie]

I am a new member, so i don't know any of the history of your photo contests, but I like the idea of them.

I have participated in contests on other sites, and agree with previous poster that the recognition is usually more meaningful than a physical or monetary prize.

[MJPapay]

It is okay not to have a calendar printed. A lot of bother and expense.

Instead, perhaps, the previous year's top 12 picks can be put on display in a link or post, with due credit to the photographer of each.

The offering of a monetary or seed prize to winners is absolutely un-neccesary.

Winning is honor enough. Besides, the diversity of cacti and succulents available as seed from different reputable sources is so incomprehensibly vast that it should be left up to the interested purchaser to track down the particular specimens desired. The cost of the seed is sufficiently minimal that it is no real burden to insist that people track down and purchase what they want.