I have a general rule never to enter any photo contest that is not decided by actual judges. I have been burned many times on the "popularity contest" setups, where one family with a thousand bored relatives swamps the vote for their latest drooling offspring, carrying the whole thing away. I find it very frustrating that no matter how many awesome photos are in there, an unfocused snapshot of a baby (often with camera date stamp prominent in the corner) will always win.
So pervasive is this trend that it even crosses genres. I once entered a BEST LANDSCAPE contest online and, amid all the gorgeous natural shots that would make Ansel green with envy, guess who won? Yup, blurry, timestamped baby.
I have more luck in properly judged arrangements. I have won second place in the Detroit Zoo themed contest twice, and they printed my pictures in the zoo magazine...a very high honor for someone like me.
On the other hand, if I ever feel like I need to be humbled, I'll just remember that no matter how good I get, I can't come close to competing with blurry baby.
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