We're pretty picky about the site banners, because they are so prominent on the site. They have to be really good. Make sure the focus is crisp and clear and the colors are vibrant. Be sure there are no distracting elements (we've had banners submitted where a trash can was visible in the background).
Regarding the inspiration photos,
@jon makes all of them and he picks which photos to use. He has been using the Landscape Photos extensively to find pictures to use, and that means Paul2032's photos gets used a lot. He'll soon start looking through the photo contest submissions to see about using some of those beautiful shots. So, I think we'll soon see more variety in the inspiration photos.
