I'm excited about this. I think it's gonna be a ton of fun.
Couple of thoughts...
If I Ran the Circus:
I'd create a couple of auxiliary
exhibitions (threads) that ran in parallel with the photography contest but were just that - exhibitions - for
exceptional (read exhibition/contest-worthy) shots of plant-related things that were not part of the contest. The two categories would be:
1) Stuff that doesn't fall within the bounds of the contest - garden gnomes, grandkids and other gremlins, photobombing pets, wildlife, etc.
2) Stuff that's more than a year old. If this is going to be a rather annual thing, it makes more sense to me to adjudicate stuff that was shot within the "fiscal year" of that given contest. (If it's a one-off, this line of thinking doesn't apply.) -- for a lot of reasons (one of which is the front-loading of the innagural event...which could have unintended consequences for subsequent events). I suppose if this became a hard/loud point of contention one way or the other, I'd be inclined to enter the discussion on the pro-annual side.
I think the contest is a wonderful idea and I'm really looking forward to seeing everyones' best shots. (Not only do I love the art, but I learn so much looking at good work.)
That's my .02 on the thing. Nothing wrong with being inclusive (within the bounds of the original idea) and providing an outlet for other
exceptional (plant-related) art.
