first things first. i have no worldly idea what i'm doing. some of you have thought this. others have assured me they were certain of this. i concede. i'm clueless. for those there at the inception of the everyman, you know it began as a way for me to collect art to hang in my home. it was a brilliant notion and worked swimmingly with one exception; a winner had to be named. we've now done this twice and twice there have been all sorts of unhappy people at the conclusion. while i feel for you, i have polled enough parties to know, i can't help you here. no matter what photos are picked, no matter who judges or how many judges there are, there are going to be unsatiated souls at the end of the day. i've embraced this. should you be one of these ill-contented people, you should embrace this as well. and the guy who posted the boycott on the everyman should really embrace this. and believe me when i say i know how you feel because i feel the same way every time i watch america's funniest home videos and sit dumbfounded at the clips selected to move to the next round. it's shameful.

here's the deal. if you want to see a photo contest that puts your favorite photo in the number one slot, you need to first have a contest and secondly you need to be the only judge. i know this because my number one pick from this year's contest didn't even place in the top three. so there's that. but this is not to say that we can't make things better. i've already committed to doing it again and plan on getting the details of next (this) year's contest worked out while this one is still fresh in my mind. what i'd like to do is tell you what i'm thinking and i'd very much like to get opinions and suggestions on how you think it could yet be improved.

next year, i will introduce categories. they will be:
1. black and white
2. landscape/nature
3. people/portrait
4. travel/architecture
5. macro/abstract
this was a logical next step and this year certainly had enough quality-based diversity to fuel such a paradigm. i feel pretty good about this, but am willing to massage it should someone have a viable modification.

areas where i am still uncertain include:
Prizes:
i have decided to up the total pay outs to $500. assuming this, do i give the first place winner in each category $100 and nothing to 2nd and 3rd or do i break it down $50, $30, $20 respectively?

judging:
now recall my earlier note about the selection process. with this in mind, what do you think might be the most equitable approach.
1. a panel of judges
2. let the contributing artists judge
3. or, judge it all by my lonesome
(as for the let anyone and everyone judge, i'm not up to this task. the technology behind trying to keep a handle on that requires more effort and time than i'm able to commit, so it is not an option. i don't want people screaming ballot-stuffing on me. i ain't florida.)

beyond, that i'm reasonably open and welcome your suggestions/opinions. in case it needs to be said, i'm not making any promises to do what you forward. i'm just trying to get smarter about the process and would love feedback from the people who may have experience or insights into the matter.

and by the way, congratulations to this year's winners. and thank you (again) to all who participated. regardless of any coffee room mumblings out there, it was all good.