Lousy Competition Handling For Singapore Youth Commonwealth Photo Competition

[germ_boi]

Originally Posted by ipsum34 http://www.commonwealthphotos.org/about.aspx British High Commission, Singapore, has launched the Singapore Youth Commonwealth Photo Competition to find the best images taken with a digital camera or mobile phone(MMS). The photos should express and interpret the Commonwealth themes of Health & Vitality - The Commonwealth Challenge with special emphasis on youth, sport, environment, science & innovation. The competition is open to anyone aged 15 - 30. The photos will be judged by well-known photographer, Russel Wong; Deputy Editor of The Straits Times, Felix Soh; and Minister of National Development, Mr Mah Bow Tan. The deadline for entries is midnight on 26 February 2006. The winners will be announced on 13 March 2006, Commonwealth Day and will be notified by email and/or phone beforehand. Winning entries will be exhibited at the Singapore National Library, and will also be displayed at the Royal Commonwealth Society Headquaters in London. Please retain the original image file to enable good quality printing. :: Digital Photo Category Prizes FIRST PRIZE • 1 pair of air tickets to London, courtesy of British Airways, PLUS 4 nights accommodation for two (twin sharing) and 2 complimentary British Heritage passes to London's most famous attractions, courtesy of VisitBritain. • 1 Canon 8 Mega Pixel 18-55cm lens SLR - EOS 350D (Best selling SLR in Singapore), courtesy of Courts SECOND PRIZE • O2 XDA Atom, courtesy of O2 THIRD PRIZE • 1 Casio 5 mega Pixel Digital Still Camera: (3x Optical & 4x digital zoom), courtesy of Courts :: MMS Photo Category Prizes FIRST PRIZE • 1 pair of air tickets to London, courtesy of British Airways, PLUS 4 nights accommodation for two (twin sharing) and 2 complimentary British Heritage passes to London's most famous attractions, courtesy of VisitBritain. • 1 Sony Ericsson W900i, courtesy of M1 SECOND PRIZE • O2 XDA Atom, courtesy of O2 THIRD PRIZE • Nokia N90, courtesy of M1

from http://forums.clubsnap.org/newreply....eply&p=1874118

As you can see from the above post, this competition started off with 2 categories, digital camera photographs and handphone photographs. This competition was kicked off with 2 sportspeople taking MMS photos of themselves at a carnival with the event organizers encouraging everyone there to submit their very own HANDPHONE shots in hopes of winning a prize in the MMS category, or digital camera shots.

So everyone there, including me, started sending our own hp shots to them.

Then days before the closing date they combined the prizes on the website only, while their galleries still posted up-to-date photos of the latest submissions of camera and hp shots, leading many to think they still accepted MMS and Camera shots as two separate categories.

Then come today, on their website 'Winners' tab it is shown that there will be 2 First prizes, 2 Second prizes etc and none whatsoever mention or explanation of the removal of the previous categories.

In my humble opinion this is really unfair to entrants who had submitted for the MMS section as NONE of the Winners is submitted by handphone shots. If there is a mixture, it is still acceptable, but none?

And yes, pardon my bitching, as I am really upset over the hushhush manner they removed the categories without informing in the newspapers at all unlike what they had done when the competiton was started (pg3 on straits times).

should I write in to the straits times forum especially since The Straits Times is a media partner?

[redstone]

YES

[germ_boi]

thanks redstone, that is tantamount to a breach of trust i would say, have written a letter to ST already. so angry

[eyes]

Don't worry. You're not the only one pisssed. Someone wrote to us to ask us publish it. The best written one goes like this:

Descrepancies: S'pore Youth Commonwealth Photo Competition

To Whom It May Concern

I refer to the above mentioned competition that was organised in kind.

I have been observing the posted gallery and the final 50 entries for the competion and wish to blow the whistle regarding ethics in fair competiton and its credibility.
First of all, a great number of entries has been disqualified unfairly due to the rules stipulated by the uploading site.
In the "Terms & Conditions" page, it is said that online submission of the photos should be "less than 500kb" (http://www.commonwealthphotos.org/tc.html) whereas the uploading page says, "Minimum file size of the digital photograph should be 500KB (not exceeding 3MB)" - http://www.commonwealthphotos.org/upload.aspx

This leads to double standards and easy disqualification of many relevant and beautiful photos submitted by the public depending on what is the final "terms" by the people handling the photos.

Secondly, the relavence to this year's theme on the choice "Top 50" photos are on extreme ends. It's either they are totally related or otherwise;making it all too easy to spot which photos will win. The choice of photos seems to suggest that only 4 at most of the Top 50 photos will win the competition. The reason seems suggestive, only 4 of the photos are relavent whereas the entire rest of the Top 50 photos are of non-relavence.
This somehoe suggest that the competion is been "fixed".

Look at the following examples, how are they related to this year's theme:
a) Sharp siloutte of man fishing while some blured figures ran by: http://www.commonwealthphotos.org/Administration/Photos/Web/W1102.jpg
b) Man doing and flippie at the beach talking about water issues: http://www.commonwealthphotos.org/Administration/Photos/Web/W2982.jpg
c) A teen doing a kicking pose: http://www.commonwealthphotos.org/Administration/Photos/Web/W2749.jpg
d) Butts Shot of girls in bikini: http://www.commonwealthphotos.org/Administration/Photos/Web/W1524.jpg

Furthermore, we have not touched on the issues of poorly cropped photo and poorly exposed quality of the majority "Top 50 Photos". It is not difficult to find better quality and more related photos in those that did not made it to the "Top 50".

Thirdly, I used to see lots of photos related to science and innovation but never made it to the "Top 50". So has the this year's theme been realigned?

It does not paint a pure and free spirited faith of Commonwealth Youths.

I sincerely hope you would help me to voice this issue for the sake of justice.

Thank you for your time.

[germ_boi]

hi eyes,

you are from? how come got people email you to ask you to publish?

haha.

Hopefully my letter gets published in ST Forum. damn pissed

[medallion]

None from the MMS photo gallery...

[redstone]

AND this is supposed to be organised by the Commonwealth Society, with the HRM the Queen as judge?

[medallion]

Originally Posted by redstone AND this is supposed to be organised by the Commonwealth Society, with the HRM the Queen as judge?

No...the queen aint the judge. The queen is coming here for a state visit this month.

I only know one of the judges (IIRC) is Minister Mah Bow Tan.

[germ_boi]

russell wong, the head of SPH, and the minister.

for such high profile people, the top50 is certainly of a low standard, yes.

and such descrepancies in judging and handling, I wonder if this will be another fiasco.

[eyes]

I'm from a local magazine publisher. Not related to SPH group of companies. Anyway, the local judge is Russell, an editor from ST itself. You think they would want to slap themselves by publishing your letter?

Write to NYAC. Call them also. Write to Commonwealth HQ. Singaporeans really seem tame. Back in the States, if anyone for any reason shortchanges, it's a big issue.

Anyway, if you really wanna join fair competitions, look at the panel of judges- that applies to everthing else in life- incl. work.

Originally Posted by germ_boi hi eyes, you are from? how come got people email you to ask you to publish? haha. Hopefully my letter gets published in ST Forum. damn pissed

[redstone]

Originally Posted by medallion No...the queen aint the judge. The queen is coming here for a state visit this month. I only know one of the judges (IIRC) is Minister Mah Bow Tan.

Opps... sorry...

[germ_boi]

sorry, but NYAC is?

thanks for your suggestion, doing that now

[eyes]

Originally Posted by germ_boi sorry, but NYAC is? thanks for your suggestion, doing that now

Sorry for the bad english, haven't slept for the last 28hrs, it's National Youth Achievement Award
Singapore http://www.nyaa.org/

[germ_boi]

Alright eyes, you have been very helpful!

Written to Commonwealth already, with a postscript to this thread and your post.

Go sleep now lest the eye bags cover your eyes! haha

so how have others been affected? please post your views here!

[enghong17]

Quote: :: OTHER TERMS & CONDITIONS 1. By participating in the Singapore Youth Commonwealth Photo Competition , the Participant is agreeing to be, and shall be, bound by these terms and conditions and all amendments, additions, replacements and modifications hereto as may be made from time to time by the organisers. For the purposes of these Terms and Conditions, “Participant” means a person who participates in the Photo Contest by completing and submitting an entry for the Photo Contest either via MMS or online.

Basically we signed off our rights when we entered the competition cos they have a clause which allows them to alter the R&R anytime they like.

However i must agree that finding that i can submit more than one pic later on in the competition may have dis-advantaged those who submitted early and did not check back to see that they can submit more pictures. Also pity those who spent $$ to send MMS and later find that they have to compete with higher resolution cameras.

[germ_boi]

But nonetheless, it is their moral responsibility to AT LEAST write a notice on their site stating CLEARLY that the two categories have been merged.

Yes, it's kinda sad, I submitted a lot of MMS.

[jsbn]

Originally Posted by enghong17 Basically we signed off our rights when we entered the competition cos they have a clause which allows them to alter the R&R anytime they like. However i must agree that finding that i can submit more than one pic later on in the competition may have dis-advantaged those who submitted early and did not check back to see that they can submit more pictures. Also pity those who spent $$ to send MMS and later find that they have to compete with higher resolution cameras.

Well, that's it with the world.

U want ur fame or a prize for a competition so badly that u can taste it? Yes. But its like selling ur soul to the devil where he calls the shots. Happy-happy change. Not happy dun change.

For me, well, I juz join. Win good. Never win means I still no good. Better luck next time.

[kijer]

wnat to join den join. join n when r&r change cry for wat? wanting pity? hah

[yanyewkay]

Originally Posted by kijer wnat to join den join. join n when r&r change cry for wat? wanting pity? hah

does that mean that if you have already paid $3 for your chicken rice and the stall owner says "sorry, today left only chicken head and neck and only half cooked. Here you go." and the signboard in front of the stall says
"Food sold are non-refundable or exchangable.
Stall owner has rights to change contents withour prior notice."

It's not about begging for sympathy. It's about being responsible. It seems that the R&R change only on the last day of competition when the prizes are announced. I don't think this is right and responsible and they own the rights to use the images submitted. What if they amend the prizes such that there are no prizes given at all but the organisers still own the rights to the images? FREE AWARD WINNING PHOTOS?!

I can empathise with germ_boi as he has sent many MMS, taken much time to find a good shot as well.

I guess the school holidays are here and the school kids are free to troll on forums again.

[Lenscapes]

Originally Posted by yanyewkay I guess the school holidays are here and the school kids are free to troll on forums again.

yep i think 1 week is too short for them to go anywhere, hence....