Ian Warren wrote:Someones Teeing up for a win

Not me.
This is me trying to begin the process of the discussion to protest the increasingly encroaching rules in the screenshot competition. In the past, we only had two rules -- it had to be a screenshot from a flight simulator, and there was a size limit. There were two 'features' which added to the openness of the competition -- the theme was always open to interpretation, and those shots which broke the rules were still eligible for voting. Except those that were too big, and this was just because of the fact that wide images 'broke'the layout of the thread, which was confusing to some. There was always a minimum size listed, but this wasn't enforced.
I normally wouldn't vote for a small image, simply because the smaller they are, the less impact they have. Generally. Sometimes a tiny little masterpiece would stand out, but that's how it should work. After a while people might realise that larger shots get more votes. Personally, I don't know why everybody doesn't take advantage of the maximum allowable size, but each to his own. Similarly, if someone enters a facetious entry -- such as an annoying whale tail, to misrepresent the theme -- then it isn't going to get many, if any, votes, especially if it is quite ugly and lacks anything which makes a good screenshot. So the voters police the rules.
Of course those who regularly flaunted any rules or the theme would not do well, as some members would choose to disqualify these shots when they come to vote. But sometimes it would bring out a gem of imagination and artistic interpretation which would become forum legend. Ian's tea towel may or may not fall into this category, but at least he should have the right to enter it.
I admit that I generally just skim the rules, looking for the theme, so when I actually read through the rules this month -- and saw how they were being enforced -- it surprised me how easily our meager rights can be eroded over time. I'm well aware of the irony of talking about rights here on NZFF, as I've said before that our normal societal rights don't apply here at all. One person's right to free speech is another's personal attack, but that's not the rights I'm talking about here. It's those that don't negatively impact on anyone, or the impact is so minimal that it isn't worth making a rule to remove that right.
If I thought this was just my opinion, then I'd let it go, but from the number of people who have inadvertently or otherwise broken the rules this month (25%), I suspect that it might be an issue.
I'm aware that Doug does a great job with the comp, and I don't want to take anything away from him. If I'm being too harsh, let me know.