Good suggestions by Trena.
Clive please make sure Mike knows his request for a year off can only be granted if he promise to contribute to gallery as usual or more.
Also Clive, if you are only short of panel members, you may add me, however on the same line of Good suggestions by Trena, I have a few words to add:
How about letting the winner of POTW be the chooser of the next week's winner on a set day of week, say Friday so that more visibility for weekend visiting photographer (That are usually more). This obviously excludes him/herself and self voting. This can generate a circle of more widespread participation however I am sure this will add to your work, to contact many new members who have less clue about what is happening to show their participation or rest of us who forget. There can be a set days that if the new winner can't contribute to circle for any reason, the same last person/a substitute selection would set in to determine the next responsible person.
Well just a thought.
Also I definitely welcome the Trena's idea of "Picture of Month" or "Picture of Year" however I would like to see this is not ONLY picked from the pool of POTM but entire images of the month including the POTM, (More chance for others nice images that can not be chosen due to shortage of choice), then, Only by Moderator's choice and a short essay of Merits of the Picture, as Moderator sees, from a positive critical angle. Obviously this can be more frequent than once a month, form moderators side, as per their discretion and depending on quality within the pool of gallery.
Additionally to bring on more participations by all, specially those members who can come with good ideas, only if that can be followed in a way to increase traffic, how about a new tread to suggest games with pictures and a theme. I remember for eg Lesleyr's macro image from an onion cut, when she got here Sigma Macro lens and asked us as to what it was, or more recently by Rob in this one:
LINK only if these can be turned into a continuous type refreshing games.