[postcardcv]

I have set up this thread to move the general discussion about POTW away from this weeks winner.

I have to say that I can see both sides of the argument here. There is no doubt that the same people do crop up often on here and perhaps unsurprisingly they are the people whose photos also get lots of views and comments in the gallery. Part of this is down to the quality of the photos but also being a popular member definitely plays a part as people naturally look first at the photos taken by people that they know. While the POTW rarely a choice I would agree with I know this is normally down to personal choice and I would agree that they chosen photos is still a good choice. However we have had some where the decision has been hard to understand and at least one that was clearly chosen due to the poster rather than the photo (this was even stated in the thread). I have also seems some truly stunning photos in the gallery that seem to have totally missed the eye of that weeks selector.

The simple fact is that there is no easy way to choose the POTW. When it was the mods we would quickly get told if we picked the 'wrong' photo, or get messaged if we were late posting a choice. We did try to make sure there was some variety in terms of the winning photographer and also the winning style but with no hard and fast rules. If someone posted a photos that was head and shoulders above the rest it would win even if that poster had won the week before. It is inevitable that the person selecting will be drawn to styles of photo that they like so will make similar selections when it is there turn to choose. While one judge might choose a landscape most times another will have preference for portraits, abstract or wildlife. I think that the judging panel is the best format for this as it does bring some variety to the selection but how ever POTW is chosen you will never make everyone happy.

I do not think it would be wise to impose rules on winning one week making that person ineligible for a set period of time as the best photos deserve to win. However I would encourage those judging to take a close look at some of the less commented on photos each week as sometimes there are some hidden gems (I am sure most if not all already do this). I would also like to say thank you to the panel as I know it can be a tricky process.