It
will run monthly (submitted from the 23rd,
for 7 days) for 10 rounds from May to February, and the
idea will be that each month you will photograph
a bench and submit the pictures. The bench must be one
that has not featured before, either in one of your entries,
or anyone else's.
The bench images must have been acquired in the time
since the beginning of the previous FirstBench week.
Each
member is allowed two 'wild card' entries during the FirstBench
season. These benches can be from the previous 12 months
prior to the current round. The member must declare that
he/she is playing a 'wild card' by including the wild card
image (right) with the entry, and state when the bench
was photographed.
You must submit two
photos ONLY -
one of the bench, plus one of the view from
it. If possible, this photo should
be taken from behind the bench, so
that it is included in the shot. If
it is clear from the photo of the
bench that getting behind it is not an option, then
a shot of the view without the bench will be acceptable.
Members are encouraged to use the Benchism
Gallery to
host their competition images (as well as ad hoc bench
images). Access to the gallery is granted to ALL forum
members.
There will be a
ratings/voting system in place, so that you will accumulate
points for the benches you find. Points will be awarded
for the aesthetic and structural qualities of the bench,
and for location and proliferation (or lack of).
Participants will
rate each other's entries during Bench
Week of the following
month. There will be no single judge or centrally
imposed scheme for what is good or bad. It will thus be
a competition of sorts, and at the end of its twelve month
run there will be a winner.
The prize for the
winner will be a unique FirstBench certificate and plaque.
The winner
will be known as the 'Benchist of the Year' (BotY). The winner
will also be bestowed the title Master
of the Bench.
The winners will
have the exclusive right to use the initials
BotY after their username on the forums, both here and
elsewhere for a period not exceeding 12 months.
Any entrant found
to have cheated - perhaps by submitting photos of benches
found outside the required time period, or by using a view
photo that doesn't come from the specified bench, will
be excluded from the following month's round and made to
sit on the naughty bench.
BotY winners who
are found to have cheated will be stripped of the title,
asked to return any awards & trinkets, publicly flogged
over a bench, and issued with an Arse
Spank Benching Order.
These rules are subject to; personal interpretation,
abuse, change without notice, and any mention of prizes
overlooked.
