Open Category 2019

Thanks to everyone that submitted photos. Entries are closed and voting is open until 15 Feb.

In order to vote click on this link . This gives you the category overview. Click on the first image, give it a rating, then click on "Next" to get to the following image, which you can then also rate, and so on.

In the screen-shot below you can see that you give the rating near the bottom of the page. If you move your mouse pointer over the stars you can give it a rating by clicking on one of the stars(1 star being the lowest rating, 5 stars being the highest). The actual rating result of the image is viewed near the top. If you move your mouse pointer over those stars you will see the exact score and how many times the image was rated.

Remember: the rating result is weighted (it takes into account the number of ratings as well as the average).  Please give each image a rating, not just your favourite one.





The prize for this category is a copy of Spirit Of The Drakensberg, which was kindly sponsored by the author, Richard Hunt.

 

ABOUT THE BOOK
The Spirit of the Drakensberg takes the reader on an evocative journey through the mountains. The twelve chapters are based on the demarcated Ezimvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife areas– a unique approach that informs the reader of the highlights and dramatic scenery waiting to be discovered in each particular section of the Berg.  It took Richard Hunt six years to capture these Mountains in their changing moods and seasons; enticing one to take to the footpaths, if only from an armchair perspective,  to enjoy the spectacular beauty that unfolds, page by page. The photographs are contextualised by succinct captions, allowing one to share Richard Hunt’s passion for this ancient mountain range, and recognising its deep spirituality and endless lure.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
KwaZulu-Natal born and bred, Richard Hunt grew up in Mooi River. With the mighty Drakensberg Mountains constantly in sight, his visual sense was honed by their shape, form and endlessly changing beauty. Richard Hunt has a farming background, which connects him in many ways to the earth and fuels his deep love for nature conservation. Wilderness areas have always called him but he only discovered phtography in his later years, capturing magnificent landscape images during his monthly forays into the mountains. His vast collection of quality photographs depicting the entire Drakensberg range provides an unprecedented overview of the region.

Giving this category a bump for some more voting. Click on this link to proceed.

And the results as of now, are....

Evening Close by Sterkhorn 3.38 (4 votes)

Catch The Sun by Sterkhorn 3.38 (4 votes)

Hope For Mordor by GetaPix 3.91 (7 votes)

Are We There Yet by elinda 3.32 (6 votes)

Homeward Bound by elinda 3.82 (6 votes)

Lesotho's Cave by ghaznavid 3.49 (6 votes)

The Divide by intrepid 3.74 (6 votes)

The Enchanted Land by intrepid 3.91 (7 votes)

Sunrise from Ifidi Cave by Jax 3.68 (7 votes)

And so we have a tie ! We will consider a special vote to break the tie. I will consult with the moderators and revert back.

We have decided to award the prize to GetaPix for "Hope For Mordor". The tie was between his entry and my own and since I'm the site admin, it seemed  the easiest and most appropriate way to break the tie was to award the prize to him. And it's a fine shot indeed, well done!

Thanks for your thoughts GetaPix.

The gallery software is set to calculate weighted ratings according to Baye’s theorem, rather than a purely arithmetic average, which means the total number of votes for all images in the entire gallery on the site (not just the applicable album) is taken into consideration in the calculation. This means, for example, that less votes for an image will be assumed to be less credible than if it had more votes. So each rating as well as the number of ratings for an image is important. This helps prevent a situation where an image can get a top rating by just one or two votes.

I don't recall that we have ever had a tie before, and certainly not one in a category where a real prize was at stake. The rationale behind awarding the prize to you had mostly to do with the fact that I am site admin and that I could easily change the data behind the scenes. Doing it this way means there can be no doubts. Had the tie been between anyone else we would have handled it differently.

I agree that the participation as far as entries was concerned was great, whereas the participation in the voting should ideally have been higher. With each year that we run Essence Of The Dragon, I do try and make adjustments to make the process better, easier and to keep it interesting and fun. Some ideas which I have already been considering for this year is a panel-of-judges based voting for the annual categories, and maybe experiment with some sort of social media based like-ing/voting for the biannual categories.

In 10 years of running Essence Of The Dragon, I think we have had about 5 rounds which had a real prize up for grabs. From what I've seen, the participation in each round does not seem dependant on whether or not there is a prize, which is contrary to expectation. What does make a difference is the theme. I agree that the primary goal is to promote enjoyment and appreciation of the Berg, as the mission statement goes:

Essence Of The Dragon is a photo competition hosted by Vertical Endeavour featuring images of the Maloti-Drakensberg Mountains - showcasing their splendour & unique character, towards better  recognition of their worth & enhanced enjoyment of those who explore them.

I am always keen on ideas, comments and critique, so let me have these. I can also be reached on PM for those who don't want to address these publicly.