The Monthly 8x10 print competition is being revamped to make it both more fair and more useful.

The major change is how we're going to vote for the winning print. At our next meeting you'll see a small bowl in front of each print, and a large bowl of poker chips.

Each voter can take a specified number of chips (usually 5-7, but it depends on the number of prints), and can "spend" them anywhere he or she wants. For example, if you feel strongly that one particular print is a hands-down killer, you might want to put all five chips in its bowl. But if you think it's really good, but some different print deserves a vote, you might decide to spend 4 on your "killer print" and 1 on your runner-up.

What this does is to establish more of a consensus of the group as to which print is really best. And it gives "minority" prints a chance to be given their fair value.

The next change is how we're going to handle discussion. The print competition will be given a 10-minute slot at each meeting. In addition to announcing the winners, we will actively solicit comments about each print. The idea is to focus on the 12 elements of a merit print, and to look at each print in terms of how it expresses some element or elements.

We want everybody to participate in the discussion, and it's up the the Board member administering the competition to keep discussion focused and moving along.

Finally, the winners of the monthly print competition will be awarded points which will count towards "photographer of the year" honors.

This is a new way of handling the print competition, and there may be some bugs to work out, but we're excited about making the competition more meaningful for all members.

Eric Hatch