A few years ago I got asked to judge the photography competition at a local arts fair a few years back (I’d entered the year before for a giggle and got second place).
It’s actually quite a big event and as you were allowed I think three entries, there were hundreds to go through, as well as digital, and under 16’s. The standard was generally good, a lot of stuff from local camera clubs so lots of birds on sticks and those composites with a face in the foreground and something else in the background, etc. Being a contrarian - and not a camera club member or judge - I obviously picked something completely off the wall as the winner which didn’t go down that well at the opening of the show, but never mind eh?
The under 16’s was interesting. It was an open completion with no theme, but the quality was generally poor and the presentation, framing and mounting was even worse. I somehow picked a winner and didn’t bother with a second and third. It turned out that it was the local high schools GCSE photography class that had entered, and at the opening the teacher had a bit of a go asking why there was no second or third. I told her the standard of picture, printing and presentation was poor. She looked exasperated and said ‘but the assignment I’d set them to do in class was to do work that was distressed and using low quality or old materials!’ To which I replied ‘yeah but I didn’t know that’. The penny dropped with her and she walked off in a bit of a sulk.
I’ve not been asked back.