Replying to NS Photog contest(s). A way to improve your photography

Hi fellow photogs,

This is an idea I've been playing around in my head with for a while.
There's a great amount of talent on this site in many different subjects. One of them is photography. The 'Your best photography' threads is one of my favorites and I religiously check it out.
The amount of feedback threads and people looking for critiques and advise to help them improve their photography is great and from that it can only deduced that people are willing to get better at what they do.
One of the best ways to get better at photography - apart from shooting as much as you can - is showing off your work and getting feedback. I think it is about time we up the ante a little.

That's why I was thinking of organizing the NS photography contest; an event in which a certain number of photographers enter and showcase a single photo for an assignment.
I'm sure there's going to be enough animo for this, but we'll have to figure out together what we want the format to be. So please, feel free to suggest what you think would work.
I was thinking *something* along these lines:
- Up to 16 photogs max.
- Every contestant puts in 20-30$ (we'll have to decide on this) and let someone hold the money until everything's finished - maybe Bishop or someone else everybody trusts.
- The contest is not only about how good you are, it's also how about you improve: that's what this is all about. Not only does this help everyone who enters out, it also gives less-experienced photogs a shot at the prize money!
This is the reason everyone that enters should get familiar with all the other photogs work.
- Every week/10 days/two weeks there is an assignment - *NOT* a field of photography for which you put up an entry. I say this because not everyone has the chance to photograph an action shot or a landscape shot in equally beautiful or good places: where you live or what you do shouldn't form a limitation. Again, it's about having equal chances. That's why we should have themes people can interpret freely and be creative with
- I was thinking 6-8 different themes.

Prizes:
Let's say 16 people enter, everybody puts in 30$. That's 480$ right there. Quite a lot of money! I suggest we split it up in a couple prizes, three to be precise
Every theme will get voted on by the contestants. There would be two rules: you can't vote for yourself and you have to write a couple sentences why you chose your winners. Actively analyzing your picks is, I think, very important to getting a greater understanding and towards improving.
In the end it there will be three winners:
- One for the one that got the lowest number in the end. This number will consist of all the places you ranked for the different themes added up. This person will take like 200$ (?)
- The person that improved most overall. This is purely a comparison of the persons work before the contestant, his first entry or two and his (or her) last entries. It will - I hope - not be too hard to see improvement in a persons work, this person will take 200$
- There will be a voting in the end for the best 'overall' picture from *all* themes. The one with the most votes wins: remaining 80$.

Three different winners (no double winners).

In the end 13 people will end up losing 30$ (not too bad) and three others will get a nice chunk of prize money (always cool). Everybody learned a lot and that's what's most important I think.

Now, this is what *I* had in mind. Other people might approach this totally differently than I would and I'd love to hear about what you think about it and if you think something like this is a good idea.

Post up!