I too like this idea of judging system! Count me in!

as I am no longer completely ill (and living in a hole) I say yes to all aspects of this contest and shall start a picture to be dubbed 'entry' sometime this week!

This is all I'm going to say about the judging.
"Rob's running this ship, let him!"

I think a community artist is something even the nondrawing community members should be included someway and to cast their vote is a good one I think. It's part of the fun and draws attention to the pictures. Maybe it feels good for an artist to earn the favor of the community too. You can beat CM_Zero or whoever in a public vote too, you just gotta appeal to the community and I like to think higher of them as a pure herd voting for some kind of ingroup without a notion of quality.
I say trust your members! They are people like you!

The judging system is not bad either and a feedback to each piece is a great thing to have especially if it comes from someone who knows art. It might even help some of the participants to evolve as artists or boost their self esteem. Judges do use the same criteria for every too.
I however would not say that a judge based system is more fair especially if the categories are taste-based as well. Each and every person is biased and so are judges. It is a different process of finding the winner and one you can like more, it even might feel more fair. But as long as "Use of scenario" is judged it is based on the judges personal taste, a taste just as valuable as that of the masses, a bit more refined maybe, we would be able to judge that if the jury was known. Still it is a biased vote, seeming fairer because the bias is explained.

But why do we have to decide to only use one of it? Why not both? All the casting shows do it. There is a jury and people call in. We could do that too. Like 50/50 or 60/40 or something split of the judgement between panel and community. Maybe use public vote as a tiebreaker. Maybe hand out a "Community Award" and a "Jury Award"

It's a good theme. Broad enough for everyone to be satisfied. Slightly too broad, perhaps, for if the future can be a valid setting, it means the theme includes a lot of science-fiction (imagining what may exist in 1,000 years obviously lead to countless possibilities, including space travel, aliens, intelligent robots, enhanced humans and using giant worms to travel around on a sand planet).

Based on the description, I take it historical fantasy is not allowed... which is probably for the best, since it can end up fairly close to common fantasy.

It's almost impossible to prevent personal affinities from influencing voting. Panel voting and scores indeed seem to be the best solution.

Judging > "Democracy".

And no, I'm not saying this so I could "win" - I never could. It's just more fair for the less popular, but still good artists who just don't have that much of a following compared to, say, other artists. Plus, it's definitely better for feedback for the artist. Let's face it, 4 artists all getting 3 votes each doesn't tell em ANYTHING.

(half serious question)
Oh, on history: What kind of history, by the way? Certain groups of people are, commonly, believed to not have existed (example: Female pirates, or female blacksmiths), even though they're in the historical record (blacksmiths, for example, had about a 25% female quota in some periods and areas of medival europe). Do I want to add historical sources in such a case? XD Cause I'd have to look up english sources!!!

!!!That'd be scary, you know, so I ask right now! Besides, I'm not sure if footnotes work in artwork :D


Edit: And no, CM_Zero isn't overrated.

"Sigh!!!"

If I could draw I would do a caning pic of Marth Jones as a school chambermaid from the Dr. Who episode 'Human Nature'. Though it would not be the Doctor caning her. Probably that stuffy headmaster would be the caner.

@ Erebus
History is the past, so no future and no present (And no entries of someone getting spanked for failing their history test. Thats just weak). I didn't forbid time-travellers but I really, really don't recomend them. Future History is sci-fi (its classified as speculative fiction) and not appropriate.

@ Macha
I'm a liberal, so feel free to take broad-stroke liberties. No-ones going to complain. Alternate versions of real or likely events, alternate versions of historical context quite permitted. Alexander the Great can be drawn as Alexa the Wonderful just so long as she's surrounded by the Mesoptamian Phalanxes and in a desert somewhere. Setting might be more important than people~

Oh, okay. I thought future settings were allowed because of this :

But it's indeed for the best if artists limit themselves to the past. It certainly offers enough possibilities !

Oh shi--
My apologies, I've changed the OP post not to include that. Your right I did say the future and I don't know why as I intended this to be only in the past. Erk...

Futuristic spankings and cyber-punk will be theme sometime - but not this month~

It's a public contest with criticisms that should be made public. You addressed none of my points, and more over, you seem to be ignoring the fact that other people have won contests: Lolo_ASD, Cc, and others. "I like it" is not a valid counter-point against the fact that the previous method maintained admitted bias, albeit with a learned judge.

From this point in the conversation onward, I'll continue this in PM.