Judging

Pennagalan Dreams

Kropserkel.com

Shorty USA

Mile High Comics

Adventure Supply

East Coast Whips

Comic Images

Valentine for Hire

Greater Apes

GoneABitLara

OPEN NOW!

If you have additional questions, please send me an e-mail, thank you

Zen Dragon

PLEASE VOTE FOR US!

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Judging Criteria

Below is the basic judging criteria that the judges and contestants will use to judge all photo submissions. While the criteria lends itself to a point system, due to the fact that there are a high number of photos to be judged, please use the criteria as guideline to determine first, second and third place winners.

THE BASICS

Contestants are not allowed to vote for themselves

A first place vote is worth 5 points. Second place vote gets 3 points and
third gets 1 point. So, total score for a given person is the total of
1st+2nd+3rd place votes.

Example: If a contestant gets 8 first place votes, 4 second place votes and 2 third place
votes, her score would be 40+12+2=54 points.

If the vote is close...let's say one contestant's total is within one or two
points of another, we would probably have a runoff so it can't be said, "I might
have won if I could have voted for myself.) In addition, to keep the contest fair, I will be reviewing the votes and may send the judge(s) an e-mail if I have questions about their voting.

The judging criteria is based on the framework of Chuck Brite and special thanks go out to Chuck for providing this information.

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The following document is fairly complex, but it is an attempt to define all of the things which are important in a good Lara Croft picture. What's listed here may give you some things to think about as you view each contestant's pictures and it can help you select which entry is best among several good ones, especially if you're having trouble deciding.

Look through the contest entries and select several contestants you like best in each category. Then use the information below to help you decide which is your favorite. At the bottom of this page there is a link to a worksheet to help you record your scores. Remember, contestants may not vote for themselves.

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Lara and 16 and Under
As stated in the contest rules, the winning entries for Lara and 16 and Under will be those women "…who best convey the Spirit of Adventure demonstrated by Lara in all the Tomb Raider games." Accordingly, a large portion each contestant's score is based on how well they can convince us that they represent Lara Croft as the tomb-raiding adventurer we know and love so well.

Other things are important, too.

A costume that closely resembles what Lara wears in the game or the movie.

A realistic Tomb Raider-like setting for the picture (although a solid background for the non-Location categories is acceptable)

A clear, sharp, colorful picture.

Here is the breakdown:

Technical Score: 50 to 70 points maximum depending on category

Clothing: How well does the contestant's outfit match the game or the movie? (This of course does not apply to the "Alternate" category. For this, use the criteria of "this is something Lara might wear")

Weapon(s): Does the contestant have realistic-looking weapons and Lara's signature gun belt? (while someone who has a perfect gun belt should get max points, please remember to take into account that there are variations of this gun belt, not only in games but in the comics)

Setting: Is the picture taken in a a realistic Tomb Raider-like setting? Or if a modeling picture, is the background plain or does it add something to the picture?

Technical quality of the image: Is the picture clear and sharp, with good colors?

The Spirit of Adventure: 60 to 75 points maximum

When she is out adventuring, Lara Croft is all business. Her posture and the way she holds herself show that she is alert to her surroundings and ready for trouble. The scoring is slightly different depending on whether the picture is an action picture or a modeling picture. All other things being equal, a good action picture in a realistic setting will score better than a good modeling picture against a plain background. Vote on only one of the picture types below:

Action Pictures:
Does the contestant demonstrate the "Intense Alertness" that is a must for anyone playing Lara Croft? Does she appear to be reacting to her surroundings as Lara might under similar circumstances?

OR

Modeling picture: (plain background or subject plays straight to the camera)
In a modeling picture, does the look in the contestant's eyes convince you that she could be our heroine? Can you picture her battling skeletons in some dark tomb?

Gun Handling: Lara Croft is an expert with weapons. How realistic does the contestant look handling her weapon(s)?

Write-up: Did the contestant express herself well and convince you of her love for Tomb Raider?

Overall Impression: Give your overall opinion of this contestant's pictures

In awarding points, give the maximum score in an area only for something truly excellent, otherwise give a partial score. For example, if the outfit is not the same as the movie or the game, but close, give 10 points instead of 15. The contestant with genuine outfit deserves the better score.

Composites

Composites will be judged primarily on how well the composite is done. In judging a composite, look carefully at the brightness balance between the background and the inserted image. Do they blend nicely or does the inserted image looked "pasted in?" Look also at how well the inserted image fits. Are there jagged lines around the image or is the blend between the foreground and background smooth and un-noticable. 75 points is the maximum possible score.

Brightness balance between foreground and background: does it look natural?

Quality of the insertion: Nice and smooth or can you see jagged lines around the insert?

Technical quality of the image: Good contrast and focus, nice colors?

Picture concept: Does the whole image make a nice Tomb Raider picture?

Summary

These are suggested guidelines for judging a picture. To print out a worksheet form, click here, then print the form or right-click to save the form to your disk. But whether you use the form or not, try to keep what you've read in mind as you view the contest entries.

Judging the entries by a set of standards is a lot of work, but more accurate than just saying, "I like it."

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Best viewed in at least 800x600 dpi screen resolution.