Unfortunately it's half and half. Everyone with enough votes moves to the final round... then it's an objective contest judged by professionals and website staff. At first I was not stoked about the setup, and seeing some of the super awesome shots with 5 votes and some snapshots with 200 votes, I'm still not stoked. But with the sheer volume of entries, I honestly can't say I could think of a better way to narrow down the field between round one and round two. But I totally hear you!

David, I felt that way at the beginning. Now realize that Phase ! is getting 250 votes without regard for your artistic talent. Have to have them in order to compete under their jury part, Phase II. Yes, silly is the adjective I use on a public forum....

David

This whole thing makes me ILL. I will be removing my entries and will not participate in a vote for this ridiculous contest and it's encouragement of pandering for votes. That this sort of thing is supported by staff means I will be looking to take my business elsewhere.