Mad City Bonsai

Peter Chan’s Challenge
Proudly sponsored by The Knowledge of Bonsai Forums

The contest objective is to style semi-trained stock from Peter Chan’s Herons Bonsai Nursery and style it into a presentable bonsai within the time frame allotted by the rules below.

As the aim of the Contest is educational for all, we have modified the usual “before and after photo” styling contest rules common on most forums and added a few stipulations that we feel will turn this contest into something that can be discussed, learned from, and referred to by everyone.

Each entry will consist of three parts containing the following as outlined in the rules below:

1. Three before photographs submitted with accompanying descriptive text.
2. Photographs to be submitted at quarterly [every 3 months] intervals to show progress with discriptive text.
3. Three final photographs submitted with accompanying descriptive text.

You need not be a member of The Knowledge of Bonsai Forums to enter. This contest, like all of the content on KoB, is free, viewable, and open to all who are interested. Those that wish to participate in discussions on the contest or other topics on the forum will be required to join in order to comment. The only stipulation is that you obtain your stock from Peter Chan’s Bonsai Nursery, located in the United Kingdom.

Please read all rules before submitting your entry and refer back to them before submitting your before, progression, or final photographs, in order to prevent misunderstandings or needless disqualification. Most of all, enjoy yourselves and have fun.

Only one entry will be allowed per person.

STOCK

All stock must be obtained from Peter Chan’s Bonsai Nursery. [note: you must make your own arrangements to get the stock from the nursery].

Judging will take place at a designated time at Herons Bonsai Nursery.

All Styling work must be your own. Asking for, receiving, or soliciting advice from others will be cause for disqualification.

You will have 15 months in which to complete the project

PRIZES

• The overall winner will receive a voucher of £200 to spend at Peter Chan’s Heron Bonsai Nursery.
• All those who bring their trees back for judging will get half their money back.
• The best five will have a full refund.
• Additional prizes will be awarded for the best solution to a problem and the most original design.

HOW TO ENTER

Purchase a piece of stock from Peter Chan’s Herons Bonsai Nursery there is a price limit of £500. Take three photos of the tree before any work is performed on the tree, and send them to paul@knowledgeofbonsai.org accompanied by text explaining why you selected the tree and what you see for it’s future.

Upon receipt of submissions, Paul will post them in the entry thread, in the order they were received. Progress photos should also be sent to Paul. As the final photographs are received Paul will add them to the original post containing the entrants before and progress photographs and send acknowledgments for each.

Each submission must be accompanied with the text as described below. Submissions without the required text will be disqualified.

I have read and understood the rules of the contest and agree to abide by them. I have full copyright to all text and/or photographs I am submitting and I grant the Knowledge of Bonsai Forum, Peter Chan, and Heron Bonsai Nursery full permission to use any or all of the text and/or photographs submitted by myself in such manners as described in the rules and in future publications of any type as related to showcasing, promoting, featuring, or publishing the submissions to this contest as approved by the Knowledge of Bonsai Forum. I understand that other than the permissions given here, any usage of the text and/or photographs will require additional permission from myself. I retain full copyright to submitted materials as described.

Submissions must also include the following information:

Entrants name
Common and Latin name of species
Starting and finished height of tree
Accompanying descriptive text, as outlined in the rules.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Photographs must be at least 300 dpi and 8″ in width, entries not meeting these standards, put in place for professional print publishing reasons, will be disqualified. Photographs must be clear, in focus, and without a distracting background. Photographs can be submitted in tif, jpg, or png format.

Before Photographs
Three before photographs of the stock must be submitted [showing three different sides of the tree], and must be received no later than midnight, the 6th of April, 2008 in order to enter the contest.

The three ‘before photographs’ must include at least one paragraph or more of text describing the species, height of the raw stock, explaining why you selected the tree, and what you see for it’s future. This first submission of photographs must also list the your country of origin.

Receipt of the before pictures will officially mark you as a participant and enter you in the contest.

Progress Photographs
Additional photographs will be required every three months throughout the duration of the contest [even if no work has been performed], and should also be accompanied by text explaining the progress of the material and the artist’s plans.
Progression pictures must be received during the months of.

• July 2008
• October 2008
• January 2009
• April 2009

Final Photographs
Three final photographs each showing a different side of the completed work must be received no later than midnight, the 15th of June, 2009.

The three final photographs must include at least one paragraph or more of text describing the final outcome, overall impression of the work done, and what is planned for the future of the tree.

JUDGING
All judging of the final trees will be done by Peter Chan at Herons Bonsai Nursery at a date and time to be notified in the KOB forum.

PERMISSIONS, COPYRIGHTS, and LEGAL NOTICES

As with all content at the Knowledge of Bonsai Forum, all copyrights remain with the author or photographer

By entering this contest you agree to the terms of use and give full permission for use of all text and photographs for publication by the Knowledge of Bonsai Forum, Peter Chan, and Herons Bonsai Nursery. By entering this contest, you agree to accept the rules and amended rules for the contest as posted and also agree to accept the decisions of the KoB staff, editors, and judge concerning cases not clearly covered in the rules. By entering this contest you also agree to accept the decisions of the judge, whatever they may be and release KoB, its staff, editors, and the judge of this contest from any liability or damages regarding or resulting from this contest.

All decisions of the judge Mr. Peter Chan are final.
Contest void where prohibited by law.