“This is the most rigged election since 2020.”
Regardless of homecoming’s importance, it is meant to be a competition and competitions are supposed to be challenging.
This year’s photo contest event was anything but rewarding for certain teams that poured hours of dedication into creating their masterpieces. Many students were shocked by the results, voicing their disapproval on the Student Activities Board Instagram page. While art and photography are viewed subjectively, there should at least be some semblance of a rubric for what makes a photo worthy of winning the homecoming photo contest.
The problem isn’t this year’s winners, although they were highly contested, or with SAB, who do not judge the photos. The issue lies in the arbitrary nature of the photo judging process.
The judges’ identities are unknown, their decision-making process is never revealed, and this year’s results left campus utterly mystified. Students voiced their frustration with humorous comments on social media.
“When’s the real post?”
“Is this satire?”
“Did someone say Russian collusion???”
To resolve confusion and frustration, the photo contest should be judged similarly to mock rock, with clear expectations and qualitative standards.
During the homecoming mock rock competition, judging happens live and the panel gives each team feedback. Dances are critiqued based on their level of difficulty, choreography, the inclusion of stunts or props, and good adherence to the homecoming theme.
Judges make their final decisions about the winners immediately following the event. They also have the crowds to answer to during the live event, and on campus, popular opinion goes a long way.
So what are the specific qualifications for a winning photo? It seems that there are none.
Some photos this year included just one person from a team. A certain photo coming in third place did not, however, include a single team member. The lack of participants undoubtedly requires less coordination by the team.
College President Larry Arnn is beloved on campus and rightly so, but teams should not be able to slide their way to photo contest victory just by using his face, as was the case with one of this year’s winners.
The time it takes to create an image should be a judging standard. While some photos included advanced Photoshop and editing, others were created with the single click of an iPhone camera. Submissions that took hours to prepare for and execute were completely neglected. Some groups traveled to places like the Hillsdale Municipal Airport or the Michindoh Conference Center to complete their images, which took time, effort, and preparation.
SAB should want students to participate in homecoming activities. School spirit is high during the annual competition and members of each team do their best to juggle events with school, work, and other obligations. But why would students continue to try their hardest in events if they know the judges won’t look twice at their work?
Not everyone can be a winner, and not everyone should be. But the competition should at least be fair.