AusBonsai

G'day Folks,

The Australian Native Bonsai Awards of 2012 have concluded, the judges score sheets have been compiled and the People’s Choice voting has taken place.

There were less entries in this years awards but the overall standard of trees was high. There were however, excellent trees submitted that scored lower than they should due to poor presentation. It's a real shame! The bonsai photographed with stands, accents, non-distracting backgrounds or shadows, good lighting etc present so much better and therefore scored higher in the areas of 'image' and 'presentation'. They simply look better!

The Australian Native Bonsai Awards will be held again in the first half of 2013 so I encourage you all to start now in preparing your trees for next year. If you don't yet have any Aussie natives in your collection, why not get some.

Our Judges Andrew Ward, Peter Adams and John Marsh have independently graded the entries by point scoring based on Horticulture (which is very hard to judge from pictures), Artistic features (their individual opinion of the aesthetics) as well as design, total image and presentation (pretty much everything else to do with creating and showing bonsai). The combination of differing experiences, countries of origin, taste and ideals has hopefully created a pretty balanced and objective outcome. The scoring has been added together then averaged and we now have clear awardees in each category.

'Awardees, not winners?' you might ask. Everyone who entered is a 'winner' by helping to raise the profile of our art and awareness of the high quality native material we have to work with. There were however trees that stood out in the pictures and 'shined on the day'.

To recap the prizes, the awardees in each category will receive;

Australian Native Bonsai Awards
1st - Carbon steel set of Japanese made bonsai tools in a suede tool roll ($250.00 RRP), A hand drawn sketch of your winning bonsai by Peter Adams (Valued at $150.00) and a certificate.
2nd - Janet Selby limited edition AusBonsai bonsai pot, A signed copy of Bonsai With Australian Native Plants by Dorothy and Vita Koreshoff and certificate
3rd - 42 Mice handmade shohin bonsai pot and certificate

Australian Native Bonsai in training awards
Stock of less than 12 months in training and isn't required to be in a bonsai pot
1st - A custom design program of a possible future design of your winning prebonsai by Peter Adams (Valued at $200.00), A signed copy of Bonsai With Australian Native Plants by Dorothy and Vita Koreshoff and certificate
2nd - Janet Selby limited edition AusBonsai bonsai pot and certificate
3rd - 42 Mice handmade accent pot and certificate

I am extremely pleased and honoured to announce the awardees of this year’s Australian Native Bonsai Awards are. . .

Australian Native Bonsai Award
1st Place: 2nd Place: 3rd Place: Australian Native Bonsai in Training awards
1st Place: 2nd Place: 3rd Place: Australian Native Bonsai Award submissions were also judged by the AusBonsai members for the People’s Choice award. The recipient of this award will receive a Janet Selby limited edition AusBonsai bonsai pot and a certificate.
I am pleased to announce that the recipient of the People’s Choice award, with a majority vote of 25.62% goes to...
I'll save on postage seeing as 3 awards and prizes are going to the Pup household

A big CONGRATULATIONS to the awardees in each category and to everyone who took the time to submit!

Thank you very much John, Peter and Andrew for your time in judging the awards. I really appreciate your assistance guys!

If anyone has ideas or suggestions on ways to enhance the future Australian Native Bonsai Awards, please feel free to post them in this thread or send me a PM if you prefer.

Best regards,
Steven

Well done Pup and Mrs Pup, very deserving winners and well done to the other winners.

chris.

Mrs Pup is absolutly over the moon, I'll be right for a month now. She has asked me to thank all participants, and the judges and Steven.

She says this is a very good way to encourage more people to grow Natives. Now understands me more, as I try to encourage her.

Now I would like to thank all the judges Steven my Mum and all the participants, I said last year as a judge it is not easy.
Steven has again pointed out that presentation plays a big part, in this.

I would like to see more entries next year as I know they are out there.

Again thank you.

Pup and Mrs Pup

congratulations to all the Winners . Some very nice trees on Show

Thank you to Steven again for providing the platform and prizes for everyone

Ken

Congratulations to all who participated,
Pup cleaned up again, I was determined to encourage somebody different by giving them my vote but in the end I decided that Pups babintonia virgata was quite special.
Also loved Mrs Pups accent.

Congratulations to everyone for showing / sharing their magnificent trees - well done!
A special cheer to the “Awardees”!!!

Well, Mrs and Mr Pup … we got it right!

Cheers, R&M

Congrats to the awardees

Well done to everyone; the organisers, the contestants, the judges and the voting public.

I hope it gets bigger each year with lots of fine australian native bonsai at their best on display.

Grant

looks like the pups kennel has won, congrtulations to all who entered, and the winners/awardees

harry

Congrats to all, woof woof

Congratulations go to all who participated in either the ANBA or the ANBITA. As Steven has written ... everyone was a 'winner', thank you everyone for contributing to the promotion of Australian Native Plants as Bonsai, and to Australian Bonsai.

Judging is a tough process ... we all have personal favourites! Your trees are like your own children, and they all have incredible potential.

Steven has reinforced the need for plants to be displayed and photographed in their best form. A check through the judging criteria makes for good reminders on how we ought to be displaying our plants so that they really do look their best ... clear backgrounds, stand, accent plant/object, moss or decorative gravel, free of weeds, clean pot, good lighting so that we can see the plants at their best. When bonsai are represented at their best then they have a legitimate place on the stage ... we 'polish up' for special events, we ought to do the same for our bonsai. It is also important that we know the correct species names of our trees and that we identify them appropriately.

To the 'awardees' ... a special congratulations ... and you now have some nice prizes and recognition to go with your works!

Finally ... Steven ... thank you for your ongoing commitment to promoting bonsai in Australia. The Ausbonsai Forum creates another community, especially for those who are not necessarily able to make it to regular club meetings. It keeps people informed and up to date on bonsai events and thought. It provides yet another level of the entire bonsai experience!

Importantly for everyone ... remember that bonsai is about little trees. It is fun ... that is why we keep on playing with our little trees. Even more importantly for some of us, it is the wonderful times that we experience when we get together with each other and work on trees together. Keep it real, keep on having fun!

Andrew Ward

Hmmm, i think we need to swab the Pup's household. A clear case of SEASOL based performances Good on ya guys for a beautiful display and worthy winners. I will see them up close and personal shortly. Congrats to all who participated and maybe i will have something worthy in a few years time.

Top work to everyone involved. There were some fantastic entries. Keep up the great work.

Congratulations to all and especially to Pup - I really love your tree!

Congratulations also to Ausbonsai for successfully promoting your native species.

Lennard

Congratulations to all who participated . Winners are Grinners and i'm sure your all smiling .

Cheers Alpineart