Lenzr’s Good Dental Habits photo contest asked members to upload submissions depicting themselves in various moments (candid or posed) of proactive dental care. We saw a great mix of photos illustrating how you all work to make your dentist’s job a little easier, but even without an iPad incentive, we know you’re taking great care of your teeth. Electronics may come and go, but those teeth in your mouth are there to last a lifetime…hopefully.

This contest was sponsored by Dr. Natalie Archer, a Toronto dentist who was thrilled to see your Good Dental Habits!

Winner: starting early by mary-mah

Runner-up: Gargle Gargle by movieminx

Here’s what the judges had to say about the winning shot:

“Kids in the bath are completely cute and it’s a great way to get a child used to brushing his/her teeth.”

“Good photo composition and super cute smile on the kid.”

“Really tells the story. Nicely lit and great composition.”

“Why? Because kids need to brush their teeth and this kid is off to a great start.”

Congratulations, mary-mah, you’ve won an Apple iPad 2!

Lenzr’s Hair Styling Trends for 2012 photo contest asked Lenzr members to submit predictions for what the hottest looks of 2012 may turn out to be. The result was a real mixture of styles, textures and colours–by the way, Aveda Institute Canada, the sponsor of this contest, is running a hair school scholarship video contest awarding five aspiring stylists across the country a fully paid scholarship to one of their schools in Calgary, Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria or Winnipeg! From what we’ve seen in this contest it does appear that some of you are born to style.

Winner: Soft and sexy by Anna_ch

Runner-up: Reflections by jennywrenh

Here’s what the judges had to say about the winning shot:

“Young, innovative and sassy. It lives up to the title.”

“A bold colour with a soft look.”

“Good headshot.”

Congratulations, Anna_ch, you’ve won $500 in Aveda product!

Lenzr’s Polarizing Sunlight photo contest was looking for stunning landscape shots achieved with through the help of a polarizing filter. This was a very successful photo contest with 63 entries, all of them beautiful. The contest was sponsored by Solarline, a Toronto company specializing in solar panels (like the ones found on the solar-paneled backpack prize!)

Winner: Irazu Volcano Road by PeterPan11

Runner-up: Mid Day Marvel by kevyn2992

Here’s what the judges had to say about the winning shot:

“Beautiful scene, vivid colours, magical background.”

“Amazing depth of field and colour contrasts–sets a beautifully ambient mood.”

“I like the soft light coming through the mist and the sense of distance.”

“Great shot, taken after a rainstorm. The contrast between the mist off in the distance, the slick black tarmac and the lush green countryside is lovely.”

Congratulations, PeterPan11, you’ve won a solar powered backpack!

Thanks to all Lenzr members who participated. As always, stay tuned for more photo contest fun!

As some of you are well aware, Lenzr was attracting some serious SPAM over the last couple months. It pained us to see the comments sections underneath your submissions bombarded with Canada Goose jacket ads coming from countries overseas. It started slowly at first, spam here, spam there, but it was minimal enough that the small team at Lenzr was able to keep it under control by deleting the posts manually.

Suddenly, though, heaps of these low-grade spam-bot posts started infiltrating the website like weeds overtaking a garden. We didn’t have the staff or the time anymore to take care of the problem ourselves, and knew the time had come to make changes to the site to prevent such eyesores from occurring in the future.

We’ve added a CAPTCHA now which anyone attempting to create a Lenzr account will have to bypass, which should work wonders to clear up all the unwanted advertorial fodder. Special thanks to all members who brought this issue to our attention; it’s so nice to know what a great community we’ve got here. Let’s keep Lenzr clean!

If that was the good news here’s the great news: Lenzr’s got some new photo contests lined up for March and we can’t wait to see your submissions on the recovered website. Don’t forget to cast your votes for the current contests in the meantime!

Lenzr’s Old Beside New photo contest was looking to see submissions that juxtaposed an old invention, idea, person, place or thing with an updated version. Interestingly, the majority of entries submitted contained technological subject matter, but there were a few more organic ideas such as an infant being held by adult hands and a fresh, juicy tangerine pictured beside a rotting one. This contest was sponsored by Solarsoft’s continuous improvement and without any further ado, the winner is:

Musical Eras by Cody LeBlanc

Runner-up: Paper Trains Last Stop by kevyn2992

Here’s what some of the judges had to say about the winning photograph:

“Hmmm… Let’s see, seven songs versus 7000 in your pocket. We know who won this battle.”

“The description was short and to the point. The photo on the other hand was framed well and with good lighting.”

“A vinyl record compared to an iPod is a visually interesting contrast, and from a manufacturing standpoint–the leap is huge.”

Congratulations, CodyLeBlanc, you’ve won $250 and perhaps a publication.

Lenzr’s Bad Weather Hair photo contest asked for submissions that illustrated what the elements can, at any given moment, do to a carefully constructed hairstyle. This contest was sponsored by Aveda Institute Canada’s Vancouver hair school who is giving away $500 worth of their 99 % naturally derived hair and skincare products to the winner. Aveda Institute Canada is also running a hair school scholarship video contest which will reward five talented stylists-to-be a fully covered tuition to either Aveda Institutes Calgary, Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria or Winnipeg.

The winner of Bad Weather Hair is:

Beach Hair by nabzisalamb

Runner-up: Walk in the Snow by chieflong

Here’s what some of the judges had to say about the winning shot:

“You just know she will be brushing more than a hundred strokes to get that mess sorted out.”

“Just wild and crazy and fun. I wonder how many takes it took to capture this one. I appreciate the effort involved in capturing this photo.”

Congratulations, nabzisalamb, you’ve won $500 in Aveda product!

2011 saw the return of some tried-and-true styles of the past as well as some bold new experiments with cut and colour. Heavy-hitter Jennifer Aniston (who made hair history in the nineties with ‘The Rachel’) was listed at #1 on Elle’s Best Hair of 2011 article for her update on the always-chic bob style. The divas of pop music like Rihanna, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj wore bright, multi-colored wigs with blunt bangs, and the pixie cut made a comeback on the likes of Harry Potter’s Emma Watson–one of the most-watched young women on the planet–as the movie franchise wrapped up this past summer.

What styles will 2012 give rise to? This is a year enshrouded by mystery–the ancient Mayans predicted a shift in consciousness this year while the philosopher Nostradamus predicted the end of the world–will these dramatic philosophies have an effect on the outward appearance of the public?

What do you think?

Is blonde always in style? Will perms experience a resurgence in popularity? How about men’s hairstyles, do you have a prophecy for those? Put your powers of perception and prediction into practice–photograph the newest hair trend and you could win a valuable prize.

The best stylists learn at Aveda Institute Winnipeg

This contest has been brought to you by Aveda Institute Canada’s Winnipeg hair school. A world-renowned company, Aveda is the best and most innovative in the industry.

An education in styling from the Aveda Institute is the first step to a profitable career as a stylist, and in honour of Canada’s new Aveda Institute in Winnipeg, Aveda is running a hair school scholarship video contest and awarding five talented contestants a full scholarship to one each of the following Canadian locations: Calgary, Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria and Winnipeg.

The prize for this Lenzr photo contest is $500 worth of Pure Plant and Flower Essence Lifestyle products from Aveda. For a complete list of included items please see this Lenzr blog post–it’s the same prize being given away in our Bad Weather Hair photo contest!

This contest started January 1, 2012. Voting starts February 15, 2012, after which the top ten user-ranked images advance to the Lenzr judges on February 25. The winning photograph will be announced March 1, 2012.

It’s when you’re a photographer that the sun’s intense rays become a problem–there’s a fine line between natural light and too much natural light. Polarization filters that you attach to the lens of your camera can reduce the glare of the sun on reflected surfaces like water or glass, or darken the sky in landscape portraiture.

This is the first time a Lenzr photo contest has required a polarizing filter for a contest; as well, this contest is restricting the use of photo editing software. In 2011 we saw breathtaking submissions entered consistently in Lenzr, contest after contest, and we’re upping the ante a little bit in 2012. Make use of a polarizing filter while capturing the sun’s light in a photograph and you could win a great prize!

Solarline Makes Clean, Quiet, Renewable and Portable Solar Power Possible

Solarline is the sponsor of this contest and the company is a powerful force in the Canadian solar solutions industry. Founded by Dan and David Shephard, two brothers from Toronto, Solarline’s mission is to establish a renewable energy business that truly cares about people and their needs second only to the needs of the environment. Solarline provides custom-designed portable solar generators, solar panels, rechargeable silicone batteries and much more.

The prize for this contest is truly cool: it’s a solar backpack courtesy of the forward-thinking folks at Solarline. Not only is this knapsack sleek and stylish, it’s a solar-powered charger for your electronics–and as portable as can be! This backpack is designed to charge cell phones, Global Positioning Systems, iPods, cameras and other small electronics.

This contest started January 1, 2012. Voting starts February 15, after which the top ten user-ranked images will advance to the Lenzr judges on February 25. The winning photograph will be announced March 1, 2012.

This contest was sponsored by Standex reed switches and the winner is…

Co-Dependence by LadyDutch

Runner-up: Electro-Galaxy by kevyn2992

Here’s what some of the judges had to say about the winning shot:

“LadyDutch has interplayed a city with the electronics so beautifully that even the shadow is correct. Very nice job.”

“…should be called Photoshop Engineering because on my first glance I really thought they were electronic components. Very clever!”

Rob Campbell here – There was some controversy surrounding the use of Photoshop and this photo was at the center of it – more accurately it was a criticism re: a lack of clear understanding resulting from no explanations from admin stating whether this is okay or morally acceptable in a ‘photo contest’. I understand. and  in the future I will be sure to be more articulate about the tolerance and preferences of each particular theme. It strikes me however that this particular sponsor, which is thrilled with the results of the contest btw, would encourage all manner of experimentation and innovation in the submissions as that is their own business practice. But I do concede that by not stating that such manipulations are allowed I crippled many artists who would have otherwise submitted more elaborate compositions , and for that I do apologize.  

Congratulations, LadyDutch, you’ve won an Apple iPad! Not a bad start to a year.

The 113 entries in Lenzr’s House for Renovation photo contest are so aesthetically interesting, they’d make a great coffee table book. Running this contest was like watching a house on fire – it burnt up with more and more pictures everyday. Together we all got a unique look at some of the abandoned homesteads of Canada and abroad – some of them made us want to put on our Ghostbusters suits. Unlike the other contest that ran alongside this one, this challenge tugged a little at the heartstrings. Instead of wires and circuit boards we were looking at houses that had once been homes. What happened to the people who lived there? What happened within those walls? Each and every picture submitted in this challenge is infused with these unanswered questions. This contest was sponsored by Toronto mortgage broker Calum Ross and the winner is…

Ground Zero by keiran-mac with a tag line description that reads, ‘Old House in the praries, gorgeous location, wonderful exploration.’  The Judges loved the dirty red building contrasting the light blue sky and the feed bags nailed on the exterior of the building over what’s left of the windows. Well done.

Runner-up: Abandoned by collsmct

Here’s what some more of the Lenzr Judges had to say about the winning shot:

“Feels more like a country schoolhouse than a home. It is windswept and it is unloved and yet it can recover. The fencing places it in a small village or on the outskirts of town. A picture that says ‘tell me more’ is a very good picture indeed.”

“It struck me as a house that was not so far gone that it could not be repaired, like it just needed some love and then life would return. I also like the composition of the picture: simple, straightforward, almost ‘head-on’ , centred, blue sky with clouds, dried grass, perfect.”

Congratulations keiran-mac, you’ve won an Apple iPad! Not a bad start to a year!

The Toronto Christmas Market Photo Contest

The Toronto Christmas Market photo contest on Lenzr was an unprecedented success, with well over 300 beautiful entries! The backdrop was the second annual Christmas Market in Toronto’s Distillery District and the challenge was to snap a photograph that captured the essence of the entire event in one frame. Judged solely by the Distillery District, the winning photograph will receive $250.00 cash and publication in Distill magazine.

The grand prize winner of the Toronto Christmas Market photo contest is (taken from the top ten user-ranked images): Under the Stars by DekkoC

The first runner-up (for the $250.oo restaurant gift certificate) is: The Event by happy_guy934

The second runner-up (for the $100.00 restaurant gift certificate) is: Distillery Christmas by kennethyim

Bonus! Mathew Rosenblatt of the Distillery District has decided to throw in a brunch for two at the award-winning Pure Spirits restaurant in the Distillery. The winner of this bonus prize is Gooderham by Caroleal

Congratulations to all participants for their outstanding contributions. Happy New Year to all from Lenzr.com!

Regarding the Website Crash(es)
Already House for Renovation and Electronic Engineering matches are breaking the bank and, as it turns out, breaking the website too. There was something restrictive in the database tables? Something fuzzy was happening there, and it was breaking every day as the website peaked in users and activity.

What to do? Pay smart people to fix it quick was the solution. And that’s what we’re doing/have done. It is still and will always be a work in progress, I’m sure.

Regarding the SPAM
I cannot tell you how stressful and embarrassing it is to operate a community software based website that doesn’t allow users to EDIT or DELETE the ubiquitous spam comments that accrue in such destinations all over the internet. Even the admin can’t moderate comments in our new website. And yet we (sometimes) pride ourselves on developing thoughtful and intuitive software solutions… our Achilles heel is that we have overlooked that critical component that every successful user generated content / interactive design MUST have. Now, today it’s a soleful task to receive and reply to countless emails asking for remedy. To everyone with SPAM on their profile pages I apologize and encourage you to Report Spam in the Discussion Forum here. It will all be mopped up and wiped away eventually.

Regarding the Toronto Christmas Market Photo Contest

Holy smokes the Toronto Christmas Market photo contest on Lenzr is an incredible success! There are now over 300 images in the gallery! That’s more than twice as many photos in this Community Contest module than in any featured contest Lenzr has ever run in its two and half years of operation, which is over sixty contests. There are twice as many votes as the highest ranked featured contests too. It shows the power of cross platform marketing and the value of developing the photo contest feeds for 3rd party client website hosts. This contest has become an incredible example of just what’s possible when you host a gallery of pictures on your website chronicling an event.

This photo, Christmas sunset by a new user named silverlink is one of my favourites.

If you have a photo in this match, please watch the next video we produce which will hopefully go live before January first, that will show the actual judges live voting and making their decisions on-camera right in front f your eyes! hopefully, if all goes well. Keep your fingers crossed YOU could be a winner!

Here’s a snapshot of Lenzr’s traffic from Nov 22nd to today, Dec 22nd 2011

And that’s a great place to sign off saying ‘have a merry Christmas’ ; we all thank you for your participation and patience and your great photography – please  look forward to more great matches on Lenzr in 2012.

As many women (and men) know, a great hairstyle takes time. It’s frustrating to finally perfect your  daily hairdo, grab your coat, and then hear a clap of thunder overhead. Rain wrecks hairstyles, snow smothers them and flattens them and excess humidity is sure to bring out the frizz. If your hair has just been set in curls and it’s a windy day, you can be sure your locks will look mangy, stringy and tangled by the time you arrive.

But looking good is a state of mind, and any man or woman who has the fortitude to throw fashion to the wind and let the elements do their thing, projects an air of confidence and swagger that their umbrella-wielding peers do not have. Think of Tim Robbins in the Shawshank Redemption after he breaks out of jail–yeah, it’s one of the most overplayed, hyper-sentimental scenes in movie history, but check out that Bad Weather Hair! If he’d brought an umbrella with him when he shimmied through those sewage pipes it would have totally ruined the moment.

People love and trust the Aveda Hair Institute in Vancouver

The sponsor of this contest transforms students into the  top professionals in the industry. The Aveda Vancouver hair school offers programs which can take less than a year to complete, and students graduate with credits from the fastest-growing worldwide salon networks in the industry. Aveda stylists have opportunities to connect to a global network, and are, on average, paid 3x as much as other hair stylists. Aveda also has the distinction of being the first beauty company running on 100% wind power.  Wedding Girl loves AVEDA – Read this terrific post about Mary Bratko writing about AVEDA contests on Ancestry Guru.

The prize is a basket of Aveda hair products worth $499 and including: Damage Remedy Restructuring Shampoo ($32), Damage Remedy Restructuring Conditioner ($32), Damage Remedy Daily Hair Repair ($29), Damage Remedy Restructuring Treatment ($35), Rosemary Mint Shampoo ($14),  Rosemary Mint Conditioner ($14), Shampure Shampoo 1 litre size ($42), Shampure Conditioner 1 litre size ($42), Control Force Firm Hairspray x2 ($68), Phomollient Styling Foam ($18), Confixor Liquid Gel ($25), Pure Abundance Hair Potion ($30), Brilliant Damage Control ($24), Control Paste Finishing Paste ($31), Brilliant Spray on Shine ($35) and a Wooden Paddle Brush ($28).   All of this is included in the prize pack!

This contest started December 1, 2011. Voting begins January 15, 2012, after which the top ten user-ranked photos advance to the Lenzr judges on January 25. The winning photograph will be announced on February 1, 2012.

Our Daily Bread Photo Contest

The Our Daily Bread photo contest gave unique insight into the kitchens of Lenzr members. The top ten photos alone displayed an array of ten various breads: dinner rolls, sliced white bread, cheesy bagels, sesame bread pockets, sourdough, multigrain, croutons, banana bread, pumpkin whoopee pies, and pita.

Sponsored by ShaSha Organic’s new organic ingredients e-store, this contest received 25 submissions, all of which brought the warming, comforting and grounding qualities of bread to the attention of the viewer. Some of them made us hungry! A big thanks to everyone who participated.

Winner: One of Life’s Blessings by LindaJ

Runner-up: Pumpkin Whoopee Pies by miss_t

Here’s what some of the judges had to say about the winning shot:

“Visually appealing to the palette as well as the eye. Nice contours and balance.”

“This picture really shows the texture of the bread. Some time has been spent arranging the bread and the photographer has used great lighting.”

“I liked the way the products were staged. Well done with good lighting and exposure.”

Congratulations to LindaJ! You’ve won a breadmaker!

Homemade Halloween Costume Photo Contest

Unlike Our Daily Bread or Warehouse Stockpiles, every submission in Lenzr’s Homemade Halloween Costume photo contest had a human character–albeit evil, undead or mutant, in some cases–as the focal point of the photograph. This made for a fun contest with fantastic costume ideas and a lot of personality, but some submissions left much to be desired in terms of photographic quality. The criteria in this case was 50/50 between a great costume and a great photo.

Winner: Black Swan Costume by KelseyMarillis

Runner-up: head by cameleon

Here’s what some of the judges had to say about the winning shot:

“We must remember that this is a photo contest and not a costume contest. For that reason I have chosen this shot for the very professional-looking make-up and styling. I also like the two images side by side.”

“WOW! Did a great job knocking off the movie costume. At first glance I thought it was a movie poster.”

Congratulations to Lenzr member KelseyMarillis, you’ve won $250 in your choice of cash or candy, courtesy of Jib.ca’s social media contests.

Warehouse Stockpiles Photo Contest

Lenzr’s Warehouse Stockpiles photo contest was looking for a photograph illustrating the task of inventory management. An open-minded photographer can make any subject look interesting, and the photos submitted in this challenge were arguably some of the most creative of this round of contests. From large-scale outdoor shots showing freight in shipping yards and tankers, to indoor displays of fabric and even junk food, this contest reminds us about the intense amount of organization that goes into the distributing of the goods we use and consume.

Winner: Barrels and Barrels by pete

Runner-up: Ready to go by mich

Here’s what some of the judges had to say about the winning shot:

“The perspective of this shot caught my eye. It really captures the vast stock of barrels in the cavernous cellar.”

“It’s a little scary. I mean, what is that stuff and are the good guys stockpiling it? Great lighting.”

“I like this photo because of the cold war bunker style setting and the ambient lighting in the photo. Clearly, this is a cellar that houses an endless supply of something that is very dear to my heart, but it reminds me of a weapons stash from a scene out of a James Bond thriller. The evil Dr. No has planted nuclear warheads in each of these barrels destined for the wine cellars of the world’s most powerful leaders and only Sean Connery can save the day. Clearly, I have an over-active imagination.”

Congratulations, pete! You’ve won $250 plus a photo licensing agreement with the contest’s sponsor, a production planning and inventory management software company.

Lenzr’s Old Beside New photo contest is looking to see submissions juxtaposing the old world and the new. Just how much time has passed between the subjects in your photograph is, of course, your artistic prerogative. It could be generations; show us a grandparent holding an infant grandchild, or just a few months; compare this season’s hottest runway looks with last year’s. What new invention has caught your attention recently, causing you to marvel at the universe’s progress? Try to capture the deeper implications of old beside new. What is being gained? And what is being lost?

Remember to write a short but concise description of your photograph in 140 characters or less, explaining why you chose the subject you did.

Solarsoft promises the confidence of control.

The innovative minds at Solarsoft are committed to forging ahead in the software manufacturing industry and in creating programs that will enable manufacturers of any discipline to streamline their processes, with continuous improvement as the goal.

The winner of this contest will receive $250 plus a photo licensing agreement with the sponsor!

This contest starts December 1, 2011. Voting begins February 15, 2012, after which the top ten user-ranked photos advance to the Lenzr judges on February 25. The winning photograph will be announced March 1, 2012.