May 1st 2010 came with a BANG! Traffic to the website was the heaviest it has ever been leading up to the conclusion of the March / April 2010 photo contests. Everyone was anxious to see who won the prizes!

The March April 2010 photo contests on Lenzr were well trafficked. It’s a common opinion that the overall quality of the photography was arguably the best it has ever been, and the number of comments was significantly higher than previous totals.

Toronto Party Rentals employee wins Backyard Party Events

Here at Lenzr, we see something new in every round of contests, and this past session was no exception. John Kenyon the marketing manager at Absolute Tent and Event Services, the Toronto party rentals warehouse on 185 eastern ave, won his own contest.

For the first time ever, the contest sponsor won the prize, and there is no rule against that happening! Remember this website is 100% user driven and so if the sponsors can rally enough support behind their own photography, then they win the prize same as anyone else – there’s no judge or jury to reverse the decision.

Backyard Party Events was otherwise a very cool photo contest filled with images of birthdays and BBQs and even some wedding pictures and Bar Mitzvahs. The challenge was designed to collect party pictures and be dominated by party people that rent the big stuff and make big splashes – we asked to see some legendary events that will ‘stand the test of time’. Admittedly the winning photo entitled Only three remain is exactly what the sponsor had in mind when they commissioned the competition.

The winner is jkenyon, John Kenyon who is the head of marketing at the Toronto party rentals warehouse that sponsored the contest. The picture shows the dregs of a big summer bash, with cool event lighting from a mixture of sources. And there is a gentle hint of story, which makes this image so compelling. It won on its own merits.

The good news is that John Kenyon and everyone at Absolute Tent and Event Services, including Laura the blogger in the warehouse, is incredibly honest and morally fibourous. They couldn’t sleep at night if they thought they’d deprived contesters of a decent prize.

So the 10×10 Pop-up Tent and $500 gift certificate prize will go to the second place photo seen here, entitled, He really “nailed” that pig! This runner-up is equally excellent and was uploaded by a member Sausma1, who is a very prolific Lenzr participant, and one of the same crew that won the VIP Locaboire wine tour in the spring. (If you read that blog post below, you can see her in the in the extreme right hand side of the wine tour group photo) Sausam1 is actually Dr. Sandra Ausma, and in addition to having a PhD and a great eye for pictures, she now also possesses a 10×10 Pop-up Tent, and $500 Gift Certificate good for the rental of anything in Absolute Tent and Event Services catalog. Good win Dr Ausma! We look forward to seeing some pics of you inside that tent!

Sasuma1 also wins the Fire and Ice photo contest

The Fire and Ice photo contest on Lenzr was probably the coolest theme so far in 2010, and will be no doubt be referenced by photographers and artists for many years to come.

There were 26 photos uploaded in this challenge, and 633 votes cast. Yes it was a reasonably hot competition, as so many photographers were eager to show off their fire photography skills.

Nobody was more delighted with the results of the contest than Steve Hamoen, the geothermal design and installation business owner from southern Ontario that sponsored the challenge. On some level this contest got people thinking about how geothermal power is cost effective, reliable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly energy alternative. Historically this energy source has been limited to only a very few areas of the globe, like Iceland and Banff Alberta Canada. But that’s all changed now.

Recent technological breakthroughs have dramatically expanded the range and size of this viable new resource, especially for applications such as home heating, and in particular floor warming. Since the contest launched, Steve Hamoen has started his own blog. Check out the Geothermal Installers Blog and you will see a true Canadian hero with his feet in the dirt, out standing in his field, being an expert in real time.

Lenzr member Sausma1, the same member that placed second in Backyard Party Events challenge and claimed the tent prize by default, won this photo contest as well. The image is right on target, it shows fire and ice garnished with a human subject and a modicum of story.

Sasuma wins a GeoAir PCO air purifier

Dr. Sandra Ausma is probably the perfect candidate to appreciate the benefits of Photo Catalytic Oxidation (PCO) and the resultant clean air. Bacteria, viruses, mold spores don’t stand a chance ariund this machine and are destroyed when they come into contact with the system’s 187 square-inch Ti02 grid. All volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) are destroyed. The system is cost-effective, maintenance-free and provides maximum energy efficiency with negligible resistance to airflow.

Unlike existing air cleaning systems that rely solely on ultraviolet light, the GeoAir PCO device integrates a titanium dioxide semiconductor to leverage photocatalytic oxidation allowing it to vaporize indoor air pollutants, including those that cause odors, and break them down into non-toxic products like C02 and H20.

Toronto business phones

Obsolete Office Equipment was kindly ignored by most folks, in keeping with how most people feel about old and used technology that’s out-of-date, slow or cumbersome to use. The sponsor asked to see pictures of stuff that slows office workers down, and contributes to loss of productivity – overtime having obsolete equipment can cripple a business, esp old telephones and obsolte telecommunications devices.

The contest only had 8 photos uploaded, but accrued 1861 votes! which is strange. And although this web challenge was less succesful than Everyday Tangled Web which broke records for the number of photos and votes, the result was the same – the contest brought lots of traffic and exposure to the sponsor, a business telephones system designer and installer in Tornoto Ontario.

And like other contest sponsors, James Stortz the CEO of S.E. Telecom has also just started blogging on his new S.E. Telecom Blog. The WordPress arena was facilitated by Toronto web developer Innate Media Group, the sidebar widgets and style come from the pimp my blog shop of Smojoe social media marketing.

The winner was an picture of vintage typewriter – content worthy of Dumpdiggers the photo was taken by dausma and she appears to be friends with, and quite possibly related to Sandra Ausma.

The Prize is a 4 Line office telephone AT&T Model 1070. This state-of-the-art communication device has 4 line speakerphone & answering system capability. With Caller ID / Page / Intercom / Call transfer / Expandable to 16 stations / 32 # speed dial / 3 party conference / 6 number redial, it has so many wonderful functions!

Slimmswitch wins Electric Lawnmower from Grass Cutting Company

The How Green Are You? photo challenge was the premier event in last session’s of Lenzr. The challenge collected 27 photos which garnered 1592 votes. Almost all of the images are entirely focused on green subjects, and most have a smattering of story that share insights into the green energy industry and reminders of all the little things that we as a society can do to make a difference.

Sponsored by a solar powered grass cutting business in Toronto Ontario, curious members can read about the company on their grass cutting blog and see pictures of their bio fuel trucks and lawnmower trailers adorned with adjustable solar panels. The firm proudly offers a sustainable, organic service that is also a relatively silent; their Neuton battery powered lawnmowers are very quiet. This service is just finding its legs in the GTA, and needs public support to achieve its true potential.

The contest really did collect a wide array of one sentence stories and snapshots of eco friendly ideas for the benefit of all humanity. And on May 1st 2010, a Lenzr member named Slimmswitch won the prize.

How Green Are You?

Slimmswitch is another regular player on the site. Last fall he placed second in Ontario Tourist Attractions photo contest, which was arguably the most successful lenzr photo contest of all time with over 70 pictures uploaded and over 3000 votes collected.

The How Green Are You? photo contest was very competitive, and there was a real fight between Slimmswitch and another member named Johnny who had a photo wth over 300 votes. Its no secret, these individuals promoted their images on other social networks. Behind the scenes, Slimmswitch used twitter to wrangle votes from friends, while Johnny had posts on other contest social networks funneling participation in exchange for him helping support other people’s endeavours. Some members emailed me to complain – they believe this takes away from the spirit of the contest, and results in poor quality photos winning the grand prize, but from a marketing point of view it’s exactly what the sponsors most wants; they love it when particpants promote their pictures because they make the make the message go ‘viral’.

Neuton CE6 battery powered lawn mower.

Slimmswitch wins the Neuton CE 6 Battery-Powered Mower with DURACELL® battery technology and judging by the comments and chorus of support there will be a lot of friends asking to borrow the equipment. The battery has 360 watt-hours of life and the Neuton CE 6 mower can cut a third of an acre which is approx 15,000 sq. ft. on a single charge.

Great win Slimmswitch!

Saturday Feb 27th 2010 in The Better Living Center at Exhibition Place in Toronto, on day seven of the National Home Show, Lenzr met Steve Hamoen.

Steve is a geothermal guru.

The word geothermal comes from the Greek language – the root ‘geo’ means earth, and ‘thermos’ means heat.  In modern times the word has come to mean ‘power extracted from heat stored in the earth’ and Steve’s company uses that power to heat houses.

Geothermal energy originates from the original formation of the planet, from radioactive decay of minerals, and from solar energy absorbed at the surface. It has been used for bathing since Paleolithic times and for space heating since ancient Roman times, but is now better known for generating electricit. In large scale power plants this is done by simply boiling water to make steam to propel turbines.

But Geothermal energy is not exactly free power…

A common misconception about geothermal energy is that it just comes up out of the ground in easy to use levels. Sadly, once again nothing in life is free, not even the Earth’s heat.  In this case the heat units that come from the ground are referred to as low grade energy, and they need to ramped up into more viable residential or industrial heating (or cooling) strengths. This usable heat also needs to be distributed to from the source to the areas that require heat and all of that sort of thing requires electricity. But overall the system is part of a bigger, better planet saving solution.

Geothermal power is cost effective, reliable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly, but has historically been limited to only a very few areas of the globe, like Iceland. Recent technological advances have dramatically expanded the range and size of viable resources, especially for applications such as home heating, and in particular floor heating.

The Fire and Ice photo contest on Lenzr is sure to melt minds and set hearts ablaze on the homepage. The contest is probably the most technically challenging request this session, and it will almost certainly ‘go viral’ as friends tempt each other to submit their best fire photography. Already there are some terrific pictures in the index, and you can be certain, more arctic infernos are coming. Contest ends May 1st 2010

The Prize is GeoAir PCO air purifier

GeoSmart’s GeoAir PCO (PhotoCatalytic Oxidation) is perhaps one of the most advanced air purifier technologies available today. Unlike existing air cleaning systems that rely solely on ultraviolet light, the PCO integrates a titanium dioxide semiconductor to leverage photocatalytic oxidation allowing it to vaporize indoor air pollutants, including those that cause odors, and break them down into non-toxic products like C02 and H20. Bacteria, viruses, mold spores and volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) are destroyed when they come into contact with the system’s 187 square-inch Ti02 grid. The system is cost-effective, maintenance-free and provides maximum energy efficiency with negligible resistance to airflow.

The perception of indoor air quality (IAQ) is based on the interaction of a complex set of variables including chemical, biological, physical and psychosocial factors.1 Concern about indoor air quality has been driven mainly by health problems believed to be attributed to exposure to gaseous, particulate and microbial contaminant.