I am not sure that I totaly understand the issue here so, please forgive me if I missubderstanding anything.
It soulds to me like some folks are not comfortable with competing with a high level of skilled modelers. I will agree that it can be intimidating, however, if we were not facing stiff competition, any victories would be hollow right?
Use a sport for an example. You dont find the rookie class of athletes in any given sport complaining because the guys on the other team are to good!! That is the entire point! That is the very reason that a rookie athlete will push harder & rise up to the occasion. They push hard and over the course of time, they will develope into the consumate proffesional. It is the same with modeling. You guys will have to pardone my analogy....& poor spelling.
The participation of all skill levels is critical. Also, we are EXTREMELY fortunate that SCALE MODE ADDICT has the interest & participation of skilled modelers. This keeps the competetion interesting and sets the bar high. When the highly skilled guys are entering pieces into a contest, it should make all the other participants bring their "A" game. This type of healthy competition is what pushes modelers of a lower skill level to push their limits and excel & grow as a modeler. If I was to enter a contest, I would hope the very best modelers in the world were participating! It is fun to run with the big dogs & it gives us the oportunity to learn from those who know. Also, if you win.....you know that your model was judged against the very best & your victory is a compliment of the highest order....not a "thanks for showing up" kinda victory. I hope you will agree, we need to strive to raise the bar much higher.....not deliberately lower it. If we dont win the contest against the highly skilled guys this year, we will see their work and know what it will take to compete next year....this is were we learn & grow as modelers. We owe a "Thank You" to the winners of these contests, as they serve as pace car for us, showing us what the "A" game looks like, and show us what we need to learn in order to be legitimate competition against the skilled modelers of the world.