I think you are on to something there Jak Crow. You can see from Chuck's posting that the beginners only competed in 1 category while the intermediate had 4 categories and the advanced had 4 categories too. So the accumulated points and prizes were heavily weighted for the experienced photogs. The final standings look like this with the highest ranking "beginner" placing 24th:
1. 25.5020 pts Derek Emmett (#12) Intermediate
2. 23.3450 pts Joseph Platko (#34) Intermediate
3. 20.4000 pts Brad Brown (#3) Video
4. 18.3600 pts Jeff Honda (#62) Advanced
5. 16.8300 pts Chuck Tribolet (#48) Advanced
6. 16.5000 pts Bryan Patrick (#67) Beginner * Professional Photographer (Sacramento Bee)
7. 15.2510 pts Lanette Otvos (#33) Intermediate
8. 13.0560 pts Sami Laine (#58) Advanced
9. 13.0560 pts Mark Krag (#26) Advanced
10. 12.9280 pts Angelina Galindo (#14) Intermediate
11. 10.4040 pts Kathy Mendes (#29) Advanced
12. 9.2820 pts Mike Costa (#64) Advanced
13. 9.2820 pts Clinton Bauder (#2) Advanced
14. 6.7180 pts Chris Kitting (#25) Intermediate
15. 6.6300 pts Dave Reid (#36) Video
16. 6.5650 pts Kevin Griffin (#16) Intermediate
17. 5.1510 pts Jim Kirklin (#24) Intermediate
18. 4.0800 pts Mike Jimenez (#22) Advanced
19. 4.0400 pts Mike Chalup (#7) Intermediate
20. 4.0400 pts Roy Dumlao (#10) Intermediate
21. 2.8560 pts Randall Benton (#56) Advanced (Sacramento Bee)
22. 2.8280 pts Rob Walsh (#51) Intermediate
23. 2.8280 pts Robert Rhode (#38) Intermediate
24. 2.6000 pts Ian Markham (#65) Beginner
25. 1.4280 pts Greg Davis (#9) Video
26. 1.4280 pts Keith Rootsaert (#61) Video
27. 1.4280 pts Rick Turner (#49) Video
28. 1.4000 pts Robyn North (#32) Beginner
29. 1.4000 pts Jake Eisaguirre (#11) Beginner
Jak Crow noticed that one beginner, won first, second, and honorable mention. That means he won on 3 out of 3 entries which is surprising that the judges let him compete in that category. It says in the rules that if you have won more than $500 in prizes or upon their determination they can move people to a higher category. Bryan Patrick has won a lot of contests for his photography over the years. There is one here where he is shown holding a Cannon G12 which is more than $500.
Monthly Clip Contest
Sacramento Bee photographer Bryan Patrick receives a Canon G12 camera and a plaque for winning SFBAPPA's Monthly Digital Clip Contest. It was the third time he won the annual clip contest. (Photo by Kimihiro Hoshino)
It was a fun contest and I learned a lot. I just hoped it would be open to beginners winning "fabulous prizes" like it was advertised.