It was the only explanation I could come up with that made sense, when trying to find a reason why the most loved entries were omitted from the finals. Though I think they should have been given a heads up as well, if this is the case. I can imagine it's very disappointing to find out now, your entries would never made the finals despite being most loved. Though Luna and ND seem to be taking it really well. /tips hat

I haven't been able to pick my favourite yet either. =D I can imagine all of them as great pairs of socks! Oh, the dilemma's of a CLer!

OrigamiMei wrote:

That could be a possibility. But if this is the case, they should have stipulated that entries created by previous finalists aren't eligible to win this contest. Northern_Dancer and Luna both had some of the most loved entries. This is because we, the COLOURlovers, voted them into top spots. Shouldn't that mean something?
I dunnoooooo 'bout this!

How can I choose which finalist to vote for? It's just not right!! x_x They're all awesome and we can only vote once. The agony!

They sure are.
They are handling it all with grace and dignity. They're truly inspirational. <3 That's one of the reasons why we love them!

southpaws wrote:

Though Luna and ND seem to be taking it really well.

OrigamiMei wrote:

They sure are.
They are handling it all with grace and dignity. They're truly inspirational. <3 That's one of the reasons why we love them!

southpaws wrote:

Though Luna and ND seem to be taking it really well.

Thirded. I, too, feel bad for the "winners" who are not going to be the technical winners. True, a heads up would have been nice so as not to get ones hopes up when realizing that the palette is in the lead. It COULD have been that Betabrand wanted to pick socks that would go with their unique style and the ones they picked fit their brand the best. OR, the other theory that Luna and ND already were finalists last time might be a factor but I don't think they'd discriminate like that... I don't know? If one REALLY wants to win, the trick is making a palette that one thinks Betabrand will pick to represent their company.

Just following up the above comment with some more enjoyable spam, I hope noone minds...

Luna Rosa wrote:

Just following up the above comment with some more enjoyable spam, I hope noone minds...

hehehe.. that was great, Luna! So many boards out there that could be summed up by that video!

...I was really startled when I went to the contest page, and saw two of my entries there. I'm sorry to those who didn't make it into the top nine; I don't really understand it, either. Most of my favourites from the top 30 didn't make it through. ;_;

(offers hugs, if you'll take them)

praxicalidocious wrote:

(offers hugs, if you'll take them)

Takes hugs and gives them right back:) Congratulations Prax, your socks rock!

The finalists were not chosen based on entries from the last contest. In the rules we stated that out of the top 30 we would choose nine finalists. There are a lot of different elements that go into picking the winners such as color palettes that match each other, etc.

Sorry that a few of the top finalists were not chosen. They were all incredibly good designs, but hopefully you have had the chance to vote for your favorite finalist!

OrigamiMei wrote:

That could be a possibility. But if this is the case, they should have stipulated that entries created by previous finalists aren't eligible to win this contest. Northern_Dancer and Luna both had some of the most loved entries. This is because we, the COLOURlovers, voted them into top spots. Shouldn't that mean something?
I dunnoooooo 'bout this!

How can I choose which finalist to vote for? It's just not right!! x_x They're all awesome and we can only vote once. The agony!


southpaws wrote:

Awes, whoa. Though I'm excited to be in the top 9, I do feel bad for ND and Luna here. I kinda got the sense that the people that were finalists last sock contest haven't been selected this time. Perhaps because of that? :/

I do wish this website promoted more collaborative projects instead of these contests. Contests end up being just popularity contests, really, and no matter who "wins", it just perpetuates competition between people here, instead of promoting the "love". Somebody always ends up hurt and feeling treated unfairly. CL would be better off being a bit more creative and socially responsible and designing collaborative projects that encourage people working *together* instead of going head to head with each other.

That said, this is the finalist I voted for:

pomegranates by karnoug
www.COLOURlovers.com

Good luck to all.

Hey guys, I just wanted to thank you all for participating in the contest. I want to address a couple concerns. You can think of the top 30 most loved designs as those that made it into the playoffs. Once you're in the playoffs, your regular season record (most loves) no longer matters. We chose the nine finalists based on our own design team's collective taste - this was really difficult for us!. As some of you have pointed out, the rules were pretty clear that we would make the selection from 30 down to 9. I also think by making this part of the process based on subjective judgement, we can eliminate some of the "popularity contest" aspect of the first round.

I look at these contests as design collaborations. Sure, there's competition. But what's really neat about it is that people from all over the world have the opportunity to create physical garments that people will wear and love. At the end of another contest we did with you all, it just so happened that one of the winners was from Poland and another was from Australia. Here these designers are halfway around the world and we, a small clothing company in San Francisco, CA, get to turn their ideas into reality. Those ideas are then bought and shipped literally all over the world. That's a really cool worldly collaboration in my eyes.

There are always going to be kinks in how this type of contest is run and I'm sure there are things we could do better next time. This is the third collaboration we've done with you all now and I think they've gotten a little smoother each time. This kind of collaborative design process is really fun for us and hopefully you all had fun participating and voting - whether your design made it into the top 9 or not.

Jared
Co-Founder
Betabrand.com

Dear Jared (& Co!):

I wanted to say that I really appreciate your partnership contests with CL (and that I've felt that way in the past too, even when my own entries failed to make it to the final round!). :)

People always really look forward to your Betabrand contests, and it's a measure of how highly they're esteemed and anticipated that people are so disappointed when the entries they back don't make it as far as they'd wish.

(Thanks too for your kind and gracious post!)

Hey Jared, thanks for responding to our concerns! YOU ROCK! We absolutely love creating for your brand and can hardly stand to wait for the next contest you roll out for us. I really, really like the palettes you chose for the final 9. It was tough to vote. Next time maybe will you pick a nice saturated, colorful palette? I want a pair of neon rainbow socks!!! I hope someone from this round with bright coral or chartreuse in their entry gets one of the three coveted pairs. :-)

Awesome Jared! Love that you jump in and explain. :) Everyone adores BB contests!

For everyone else...
What I love most about collaborating with Betabrand is that the founder, Jared, is not afraid to hop right in here in the comments and clear the air and explain a little more where members might have direct questions. It puts him available to ask him further questions if needed and it really connects the community to his company and product.

I value working with Betabrand. Real, down to earth individuals with fun contests to offer.

I realize there is SOME disappointment, but in the way that Jared explained how the top 30 were picked, I think that alleviates some of the feelings and thoughts there. And in the next one, maybe we, the COLOURlovers team, can better describe how this will pan out exactly.... as in the BB team will select from the top 30, etc.

I also agree that in the grand scheme of things, it's appropriate that the LOVES count is eliminated in the finalist pick from the BB team.

I hope we can make this less of a mystery and confusing next time! We know how much everyone loves these contests!

m. :)

Betabrand wrote:

Hey guys, I just wanted to thank you all for participating in the contest. I want to address a couple concerns. You can think of the top 30 most loved designs as those that made it into the playoffs. Once you're in the playoffs, your regular season record (most loves) no longer matters. We chose the nine finalists based on our own design team's collective taste - this was really difficult for us!. As some of you have pointed out, the rules were pretty clear that we would make the selection from 30 down to 9. I also think by making this part of the process based on subjective judgement, we can eliminate some of the "popularity contest" aspect of the first round. ......

Jared
Co-Founder
Betabrand.com

Prax and I have been discussing this and she made some very good points:
- It would have been nice for us to have been able to see who the top 30 palettes were. Just for the sake of knowing. ;)
- It would have been nice for the judging process to be explained to us beforehand. How did you come to decide on the entries that made it to the finals?

Personally, I like the voting system. It means that we, the COLOURlovers, have the freedom to choose what we think is best. But I do understand that, since it's his company, Jared reserves all rights to decide who makes it to the finals and who doesn't. Not much I (or anyone else) can say or do about it. I do respect that and thank you to Jared for explaining the process!

I just have to jump in and say that I thought the rules were pretty clear from the start.

The 30 most-loved submissions with be considered for the top 9 finalist spots.

(although I assumed it meant WILL, not with)

I hope Betabrand will continue to run these contests, as I think most of the CL community finds them fun and challenging, judging from the amount of participation.

If you want to see the top 30 palettes, just click the betabrand-argyle-sock tag on one of the entries (from the palette page).

Thank you, Faith! I had no idea that could be done. O_o
Yeah...I'm a mega airhead.

Anyways,

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF THE FINALISTS!

Please don't let my confused rambling deter you from your awesome awesomeness. <3


faith4faith wrote:

I just have to jump in and say that I thought the rules were pretty clear from the start.

The 30 most-loved submissions with be considered for the top 9 finalist spots.

(although I assumed it meant WILL, not with)

I hope Betabrand will continue to run these contests, as I think most of the CL community finds them fun and challenging, judging from the amount of participation.

If you want to see the top 30 palettes, just click the betabrand-argyle-sock tag on one of the entries (from the palette page).

Thankyou so much for taking the time to address our concerns Jared, it is very much appreciated. Despite my initial confusion at the finalists that were chosen I love all the designs you picked and I love love love these sock contests - here's to many more in the future!

In response to xeenyth's point.... Going head to head with one certainly another allows others to see people's true colours, that's all I can say.

In particular, I really admire ND's spirit in this. She's not harping on the fact that her most voted sock entry is not in the finals. What a positive and inspiring lady she is. You've gained a fan out of me! I hope you live to a 120 and a long, joyous, fulfilled life :)

And I wish beta brand all the best in their future endeavors too. Thanks for participating with Colourlovers once again on this. :)

Thank you, Jared, for your explaination. n__n

The sock contests are always super exciting, and I loved seeing all different desings. I like being able to have some influence on what desgins make the finals in the first round. I personally don't think that should change. (:

Betabrand didnt break their contest rules if you check it. But whats the point of asking us to vote if you ignore it. Takes the fun out of it.

Aw, thank you, Sundancer! I am stoked just to have had a pair in the top 30. These contests are so much fun; I love seeing other people's entries and watching my own entries race each other. : )

Luna Rosa wrote:

We'll buy you new hands - better hands, now knit damn you, knit!

That is exactly what I was thinking! Bionic knitting hands! With retractable needles!

I personally was really interested to see the 9 that the judges were going to pick~~

And I was surprised! lol Although I didn't know who were the top 30, and still don't know, I thought the picks were really interesting.

I voted for magg, because I felt like, those were the ones I'd buy if I was in the store lol