I don’t blame you.
The parameters for participation in the Vote-Off couldn’t be clearer. I can’t imagine why folks would say they’ll participate in an event intended to raise some funds to further this site but then just ghost you or submit unusable entries.
Regards the latter. There’s plenty of space to post their own thing on the forums and discussion boards (within the site rules), and plenty of room for interpretation of the MDL items.
But the Vote-Off is a contest that hopes to get people to spend a few bucks to cast votes so the site can keep going. Every participant has to have the same comparable set of photos to keep it simple and straightforward.
I guess you’re just expected to keep everything running to suit everyone’s desire and expectations and also pay for it all out of your own pocket.
Guess I’m demoralized too, but, Hang in There! And let me know if there’s anything more I can do.