Hmmmm I thought this was a fall COLOR contest. Many of the top 16 entries are lacking in just that. Perhaps next year you could rename it "fall neutrals contest." Plus I agree, why not have all entries in a category go against each other at the same time and then take the top how ever many based on votes?

We didn't used to vote this way, did we? This seems off-kilter somehow. What was wrong with rating them individually?

I agree that this doesn't seem fair.

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I don't think I'm voting. Aren't there big prizes for the winners of this contest? Since there's quite a lot at stake, the contest should be fair. Someone please tell me how this is fair.

Who picked all the boring ones to compare? Where are the interesting ones we have seen over the last few weeks? Where's the color. I didn't think that brown was going to be a winning color in this contest?!

I do not know the criteria how the judges paired these apartments,but they have nothing in common or similarity in decor. It is hard for me to decide this way.

Also I know the rules of entry (since I entered the contest this year) but when design professionals enter their apartment with super professional photos and lighting, it seems unfair to be in the same category with them.

Maybe there should be another contest for "Budget Apartment" contest to differentiate between the professionals in the field and the others.

What is with the lack of love towards brown and neutrals? Obviously this is a colors contest, but brown and beige are colors, that when used well, can be fantastic and totally effective in creating a strong feeling of "color". It appears that a lot of entries that use bright colors are getting votes, though they lack cohesiveness or strong design. Is bold, bright color just for the sake of color really the objective here? You have to have the design to back it up.

It would be interesting to know what the judge's criteria was when narrowing the categories from 40 to 16.

I don't deny that neutrals are colors too, but I see plenty of entries that made it to the final 16 that lack cohesiveness and design as well (not just bold color)

Will the judges be sharing their thoughts about the finalists?

Something about "Fall Colors" makes me think bright (could it be the leaves changing color)...it is somewhat misleading. There is nothing subtle about fall colors....but I see a lot of subtle colored finalists. I am sure there are other contests during the year that would be more suitable for more subtle entries...

Honestly, I think the question is not what criteria the judges used when narrowing the categories from 40 to 16, but from narrowing the categories from 78 to 16. My hope is that in the future, the East is split up the way the West is. There were twice as many featured entries in the East as there were in any other region.

Personally, it's not so much of a lack of love toward neutrals. I think some of the neutrals and more subtle entries are done exceptionally well. The choices that surprise me are ones that are beautiful, but color is not the most compelling feature of the design. Though, no matter what, when you have a group of individuals who are bringing their own style, taste and preferences to judging something so subjective, controversy will be sparked.

Oh, and just because I'm posting this here does not, in any way, mean that I disagree with either of the options above, this just happens to be where this discussion is happening.

I'm so glad to see I"m not the only one questioning some of the chosen 16 here. A lot of entries that I thought were the weakest ones made it through...a lot of these don't include any color except white and wood tone! Why didn't WE get to pick the final 16? We should get to vote on each and every one, like vote on a scale of 1 to 10 as they get posted, then the ones with a vote of 7 or higher move through to compete, instead of some unknown 'judges' using some biased system on who to push through. This head-to-head system is clunky and overwhelming too...

I don't mind the bracketed voting, but I agree that the pick of the semi-finalists to go into the voting round seems wonky.

This is from the main page of their contest, and also the reason why I don't understand the top 16 they chose:

What
Our Fall Colors Contest is a contest for all color lovers, worldwide. In October, we're looking for the most colorful, most beautiful home on the planet.

Why
Color is one of the most powerful ingredients of successful interior design and the most affordable way to change a room, but few feel comfortable using it. To inspire confidence and improve homes, we're inviting readers to share their colorful homes, tips and sources.

This is very misleading. It seems like color would be the most important factor (even with a slight edge on beauty) I thought this contest would reward the "few" that are comfortable using color instead of the average person's attempt at color with a few bold pillows or a red wall. While some of the finalists are some of these "few" others seem to be one of the failed attempts.

They also chose people who got some really strong negative reactions...while leaving out those who got entirely positive reactions...is there some politics involved in who gets selected?