Originally posted by slowpez I have gotten quite a few back with no comment whatsoever and that really was not helpful. Also comments like "boring" or "get rid of that annoying leaf" seem overly harsh without being the least bit helpful when it comes to gaining any insight into what the judges mean or want. Oh well, I go through periods where I send something in but my hopes are not high. Tamia, I love that shot.
Susan, I'd encourage you to consider your images well before submitting - look for things that judges may spot and find either disconcerting or disinteresting, and deal with them as you can. If you have doubts about a photo getting through, it is less likely to do so.
Indeed, great images go well beyond excellent lighting, IQ and composition. They're also about impacting subject matter, good DoF control and the removal (or framing out) of distracting non-subject elements in the image. That is the tougher bit, which I believe PEG is after.
As for unhelpful one-word responses (or no responses), this is a matter of judge demeanour that is difficult to address. Don't expect such feedback to be akin to photo critique - it should provide basic information as to the reasons why an image is excluded from the gallery. If a judge is interested to see a resubmit, then comments to assist with the improvement of the image could be included. But this is left at the discretion of the judge.