Where have I gone wrong?

[Mukndruk]

Below is an image that I thought was super in just about every aspect. The lighting, exposure, content etc. This was under the category "Table Top Photography" and was submitted to to local Photo Club and the judges do not think it was that good. The judging used is out of 30 points, (laid out below)

Focus 0 - 3
Exposure 0 - 3
Composition 0 - 3
Point of Interest 0 - 3
Lead in 0 - 3
Colour Harmony 0 - 2
Mood 0 - 3
Impact 0 - 3
Technique 0 - 3
Creativity 0 - 4

I do not know what the break-down of individual points is only the final tally, 21 points

What would you have given the image?

[LeeR]

One of the problems with having your worked judged by a camera club, much as having it judged on this forum, is that people often give you their opinion rather than an informed judgement. For that reason, we have to take their opinions with a grain of salt while taking a bit more seriously the words of those with a bit more experience. With that in mind, let's take a closer look at your the scores you probably should have received.
Focus 3
Is it even possible to get a sharply focused image of a flame? Would a sharper image increased the power of this image? I think not, so you get full points.
Exposure 2
This is a difficult image to expose properly and in my opinion it is slightly underexposed. 2 points.
Composition 2
I like the feeling the the big flame is about to eat up the little flame, however, I don't like the fact that the flame extends outside the frame on both the bottom and top. 2 points.
Point of Interest 3
I like the overall shot; it's interesting. 3 points
Lead in 3
Some shots need a lead-in, a visual device that leads our eye where we want it to go. This is an in-your-face image that needs none. 3 points.
Colour Harmony 2
You have intentionally chosen a very narrow color range from yellow to orange. That is a perfectly acceptable design motif. Full points.
Mood 3
There are more Top 40 songs with the words "fire" or "heat" in them than any other words in the English language. Why? Because they are great metaphors for feelings. Full points.
Impact 3
See above. Full points
Technique 2
Sorry, but this looks like an early effort. If you liked doing this I would encourage you to work on it some more. I have a feeling that with some practice you could do some remarkable things with these tools. 2 points.
Creativity 4
Type the word "Cat" into the search box on flickr and you will get more than 240,000 images; "baby" gets you 101,000, "flames" 34,000. It's popular, but a long way from being overdone. Full points.

Lest you think I am easy touch I can tell you that the last camera club I judged has never asked me to return because I was hard on some of their most cherished members who I thought had "played it safe." This image is original and shows a real attempt to take some chances. I like that. You now need to learn to make your own evaluation BEFORE you submit your images, and if the club disagrees, then that's there problem.

[candidrachel]

Don't be discouraged. On of the judges at our camera club said that photography on the whole is very subjective and if you didn't get the marks that you were hoping for just resubmit the photo at the next competition and hopefully the next judge will be more appreciative.

Note I have never submitted a photo myself. I don't think my photos are quite "out there" yet

[NgaiHill]

I have had photos entered in a competition in our camera club that I thought were just great only to have the judge blah blah them. Like any other form of art it is very subjective and only one person's opinion. The great thing about these forums is you can get a lot of different opinions on your shot and they all have something to contribute to how you can look at a picture.