How - in the course of the contest - did I act unprofessionally?
My entries had a concept behind them and I attempted to offer you something different from the other entries being presented, rather than mimic what was already ranked. I created all of the art present in my submission for your contest from scratch. The smoke, the wood grain and the distressing was all newly drawn. The type was altered, and in some cases, drawn fresh. It's 100% original. Rather than throw me a bone and give me a single spot in the 4 - 10 ranking, you ranked 29 minor variations ahead of me (which, I should add - don't benefit the top 3 ranked designers, since you can only receive points once). You ranked me 33rd - which means 0 points for me in entering this contest.
I received two messages from designers saying they liked my entry into your contest. You don't like them - that's fine, doesn't bother me that I didn't win or even rank in the top 3 - it's part of the process; but AT LEAST acknowledge the fact that I worked hard for you and attempted to give you options. Doing otherwise - to me - is childish and unprofessional.