In competition, the scoring is usually out of 30, first gets 30, second 29, third 28, any image worthy of a highly commended is awarded 27 points..the crop is only a suggestio to suit my taste, might not work for others..but the lower piece of sky is quite dramatic, the crop would get rid of the dull, clear sky which gives, for me, nothing to the image..Ive already cropped it to see how it worked..it was good for me..