Let's not forget that at least 16 of the 125 voters were contestants.
I don't think people should set their expectations too high, I think this is pretty standard for this sort of competition on the internet. Half the original entrants didn't actually finish a build to begin with even though there was an extra week added on to the time allowed. How many didn't even start? It just goes to show, talk is cheap

Why expect any effort from spectators when the people who've publicly announced an interest don't deliver?
There's no fix for it, the internet is what it is and people are what they are.
I would like to think that everybody who
did build something for this 'competition' is happy to have a terrain piece that they didn't have a month or so ago. The fact some other people came along and took the trouble to vote and say they liked what they saw is a bonus. It's easy to just build something and present it on the forum, we all do it all the time. Arranging a competition adds a certain something (hopefully fun) to the proceedings.
So, thanks to James for organising it, good work from everyone and congratulations to Paul for the win.