Noelanders Trophy via Walter Pall

Here are some images of bonsai from the recent Noelanders Trophy, bonsai extravaganza in Belgium.  With the exception of the last two pictures, these were taken by Walter Pall and posted on his blog.  I picked out 9 trees as my favorites from about 120.  None of my favorites are prize winners, but I find them somehow more believable as real trees than the two deciduous prizewinners which I post last.  I liked the conifer winners even less.  The two winning deciduous tree images are from Bonsai Eejit

And the winners are...

 Second prize (which I like better than the first prize) 

Acer palmatum by Udo Fisher

First prize, Fagus crenata by Luis Vallejo

I feel this is too perfectly shaped.  I like to see more irregularity, but none the less, it's still a beautiful tree.