Hi there! Quite a character here.
Pros:
He's got a very charming face, colors and lighting are good, nose is absolutely in focus! I like how he's gnawing the little piece of wire (at least I think he is). Make him look a little bit shy.
Cons:
DOF could be either a little shallower (to blur the grass a touch more) or a little deeper (to get the ears in better focus... But that's not a big deal. I think what hurt you on score was your relationship to the challenge.
I agree that this image is better than a 5.2 shot. But while it's basically symmetric, it doesn't scream summetry in the way that some of the others did. Also I assume you cropped close the way you did to accentuate the symmetry; while this helped for the challenge I think it detracts from the shot overall; he seems crowded and the aspect ratio is a little odd.
I think this is a nice shot, that suffered from being in the wrong challenge.
-Evan |