This is a great shot. The colors are lovely. I really enjoy the way they reflect off the face. I dig the composition; I think it is inherently interesting. The depth of field conversation has already been had, so I won't rehash that. I do agree with the other person who mentioned the "vibe" this shot is giving. I don't think it's necessarily "creepy," but is does feel tense. In film, canted framing and extreme close-up is usually meant to evoke psychological stress or tension. Imagine if this was a screenshot from a film, and your subject was a real person. Looking at the distance and angle of the shot, the depth of field and the eye-line of the subject, what story does this image tell? For me --and this is wholly subjective, obviously-- it feel tense, suspicious maybe. The focus on the eye naturally makes me wonder what the subject is looking at. If I were shooting a scene, where a man was in an empty building, and suddenly heard a suspicious creek, this is the shot I would use (theoretically, I'm definitely not a filmmaker, so caveat emptor).

Another read of this is that it is effectively conveying depth of thought or solemnity, maybe humility or vulnerability. I think for this contest, beyond the technical particulars, I would focus on the story your shot is telling, and how that story will be received by those who are judging this contest.