I was looking back at the past few photo contests' entries and realized how much talent there really is on this forum. It got me thinking about other possibilities for contests, and I started tossing an idea around in my head (yes, there's plenty of empty room in there to toss stuff around 
).
Here's what I was thinking; I would consider sponsoring a contest, perhaps monthly or bi-monthly, in which I would provide the participants with identical freight cars, detail parts, decals, etc, so everybody would start out on an equal plain, and budget would not be an issue. The contestants would then have a certain period of time, say two weeks, to construct, detail, and weather the kit using only the parts provided. Each participant would then photograph and submit a photo of their work, and I would set up a poll similar to the photo contests so forum members could vote for the piece they consider to be the best modeling work. At the end of the voting session, the modeler with the most votes would win that month's prize.
Due to the costs involved, I would likely limit the activity to the first five participants per contest, and ask that nobody enter two consecutive contests in a row, so that more people would have a chance to participate. I would also announce the prize and subject model beforehand, and ask that only those who would have a specific use for the prize enter that particular contest. I would like to see the prize go to someone who will be able to use it on their layout, and would rather see somebody wait until the next contest to have a chance at a prize they would find more useful than have something collect dust on a shelf.
Alternatively, I could request a small fee, say $5, to help cover the kits and shipping costs, and offer unlimited participation. This is the kind of thing I would like to get opinions on.
The contest model would likely be HO scale, however the prizes could be N or HO scale locomotives, freight cars, layout tools, scenery packages, etc. I would try to provide some fairly significant prizes...
This is in NO way intended to replace the photo contest, as the existing contests cover a much greater spectrum of subjects and opportunities. This would be intended to draw more people to the forum and create some more excitement, as are some other ideas in the "Forum Activity Suggestions" thread a little ways back.
To make sure the forum is not held responsible for anything, I would have to write official rules to make it clear that the contest is conducted through me and get Bob's permission to use the forum to post anything before we could start. I just wanted to see if there was any interest in this kind of thing before I spent the time researching fine print
So, what do you think?
).Here's what I was thinking; I would consider sponsoring a contest, perhaps monthly or bi-monthly, in which I would provide the participants with identical freight cars, detail parts, decals, etc, so everybody would start out on an equal plain, and budget would not be an issue. The contestants would then have a certain period of time, say two weeks, to construct, detail, and weather the kit using only the parts provided. Each participant would then photograph and submit a photo of their work, and I would set up a poll similar to the photo contests so forum members could vote for the piece they consider to be the best modeling work. At the end of the voting session, the modeler with the most votes would win that month's prize.
Due to the costs involved, I would likely limit the activity to the first five participants per contest, and ask that nobody enter two consecutive contests in a row, so that more people would have a chance to participate. I would also announce the prize and subject model beforehand, and ask that only those who would have a specific use for the prize enter that particular contest. I would like to see the prize go to someone who will be able to use it on their layout, and would rather see somebody wait until the next contest to have a chance at a prize they would find more useful than have something collect dust on a shelf.
Alternatively, I could request a small fee, say $5, to help cover the kits and shipping costs, and offer unlimited participation. This is the kind of thing I would like to get opinions on.
The contest model would likely be HO scale, however the prizes could be N or HO scale locomotives, freight cars, layout tools, scenery packages, etc. I would try to provide some fairly significant prizes...
This is in NO way intended to replace the photo contest, as the existing contests cover a much greater spectrum of subjects and opportunities. This would be intended to draw more people to the forum and create some more excitement, as are some other ideas in the "Forum Activity Suggestions" thread a little ways back.
To make sure the forum is not held responsible for anything, I would have to write official rules to make it clear that the contest is conducted through me and get Bob's permission to use the forum to post anything before we could start. I just wanted to see if there was any interest in this kind of thing before I spent the time researching fine print
So, what do you think?
