Thoughts on Prize Structure

["David A. Youngker" <nestor10@mindspring.com>]

I've been contemplating the prizes and award structure from among the
current running threads, and a couple of things occured to me.

I think it might be worthwhile to maintain flexibility during this first
event while developing a structure that can grow with the future
possibilities open to the event itself. As James points out, the unknown
factor for now is the level of participation.

From: James Purchase
Sent: Saturday, August 21, 1999 12:55 AM
Subject: Re: Prizes and promotion

"...Yes, we _could_ get only 15 entrants. But we could just as easily get
150, or 1500. How well it goes over depends entirely on how professionally
it gets promoted...We shall have plenty of time to get our act together
regarding promotion.

"One reason (perhaps) why a lot of "other" shows didn't get a bigger
reception was the fact that either the organizers "thought small" or weren't
very skilled in promotion. They also didn't take place in a venue which is
accessible to as many people from as wide a geographical area..."

-----
Rightly so, he hinges our success on the ability to promote the program.
Audience exposure is certainly of prime importance (and well underway with
the formation of the contact lists), but so is overall appeal. We need at
least *two* things that will separate us from those "other" shows. And how
we *promote* the event might be shaped at least in part by how we *present*
the event.

Part of that presentation is the organizing committee and its sponsors - the
"who" behind the contest and showcase. What is it about *our* contest that
makes us different than those "other" shows? What are the advantages of
entering the AGA's contest in favor of, say, one sponsored by the GSAS or
GMAS? Who is the AGA, anyway (hold yer tongues, gals 'n guys - I'm a-gittin'
to it)? In essence, we'll be promoting our sponsor with as much fervor as
the event itself, and it is the AGA's sponsorship as well as the (hopefully)
international flavor of the judging panel that gives us an edge.

Prestige is the name of the game here, no doubt about it. We've stated over
and over that we're giving the "common" gardener the chance to pit their
talents and techniques against the "world's best". That's a helluva set of
"braggin' rights" in a lot of people's books, and one that can be used to
our advantage. If we push the prestige we'll find it less of a necessity to
*bribe* an entrant with equipment.

Picture it - you're in the living room with a couple of friends,
illustrating some of the finer points of aquascaping with your tank, when
one of them happens to ask, "Hey, that's a pretty neat Eheim setup you got
there."

"Yeah," you flip back, "I got that for beating Neal Frank at his own game."

"Uh huh - that and a couple'a hundred bucks'll get you another one, too."

Ah, but that plaque from the AGA that's hanging on the wall *beside* the
tank - that's another story!

Karen's ribbon suggestion is a good starting point.

From: Karen Randall
Sent: Saturday, August 21, 1999 11:48 PM
Subject: Re: AGA CONTEST - Digest V1 #165


"...I don't think we've gotten to the point of making a decision of how many
prizes to award per division of how many entries, but I think it is a
decision that _must_ be made before the official release of contest rules
and regs.  I think we should just make a decision that we can live with, and
go with it THIS TIME. If it all goes well, and we want to do it again, we
can adjust accordingly...

"We can have fairly nice rosette ribbons with triple streamers made for
about $2 each plus set up charges. (we can even have the AGA logo put in the
middle of the rosette for a minimal additional charge... about $30 if I
remember correctly)  If we award to 3 places in each division, and agree
that we won't make more than 20 divisions of not less than 3 (5?) entries,
we're talking, even with set up charges, less than $200 For ribbons.  I
suspect AGA won't have a problem with that figure.  I would give computer
generated certificates for "honorable mentions", and let _those_ be at the
discretion of the judges.

"If we get later get manufacturers to "sponsor" their favorite divisions,
they can award whatever other prizes they want to the winners in those
divisions..."

-----
(20 divisions? Wow, that's quite a large structure!)

People enter contests for far less material reasons. Horse and dog breeders,
even Discus breeders, hope to win in order to establish marketable breeding
lines through recognition. Olympic athletes at one time competed solely for
the medal and the prestige that went with it. Does an actor go home with
more than an Oscar in his or her hands? Who knows - maybe our contestants
want justification for their methods? Or maybe one of them has aspirations
of seeing their name on coffee tables and views this opportunity as a
vehicle for exposure. After all, who ever heard of "Ahnold" before he was
Mr. Olympia six times...?

I'm in favor of bringing in manufacturers as sponsors, no doubt about it.
But for now, let them concentrate on a "grand prize" package for the
best-of-show. If we establish some "main" categories to lead the show,
James's idea of finished plaques for first place is very good. And I believe
that the embossed ribbons for winners and certificates for "honorable
mentions" will more than suffice, especially in this first of attempts...

-Y-

David A. Youngker
nestor10@mindspring.com
http://www.mindspring.com/~nestor10


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