Competition Organizers/Workers/Volunteers

I've got an organizing role this year for our club's annual competition, coordinating the prizes for the 22nd annual Chicago Cup Challenge. This has been like having a second job, but we've got some great prizes, including three $100 gift certificates for the BOS.

Our website is at http://bossbeer.org/competition.html

This is the second year we've done an awards dinner the night of the competition, and this year we're going to try something new - hand out the prizes (not just the ribbons) that evening. I anticipate I'm going to be busy from 4:30 until the dinner, trying to line up the 72 place winners and the prizes. It could be really great or a complete mess.

Anyone else work on a competition like this? Would love to hear about your experiences.

You probably know this, but you can get great prizes from places like Wyeast, White Labs, Williams Brewing, Briess, etc. Just email them and they'll send you some swag.

It looks like a great time, and I know you'll have a good turnout. I wish I could be there!

Yooper said:

You probably know this, but you can get great prizes from places like Wyeast, White Labs, Williams Brewing, Briess, etc. Just email them and they'll send you some swag.

It looks like a great time, and I know you'll have a good turnout. I wish I could be there!

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You coordinated the HBT competition, yes? I can't even begin to think about what a giant task/mess that must have been.

We've got great BOS prizes (the gift certificates), plus three local breweries will brew three of the gold medal beers. Then we've got a boatload of other prizes, both from local places like breweries and homebrew stores, and national places like the ones you listed above. We've got 140 prizes in hand - my basement is overtaken with the prizes.

The great thing is I'm going to be trying to coordinate this new practice of handing out prizes at the competition awards dinner - after having judged all day! Honestly, I thought about just organizing the prizes on three tables - first, second and third place. As medal winners are called forward, go to the appropriate table and pick out your prize, whatever you would most like.

But that's too much of a change for this year, but it would be easy and people would get to choose what they would like and appreciate.

Pappers_ said:

I thought about just organizing the prizes on three tables - first, second and third place.

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There's a local competition coming up, War of the Worts, that does this. Great idea! Give the winners a better chance of getting something they really want. Last year I lucked out with a English IPA. Rather than grab something worth more from the first place table, I went with a swag package from Weyermann. Left some nice stuff (Blichmann pot, bottle filler . . . ) that I really didn't need for someone who did.

AnOldUR said:

There's a local competition coming up, War of the Worts, that does this. Great idea! Give the winners a better chance of getting something they really want. Last year I lucked out with a English IPA. Rather than grab something worth more from the first place table, I went with a swag package from Weyermann. Left some nice stuff (Blichmann pot, bottle filler . . . ) that I really didn't need for someone who did.

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That's what I thought too - even if the prizes are "nice", but you already have one or it doesn't fit your brewery or whatever, its not as appreciated.

But, we've changed a lot for the competition in the last two years and this seemed like just a little too much. But next year, I'm really going to push for this, I think, depending on how things go this year.

Its good to hear about the War of the Worts - I might contact them and see how it went, always good to have a real life example!

Are all entries local? Otherwise you couldn't expect all the winners to be present to pick up their prizes.

My homebrew club is setting up our first competition and I have been collecting donated prizes from all sorts of companies. It truly is amazing how well some of these large companies treat a small homebrew club! I am blown away by the support we have received!

bknifefight said:

Are all entries local? Otherwise you couldn't expect all the winners to be present to pick up their prizes.

My homebrew club is setting up our first competition and I have been collecting donated prizes from all sorts of companies. It truly is amazing how well some of these large companies treat a small homebrew club! I am blown away by the support we have received!

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No, for the past 22 years our competition has mailed out the prizes. Then last year, we started the new tradition of an awards dinner and winners received their ribbons there, but the prizes were still mailed out. This year, I'd like to hand out the awards to everyone who is at the dinner, cutting down the number of awards that need to be mailed plus encouraging people to attend the dinner.