OK, my problems are these. This contest is planned well in advance; it's a yearly event. Why then would there be a call for qualified judges and assistants while the show is underway!? When they were getting ready to judge the entries, the organizers suddenly realized they didn't have enough judges (even though the number of models was about the same as the previous year). That seems strange to me.

So, they find some people to fill in as judges. Now the problems really start.

They get some of the young people with entries in the junior division to act as assistant judges. While it's fine to involve young people in a hobby, should they really be judging entries that adults have worked (maybe long and hard too) on? A senior judge tells them what to look for and then they go to it. And what the judge tells them to look for, in the armor categories, is ONE very particular thing!

Now, they also recruit an adult judge who has entries in the same division that he is judging!! Not the same exact category, but the same division. And, he tells the junior assistant judges what they 'should be looking for' before they judge his work while he is standing next to them! To me, this is nuts.

the contest room remained open during the judging. So, people are still messing with their entries while judging is going on!

some guy (I have no idea who this is so it's nothing personal) has about 15 models entered that are over 10 years old and that have won before! And, I think other people knew this and didn't seem bothered by it. How can this be fair?

In fact, why would someone even want to show old work that has been in competitions before? I'm not talking 2 or 3 years, but the newest was about 8 years old! Were they even built by the competitor or did he just buy a collection? (There are reasons I suspect that and no need to go into them here.)

Is a 1st place plaque that important to a grown-up? At the end of the show, this dude had a stack of plaques about 3 feet high. No kidding. Mostly, they were 2nd and 3rd places from categories with only 1, 2 or 3 entries. What are you going to do with them!! Each one looks the same.

Why not just say 'for display' only on models in categories with no other entries?

Finally, I really don't mean to sound too critical here. It's nice to compete and see other models but stuff like this is a real turn-off.

There was no real critique of the work and no embracing of new techniques.

How can an out of the box armor model, even an older kit with well-know errors left uncorrected, with no weathering and just some dry brushing win over a model that someone obviously spent lots of time on and really tried to push the boundaries of traditional kit building (and that looks 100% better to boot)?

There was very little to be inspired by. Most armor kits were OOB, little weathering, few bases and no figures. In fact, only one armor model had figures and it was mine. Not to be immodest, but it was very surprising.

I guess I just feel 'what's the point?' If I enter this again, I think I'll have my entry for display only. I want to contribute. Winning is nice but I don't care about an award (mine is somewhere in my bookshelf) and it's really hollow knowing the way the judging is.

This contest is planned well in advance; it's a yearly event. Why then would there be a call for qualified judges and assistants while the show is underway!? When they were getting ready to judge the entries, the organizers suddenly realized they didn't have enough judges (even though the number of models was about the same as the previous year). That seems strange to me.

So, they find some people to fill in as judges. Now the problems really start.

They get some of the young people with entries in the junior division to act as assistant judges. While it's fine to involve young people in a hobby, should they really be judging entries that adults have worked (maybe long and hard too) on? A senior judge tells them what to look for and then they go to it. And what the judge tells them to look for, in the armor categories, is ONE very particular thing!

Now, they also recruit an adult judge who has entries in the same division that he is judging!! Not the same exact category, but the same division. And, he tells the junior assistant judges what they 'should be looking for' before they judge his work while he is standing next to them! To me, this is nuts.

How do I know this, you wonder? Well, I was allowed to sit in on the general judging. Oh, not because I asked, but because the contest room remained open during the judging. So, people are still messing with their entries while judging is going on!

Besides the judging there was one other thing that really seemed unfair. I had finished my entry the day before the contest (great timing) and built it with the contest in mind. I thought it would be nice to enter and hopefully get some feedback. My problem is that some guy (I have no idea who this is so it's nothing personal) has about 15 models entered that are over 10 years old and that have won before! And, I think other people knew this and didn't seem bothered by it. How can this be fair?

In fact, why would someone even want to show old work that has been in competitions before? I'm not talking 2 or 3 years, but the newest was about 8 years old! Were they even built by the competitor or did he just buy a collection? (There are reasons I suspect that and no need to go into them here.)

Is a 1st place plaque that important to a grown-up? At the end of the show, this dude had a stack of plaques about 3 feet high. No kidding. Mostly, they were 2nd and 3rd places from categories with only 1, 2 or 3 entries. What are you going to do with them!! Each one looks the same. Why not just say 'for display' only on models in categories with no other entries?

Finally, I really don't mean to sound too critical here. It's nice to compete and see other models but stuff like this is a real turn-off. There was no real critique of the work and no embracing of new techniques. You should have heard what I was hearing from the judges. How can an out of the box armor model, even an older kit with well-know errors left uncorrected, with no weathering and just some dry brushing win over a model that someone obviously spent lots of time on and really tried to push the boundaries of traditional kit building (and that looks 100% better to boot)?

There was very little to be inspired by. Most armor kits were OOB, little weathering, few bases and no figures. In fact, only one armor model had figures and it was mine. Not to be immodest, but it was very surprising. I guess I just feel 'what's the point?' If I enter this again, I think I'll have my entry for display only. I want to contribute. Winning is nice but I don't care about an award (mine is somewhere in my bookshelf) and it's really hollow knowing the way the judging is.