Due to time constraints I’d rather not run this year’s OL comp. Any volunteer that I can hand the baton to…?
I may be willing to volunteer 
Can you shed some light on the time commitment it involves as well as what the main responsibilities would be?
At the start there is confirming the rules of the comp. I can help with the finer points that didn’t sit well with the contestants last year (there were a few of them).
Contacting and liaising with sponsors.
Enlist persons to be judges. Organise a generic score card for the judges. In the past judges maintained a low profile.
Open and maintain the comp thread. Adding in sponsors logo’s and links to contestants builds as they become available.
At the end organise the judges scores and critiques, announce winners and go through prize allocation (save one for people choice award). After prizes are allocated have sponsors send out prizes.
After announcing winners open a ‘people’s choice award’ thread.
Update the OL comp archive thread.
To start with there is a lot of messaging, contacting sponsors and judges. In the middle of the comp it’s not so busy. At the end of the comp there is a whole lot of messaging again, updating threads, resizing pictures. When it’s busy it can amount to several hours per week. I guess some of that time depends on how good/fast you are on a pc.
I’m just too busy this time of year to do anything, I barely have time to come on here at the moment lol, working 6 days a week 9+ hours a day (have to get the hours in whilst I can since seasonal/8 months)
Would suit maybe one of the retired members maybe? or someone who isn’t working full time? would be a shame to have it fizzle out. I haven’t seen or heard from CRX in many months now, I think he used to enjoy it but he works too.
I will be retired by the time it rolls around next year, but am crazy busy with kids and work this year.
Maybe if the organizer also gets a prize more people will be interested 
If that keeps the comp alive then yeh. I’ve got some lights for sale at cpf. The new organiser can take one of those (free) or alternately I offer my services (just don’t expect fast turnaround).
I see no one is willing to take the job :(
Was wondering if we really need a organizer???
Maybe just set a target date and keep the rules/categories from last year?
No judges and no prizes (maybe only a poll to make it interesting).
What do you think?
How do you make that sort of announcement without having an organiser ? Lol, who am I to ask that question 
I was the one who jumped the gun at 7th comp 
How about this:
On the 1st of December SB will open a thread called the Old Lumens Contest
Anyone that has modded a light in that calendar year can submit a post in that thread detailing and/or explaining what their mod is about
Somewhere around Christmas , there will be a poll listing every light submitted
The modder with the most votes wins
Anyone who wishes to participate in the voting process can do so easily this way and the winners are not selected by just a few …
For some people it is because of a time constraint, trying to balance work life with family time, etc. For others, it is because we understand our limitations.
I have not volunteered mainly because I want to build something and show the process and I strongly believe that anyone involved in the operations of a competition or challenge should not and cannot participate as an entrant or competitor. Therefore if there are prizes or rewards of any kind, I can not be an organizer.
Yes, I think so, if there is a panel of judges and prizes. Even if this evolves to just being a "show what ya did" demonstration, an organizer who would keep a central topic going to index who is taking part would be a handy thing.
The rules that have been used work for me. I like having the three categories; hand-made, machine-made, modded. However if there would be no panel of judges and no prizes categories may not be necessary?
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I have an idea, a proposal.
I will start the main page where a list of the participants "register". I will maintain a list of those participants with a link to their project topic on that page, as we have had in past years. Let's say I'll start that page on or about September 9th. That is, if at least a few others chime in here and think it is a good idea.
As with past challenges, there will be a closing date. Let's say 90 days from the start date. There would be a count-down clock to leave no doubt as to the ending time. We could do 60 days but with parts delivery times, etc. I prefer a longer timeframe. I also like a start/finish timeframe as it provides a goal.
After the end date. there would be a poll opened so members could vote for their favorite project. The poll winner would get bragging rights.
I propose we retain the rules and categories from last year, with the addition of an "anything goes" or an "unlimited" category. I propose this just in case someone comes along who does want to manage a challenge and arrange for judges and prizes. Probably a pipe dream but leaving the door open can't hurt if this remains an exhibition and we end with a simple people's choice; with rankings from most votes to least.
If the above makes sense, seems like a good enough idea, then I will take on the simple task of starting, ending, and polling. I will also be a participant, let me be clear on that. I do not see a moral or ethical problem with being a facilitator and a participant if this is operated as an exhibition, with no prizes and no judging other than a transparent people's choice poll.
So, does this sound like a viable idea? My plan is to open a topic for the methods described above, on September 9th, or earlier if there are any "hoorahs!" I only picked Sept 9th to give some thinking time.
September 1st could be good too. Then the end date could be an easy to remember November 30 (90 days run time... ).
Jack’s comment raises the question, “does the entry have to be constructed or modded during the designated timeframe or not?
If there are no physical prizes I think it likely does not matter when it is built. But for me part of the previous years challenge was getting the concept idea together and doing one’s best to complete it in the prescribed time.
Thoughts?
I can help? seeing as i probably can not enter this years event, all my tools are at mum’s house and i am locked out of Sydney so i won’t be able to travel back on the weekends for at least another month because of lock downs.
I really liked the competition the way it was the two years before. I think we do need an organizer because someone needs to supervise the contest so that everything goes smoothly. I can’t do it because I want to enter myself and also I think the organizer should be a native English speaker.
If there is no one who wants to assume the whole work and responsibility as an organizer maybe we could split it and make an organizer team. Someone would update the thread, someone would contact the sponsors, someone would update the archive thread …
The judges could be replaced by a public choice but only if enough people vote. I guess we should have some prizes because they are a motivation for people to enter. The prize allocation should be like last year with everyone listing his top five choices.
About the time frame I think four months would be needed or three months including the christmas holidays because that was when I did most of the work last year.
The idea of a small organizing group and a polling for the winners seems to me to be fair. It would allow and one in the organizing group to still compete, and I do think that is important. I would hate to see this die on the vine as some awesome projects have come to life. I do think a prize pool is important, although most of you that can build cool custom stuff do it with a desire to create. But, it might help the mod pool in particular…
MtnDon and everdaysurvivalgear have proposed a workable partnership and some good ideas.
I haven’t said anything here before because I wasn’t sure if I should.
First of all, thanks for the efforts and suggestions for this years’ organization. I haven’t read all the things proposed, by I do hope that a good compromise can be achieved, whoever organizes it 
I’m sharing what I shared with G0OSE. Personally, I didn’t step forward because in the next months, 2 of the 3 EU-funded projects I am involved in (as fellowship researcher) will end, and due to the postponing due to Covid-19 there’s too much to do yet. Production, dissemination, reporting…
So, this year I am not even sure if I will manage to enter the contest, for the lack of ideas and time. Ideas can emerge; time, not so much.
I do hope that the contest can be done to keep the spirit alive, and I do thank to the people involved in that organization, juris, etc…! Thanks and good luck 