Design competition

Good evening
What do you think when magazines call for a design competition.
What you think about the jury members? Did you think it is usefull for compairing design? Do you think the jury should be designer or only boat journalist?
Do you think its jury can be fair in his attribution of who winn and loose?

I saw years ago some comment from a jury member in.......... (English magazine) who was very hatefull toward a competitor.
I saw years ago a competition in ..................(USA magazine) which never released the result!

Do you have an opinion, and do you have participated on a competition? (Winn or lost is not the point)

Thank you you all
Cheers
Daniel

 

Daniel, I am sure design competitions is good idea, specially if organizers follow their own rules We are waiting the results of one from Passagemeker/Westlawn, should be announced in 'September issue' but still quiet.

I often participate in such constest, see our design in last Professional Boatbuilder. I like the policy when designer has to present calculations and technical details - this keeps unrealistic concepts our of such events.

 

Ted Brewer, John and Billy Atkins, even L. Francis Herreshoff have all participated in these sort of things. "It keeps the particulates in suspension . . ."

 

The PMM comp results are apparently going to be announced in January edition now, at the request of the mag

 

Will the owner of the magazine buy one of the boats..?..i suspect not. Therefore what is the intent of such a competition?...free marketing!.

1) To establish who is really reading the magazine.....from the 'designers' that participate;
2) to promote the magazine as uptodate and the "outlet" of designers, for those wishing to look/buy. (see, look they want their new designs in our mag!)

So the magazines MO is ostensibly a marketing exercise. Which is probably why some results are published and some not...

 

2Willallison
With design competitions, one has to invest considerable amout of time to prepare the entry. Then, sometimes the results are not published and not even a note on delay/cancellation sent to the designers...

2Ad Hoc
I don't think magazines are doing marketing this way. They just want something different from advertisement articles and sweet 'boat tests'. Some magazines are really looking for stories on technical issues, I am getting regular requests from some of them...

 

Alik

yes good point.."gap fillers".

We have been invited to write technical articles for mag's over the years too. Did one just recently and maybe another one soon too.

 

Market share is the sole goal for most magazines, but trade publications are a little different. They have a generally fixed and usually quite loyal following. This is primarily because it's one of the few venues where a participant in the industry can cheaply "keep up", find vendors, get an idea of trends, etc. A "feature" on the cover will not likely raise subscription sales notably, such as it might if Oprah appears on the cover of "Woman's Day".

Are these things self serving, sure to a degree, but not like the stuff appearing in "Popular Mechanics", where an ad on a previous page sells what is discussed on the following pages. This is particularly true of WoodenBoat Publications, which has repeatedly proven to be a real stand up outfit, supporting independent testing and who's primary writing staff is through contribution rather then salary.

The same was true of the old "Rudder" magazine, which WoodenBoat bears a strong resemblance, intentionally so according to Carl.

I can't tell you how many of the great designers of the 20th century participated in the "How To" series's. I personally would love to get a copy of each of those old magazines, just to catalog, scan and offer those old designs. Many of LF Herreshoff's greatest hits appeared as full plans sets, with instructions. Boats like the H-28, Marco Polo, Rozinante, Golden Ball, Mobjack, etc. I guess they were just trying to help the magazine's bottom line?

 

The "How to" from the Rudder was intentionaly part of the core of the magazine, not realy a help on marketing. Of course they want reader but it was an honnest way and genuine way.
I saw some contest where the jury member was the naval architect of a large production boat facility, and the winner of the contest was a design who fit perfeclty their need for a new boat. It was a open way to marketing and disguise adverstising for this company. It was a proeminent US magazine.
I agree very much with Ad-Hoc.
Is the winner a good boat? we don't know, because we don't know what is the real motivation behing the magazine editors.
They generaly now lake of honesty since their existence is at risk, the advertising shrinking, the money laking, and they can't say the truth about any boat by fear of loosing one of the sponsor.
When Nautor Swann say openly without any laugh their new 40' for the New York Yacht Club is molded in a "undisclosed location" and the Yachting World magazine find it a very suitable anwser, something is very wrong in the insustry of the publishing. Shame on both to take the sailor for imbeciles. (I disgress but it was to make a point)
How can you trust any magazine? Personaly I don't and certainly not the so call jury.
My two cents
Cheers
Daniel

 

I still display my trophy from a Yachting World design competition on a shelf here. The last time I visited Bob Perry, I noticed he was doing the same with his similar trophy.

I don't know if we were manipulated as part of cynical marketing ploy by the magazine or not. I thought it seemed an eminently experienced panel of judges who clearly chose worthy winners from a very large, international field of entries.

 

I am very glad for you, and congratulation.
Could you tell me what year it was?
Thank you
Cheers
Daniel

 

Last time I sent my design for Yachting World's competition in 2000. It was a big disappointment! They cancelled the competition, but over 50 participants put a lot of time and effort in preparing the designs!

Never again I will submit any design for that magazine...

 

That is poor indeed Alik.

I don`t blame you.

 

Daniel , that was the best of them all.

Countless people enjoyed those " how to`s " and still do.

If any boating publication brought back that format they would boost readership .

I loved those articles.

 

The latest design competition sponsored jointly by WoodenBoat and Professional BoatBuilder magazines seems to have been a success all round. Not everyone agrees with the choices of the judges but, do they ever? My only complaint is that it is a lot of work to prepare a design for entry and sponsors of most (all?) contests never provide enough coverage of the various entries. Some non winners have been shown but what about the 60 or so that have not been seen? There must be some interesting nuggets in there.

Those that do not subscribe to PBB should take a look. It is a great trade journal that covers the state of the art in boat design, building and marketing.