Trophies pros and cons

bigwindowjim

bigwindowjim

Junior Member
I am one of the founding members of a local car show that is now in it's 40th year, and am finding that our show, while it is fun for the 1,000 cars and thousands of people who attend, is getting to be less fun and more work. So I am sending out a help message to anyone who would care to give their opinion on the importance of trophies.

It is a lot of work to get donations for the 40 trophies we give out at the show along with Ballot counting, transporting them, finding out where to locate the people who won, and where to mail the trophy, etc.

One of the other problems is that certain people go around asking if you are using your vote ballot so they can collect them and vote for their car, or asking all their friends to vote for their car, or asking to change classes because there are too many cars in that class.

There are other shows in the area that give away money instead, and it seems to me that by and large, the participants are just as happy.

The problem is that we set a precedent 40 years ago when we started to give them away.

What should we do??
 
Some enthusiasts live for those trophies. I do not. My brother brags about all his cruise night/local car show trophies and takes photos posing with all of them. I think it is absolutely ridiculous. The only trophy that would mean anything to me is an EFV-8 C/A Dearborn or Rouge or an AACA award. Here I am with a preservation award for my 1937 Ford.
 

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I'm tempted to say do it one more time, but with an added poll on the issue on every ballot and every car entry. I won't make that suggestion, though, because those decisions are best made by those who have to do the work, and you'll not like the answers you get from a poll. For those who don't like your decision, tell them they can do it their way when they step up to do the work.
 
Trophies suck. Just having a car worthy of showing should be enough in my opinion....Sell 'Fifty-Fifty' Raffle Tickets instead. Fifty percent of the money would go to your club and fifty percent to the winner. Make the raffle a "Must be present to win" deal. With a system like this, no one gets hurt feelings because their car didn't win a trophy.
 
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When I started going to car shows they offered goodies---a dinner---or sandwich, entry to the attraction----and there was no entry fee, perhaps there was a best of show trophy, I never got one, my car wasn't "flashy", there always was a plaque.

now there seems to be many trophys, and a 20$ plus entry fee, rarely a goodie bag, rarely food-------and rarely my car at one that charges entry
 
The part I don't understand is that at many of the car shows, the car owners have to pay an entrance fee but the public spectators do not.

When I was on the airshow circuit, the airshow performers did not have to pay to get in the airshow. The airshow sponsors bought us gas, food and gave us a rental car.

At organized car shows, on the other hand, the antique auto owner gets the privilege of paying $15 or $20 to park our cars on the lot.
 

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My wife and I have taken our cars/pickup to many car shows big and small over the last ten or so years and have won many trophies and some cash. We prefer cash prizes, but we over heard one cash winner at a show grumble, "you can't put $25 dollars on the wall and show it off to your friends" The prizes given out will never please every one. Every show is a little different as to how they award the prizes, some have a few classes, some have a lot, some have none. The voting method we like best is where each participant/car gets to vote for, say, 10 cars and then they give out trophies/cash for the 25 getting the most votes, with the top vote getter (best in show) gets the big trophy or the most cash. This minimizes the impact "group" voting can have. No matter what method you use, the buddies will still decide to all vote for one car, you can't totally get away from that, but increasing the voting block size can minimize it. We go to mostly smaller shows, maximum around 400 cars, most much smaller. Dealing with 1000 cars/participants no doubt is different, but I think the principle can still possible be applied.
 
Up where I am, what with charging the entrants fees and letting the hoi polloi in for nothing, there are better cars in the parking lot than in the actual show!
 
The only award I ever got that means anything to me is the Dearborn I got with my 40 woodie as that is a lot of work. The "reward" I get when I take a car to a run, picnic etc. is when people stop and talk and ask questions about the car, that is what I like, not some trophy.
 
Don't give any trophies. It's a car show not a trophy show. It's all about ego.
That will allow you to reduce the entrant's admission cost.
The reason car entrants are charged is so that the club can make a few dollars and also give away money to charity. Clubs are suppose to be "non-profit".
Where I am some shows have a $35 at the gate fee the day of the show. OUCH. I don't go.
 
Spending thousands of dollars restoring a car, buying a high dollar car hauler to tow it, and sitting in the hot sun at a car show, just for a $10.00 trophy is not for me. Restore em and drive em. I just got back from a 800 mile trip in my 39 Ford.
 
I don't attend local car shows. In the past I have been to a few and won a trophy. I don't care for a trophy. I much rather enjoy driving and working on my early Fords. I can spend the time that I would be parked at a show driving my car. The local shows in my area are dying off because the public is not interested in vintage cars. What is left at the shows are cars from the 1970's and new cars that someone put aftermarket wheels and a stereo system on. Those cars attract more interest than my V8 Fords. For this reason I prefer the Early Ford V8 Club meets. No trophies for me.
 
I'm definitely going to fewer shows especially with some of the higher entry fees being charged today. That said I understand that it cost a lot to put a show on. Advertising is a big expense, trophy cost and of course there's the liability insurance. I do think that spectator admission could be slightly higher. As for trophies it seems like around here more shows are going away from the "class" type competition (too many trophies and it take way too much work) and giving awards for a top 10 or 20. Each ballets is limited to 5, up to 10 cars to vote for. This seems to make it a little less serious and more fun and there are still trophies for those that want them. My favorite show is one where you bring anything mechanical its called "The Gear Head Get Together". Its free, no awards and you can see everything from radial aircraft engines, marine engines, old motorcycles, cars, trucks, tractors, etc.
 
Free is good entrys are up to $35 waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to much on the west coast if you charge the public and the parking fine.No trophys, no stickers enough to paper your garage at from one car show Really?
 
All trophies do is get people angry. I entered both my cars in car shows when they were first built just to see how I did. Both won first place trophies and that was it. I now put a small sign in the windshield that states, "Please Do Not Judge". At almost every show I attend someone gets pissed off because they did not win some $10 plastic dust collector. I can't stand the jerks that transport every trophy they ever won and place them around their car at a show. This does two things. It lets the judges know that this car is a winner. It also tells the judges that "if my car doesn't win, then you don't know what you are doing". I for one vote for doing away with trophies and NEVER give away CASH! Go to a car show and have fun!!!
 
We are drivers so don't go to many shows. The ones that look interesting we gladly pay the registration fee since it benefits the club sponsoring it (a lot of work for the members). Then after chatting with some friends and looking over the cars we leave. First to look at are older Fords only to get disappointed that many have a Chevy engine. But, a fun couple of hours and we hit the road.
John
 
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