2018 Blue Comet Award
To help popularize O gauge model railroading, M.T.H. established in 2010 the Blue Comet Award, to be given annually to the person or organization who does the most to promote the O gauge hobby to the general public.
Rules for entering the sixth annual Blue Comet competition, with the winner to be announced by September 30, 2018 and honored at the October 2018 York TCA meet, are detailed below. Past winners and runners up are invited to compete again.
We want to stress that, while large layouts can inspire future hobbyists, smaller layouts with lots of action and perhaps operating accessories — displayed and staffed in a high-traffic area like a museum or shopping mall — can be equally effective in attracting new model railroaders, by helping them think, “Yes, I could do that!”
ENTRY DEADLINE: August 31, 2018
2018 Blue Comet Award Features A Travelling Locomotive And Caboose
In 2018 our annual award to the person or organization who does the most to promote the O Gauge hobby to the general public returns for its seventh season. For the second year, a Blue Comet Award Train will be presented to the winner for display or operation for one year, before passing it on to the next year’s winner (in the same manner as hockey’s Stanley Cup).
Blue Comet Award Rules for the 2018 Competition
The Blue Comet Award will be presented annually to the group or person who, in the opinion of the judges, has done the best job of promoting O gauge model railroading to the general public. The goal of the Blue Comet Award is to encourage O gauge model railroaders — two-rail, three-rail, and tinplate — to make the hobby more visible to the public and to bring new members of all ages into the hobby.
- The judging committee will consist of multiple persons, including at least one representative from M.T.H. Electric Trains.
- Entrants will be judged on the quality and effectiveness of their display and outreach efforts, including the number of persons who attend or are reached, effectiveness of the effort itself, and the amount of coverage in local media.