2009 NMRA Convention - Hartford, Connecticut logo
national train show

General Contest Rules

SECTION 1. Eligibility and General Requirements

  1. Any member of the NMRA, in good standing, is eligible to compete, except those persons engaged in the business of the contest entered (i.e. Commercial Model Builder is not eligible for the model contest, professional photographer is not eligible for the photo contest). Commercially built models and commercial photos are not eligible to be entered. Only models, or portions thereof, which are the product of the owner/builder, will be considered by the judges.
  2. There will be no restrictions on the number of models entered by a single entrant, nor any entry fee.
  3. Entries that have won a first place in any prior National Contest cannot be entered in the same contest category.

SECTION 2. Entry – All Contest Events

  1. An entry form (#901) including name and address, NMRA membership number, model scale, category and item name or title must be filled out for each model submitted. A claim check will be provided for each item entered. Each entry by proxy must be authenticated by the owner/builder with the owner's valid NMRA membership number.
  2. A Judge's Score Sheet for the Judged Model Contest (#902), the Module Contest (#903) and the Arts & Crafts Contest (#906) must also be filled out and submitted. It is permissible to additionally submit a typed sheet(s) containing all requested information in lieu of entering the information on the official score sheet. However, the information for each factor (construction, conformity, detail, etc.) must be presented in the same order. The People's Choice Awards, the Model Showcase, the Photo Contest and the Pass Contest do not require a Judging Sheet.
  3. Supplemental information to verify or provide additional description of how the item was built and prototype documentation may also be submitted. However, all supplemental information should be very short, concisely written and presented in order, by factor. The judges will review short, supplemental descriptions, but are under no obligation to review long dissertations.
  4. The claim check must be presented to retrieve entries after the Contest