Introducing: The Tournament of Made-It-Myself

In last week’s poll to determine the next tournament on this blog, the “Tournament of Made-It-Myself” won by a hair. It was so close that I’ll probably do another tournament later this year, but for now let’s focus on what this tournament entails, what you can win, and how you can enter.

Tournament Details

Whether it’s a front porch, an IKEA chair, or a clever contraption made of duct tape, we all have things that we’ve fixed or put together around the house. Some of these are brilliant in their execution, others are comical, and others had really complicated instructions that you somehow figured out.

The Tournament of Made-It-Myself will allow you to show off these contraptions, and the wisdom of the crowd will determine if your construction skills are more clever than everyone else. If you’re reading this thinking that you don’t have anything that applies to this tournament, take a minute to walk through your apartment/house/mansion. I bet you’ll be surprised by what you find.

Even if what you have doesn’t seem all that clever, the story that accompanies the picture might best a more impressive creation. You can even use this tournament for self-promotion if you’d like–perhaps you have an Etsy store or something like that with some particularly clever crafts or contraptions.

The Grand Prize

The winner will receive two things: First, they’ll receive a brand-new iPod shuffle. Second, I will personally donate $2 for every contestant to a charity of the winner’s choice. So I’d like to ask you not only to enter the tournament yourself, but to spread the word to friends and family. The more people that enter, the more money will go to your favorite charity.

The Rules and How to Enter

  1. The creations you submit must be your own (no limit on when you made them, though–if your mom still has that coat hook you made in second grade, it’s eligible). On the same note, if you have a friend who has built some amazing things, send them a link so they can enter.
  2. The creations can be pretty much anything that you built or fixed with your own hands, except for food and digital creations (they’ll have to wait for a different tournament). If your entry doesn’t fit the intent of this tournament, I’ll let you know when you apply.
  3. The tournament will be single-elimination bracket style. You can only submit one creation to each round, but if you advance, you will be asked to supply photos and stories of additional creations, one per round. I reserve the right to add new elements to each round of the tournament.
  4. You may vote for yourself each round, but only once. If there is any suspicion that you’re trying to rig the vote, we’ll have a little chat. You can solicit friends and family to vote for you, though.
  5. How to Enter: Send an e-mail to jamey.stegmaier@gmail.com with subject line “Tournament of Made-It-Myself” with a photo of your creation and the story of how it came to be. Also include your name in the text of the e-mail as you’d like it posted on the blog (i.e., Jamey S., St. Louis). First-round entries are due by Sunday, February 17 at noon CST.

I’m sure I’ve forgotten something, so if anything isn’t clear, comment below. Thanks, and I look forward to seeing what people submit!

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