Readers and Forum Members are invited to enter the Model Engineers’ Workshop competition that puts practicality and function ahead of appearance.
Many readers and forum members remember the late John Stevenson. As well as being a contributor to MEW, John was known for his larger-than life presence on the Model Engineer forum and his willingness to advise on practical issues and often offer practical help.
Funded by many donations in his memory, the Stevenson Cup was first awarded in 2018. The cup is engraved “John Stevenson, 1948 – 2017. Remembered by his many friends” with “Awarded for Excellence in Practical and Useful Workshop Equipment” on the plinth.
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The John Stevenson Trophy is presented for just that, a well-made and usable piece of tooling, a modification to a machine or an accessory for a tool where the fact it works well is more important than making it look good. Unlike judged trophies, we decided on a different approach to reflect John’s reticence about traditional competitions. After a call for nominations, a small panel of judges selected a shortlist, on which there was an online vote.
Because of the disruptions caused by Covid and the interruptions to exhibitions where we can present the trophy, it has been held bi-annually for the last few years. The most recent winner was Bernard Towers for his well-made and practical indexer. He received the trophy at last year’s Midlands Model Engineering Exhibition.
Once again, the competition is open to all Model Engineers Workshop readers and Model Engineer forum members, who may enter their own work. We encourage entries of items published in MEW but unpublished items can be entered.
A short list will then be prepared by the organisers, so that award of the cup can be judged by a popular vote. Voting will be via a poll on the forum and open to all.
The winner will be announced online and in the magazine.
To enter, send four good photographs of your entry with up to 500 words of description by email to meweditor@mortons.co.uk no later than 22 July 2024.
The rules of the competition are:
All entries must be a piece of practical workshop equipment i.e. a tool, jig, fixture or a modification to or accessory for an existing piece of equipment. One entry per person.
All entries to the competition must be materially your own work (commercial parts etc. are allowable but please be clear about what these are) and not have been entered to the competition before.
A short list of entries will be selected by the competition organisers, a group of people who knew John and are familiar with his views on workshop equipment.
Criteria for inclusion on the shortlist will be that the tooling is practical and capable of being used for accurate work in a home workshop setting. It should demonstrate ingenuity, good design, economical use of materials and be appropriately finished for its function.
By entering, you confirm your permission to feature the entry in the magazines or on the forum. If practical, you may be invited to display your entry at a model engineering exhibition in the future.
The winner will be selected by a popular online vote by forum members. Readers who join the forum in order to vote will be allowed to do so. Voting will be strictly one vote per person.
In the event that the judges consider invalid votes have been cast or that an attempt has been made to unduly influence the result of the vote any questionable votes will be disregarded, or entries may be disqualified.
The trophy will remain the property of the competition organisers. The winner will take responsibility for ensuring safekeeping of the trophy until the next exhibition. The trophy must be returned in good condition, in the supplied packaging, in good time for award to the winner of the subsequent competition.
The winner may arrange for their name and the year of the award to be professionally engraved on the base of the trophy at their own cost.
No alternative prizes, cash payments or awards will be made. In all matters relating to the competition, decisions made by the organisers are final.
