The John Stevenson Trophy

John was unique combining almost effortless skill in the workshop with an instinct for good design. John always had time and respect for anyone interested in engineering as a hobby. He helped a huge number of beginners and more experienced folk with advice and often practical help, bits of tooling or good deals. He was a well-known face at the model engineering shows. as well as being a prolific poster on many of the online engineering forums.

John appreciated the skill that went into ‘glass-case models’, but worried that sometimes these could put ‘mere mortals’ off having a go. The things John liked to see more than anything else were well-made, practical tools that showed a bit of ingenuity, good design and weren’t over finished.

A large number of readers and forum members have generously contributed to a trophy in John’s memory. 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.

The John Stevenson Trophy is 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.

Entry for the competition will be by nomination, a short list will then be prepared by the organisers, so that award of the cup can be judged by a popular vote. As he was such a mainstay of the Model Engineer Forum, users will vote on the best tool featured in MEW, ME or the forum each year, from a short-list of nominees. Voting will be via a poll on the forum and open to all. The cup to be awarded every year.

Naturally, we have to have some formal rules for the competition, these are:

All entries to the competition must have appeared in an issue of Model Engineers’ Workshop or Model Engineer (the magazines) with a cover date in the previous calendar year or featured as newly completed work on http://www.model-engineer.co.uk (the forum) during that year.

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.

Entries can be nominated by readers, forum members or the editorial teams for the two magazines. It is acceptable for people to nominate their own work.

Nominations must be emailed to neil.wyatt@mytimemedia.com no later than 20 March 2018. Nominations will be kept confidential.

A short list of entries will be selected from the nominations 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.

Inclusion on the final short list will be subject to the maker filling in an entry form confirming their permission, including permission to feature the entry in the magazines or on the forum. If practical, they will be invited to display their entries at the National Model Engineering Exhibition in Doncaster.

The shortlist will be published in Model Engineers’ Workshop and the Model Engineer Forum.

The winner will be selected by a popular 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 (for example by canvassing the organisers or actively soliciting votes for an entry) any questionable votes will be disregarded or entries may be disqualified.

A deadline for the close of voting will be set ahead of the National Model Engineering Exhibition, where the winner will be announced and awarded the John Stevenson Trophy.

The trophy will remain the property of the competition organisers. The winner will be able to keep the trophy for a period of approximately eleven months and will take responsibility for ensuring its safekeeping during that period. 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 only 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.

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 14/02/2018 12:30:20

Please note, this thread can be used to discuss the competition, but please do NOT use it to make nominations. Nominations should be confidential and sent to me by email, please.

The above text will also appear in the next issue of MEW.

Finally, my sincere thanks to everyone who contributed towards the trophy, I'm sure you will be please with it.

Neil

Reminder – please get your entries to me in good time.

Neil