[Cory]

I think the UFH is a good idea, but started off on a bad foot, First of all, the whole guessing game and secrecy thing was just stupid imho. It is good to recognize people, but the one massive flaw that I see is that there are maybe 1500 people who actively read/post on CD (thats probably actually a bit high) theres are thousands upon thousands of people who do not even know that chiefdelphi.com exists. The vast majority of these people will not be nominated by anyone unless someone on their team reads Chiefdelphi, or they are well known in the local FIRST community. If there was a way, which at this point there obviously isnt, to spread the word to the majority of FIRST participants, it would make things much more fair.

If we knew what the criteria are that are being judged, then we would be reassured that the judges werent playing favorites (Im sure they wouldnt, but hey, some of us like to see everything before we have faith)

My suggestion is that all nominees be recognized somewhere, with their submissions posted. Maybe they will have to be read and approved by the judges first to make sure that they arent just submissions from someone's friend. After that, you could ask the nominee if they wish to have their submission posted. If they say yes, it goes up in a special place, entitled "runner's up, honorable mention, etc" for all to see. This way, even if you dont "win" youre still a winner and everyone can give you the recognition you deserve.

The main challenge is going to be getting *everyone* aware of the UFH and getting people to submit nominations.

Cory