Dunno about hosting it, but I'd throw my hat in the ring with a build....

I would be wiling to jump in. But I think you should do a uku challenge and guitar challenge and with the guitar you have a higher budget.

Im not saying that the higher budgets a bad idea , My main reason for keeping it lower was to incite more to try . If we make it to high then some may not want to join feeling they cant afford the cost . And a lower cost was to try and intice Newbies out to try it.

Anyway that was rational for my decision on that

I was just saying the higher budget for more freedom bc tuners are not cheap. I havent been doing it long enough to know where to get all the deals. I was thinking like a $200 cap over the $150 just so you have more elbow room. Just a thought, I'm not saying
You have to spend that much but you have the freedom too.

I dunno. I may or may not enter, depending on the timing and rules. The last one was a lot of fun, and happened to be a good chance to do a project to prepare myself for making a full size harp guitar. But I'm slow enough and have a long enough list of designs to build, that I'd rather not sidetrack myself too much by inventing things specifically for contests, and most of my to-do list wouldn't work with tight budget constraints or local wood restrictions.

But I suppose I could do the sponsoring if nobody else wants to. Not sure what would be best to offer up as the prize... maybe a custom made inlay of whatever you want?

I'm kind of surprised you didn't win the last one. I thought yours was cooler than mine.

I'd be more than happy to sponsor the next one. I like both the damascus tuner button and chisel idea. I also have a lot of osage orange. I could supply a pre-thicknessed set of back and sides.

That's would be sweet to win. We should do any wood this time. One bc i have all kinds of random boards my brother left and you can do sweeter things with rosettes with different woods.