Learn About The Blue Comet Award

Blue Comet Award Rules for the 2017 Competition

• The Blue Comet Award will be presented annually to the group or person who, in the opinion of the judges, has done the best job of promoting O gauge model railroading to the general public. The goal of the Blue Comet Award is to encourage O gauge model railroaders — two-rail, three-rail, and tinplate — to make the hobby more visible to the public and to bring new members of all ages into the hobby.
• The judging committee will consist of multiple persons, including at least one representative from M.T.H. Electric trains.
• Entrants will be judged on the quality and effectiveness of their display and outreach efforts, including the number of persons who attend or are reached, effectiveness of the effort itself, and the amount of coverage in local media.
• To be considered for the Blue Comet Award, entrants must submit an application in electronic or hard copy format. There is no official entry form; the format and content of the entry are at the discretion of the entrants. Possible elements might include photos; video; websites; print, radio, or television coverage in local media; and a write-up explaining the outreach effort and/or display, how it was done, and what was achieved.

  For electronic submissions, preferred format for photos is high-quality jpeg (via email or on disc) and preferred format for written material is Word document.

• Previous winners of the Blue Comet Award may compete again in the 2017 competition.
• Employees of M.T.H. and other O gauge manufacturers, including but not limited to Atlas O, Bachmann, Lionel, Third Rail, and Golden Gate Depot, are not eligible to participate. Displays constructed by paid professionals are not eligible for the Blue Comet Award.
• Entries submitted must have been open to the general public at some point between February 1, 2016 and January 31, 2017.
• Entries may be submitted between November 15, 2016 and February 28, 2017. All entries must be received at M.T.H. by midnight ET, February 28, 2017. The winner of the 2014 Blue Comet Award will be announced by May 31, 2017 and honored at the October 2017 York TCA meet.
• The winner will receive the custom-painted Blue Comet Award Train (RailKing ES44AC GEVO hybrid diesel and bay window caboose) to operate for approximately one year, before passing the train on to the following year’s winner. Each year’s winner will also receive their own personalized award boxcar to keep.
• All entries will become the property of M.T.H. and may be used to promote the O gauge hobby in newsletter articles, emails, catalogs, or other media, as well as articles in various model railroad publications. Entrants will be credited whenever their submissions are published. Entries may be submitted electronically to bluecometaward@mth-railking.com or sent to M.T.H. Electric Trains, 7020 Columbia Gateway Drive, Columbia, MD 21046. All entries should include both email and phone contact information.
• All entries will be acknowledged by email within 72 hours of receipt. If you do not receive an acknowledgement, please email us at bluecometaward@mth-railking.com and include “Award Submission” in the subject line.
• Questions about the Blue Comet Awards may be emailed to bluecometaward@mth-railking.com