As the CC>CC's OTY Awards Chairman, I am now, formally rolling-out, the
2007 OTY Awards Nomination program. This of course is addressed to CC>CC Members. If you would like information on how to become a member and participate in the activity, please PM myself or Ten right away!
That’s right! It’s time to Nominate!
Inside the upcoming issue of the award winning Casino Chip and Token News you will find an Official Nomination Form for the 2007 OTY Awards. I will also be making the Form available via this message Board.
Every Club member is encouraged to take a little time and reflect back on the fabulous array of chips, tokens strikes and cards (slot and room key) issued by casinos worldwide during the calendar year of 2007. If any of them standout in your mind, or take center-place in your collection, then perhaps you might want to recognize them by nominating them for OTY Award consideration.
Only as a
member are you entitled to participate in the Club’s annual Chip of the Year (COTY), Token of the Year (TOTY), Silver Strike of the Year (SSOTY) and Slot Card/Room Key of the Year (CKOTY) competitions, aka:
The OTY’s!
The 2007 Awards will be marking the Club's 17th year of COTY and TOTY competitions, our 7th year of the SSOTY competitions and our 5th year for CKOTY honors. I am both honored and pleased to be serving as the COTY, TOTY, SSOTY and CKOTY Awards Competitions Chairman, along with my son, Casey, the Assistant OTY Chairman.
The rules for this year’s competitions are pretty much the same as last year, and for our newer members (a very big Welcome to our newcomers) and as a refresher for our seasoned participants, I will go over the requirements once again.
Between January 1st and March 15th, 2008 the Assistant OTY Chairman will be accepting nominations from any and all Club members in good standing. As a reminder to all Regular members, please be sure to make a copy (or copies) of the Nomination Form for the Associate Member(s) tied to your membership number, so that they too may participate.
Every Club member should keep in mind that
YOU MUST NOMINATE at least one OTY candidate, in at least one category,
IN ORDER TO QUALIFY YOURSELF AS A JUDGE in the final voting process.
Simply stated:
YOU MUST NOMINATE TO PARTICIPATE!
Completed original Nomination Forms were designed to be folded, taped (stapling is acceptable, but the Post Office prefers tape), affixed with 1st Class postage (.41 cents) and then mailed. Providing that the insert is folded correctly (and printed on both sides) the mailing address will be pre-printed on the reverse of the form. However, completed forms (original forms or copies) may be sent in an envelope to the address that appears on the back of an original form. That address is also re-printed below for your convenience.
As we did last year we will accept nominations via email
to oty@ccgtcc.com . However, if you take advantage of this method, you must format your submission into the same headings as the Nomination Form
AND you must include all of your nominations at one time. Please do not make piece-meal submissions. If you do, then the most current submission form will replace, in total, any previously submitted form. Emailed submissions must be sent prior to midnight (PST) March 15, 2008.
As the nomination forms begin arriving, the Assistant OTY Chairman will be very busy tabulating all the selections, in each of the four categories. The top ten nomination-getters, in each category, will then be designated as the Ten Finalist in their respective category. The OTY Chairman will then acquire a complete set of the Ten Finalists and use them to produce a full-color Judge's Pamphlet. A Judge’s Pamphlet will then be sent to each and every member who submitted a valid Nomination Form and will be used to view and judge all of the Ten Finalists. Mid April is the target timeframe to mail out Judge’s Pamphlets. (This is a change from what will be printed in the CCTN.)
Note: Associate members making legitimate nominations will receive their own Judge's Pamphlet. They will not have to share a Regular member’s copy! Judge’s Pamphlets, just like last year, will depict the front and back (obverse and reverse) of all Ten Finalists in each category in their actual sizes. A separate Balloting form is included so that the Judge’s Pamphlet may be kept as a souvenir of your participation in this highly prestigious, members-only event.
Judging will take place from about the end of April to mid-May. (Again, this is a change from what will appear in the CCTN.)All ballots must be returned via the postal system and must be postmarked on or before a date to-be-determined and announced later.
ATTENTION International members, I am inclined to make allowances for voting if the deadlines prove to be a hardship, most likely, e-mail notification.
By the end of May I will likely know the top finishers in each category. I will be going about the task of preparing the various award plaques, which like last year will be awarded for 1st Place only. Acknowledgements will also be given out to the respective manufacturers. I will also be taking care of the Club's acquisition of the four 1st-place finishers to add to the Club's Permanent Display.
For our newer members (and also as a reminder) the Club’s Permanent Display is the Club's own collection of all past winners of the Chip of the Year, Token of the Year, Silver Strike of the Year and Room Key/Slot Card Key of the Year Awards Competitions. That collection will once again be on-display at the Convention as a non-competitive Exhibit right along side a complete set of all 40 Finalists from the 2007 competitions.
Well, that about covers it, except for the fine print below. I encourage each and every member to participate in this event, as I see these competitions as an opportunity for the Club's members to tell the casinos and their suppliers that we appreciate their efforts to produce a quality product.
The fine print:
All nominees must have been issued, for use, for the first time, during the calendar year of 2007. Various members of the may be called upon to verify this criteria for chips and tokens. The Officers of the Silver Striker’s Club shall be called upon to verify this criteria for Silver Strikes. The Officers of the Slot Card and Room Key Club shall be called upon to verify this criteria for slot cards/room keys.
Chip of the Year eligibility criteria: A chip must be issued by a casino. It must also serve a gaming purpose.
Token of the Year eligibility criteria: A token is one that is intended to be inserted into a slot machine for play. Excluded are coins (money), currency and tickets. The emphasis is on slot machine play.
Silver Strike of the Year eligibility criteria: Simply stated, an eligible Silver Strike is one made by IGT under their trademarked Silver Strike program.
Slot Card/Room Key of the Year eligibility criteria:
Slot Cards must be issued by a casino and are intended to track player action at a slot machine.
Room Keys must be issued by an affiliated hotel/casino establishment. The key (looking like a plastic credit card) must be used to open a guestroom.
Casey and I look forward to receiving your nominations shortly. We may be contacted via
email: oty@ccgtcc.com .
Lastly, be sure to visit the Un-Official OTY Viewing Sites, where you can view many of the potential OTY candidates, and perhaps more importantly, upload a scan of your favorite if it is not already represented. There are four locations to visit
:
http://www.thechipgallery.com/gallery2007?dir=COTY
http://www.thechipgallery.com/gallery2007?dir=TOTY
http://www.thechipgallery.com/gallery2007?dir=SSOTY
http://www.thechipgallery.com/gallery2007?dir=CKOTY
Link to .pdf version of Official Nomination Form:
http://www.thechipgallery.com/ebay/p...ation_Form.pdf
Jim Follis
LM 3872-53
OTY Awards Competition Chairman
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