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The National Guard Association of Indiana is shifting into a new gear for the 148th General Conference & Exhibition with a new collector pin design competition.
Indianapolis is host of the Aug. 28-31 gathering, so the state association has embraced it being home to the Indianapolis 500, known as “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
All 54 states and territories are invited to design an original conference collector pin featuring a race car theme, says Jeffrey Coomler, executive director of the NGAI.
The invitation to submit an entry also extends to any participating sponsor or exhibitor, according to Coomler.
The competition is a way to increase state engagement but also to generate excitement among attendees and exhibitors.
“I’ve been trading pins since my first conference in Las Vegas [in 2004],” adds Coomler.
A set of guidelines and requirements will be issued to state executive directors and to exhibitors this week, says Coomler.
The main requirements:
- Each state’s design must feature a race car as the central element of the theme and each of the 54 will be assigned a number.
- That number must be incorporated into the pin design and “clearly visible at final pin size.”
- All entrants must submit a digital version of their design by mid-July, then two actual designed pins by Aug. 15.
- All submissions must be free of copyrighted characters, logos, or branded vehicles.
A panel of judges will review the submissions based on three categories: creativity and originality; visual appeal; and integration of the assigned number.
Awards for best state pin, best exhibitor or sponsor pin, and best integration of the assigned number will be presented on stage during the States Dinner on Saturday night.
A People’s Choice Award will be given out too with voting being conducted via the NGAUS Conference app.
NGAI is bringing the race car theme to other conference events as well.
The attendee golf tournament will be at the Brickyard Crossing Golf Course, which includes holes inside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Conference attendees can also tour the speedway and the IMS Museum.
—By Jennifer Hickey
