Cranky Canadian

/ Wednesday 1 September 2010 /
The weather has been so hot and humid these last two days, and we have no air conditioning in the main part of our house.  So this is the context and probably partly responsible for the cranky tone of this post.  Why am I cranked?  Let me tell you.

I just read about the Modern Quilt Guild challenge that has just launched.  It sounds awfully exciting.  You have to submit a photo of your inspiration for the 45" quilt that you make, plus a write-up about how the inspiration object shaped the vision of the quilt.  And there are tons and tons of prizes, including a Janome machine, loads of loot from C&T Publishers, a whack of batting, a whack of fabric, etc.  In their previous communications about the upcoming challenge, they assured readers that international participants were welcome.  But in today's post, they have reneged on this, and international participants are not eligible for prizes.

There were a few cranky comments about this in the comment section.  And they replied to one of them:
"We are truly sorry about the international situation. We wish it were different but in doing research about contest laws we realized that they are different in every country and we can’t accommodate all of them. We were genuinely disappointed to learn this was the case, and we wish it were different. We in no way intended to exclude non-US residents but there was just no way around the legality of it. Our apologies for speaking too soon about it previously."

I'm ticked off, too.   Not because I think I'm so great that I would win a prize, but because I just get fed up with the perpetual two-tiered system.  Canadians (and Australians, Brits, French, etc), you're welcome to come and play, but not really.  Oh, come on, don't be a bad sport, don't you want to join in just for the fun of it?  Well, sure we would, if everyone else would, too.  Would Americans not play if there were no prizes?  If the game is only worth it for the prizes, then it's not much of a game.  It's not much of a community, either.

10 comments:

{ Unknown } on: 1 September 2010 at 14:06 said...

How right you are - many a time I've look at and considered doing a giveaway, challenge or whatever only to think do they send to the UK - and all too often find that non US residents are EXCLUDED - I'd love that Janome machine but didn't even think of entering as I thought carriage charges and possibly import charges you make it prohibitive

{ Barbara } on: 1 September 2010 at 14:22 said...

I am a US citizen and I completely agree with your feelings. If they wanted it open to the International community, than so away with the individual prizes and donate those to multiple worthy international womens charities where they are trying to make their circumstances better through sewing

{ Barbara } on: 1 September 2010 at 14:23 said...

~ do away~ not so away ... darned old fingers :(

Anonymous on: 1 September 2010 at 15:06 said...

I understand your feelings. I have often read about contests in various magazines from Australia, France, etc. that stipulate that the contest is limited to that country. Oh, I am from the US.

{ Suzanna } on: 1 September 2010 at 19:52 said...

One year I was on our guild's challenge committee and we decided to give specialty/embellishment threads as prizes (they were very new at the time), and not money as in the previous year. When the guild president found out she said that if she knew in advance what the prizes would be she might not have participated. The guild president! Where was her sense of community, not to mention leadership?

{ Lee D } on: 2 September 2010 at 12:32 said...

cranky Canuck come to Calgary it is cool/cold here! i here you on the contest exclusions. we will just have to do our own!!

{ Claudia } on: 3 September 2010 at 13:25 said...

These types of contests are driven by advertising, IMO.

{ Greta } on: 3 September 2010 at 19:37 said...

Lesly, I'm having a giveaway on my blog. Open to all my Canadian friends as well :) I'm sorry this is so frustrating. I get their point about the laws but it does seem like maybe they could have contest by country or something.

Anonymous on: 7 September 2010 at 15:38 said...

You are absolutely right! They certainly do not mind if we purchase their products from the States do they.

{ Cheryl Arkison } on: 21 September 2010 at 10:09 said...

I hear ya! I was frustrated when I saw that too. Lee is right... maybe we need our own giveaway.

But it really doesn't do much to build community.

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