your portal to more fun in scale model railroading
your portal to more fun in scale model railroading
The NMRA has held contests for many years at National and Regional Conventions as well as many Divisional Meets. The Judged Model Contest is typically considered the prime event. However, excellent Photo, Pass, Arts & Crafts and Module Contests are often also included. The judging of the Model Contest is conducted by teams of experienced judges using a point scoring system providing a grade between zero and 125 pts. Five factors are judged including construction, conformity, detail, appearance and scratch built. The final point score is the basis for award ranking. Attaining a point score of 87.5 pts or 70% entitles the entrant to a Merit Award which counts towards Master Builder Awards in the NMRA Achievement Program.
All NMRA Model Contests follow this approach. However, there are some slight differences among the National Contest and the various Region and Division contests. To learn more about the National Model Contest and its other events, which we have dubbed collectively A Celebration of Models, Photos & Crafts, click on any of the topics to the right, including a direct link to the AP Judging Guidelines. For Region Contest events go to the Regional Page.
Use the navigation section on the right to browse the various aspects of the Judged Model Contest, other contests and associated events.