This is part of a series focusing on how to handle awkward situations when working in a competitive group for performance and/or craftsmanship. This guide covers suggestions for how to split a prize from a contest.
You won! What next?
Chances are: if your entry wins an award, you might get a trophy, medal, ribbon, certificate, and/or some monetary prize in the form of cash or gift cards. The question becomes: how do you split a singular prize?
My first hint: never make assumptions. After the cheers on stage, the jumping, the hugs, and the photos – have a quick chat with the group before anyone walks away for the night. Even something as simple as “Would anyone mind if I took the trophy?” can go a long way to avoiding misunderstandings or conflict.
Who Gets the Trophy?
Idea 1 – Snapshots
Have everyone take a turn holding the trophy for a group and a solo shot. Regardless of how the prize is split, this makes sure that everyone has a few photos to share online.
Idea 2 – Frames
As an extension of the ‘snapshots’ idea, a fun way to safekeep the memory (if you can spare the cash), is to have a nice group photo printed and framed for each member. This can be a bit expensive, but a nice touch.
Idea 3 – Shared Custody
Everyone in the group could agree to share custody of the trophy, taking a turn to bring the trophy home in a rotation. NOTE: This usually ends up with the trophy living at someone’s home and incurs shipping costs.
Idea 4 – Splitting the Prizes
If there are multiple parts to the award, such as a trophy, certificate, gift card etc. discuss who would like to take which parts. For example, if someone wants the trophy, split the rest of the prize among the remaining group members.
How do you split a single gift card?
Idea 1 – Group Order
Coordinate a group order or shopping trip so that everyone can benefit equally from the prize.
Idea 2 – Who Benefits the Most?
If you are close friends with your group members, you can consider giving the gift card to the person who would benefit from it the most. For example, if you get a gift card for 3D printing STLs and a person in the group who is the 3D printing specialist, you could consider giving the card to them. This typically works best with smaller gift cards that could only pay or partially pay for an item.