Is there an entry fee?

There is no entry fee for team builders. This could change for future competitions.

Will AIM pay for travel costs for the teams?

No. Unfortunately, we do not have budget to pay for teams to travel to the competition. We encourage teams to create their own crowd-funding channels to help pay for their travel costs.

Will AIM Pay for Lodging or Food?

No. Currently, lodging and food is not included in our budget. That could change if we are more successful at fund-raising than we expect to be.

What type of floor will we have to build on?

This will be based on the venue, which is currently being worked out. It could be a vinyl flooring on top of a hardwood (e.g. basketball court) floor, or it could be a cement floor.

Will there be prize money?

Yes, there will be prize money for the 1st, 2nd and third place teams. For year 1, we are looking at $1200 for the first place team, $600 for the second place team, and $300 for the third place team. But that could change based on the budget, either up or down.

Note: Do not make financial commitments based on an expectation of winning.

Will there be trophies?

Yes, of course! And they will be awarded at the event for you to take home. (which also means they won’t be engraved with your name)

We are professional builders, why would we do this for free?

We see it as an investment in our art form. Society is wired to celebrate competitions, sports, and ‘winners’. We feel that ‘competition builds’ could tap into this cultural driver. 25 years ago, E-Sports didn’t exist, and now it’s a $4.8b market.

The World of Wearable Art, a similar art-based competition, pays out $120,000 in prize money and has 60,000 visitors each year. It started with a 200 person competition in 1987.

Will you be Selling tickets to the event?

Yes. That is part of the budget.

Team builders, of course, do not have to pay for tickets. But if you invite family members, then they would have to pay for tickets. There are no “comps” (free tickets) for teams for the first year.

Who are the judges?

We don’t know yet. There will be three judges. One of the judges will be a domino / chain-reaction expert. We expect the other two judges to be drawn from the local area. We’re considering theater or film directors and art or architecture professors. We would appreciate any thoughts you have on who would make the best judges for this event.

Will you be Selling merchandise?

Probably. That’s not included in the budget yet.

What are your attendance expectations?

We’re hoping to get 200-500 audience members for this first event.

What if this is crazy successful?

We wish! If we make more money than our expenses, we will pour that money into next year’s competition, move to a larger venue and have larger cash prizes.

What if this is a dud?

It depends on why it’s a dud. If it’s something that we can fix, we’ll try again in a year. If it seems like there’s not a large enough market, then we may need a development partner, and what that would look like - we have no idea.

Are you getting rich off of this?

Haha, no. None of us are taking a salary. We expect to create a 501-c3 non-profit to run this event. In addition to time, we will also likely donate our own funds to the competition.