[CQ-Contest] Appropriate wait time for contest results?

[Stu Phillips]

I’m curious what folks think is an appropriate time to wait for contest results?

The wait time is all over the map:

- NAQP’s – preliminary results published in small number of weeks, definitive around 4 months or so
- ARRL contests – seem still to be driven by the print schedule of QST and around 6 months
- CQ Magazine contests (WW & WPX) – claimed results a couple of weeks, definitive seem about a year
- State QSO Parties – no normal value – one to several months
- Others – weeks to years

I know from personal experience that the log gathering, normalization and checking process is typically NOT the issue.  That claimed (!), it depends on how much effort the contest sponsor places on automating that process (some manual intervention is still required – no small task for a large contest like the WW or WPX) but 4 to 6 weeks with appropriate coordination of logistics shouldn’t be unrealistic.

I appreciate that the decision and timing of results lies with the sponsor but in a world with real time access, a need to attract a new generation of contesters who have less tolerance for delayed gratification, it would seem we should be aiming for almost instant results (a point recently argued here by Ward N0AX).

Delays and unforeseen issues happen – this is the real world.

SO - what do you think is a reasonable time for issuing contest results?

Stu K6TU

PS: As the newly minted sponsor of the Makrothen RTTY Contest – PL259 (Pizza Lovers 259) is aiming for results within one month of the contest end. https://www.pl259.org/makrothen/