Planning Skateboarding Contests Guide

There's a lot of ways to go about getting prizes - here are some ideas:

• Ask your local skateboarder-friendly shops and businesses to donate - you'd be surprised how many people actually like skaters! Ask around! They can donate services, goods, or money for you to go purchase prizes.

• Ask your local skateboard shops if they would like to donate - this is a great opportunity for shops to advertise for themselves! They can give away shop decks (those are skateboards with the skate shops name and logo on them), T-shirts, hats, stickers, etc.

• Ask skateboarding companies - this is the main place that people like to go for prizes. Write to various skateboarding companies, tell them about your contest, and ask them if they would be willing to donate prizes. It's a good idea to ask your local skate shop if they mind having the prizes sent to their store - a lot of companies are uncomfortable with sending prizes to you at your home. Check out this list of skate company websites, or ask at the skate shop if they would be able to give you contacts (they may not want to - don't be offended, business can be a very personal thing).

Asking for prize donations can get really frustrating, and really old fast. Hang in there. And get a start on the prize collecting early. It can take months to get everything together.