[Harp-L] Contest?

[S Barteau <suzanne_etc@xxxxx>]

Hi.  I'm organizing a harmonica contest in New Mexico in October, and I could use a little input.  We had one last year, and it was way cool, a few local people showed up to play, and everyone had a blast. We want to do it again, maybe just a little bigger and better. 

It's part of a smallish music fest, 2 days, 2 outdoor stages, local bands, a lot of variety, a couple of headliners from out of town, beer from the local micro-brewery, pretty nice. Would anyone care to offer an opinion, from a player's perspective, about what would make a player want to travel a hundred or more miles to take part? (New Mexico's a big state.) I'm thinking it's not just about the prize money, although I imagine that's part of it. 

Obviously it's not going to be Yellow Pines, or SPAH, but I'd still like it to be something kind of special.  Any advice?

Suzanne from Socorro (just a newbie on the harp)