The participants turn in their fishing cards at the end or any time before the end of the fishing period. The information on the registration cards is the only way to know the outcome of the competition. Several officials will staff the registration tables to receive the fishing cards. Officials in the fishing area should encourage participants to move quickly to the registration area to turn in their registration cards. Someone at the awards area should use the public address system repeatedly to remind participants to return their registration cards.
All participants like to take something home.
Distributing participation prizes after the scheduled end of the fishing period provides an activity for the crowd while officials are summing catches and determining winners. Participation prizes will be determined by your resources. A button or a patch is a low-cost way of rewarding participation and creating publicity for future events. Contributions from local businesses are appreciated by the recipients and promote the contributors. Label contributed items to show the source of the contribution and be sure to acknowledge all contributions with a letter of appreciation that includes an estimated value of the contribution.