Calendar Contest Reminder & Request for Feedback

[TazKristi]

Hi, all:
To everyone who has already participated in the 2026 Forum Calendar Contest, THANK YOU!

If you haven't participated yet, here's a friendly reminder that the contest closes in 2 weeks (8-Aug)! I know a lot of people wait until closer to the close to post, but as it stands today, we don't have enough images to create a calendar. I'm sure you can understand that it can be a little concerning on our side. We've had to extend the contest deadline previously, but given our current projects, that's not ideal, so we'd prefer to avoid that scenario.

With that in mind, if you are planning on participating, please post soon in the contest thread: viewtopic.php?t=98313.

This is the 14th year of the forum calendar contest. As with all things Spyderco, we're thinking about CQI. We'd like to hear your thoughts on how we can improve the contest. Is it possible that we need to expand the contest beyond the forum (i.e., include submissions from our social media platforms)? I'll be honest and say, I'd prefer not to do that - the calendar has always been a forum-only contest and there's something genuinely special about that. But I'd like to know your thoughts. If you have decided not to participate, we'd like to understand why. Is there something you'd like to see change that, if implemented, would encourage your participation?

Please take a moment and reply with your feedback in this thread. As always, we'll be watching/reading. We appreciate your time and thoughtful feedback!

Thank you!

Kristi

[Evil D]

Call me selfish but just like the FORUM knives I think it should stay limited to the forum. It has surely brought people here and some of those people may have stayed and started contributing because of it. A community is only as good as what people contribute to it and this is something that I think drives participation.

[TkoK83Spy]

Call me selfish but just like the FORUM knives I think it should stay limited to the forum. It has surely brought people here and some of those people may have stayed and started contributing because of it. A community is only as good as what people contribute to it and this is something that I think drives participation.

I agree with David here as well...for the most part.

I know it's been discussed many times over the years, but I do know that the daily contributors to forum that post great pictures all year long tend to get aggravated when someone joins the forum JUST for the contest and you can tell they have a photography and/or photo editing background. Some of these same folks come back year after year, just for the contest and usually win a prize. That is kind of a gut punch to the regular members that constantly contribute, knowing these folks are just looking for a freebie.

As I said, I know it's been discussed over the years. But I do think its had a bit of an impact. I'm not trying to stir anything up, only replying to the question!

I also think most people prefer taking photos vertically vs horizontally. At least that's how it seems in the photo threads throughout the forum.

Appreciate you asking for our feedback Kristi!! Regardless, we know the calendar will turn out great!

[ladybug93]

i would love the option of multiple submissions. i've submitted for the last few years and i can safely say i have no idea what you all are looking for. having the option to submit a safer photo similar to what we always see in the calendar and another photo that's more my personal style would be nice. i wouldn't even care if both submissions won and i got one prize.

i hesitate to make my only other suggestion... i don't want to come across as rude or arrogant at all. i don't think that my photos are always great. i certainly don't ever think they're the best submission either. however, i know i've submitted images that are good (you've featured two of them on your social media outlets that i know of), but i've never been selected. that's fine. you can't win them all. what's rough though is seeing some of the submissions that are chosen instead. knives awkwardly posed, knives not even fully in the frame (and clearly not as an artistic choice), knives even completely out of focus, distracting editing that's trying to hard to make a bad photo slightly better.... it's a little frustrating. don't get me wrong... i still have the calendar posted in my office each year, but some months i can't wait to end so i can flip the page. not calling any shots out specifically, but some have been objectively bad photos and it is disappointing to be passed up year after year and then spend months looking at images that fit the descriptions above. i'm sure that drives some people away from the contest.

maybe require a certain amount of participation on the forum for submitting to the calendar? maybe allow two submissions so we can make a safe submission and a more stylistic submission? maybe allow forum members to vote on the winners so that the forum is more involved, but with the final approval and veto power coming from spyderco?

i'm sure my opinion won't be popular, but i think it's needed to be said for while now. thanks for asking and for your consideration.

[WilliamMunny]

This is one of the best things I look forward to every year. It is a ton of fun and is now something me and my son do together, trying to take a few good pictures and picking the best. Please don’t open it up to all social media. I haven’t won yet with the tough competition in the forum, if it was open to all social media I would never stand a chance.

I do like the idea of being able to submit two photos, one prize per person of course. There are many years I have a hard time choosing between photos. Additionally this would allow for more images for Spyderco to choose from.

Finally, don’t worry you will get all the images you need. Every year, about this time, I look to see what has been submitted and feel like I have a shot at finally winning as there are only so many submissions. Then in about a week, two dozen awesome photos drop, right along with my confidence of finally being selected. Haha

Please don’t change anything major. Maybe only provide the free calendar to people who submit their image before a certain date. This would provide incentive for people to submit earlier than the deadline line.

Keep up the amazing work and you can always use my submission as the cover if you get desperate, just saying.

[Mrj]

I’m on it just trying to have the right photo. I expect many submissions soon. People seem to wait until the deadline the past few years.

[RyanY]

The calendar contest is one of my favorite things on the forum. I will be adding my photo soon, next week at the latest! It is so hard to decide, and I still have more ideas for other photos haha.

[RustyIron]

If you have decided not to participate, we'd like to understand why. Is there something you'd like to see change that, if implemented, would encourage your participation?

Hey, Kristi.
This is quite the dilemma. The calendar sounds like one of your pet projects, and you've always been nice to me, so I'm reluctant to open my big mouth with anything that is less than supportive.

If I said nothing or skirted the question, that would make me dishonest. So I guess I'll have to tell you why I don't participate. The fact is, I don't really like calendars. I don't know where I would put one if I had one. I already have a calendar on my watch, on my phone, on my iPad, and on my desktop computer.

It's not that I think the calendar is bad, it's just not the sort of thing that excites me. I wish I could offer up a suggestion for something that builds brand identity and encourages customer participation, but... that's not my area of expertise.

[bwl2021]

This is my fifth year participating in the calendar contest and I've always looked forward to the next one. This year was no different.
Every year, I've had the feeling that my submission would be among the winners.
In previous years, I've also received a lot of encouragement from forum members.
Unfortunately, it hasn't been enough so far. It's a competition, after all.
The best, in the eyes of the jury, should win.
This is an incentive for me to improve the creativity in my photos.
The competition should continue as it is, including in this place in the forum.
I hope that with my submission five days ago, I'm no longer the last in the competition and that many more submissions will follow mine, so that the competition will be filled with life.

Thank you, Spyderco, and thank you, Kristi.

[DerRock]

I will participate, although I will hardly win. The event itself is very interesting, besides, it is one of the traditions of the forum. Traditions should be supported!

[Manixguy@1994]

For me it’s a solid part of the Forum where we come together to express our passion for Spyderco knives . I have never been selected in the contest but it is just a fun exercise to challenge myself to try a different approach to a shot . I always enjoy seeing a picture selected of people I know who are also friends off the Forum . MG2

[abbazaba]

The calendar contest is a favorite of mine, and I look forward to it every year. We have the calendar hanging in our kitchen every year, regardless if I get in or not. I do wait until the deadline to submit as I'm always hoping to get a better photo for submission. I put the contest deadline on my personal calendar with a reminder.

I think the suggestion of allowing two photo submissions per user is a good one. I know I struggle every year trying to decide which one I should submit, and this would also give Spyderco more images to choose from. Thanks for everything you do! I'm really hoping to get a good image in this year :)

I'm also planning to go back through the archive and submit my photos for your Photo of the Week book. I was a big advocate of that thread for many years and there are certainly some good ones in there for you.

[VandymanG]

I have a hard enough time finding a photo I consider good enough for the photo of the week contest to submit. I think the calendar just adds to that difficulty. Add the added pressure that anyone including newcomers can submit and it just makes it even tougher. I’ll try to find a shot worthy of entry. But it’s discouraging that inactive or newcomers can just drop in and submit a photo. I find it more interesting and credible when I recognize the forum members names.

[UkSpydie]

First time participating but have been around lurking for a few years now. I like that it’s a forum only deal. Once you get the process of changing the imagine to fit the pixel/size requirement, it’s not anything bad. Opening it up to other places just seems like more work for nothing that couldn’t be done here (as in, people aren’t restricted from joining the forums etc).

I loved that for pretty much all of last year I was thinking about this years competition. It’s slightly harder for me as a Brit trying to get knife photos outside, so I’m thinking now of things I can do at home to get an interesting shot!

[Nestor]

I’m mostly reading the forum, rarely posting, but just trying to learn more from the members here. I was collecting some pictures over the last year with the idea of participating again this time around. I was lucky enough to win a page in your calendar last year. Got me motivated for sure. Somehow…and it’s not your fault…I got this idea in my head that the picture must be vertical, just like the last year (which was the first for me). I was freezing in the winter walking along the river and just trying to get a nice shot. When the requirements were posted they caught me off guard. I looked up and only had two or three pictures that were oriented horizontally, but they weren’t really all that great. So, in a rush I decided to go and spend some time with the cellphone and my Spyderco knives by the river. The weather was not cooperative though. I am looking at them now and soon I am going to submit one. Again, not really what I was preparing for, but it is what it is. Hopefully it won’t disappoint you.

If I can suggest something - perhaps an early warning about the requirements for the next year would help us a bit to be better prepared. I’m just struggling right now to find something quality. Between the work, family obligations, unpredictable weather and everything else I only had two opportunities to go out and take some pictures, since the requirements were published. I think it would help tremendously next year if we would know earlier what to expect next time around. Thank you!

[PStone]

I enter every year. So i am not sure if i am suited to chime in. But i will anyways.

One suggestion to maybe help drive up a desire for folks to enter, would be a second chance drawing for the folks who didn’t place. Winner(s) selected at random. Maybe even a bonus entry in that 2nd drawing for making an early entry in the main contest (only if you don’t place of course).

Another suggestion would be maybe somewhere like on the back cover, you could have a montage of all the entries. Or even have them scattered throughout the days of the year. I think it would be enticing knowing no matter what happens, your photo was going to be in the calendar somewhere. Plus you’re already getting it for free just for entering! Might make some more folks join in or even come back to entering.

Perhaps announcing some changes like that here and on other social media platforms could get enough attention to draw more folks to enter and enter early before the approaching deadline.

[Fastidiotus]

I'm struggling to find time this year and being without a camera and computer, worried that my submission taken and edited with a phone might look like a grift for a free calender. I personally don't care if people join the forum just for the contest, you don't have to be a regular member here to love the brand dearly. If wild cards are spoiling your good time then buy a better camera, learn to edit, and resolve next year to do better.

As for participation. Get rid of the grand prize and offer up 12 "calendar exclusives" made only available to the 12 winners. Probably just a vg10 Delica with a weird Zome handle to make it cheap to produce in such small numbers. Or just a regular production run knife with their forum name and month laser etched into the blade? We're a cheap lot of slags here and "oooo it's artificially rare and special" sells a lot of exclusives, I think it'd easily drive up submissions.

[Jimandchris2]

Hi, all:
To everyone who has already participated in the 2026 Forum Calendar Contest, THANK YOU!

If you haven't participated yet, here's a friendly reminder that the contest closes in 2 weeks (8-Aug)! I know a lot of people wait until closer to the close to post, but as it stands today, we don't have enough images to create a calendar. I'm sure you can understand that it can be a little concerning on our side. We've had to extend the contest deadline previously, but given our current projects, that's not ideal, so we'd prefer to avoid that scenario.

With that in mind, if you are planning on participating, please post soon in the contest thread: viewtopic.php?t=98313.

This is the 14th year of the forum calendar contest. As with all things Spyderco, we're thinking about CQI. We'd like to hear your thoughts on how we can improve the contest. Is it possible that we need to expand the contest beyond the forum (i.e., include submissions from our social media platforms)? I'll be honest and say, I'd prefer not to do that - the calendar has always been a forum-only contest and there's something genuinely special about that. But I'd like to know your thoughts. If you have decided not to participate, we'd like to understand why. Is there something you'd like to see change that, if implemented, would encourage your participation?

Please take a moment and reply with your feedback in this thread. As always, we'll be watching/reading. We appreciate your time and thoughtful feedback!

Thank you!

Kristi

Thanks for the reminder and for keeping this tradition going. I’ll be posting my submission soon—appreciate the heads-up on the low entry count.

Personally, I love that this is a forum-only contest. It keeps the community feel strong, you know that. If anything, maybe a bit more early visibility could help boost participation next year? IDK. I'll let you know that I post this on live YOUTUBE events like "METAL COMPLEX, TKELL KNIVES, ETC. just to support. Respect.

Appreciate all the work behind the scenes—looking forward to seeing the final calendar!
Respectfully,
James Reynolds
US ARMY 1SG RET

[abbazaba]

I enter every year. So i am not sure if i am suited to chime in. But i will anyways.

One suggestion to maybe help drive up a desire for folks to enter, would be a second chance drawing for the folks who didn’t place. Winner(s) selected at random. Maybe even a bonus entry in that 2nd drawing for making an early entry in the main contest (only if you don’t place of course).

Another suggestion would be maybe somewhere like on the back cover, you could have a montage of all the entries. Or even have them scattered throughout the days of the year. I think it would be enticing knowing no matter what happens, your photo was going to be in the calendar somewhere. Plus you’re already getting it for free just for entering! Might make some more folks join in or even come back to entering.

Perhaps announcing some changes like that here and on other social media platforms could get enough attention to draw more folks to enter and enter early before the approaching deadline.

I think these are great ideas!

[Manixguy@1994]

I enter every year. So i am not sure if i am suited to chime in. But i will anyways.

One suggestion to maybe help drive up a desire for folks to enter, would be a second chance drawing for the folks who didn’t place. Winner(s) selected at random. Maybe even a bonus entry in that 2nd drawing for making an early entry in the main contest (only if you don’t place of course).

Another suggestion would be maybe somewhere like on the back cover, you could have a montage of all the entries. Or even have them scattered throughout the days of the year. I think it would be enticing knowing no matter what happens, your photo was going to be in the calendar somewhere. Plus you’re already getting it for free just for entering! Might make some more folks join in or even come back to entering.

Perhaps announcing some changes like that here and on other social media platforms could get enough attention to draw more folks to enter and enter early before the approaching deadline.

I like the idea of the montage on back of calendar of pictures not selected . MG2