On December 16, Cabling Icon posted to its website the first wave of videos submitted by contestants hoping to win the crown of 2012 Cabling Icon. "The rush of video entries comes as many contestants wish to gain a competitive edge by posting their video ahead of the January 2 deadline," Cabling Icon said. Those posting videos before the January 2 deadline "will have time to increase their exposure by gaining more views from the worldwide audience," Cabling Icon added. "Viewers have already begun picking favorites, so earlier contestants may see more votes during the voting phase."
One such contestant is Joe Barnes of MTM Communications in Chesapeake, VA, who said, "Cabling Icon not only allows me to showcase myself to the world, it allows me to increase the exposure to my company. Having the opportunity to compete worldwide against others in my field is a challenge. I have basically been training in the field for this contest for many years and now it's time for the world to see why to vote for me as the 2012 Cabling Icon."
The first-of-its-kind contest for the cabling industry allows users to upload video submissions to YouTube and compete for a cash jackpot that starts at $5,000 and has the potential to grow to more than that. A dedicated website, cablingicon.com, is available for participants and the public to view the video submissions and vote for their favorites.
Cabling Icon creator and contest judge Dennis Mazaris commented, "It is extremely gratifying to see the videos we have received, which range from funny to professional. I am also impressed by how some of the candidates worked their company into their video for promotion. I believe this first round - "Give Us Your Best Shot" - will be the most challenging for the contestants because they must explain why he or she should be the next Cabling Icon within the two-minute time limit. This round-one video will be more difficult than the following round, where participants will perform a skill task terminating UTP cable."