There is a common theme with statements and opinions in this thread: special snowflakedom.

The point of a contest is not winning or being on the top. Contests are about doing your best with what you have to work with. Just because you didn't do as well as others doesn't mean you did something for nothing. Instead of dealing with upset special snowflakes, we can tell everyone to pay $10 with their log submission to receive a participation medal. Now, if you want to be at the top, you have work your way there with improving your skill and equipment. And if you're disappointed and saddened that you don't have what someone else has, that's a you problem, not a problem for the administration. And thou shalt not covet.

Now this seems pretty unfair in some ways, and I have to agree. As a solution: I feel like there should be 98034567934876987346 different competitions during a standard contest highlighting the different skills of each operator or group, such as best efficiency,  q's, grids/entities, etc. by overall competition, category, state, clubs, political affiliation, football team devotion, hand dominance, favorite color, gender, age, and historical results. It would be impossible to have a special snowflake feel disrespected. But unfortunately this idea is very abstract, will potentially (more like absolutely will) be vandalized by politics, and is just too much for the overmatured mind.

$.02
73 from your favorite 18 year old debater,
Patrick Gawthrop W9GGG