The Cooler Master World Series 2019 Kicks Off

Established in 2009, the Cooler Master World Series is very much a staple of the modding calendar. If you enjoy browsing our Project Logs forum, you'll no doubt have noticed a number of logs already up for rigs being constructed specifically for this year's contest. Every year the competition brings in talent from all around the globe to compete for the title of CMWS champion, and of course the hefty prizes no doubt are a factor, too!

2019 marks the 10th anniversary for the CMWS, as such Cooler Master are rolling out some rather serious prizes this year with $10,000 USD going to the winner of the Master League "Best Tower Mod" category. Second and third places will pick up $5,000 USD and $1,000 USD, respectively, and the winner of "Best Scratch" will take home $3,000 USD.

Now you probably noticed 'Master League' written above. Cooler Master has also decided to shake the regular contest up a little by trying to segment it to be more friendly to beginners. There are now two categories, 'Master' and 'Apprentice', with 'Master' aiming to appeal to experienced and/or professional modders and 'Apprentice' being aimed at those new to the field. This is an interesting change as historically the CMWS has very much been an "everything goes" sort of contest. To help tempt folks into giving the Apprentice league a try, Cooler Master will be providing the five winners $1,000 USD each in CM store vouchers, apparently along with access to future events and workshops.

At the end of the contest, the completed projects will be subject to both a public vote and an analysis by a panel of judges comprised of expert modders, PC enthusiasts and the Cooler Master team. I've personally always liked this arrangement as it tends to even out some of the massive imbalances that can occur with public voting alone. Each rig will be assessed on the following criteria:

• Craftsmanship - Detail of the work and execution to a high level i.e. paintwork, LC system, and alignment, etc.
• Aesthetics - Overall look of the build from the theme, use of colour, detail
• Functionality - How well the system would work in practice and in keeping the components cool
• Innovation & Design - Degree of innovation and realisation to future product design
• Bonus points will be added to mods that creatively uses #CMWS19 and Cooler Master into its theme, from concept, design to the use of products

One other detail that hasn't really been made all that known yet, is that Cooler Master has also approached modders to craft the trophies for the competition! First place will take home an absolutely colossal trophy, designed and built by Thai modding legend 'Modder Crow'. The runners-up will also receive trophies, but you'll have to wait and see which modder will be making those... coughs.

Personally I feel that's a really nice touch. Whilst a trophy carries the meaning behind it, I think it definitely feels more special knowing that somebody from within the community has put time into making it.

In terms of key dates, registration for the event has already closed, but it will certainly be fun watching the projects unfold!

• October 10th - Project completion and submission deadline
• October 23rd - November 4th - Voting and judging period
• November 14th - Winners announcement