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Isn't it standard practice not to allow people involved in the process to participate?

I mean, even if you deserve it, it is an obvious conflict of interest and makes the award worthless.

I mean, if say, Tesla sponsors an electric car award and a Tesla car wins, it will sound like a farce. Even though it would be expected for a Tesla car to win an electric car award in an independent contest.

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At least at radio stations they have the decency to not publicly allow their staff to win on-air prizes.

As a child in the 80s/early 90s I played little league baseball. Our annual fundraising drive would get capped off by a random draw amongst all the players on the team, performed by the coach at home, and he'd tell us at the next game who won. Prize was 50$, a not-insignificant sum for 8 year olds in 1989!

Sadly, child-me didn't realize that it was a tad fishy that the coach's son won the draw two years running. What fantastic luck!

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