In addition to the detailed description of the competition, its execution and the winners' archive on the link above, the following text contains some guidance on the old competition and the starting points for the new competition, which should help in preparing applications. This text is taken from Innovative Corner No. 7, as published in the STB's Tour!ism.

With the conclusion of the Sower competition, we would like to receive feedback. With the exception of one very negative opinion, we only received positive responses. The simple application, the finalist visits and the responsiveness all proved popular. In the future, according to feedback, you would like to be notified on who entered the competition and get more information on evaluations in order to be better prepared for next year. There were some problems with filling out the application forms, and you also called for a larger media profile and more time for visits to the applicants. You would also like to have a more diverse collection of winners, and also mentioned that you would like to see a higher degree of innovation in Sower applicants in the next year. The new image was apparently well received as well.

Your comments were definitely appreciated! The organisers of Sower will certainly try to grant you as many wishes as possible, but were also delighted to hear your thoughts on the degree of innovation in Slovene tourism, as submitted with your comments. In the seven previous issues of Innovative Corner, you were presented with innovative examples from other countries. As to where Slovene examples are placed on the chart of tourist innovation, you can see this in the previous issues of Tour!ism.

However, it would seem that all over the world (and in every industry), there are those who equal innovation with basic investment. This goes for the tourism industry and also for Sower’s friends. The purpose of Sower is: to overcome such thinking and help with higher quality development and upgrading of tourist products.

Therefore, the basic motto of the competition is "rewarding successful TOURISM INNOVATIONS or WELL planned and SUCCESSFULLY executed NEW PRODUCTS or IMPROVEMENTS that contain the elements of: the applicant's ORIGINALITY, SYSTEMATIC business thinking and high quality promotion of SLOVENE tourism." The first part of the quote, taken from the Sower competition documentation, is about what just about every investment can achieve: meticulous planning and successful execution. In addition to that, the second part of the quote includes a very important trio: (1) originality, (2) systematic business thinking and (3) promotion of Slovene tourism.

Let's start with the last of these: (3) promotion of Slovene tourism. We are few, but we have been entrusted with a small but diverse land, which is interesting all by itself due to all the diversity in such a small area. However, there is one important point: everything we offer, tourists can also get elsewhere. So what now? Firstly, we can calm down, as this problem is faced all over the world. The lucky ones who can display natural wonders or human-built attractions that are unique in the world are few. Everyone else can either copy or innovate. You will certainly agree that promoting a country, a destination or a provider is easier if something unusual or unique is offered. Unusual things (as cleverly exploited by Finnish Eurovision contestants Lordi) draw attention. If you cannot find this in your area, create it. How? With innovative approaches, which are unique enough to make the promotional race with competition all over the world easier. Hostel Celica, the first recipient of the golden sower award, is a great example. With its unusual design, it is quickly becoming a symbol of Slovenia all over the world.

(2) systematic business thinking? Tourism is an interdisciplinary industry that cannot survive long without systematic thinking. As described in the previous issue of the Innovative Corner, a living cell cannot function if its parts do not function, and the same goes for every country, destination or provider – they cannot function unless they identify and satisfy every part of their system. Unusual tourism approaches are relatively easy to develop. It is those that can be included and survive in existing ecosystems with all the stimulating and destructive effects that are hard to do.

But can we really invent something unusual and original? This is where the difficult path of innovation in tourism starts. The applicant's (1) originality is the basic precondition for the Sower for innovation, otherwise, such projects would be better designated as investments. It is difficult to say anything concrete about originality. Seeing a living product, however – seeing how the applicant could take what is good from the environment and combine it in a different way from the competition, it is clear that they were innovative. They could not have copied this from anyone else – as in school, when nobody has the same answer to a test question.

Of course, theory is easy, and practice is difficult. However, we open to surprises and delighted to open the doors for a round of Sower applications. To cater to your wishes, Sower has been redesigned slightly again. We have aimed at achieving a higher profile of the action throughout the year and a greater overview of the submitted applications. Therefore, in the first phase, we will collect and publish all submitted (short) pre-applications, which will remain on the web even after the finalists are chosen and awards given in December. In our opinion, this is a welcome promotion for all applicants, so apply as soon as possible and begin to exploit a whole year of free promotion for your new ideas.