I'll just offer you a few words of unsolicited (and probably unwelcome) advice, based on 7 years' involvement with the UK version of this comp.

Many competitors place too much emphasis on max weight and too little on controllability. When your model is staggering around, you have to be able to guide it, preferably without the need for exceptional flying skills.

Undercarriages are often far too weedy, with high rolling resistance. Make some sturdy tricycle gear with ball-races. It doesn't matter if it's draggy, 'cos you'll only be flying very slowly. Some competitors use undercarriages which are designed to deform on landing, absorbing some of the shock.

Make every effort to prepare the model well in advance of the comp, i.e. test fly it and sort out all of the annoying problems.

Consider your cargo bay. If you are under time pressure, rapid access to the cargo bay will be a huge benefit.

Propellor gearing works a treat, as long as the engineering is simple and rugged.

Don't ever be tempted to compete with a canard.

Keep it as simple as you can.

Springer