I've never done a logo contest before, but my local chamber presented one and I decided to throw my hat in. They desired to have a logo that represents both the past and present of where I live, Hamburg, NY. My process was looking through historical pictures of the town and from there develop the elements that would become the logo.
Sadly, I did not win this project. I am proud of the work, but the time investment and the lack of client contact isn't a viable use of time.