Beauty Contest FAQ

Q. How do I enter my pet into the Beauty Contest?

A. Go to the Pet Central. There is a list of competitions, one of which is the Beauty Contest. Click on the link and it will take you to the main page. Then click “enter the beauty contest.”

Q. I don’t have a scanner. How can I make a good picture?

A. Experiment with your image making package. The better you understand it the better the images you can make. “Filter” functions can give your drawing interesting textures. Selecting an area with the lasso tool enables you to use fill tools like the gradient tool in that area only, which lets you do shading. Obviously this is general advice, your program may not have all these options and will certainly have many others. It is a good idea to get to know your package before you start.

Q. Is it true some species are easier to win than others?

A. Yes, absolutely! The easiest categories are probably Techo and Kiko. Krawk and Lupe are well known for being extremely difficult to get a trophy in. You can check the previous weeks votes to get some idea as to how difficult your category is.

Q. Can I include a petpet in my picture?

A. Yes you can, and it doesn’t even matter whether or not you own the petpet you include. You could even make one up!

Q. What if my pet changes?

A. It doesn’t matter if your pet changes colour, gender or stats during the competition. If you enter your pet and it changes species that’s another matter. Your pet will still be entered into the contest but nobody will be able to vote for it. If your pet changes before the contest begins you may enter it again into the correct category and people will be able to vote for it. If your pet changes species mid-contest you keep the votes you already had but you can’t get any more.

Q. What is a CAP?

A. A copy and paste picture (CAP) is one which is taken directly from the Neopets site and altered in some way. There is no reason why you can’t enter one of these. However many beauty contest participants dislike CAPs and entering one is likely to put you at a disadvantage. The same is true to a lesser extent of traced images.

Q. What is an anthro?

A. Anthro is shorthand for anthropomorphic and in the contest of the Beauty Contest it refers to Neopets which look like humans. There is a lot of disagreement over whether these should be allowed and some users will not vote for anthros. Most people will vote for your pet though whatever the style if it is a good drawing and resembles the subject.

Q. I heard the beauty contest is dominated by rich people with big guilds. Can I really win?

A. Yes, firstly because of the ban (see below) and secondly because although these people do get an easier ride than the rest of us, with enough advertising and a good enough picture anyone’s pet can get a trophy.

Q. What is the ban?

A. If you win first in species or first overall you are banned from entering that pet again for around four months. You can enter other pets on the same account instead though. The ban does not apply to people who come second or third in species or overall.

Q. My file size is too large, what should I do?

A. You have three options. You can reduce the physical size of your picture, you can “save for web” which will reduce the quality of your picture to make the file size smaller or you can change the mode of your picture from colour to “greyscale” which will make it black and white. One your picture size is reduced you may wish to put the original on your petpage so people can see what it ought to have looked like.

Q. Why has the contest judge rejected my pet?

A. There are many reasons why the contest judge may reject your pet. The image may be considered inappropriate if it contains political, religious or overtly adult aspects such as graphic violence. There may be problems with the file itself so make sure it is the correct size and format. It may be refused because it doesn’t look like the pet you are entering or because you have not made enough changes. On the other hand it may have nothing to do with your picture, the problem may be with the message that goes with it. If you really cannot think of a reason why your pet was rejected it may be worth entering again. Sometimes the judge lets things through the second time around.

Q. What’s the best way to get people to vote for you?

A. Posting advertisements on the beauty contest board is the obvious one. Try to make your advert eye-catching and humorous. It may be worth voting for people when you’re not entered as regulars on the beauty contest board often get more votes. By all means put your link in your signature but do not advertise one someone else's board unless they invite you to do so, especially if you are entering the same species! Other ways to advertise include putting links in your shop, userlookup, pet lookup or petpage. Sometimes it is worth buying cheap items and selling them for even less to get people to see the link in your shop. You can try to get an advertisement on the bottom page of the notice board. This costs less than 3000np but there are a lot of people trying to get their advertisements onto this page so your chances of success are limited. You may wish to ask your guild or Neofriends for votes, if so don’t pester, don’t beg and take no for an answer!

Q. Is vote trading against the rules?

A. Yes, it is! Very often it doesn’t work (you need more votes than there are species to vote for) and you risk a warning or even being frozen. Buying votes with NP or items is also banned as it makes the contest unfair. You are not allowed to put links to the beauty contest in the wishlist on your trades.

Q. I’ve seen a stolen image, what should I do?

A. Report it to Neopets along with any evidence you have. It may take a while but they will deal with the problem. You should not post it on the Beauty Contest board and ask people to report that person. Firstly however sure you are, you could be wrong. If so you are costing the person votes and risking getting them frozen unfairly. Secondly, it’s sad but true, sometimes people use spare accounts to post these accusations in order to lose their competitors votes. Often people believe these threads without even checking which is why they shouldn’t be made. Thirdly if the person sees the board they might even retaliate by reporting you for harassment!

Q. When does the beauty contest begin and end?

A. The old beauty contest ends and the new one begins every Friday and 4.15 NST. It’s best to start advertising as soon as possible while people still have lots of votes.

Good luck again, I look forward to seeing your entry!