"Vote", and Other Useful Beauty Contest Terms

If you feel this way, then undoubtedly you need a little help. If you expect yourself to be a well-seasoned Beauty Contester, then the most important thing you can learn is the lingo of the Beauty Contest Board. And this article will teach it all to you.

(17k size) limit – noun: “k” standing for kilobytes, a file size, “17” being the maximum limit of kilobytes a picture can be. However, there is some dispute that the 17k limit is more accurately the 20k limit, but this is up for debate.

4:15 PM NST, Friday – noun: When the Beauty Contest ends and the new one begins.

Advertise – verb: Process of going on the Beauty Contest Board and showing one’s entry to voters, raters, etc.

Amanda – noun: TNT member in charge of the Beauty Contest. Often e-mailed with questions/problems with the Beauty Contest.

Anthro – noun: Short for “anthropomorphic”. Picture of a pet with human characteristics.

Artist – noun: One who draws.

(Art) Program – noun: Media used on computer to create drawing.

Background – noun: The setting of a character in an image.

(BC/Beauty Contest) Veteran – noun: Beauty Contester that has actively entered and is often seen on the Beauty Contest Board, usually for over a year or so.

Beauty Contest – noun: The Neopets’ competition of art, drawn by Neopets users and then submitted into the pet’s species, where there are then three winners in the individual species and three overall winners chosen by the majority of votes.

Beauty Contesters – noun: One who enters a picture of his/her pet into the Beauty Contest.

Beauty Contest Board – noun: Board number three on the Neoboards index; place where entrants advertise their pictures for votes, previews/other miscellaneous pictures are taken to for comment; where artists congregate to chat it up.

Better version – noun: Having their image ruined by the 17k limit, Beauty Contesters often put larger, better-quality versions of their pictures on their pets’ petpages/lookups for reference for voters.

BCers – noun: Abbreviation for Beauty Contesters, people that enter their pets in the Beauty Contest.

BG – noun: Abbreviation for “background”.

CAP (C/P) – noun: An image from Neopets that is then altered on an art program and entered in the Beauty Contest. Usually loathed by artists.

Cell shading – noun: Shadows/highlights that do not blend; often used by TNT.

Comment – noun: Statement given by a person in relation to an entry that is not critical, but a simple observation about a feature of the picture.

verb: The process of stating uncritically.

Constructive (critique, C/C) – noun: Critique that is pointedly helpful to the entry it is aimed at, dealing with things such as advice on anatomy, shading, etc.

Critique – noun: The comment given by a person in relation to an entry. Tends to be critical and helpful in terms of the quality of the picture.

verb: The process of commenting critically.

Digital (art) – noun: Art drawn on the computer, either completely or what was once traditional art and then fixed up on the computer.

Enter – verb: To submit a picture into the Beauty Contest.

Entry – noun: The picture entered into the Beauty Contest.

Free votes – noun: Fancy way of saying that one has votes that he/she would like to give away to entries. All votes are free, but for some reason BCers are attracted to the “free” part.

Gold ban – noun: Four-month ban from the Beauty Contest given to all pets that place first in their species/overall.

Lineart – noun: The outline of an image.

Link – noun: The direct link to one’s Beauty Contest entry.

Manual voting – verb: Process of going through the Beauty Contest entries by species, looking at every picture via the Beauty Contest homepage as opposed to looking at advertisements on the Beauty Contest Board.

Medium – noun: Process used to create picture. Example: Colored pencils, computer, etc.

Non-silent vote/NSV – verb: Act of voting by looking at advertisements on the Beauty Contest Board and announcing whom you voted for.

noun: An announced vote. Usually counted by the entrant, who then keeps a tally. Beauty Contesters often set NSV goals for themselves.

Overall – noun: The top-three placing reached by the greatest amount of votes; no specific species. Best in show.

Preview – noun: A future Beauty Contest entry, usually posted on the Beauty Contest Board for pre-advertising show.

Pic – noun: Short for “picture”, in reference to any kind of picture, be it a preview, an entry, or just something an artist is showing off.

Pixel art – noun: Rough art that is pixelly; most commonly found on images created in MSPaint; unsmooth edges.

Quad – noun: Short for “quadruped”. Creature drawn “normally”, as seen by people, with no human qualities.

Quality – noun: The clarity of one’s picture. Picture files are often the leading factor in picture quality.

Rate – verb: The act of someone looking at another person’s entry and giving it a number out of a number, usually out of 10. Example: 9/10.

noun: The object of a number out of a number about one’s picture.

Repeat advertising – verb: Act of entering the same picture over and over and over into the Beauty Contest.

Shading – noun: The shadows/highlights on a picture.

verb: The act of adding shadows/highlights on a picture.

Side Account Rule, The – noun: Most loathed Beauty Contest rule; prohibits the entering of pets on side accounts.

Siggy – noun: Short for “signature”; where most Beauty Contesters will insert the link to their Beauty Contest entry. Siggies are most commonly poked, prodded, slapped, etc.

Silent Vote (SV) – verb: Act of voting by looking at advertisements on the Beauty Contest Board and not announcing whom you voted for.

noun: An unannounced vote.

Soft shading – noun: Shadows/highlights that blend.

Spam – verb: Different from typical Neoboards spam, Beauty Contest Board spam is the act of going to every topic on the Beauty Contest Board, ignoring the purpose of the topic, posting an advertisement reply, and leaving. Loathed by Beauty Contesters, spammers are often yelled at.

noun: Advertisement on one’s thread that disregards the purpose of the thread.

Stolen art – noun: Art unwillingly taken from another artist and posted, either in the Beauty Contest or elsewhere. Stealing art is against the rules.

Traditional (art) – noun: Art drawn without any use of digital media except by process of uploading it to the computer.

Vote – noun: The ballot cast by one to the picture one thinks should win in its species; each user has one vote for pet species.

verb: The process of casting one’s ballot.

Vote list – noun: A list a voter makes of the entries he/she will vote for before the contest ends.

Vote trading – verb: The act of asking for a vote in exchange for a vote. (Most commonly announced as “Vote for me and I vote for you”.) Deemed illegal by TNT.

Having now covered the basic (and some not-so-basic) terms of the Beauty Contest, new Beauty Contesters should be able to stride confidently into the Beauty Contest Board, ready to take it on with their art!

Well, not quite. More than likely, you’ll still be running around like a decapitated chicken, screaming, “WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?!” until you naturally get in the flow of things. But don’t worry – that’s what the BC’s all about!