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Customization Spotlights: Enter Now!


by aleu1986

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     Do you consider yourself a Queen or King of Customization? Do you enjoy dressing up your pets in the most lavish outfits, always paying attention to the newest additions to the NC Mall?

     The customization feature is enjoyed and beloved by many players, and you`ve most likely entered at least one of your Neopets in the Customization Spotlight before. But did you know there are other types of contests where you can create an entry and win a spiffy trophy? Let`s take a look at the different customization contests that are held on Neopets and certified fansites.

     The official Customization Spotlight

     

     Pros: You can submit all your pets at once, and even win with several in the same round. NC and NP are treated as separate categories, which encourages creativity and the use of paint brush and species wearables. There is an interactive rating system, allowing users to rank 100 customizations every day on a scale of 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).

     Cons: The aforementioned rating system can also be abused, with users ranking every entry they see low, in an attempt to increase the winning chances of their own Neopets. There is also no possibility to promote your entry, as there is no link to share that would allow people to view a specific pet (unlike in the Beauty Contest).

     As mentioned in the Pros section, one user might have two winning pets in the same week, and while that`s great for that person, it means that another user misses out on a trophy.

     There are only six winners every week, three in Neopint and three in Neocash, meaning that the Customization Spotlight is difficult to win. One can easily feel discouraged from keeping to enter. You can try weekly with five Neopets for months and not win. There is also no system in place that lets you view honourable mentions or runners-up, so in theory one of your Neopets could have been in fourth place, just outside of trophy range, without you knowing it.

     Wardrobe Wars on Jellyneo

     

     This monthly contest is run by the JN staff on the official fansite. Wardrobe Wars always has a theme, the details of which is explained in the post about the contest. There are always two example customizations put together by staff to give you an idea on how to interpret the theme.

     One of the most recent themes was Royals, you were supposed to dress up a Neopet with a Royal base colour, but the customization could look any way you wanted, it didn`t need to have a regal theme. My entry of a female Royal Kyrii dressed up as a shepherd girl herding Babaas in a field with a watermill in the background was among the winners.

     The nine winning entries are put on display on the Wardrobe Hub, as well as in a post on the JN news page, and the users receive a shiny Wardrobe Wars Champion trophy for their JN cabinet. (The trophy is only awarded once, so even if you`re selected as a winner in more than one round, you`ll only ever have one Wardrobe Wars Champion trophy in your JN account cabinet).

     Pros: In this customization contest you create outfits using the Jellyneo Wardrobe app, and unless specifically stated, you`re allowed to submit as many entries as you like. This is the only customization spotlight/contest that allows an unlimited number of entries per user, so here you really have a chance to let your creativity shine and submit even the most outlandish fashion ideas. A huge pro is of course the fact that you`re not limited to your own Neopets and the wearables in your Closet, the JN Wardrobe app works just like Dress To Impress.

     Cons: This contest only runs once a month.

     The nine winning entries are selected by the Jellyneo staff, so there is no interactive voting or ranking process, and you don`t get to see who just missed out on being selected. There are also no comments from staff detailing why the winning entries were chosen. You basically submit your entries, then are left to wait until the winners are announced.

     The Runway at The Daily Neopets forum

     

     This contest has two rounds every month. Each round takes place across two weeks, where the first week is the entering period, and the second is the voting round. Entries are created on Dress To Impress and submitted to the Customization Team on the forum who puts them all together on a voting thread. You are also free to create a suitable entry using your own Neopet and personal wearables if you prefer that.

     Users of the forum place their votes, and the winners are able to display custom-made trophies in their forum signatures. They come in gold, silver and bronze and have TDN Runway written around the base. The gold trophy winner has their entry displayed on the TDN home page.

     Each round of The Runway has a theme that users are free to interpret. The number of entries are usually around 7 to 10, and the number of users casting votes around 25 to 30.

     There`s also an Alternative Entries thread where you can post other customization ideas you had for a certain theme, but decided not to enter.

     Pros: Entries are created on Dress To Impress, meaning you`re not limited to what species of Neopets you own, or what wearables you have. This makes the contest fun and fair for everyone. You are allowed to use your own Neopets and wearables, however.

     Everyone can take part in the voting process, but voting for yourself is of course not allowed. You can also post comments on the voting thread.

     Winners being tied for a trophy is possible, so it`s not always just three users who win in a round.

     Cons: The entering period can be a bit boring, especially if you submit your customization early. Then you`re just left to wait until the voting thread is set up.

     Entries are limited to one per user.

     If you don`t feel like entering the official Neopets Customization Spotlight or joining in either of the contests mentioned above, remember that you can stage a fashion show in your guild (if you`re a member of one). Guild activities such as a themed customization spotlight is fine as long as no prizes in form of NP or items are being awarded.

     I hope you will consider joining in Wardrobe Wars or The Runway, they`re both fun to be a part of. I look forward to seeing your entries displayed among the winners. Have fun dressing up a Neopet, and best of luck!

 
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