Every Neopian has an ambition or goal and every so often we aspire to the spotlight. Neopets and their petpets often aspire to the same, but it's up to you to bring the spotlight to them. The Spotlight Guide is here to aid those who wish to create a suitable entry for the Pet/Petpet Spotlight, an entry which is capable of winning and placing your pet/petpet into that well-deserved, shiny spotlight. Now, this guide cannot guarantee a definite win, but it can offer assistance and handy tips on creating your entry. As a multiple spotlight winner myself, I have plenty of experience to share, so if you're willing to commit your time and effort...let's make sure it does not go to waste. This guide will start off with the basics and will gradually move on to the more advanced areas of entering the spotlight. I shall keep everything short, simple and to the point.

SPOTLIGHT BASICS AND RULES

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By now you should have a vague idea of what the Pet & Petpet Spotlights are. Even if you do, it's important that you have a better understanding of the spotlights and what type of entry you can create: There are two separate competitions. The Pet Spotlight is the competition for which you enter your Neopet(s), and the Petpet Spotlight is the one for which you enter your pet's petpet. The most frequent form of entry for both of these spotlights is a story. However, a story is not a necessity; a lot people prefer to write about their pet/petpet (usually from their pet/petpet's point of view) and include general information such as where the pet/petpet lives, their likes and dislikes, what the pet/petpet does on a day to day basis and so forth. In my opinion, the story entry is the safest option, as a general information entry can be boring and unoriginal. Here are examples of each of these entries:

Info Entry | Story Entry

This guide has been specifically created for story entries. Each spotlight also requires a picture of your pet/petpet, but we shall discuss that later. So now you know which type of entries you can create, you must read the spotlight rules before even attempting to create your entry. At the bottom of the page it tells you the minimum and maximum number of words required to enter:

Pet Spotlight - 500 words minimum - 2500 words maximum
Petpet Spotlight - 500 words minimum - 2500 words maximum

You can find out how many words are in your entry (assuming you're using Microsoft Word when writing your entry) by clicking on "Tools" at the top, then clicking "Word Count". If you're not using Word, then there are many online word counters in which you simply copy and paste your text and the counter will count for you. And this now brings us to the end of this section. By now, you should be fully aware of the rules and what type of entry is required.

PLANNING YOUR STORY

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Whether you like it or not, planning a story is important. Simply making it up as you go along is an accident waiting to happen; as in many cases, an unplanned story tends to dribble off-topic and make the overall thing painful to read. In this section, I am asking you to learn from my mistakes (as I tended not plan any of my stories, which I find embarrassing when I re-read my winning entries). Here is a basic story plan which I recommend you use:

• Plot
• Characters
• Beginning
• Middle
• End

Simply write down each of those points and list the necessities underneath each point until you have your basic plan. Also, this is the stage where you ought to figure out whether you're going to write your story in first or third person; first person being from the character's point of view and third person being narrated. Here are examples of a first and third person entry:

First Person | Third Person

Also, I can safely guarantee that chatspeak is unacceptable. Your story should be written to the best of your ability using grammar and punctuation. But don't worry because you don't have to be the next Shakespeare. Given that children enter these spotlights too, your grammar and punctuation skills are not that important but they do make the story much easier to read. Once your story is planned it's time to get writing. Remember to keep your story Neopets-related, child friendly and of course adventurous.

CREATING YOUR PICTURE

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Your story now needs an image, but this image must be your own. That means created by you and you only. Like me, many people prefer you draw their pictures using a suitable program (such as Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro or MS Paint), but some may not have those programs or the skills and opt for something...different. We'll talk about that later, but right now let's focus on digital artwork.
Digital art is basically a picture created using a computer. There are various programs (which I stated earlier) which are great for producing pictures. MS Paint should already be installed on your computer, and you can download free trials of Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro. Here is an example of digital art:

Thankfully there are a few guides floating around which may prove very useful if you're new to digital art. I recommend you searching for a guide on Neopets. Below I will list the best guides for specific programs which you may have:

Photoshop | Paint Shop Pro | MS Paint

If you do not have any of these programs, or you feel that digital art is not for you, then you will need a digital camera (or a scanner) and a pair of creative hands. There are many ways you could create a picture of your pet; pencils and paper, paint, knitting and even play-doh (or similar modelling clay). Don't be afraid of creativity. Below is an example of a non-digital art:

It doesn't have to be the world's greatest piece of art, like the one above, but as long as everyone can see what type of petpet it is then there shouldn't be a problem. Remember to sign your picture if you wish to prevent theft, but do not include copyright or trademark symbols. Your picture has to be saved in either GIF or JPEG format, also, try to keep your picture under 50K and around 300x300 pixels (although you can enter larger than 300x300 if you want). The picture above is not actually too large to enter but it could easily be resized using MS Paint or any other program just in case. Once you have finished your picture and your story, save them.

ENTERING THE SPOTLIGHT

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Now it's time to enter your submission. To find the spotlights you need to click on "Pet Central" on your sidebar, then search for the "Contests and Activities" module and there should see the competition section. You should be directed here. Select either the "Pet Spotlight" at the top of the page, or the Petpet Spotlight in the "Other Contests" list below. You will then be directed to the pet/petpet spotlight and at the top of the page is an option to submit your entry. You will then be directed to the entry form and all you need to do then is fill it in. Copy and paste your story as in the example below:

As you can see, I was entering the Petpet Spotlight. Make sure you enter the correct pet/petpet and choose the correct category as highlighted in red on the above screenshot. Once you have entered, you simply have to wait. Now the time it takes to be chosen as a winner varies; the Petpet Spotlight usually takes a matter of weeks, whereas the Pet Spotlight can actually take months (most likely due to more entries) so you must be patient.
If your entry is to win, it will be announced in the news. You may also notice and sudden increase in Neomails, battle challenges and Neofriend requests upon winning. But if you feel confident that you have waited long enough and you haven't been chosen, you can simply enter again. However, you must wait more than a couple of months at least. Yes, I know...it takes time. However, while you are waiting, why not create new entries for your other pets/petpets and enter those too? You can also enter on side accounts, as no prizes are rewarded, this is allowed.

THE END AND THANK YOU

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Well, there it is. I've included pretty much all you need to know about the spotlights and I do sincerely hope this guide helped you. Feedback is more than welcome. Also, if you followed this guide and won the Pet or Petpet Spotlight, please feel free to let me know. In the meantime, good luck with your entries. :)
Also, thank you to those who created the art guides for allowing me to list them here, much appreciated.