Since the removal of the BC FAQ, the same questions have been asked over and over again. I hope to be able to answer as many as possible to stop the confusion.

This petpage isn't intended to be a full guide on the Beauty Contest, just a reference guide for answering the most common questions relating to the BC. If you want a BC guide, you can check an in progress guide HERE.
Here is a complete guide, however it is a very old guide that isn't updated so often.

Update- 17th March 2012

Unconfirmed, but TNT may now be locking any boards asking for why an entry is rejected.
While they ask for you to go through the ticket system, I personally DO NOT recommend this. I have reported the lack of BC FAQ to them numerous times and never received an answer, only to have my tickets closed without any reason why.
PLEASE read the below section on Rejection and see if anything applies, if you're still not sure- drop me a neomail. If I have no idea THEN bring it up with TNT. Going through me won't be an official word, but I'll be likely to give you a rough idea much quicker than TNT can, so you can adjust your entry sooner.

Please read the ENTIRE petpage before asking a question on the current FAQ board, or Neomailing me a question

When does the new BC start?
The BC starts every Friday, and has changing ending times depending on the current DST in America.
When DST is not being observed in America, the ending time is 3:15pm NST.
When DST is being observed in America, the ending time is 4:15pm NST. This is the current ending time!

How big can a BC entry be?
All entries must be a maximum of 75kb in size.
This does NOT have an exact pixel translation. That is how big the file is. A 100 x 100 pixel image could be 1kb in size (Unlikely mind you) or 1000kbs in size!
Size limit changed as of 24th June 2011, Editorial #500!

How many votes do I get each week?
Each person only gets one vote in each species each week. (Each account actually gets one each, but you are only allowed to vote on your main account)

The order of the pets keeps changing! Does this mean anything?
Nope. The order the entries show up in is totally random.

Is there any way I can see how many votes I have?
Until the end of the contest, there is no way to see how many votes you have obtained.

I tried to update a new image to the BC, but it just shows the old one! Whats wrong?
Its probably an issue with your computers cache. Because the image has the same URL your computer may reload the old image to save time when loading the page. You can either clear it in your internet options, or hard refresh (ctrl-f5 on PC, I've been told its command-r on Mac). Generally the problem should fix itself in time, but those two should fix it instantly.

I have received a neomail rejection letter. Does this mean I have to change the file type or size?
If you received a neomail saying your entry is rejected, NOTHING is wrong with the file size or type! If something was wrong with EITHER you would receive the following message DIRECTLY after you enter:

IF YOU DID NOT GET THIS MESSAGE THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOUR FILESIZE/TYPE.

So if its not the filesize/type, what is it then?
While I can't say for sure without looking at your entry, here are the most common reasons:
Realism is not accepted into the BC, as it is too close to a real animal. There is also the potential of it being traced from a photograph
Humans with animal ears and tails are not anthro, but a different thing known as "zoomorphic". Zoomorphic entries are not allowed, as they are not neoPETS. (See below section for clarification)
For the same reasons as above, if your entry (No matter how cartoon or quad) doesn't look enough like an existing species, it will not get in the BC. Make sure to include the defining traits of the species you are entering when you're drawing your image! (E.g. The Aisha's extra ears)
If your anthro entry has been rejected, try making the nose more animal like. Amanda tends to consider anthros "too human" when they have a human nose.
You cannot have a copyright symbol on your entries, because you do not own the pet species you have drawn.
You cannot link offsite on a watermark.
Firefox has been known to submit blank entries sometimes, so if you don't know why you are rejected try a different browser.
If you are still unsure why your entry has been rejected, neomail jodieklns with the petpage the entry is on.

Art gallery specific, but the BC ones are highlighted.

I entered my pet into the upcoming contest, but now I don't want it in the BC. How do I remove it?
Enter a totally blank image of any size! Since there is no drawing on the image it is not acceptable in the BC (Obviously there are no neopets in it).
Though don't count on it being removed, I know of at least two cases where a blank image has managed to stay in during an entire BC! (One being my own entry that I tried to disqualify)

Why was my Anthro entry rejected? What is "Zoomorphic"? How does it differ from Anthro?
Let me just say here, one of the top reasons I see people wondering why their anthro entry was rejected was because they actually drew a zoomorphic picture. Zoomorphisism, while similar, is very different to anthropomorphisism. First of all, Zoomorphic is giving a human non human traits, and anthro is giving a non human human traits. They don't sound to different, but theres a MASSIVE difference between the two, alongsides what is acceptable for the BC.
Lets start by introducing to you all to one of my characters. Hi Zah!

	Now, Ayzahd is a humanoid race known as Gikairan (Wings and scaled forearms + calves are what they are known for). But to put is very simply- hes a Zoomorphic Dragon. But wait, surely hes a dragon with human traits... making him anthro? No quite, lets put it this way. What do I need to add to Zah to make him a dragon? I need to add full body scales and change his entire facial structure, big edits here guys! But when it comes down to making Zah human... all he needs is removal of wings and scales.
	Which is much easier to do than... well basically redraw him into a dragon. This is what makes a drawing Zoomorphic! It takes less edits to turn into a full human than the nonhuman thing it has traits of! You don't necessarily NEED to have the facial shape of the animal you're turning anthro for the BC though. In fact, you can get away with a very flat human face. Wahey, I can just recolour the skin, right Jodie? WRONG. Nope, sorry. That doesn't fly by Amanda.
	Heres the same image, with the skin colour turned blue. He's clearly a bit more like a dragon now, but not quite enough for the BC. You see... his nose is still human. Amanda uses the shape of the nose of anthros to decide whether something is too human to enter the BC. So if you use a human nose, be prepared to be rejected. Sometimes you may slip in, but you shouldn't.
	Now this, this is a little more acceptable for the BC. His nose has turned into more of a snout, though its rather flat against his face. It's borderline BC acceptable, so may still be rejected (Ignoring the fact he's not supposed to look like a particular neopet in this). The best way to get your entries accepted is to go for the full face of the pet you're entering.

I got deleted part way through the contest, yet I did nothing in the mail. Why did I get deleted?
You got deleted because your entry is not acceptable for the BC, it slipped by Amanda, but a user reported it as being unacceptable in the BC. The reasons you got deleted are 99.9% the same as the reasons for rejection BEFORE the BC starts.

What are the prizes for the BC?
The prizes for the BC are a first, second or third place trophy (depending on where your pet placed). There are no neopoint or item prizes anymore in the BC. This is to let people enter their side accounts.

Do you win trophies for species, or are they just for overall?
You win trophies for both species and overall.

Do BC trophies stay with the pet if I pound/ transfer them?
Of course! Once a pet wins a trophy (for any contest) the trophy will stay with the pet no matter what happens to it.

My pet won a trophy overall, do I get just get the overall trophy or do I get the species trophy as well?
When you place overall, you get two trophies. One for species and one for overall. (You cannot get just one trophy for overall, as you have to place in species to win!)

I won a gold trophy in my species, and now I cannot enter for four months. Why?
The BC is coded so that when you win first place in species, your pet cannot enter again for four months so that it can give other pets a chance to win the BC. Long ago, there used to be no such restriction and in some of the smaller species you can see images winning gold, then silver the week afterward!

What is "goldban"?
Goldban is the phenomena written above. Basically, it is the BCb's term for having your pet banned from the BC for 4 months.

My pet won first place in species, and then its species changed because I zapped it with the lab/ fed it a morphing/transmogrification potion. Now it doesn't appear to be goldbanned anymore. Why is this, and can I enter it?
Goldban is species specific, so if a goldbanned pet's species changes, it will be able to enter the BC again.
However, Amanda has stated this is considered to be easily abused, and would be considered avoiding goldban (Originally a punishable offense when swapping a goldbanned pet on your main, during the times of the side account ban, with an ungoldbanned pet of the same species)

Can I enter from my side account?
Yes, you are more then welcome to enter from your side accounts.

Can I advertise my side account pet on my main account?
Sorry, but no. You may only advertise from the account the pet is on. The moderators don't want to check to see if that pet does indeed belong to you if someone reports you.

Can I vote from my side account?
Unfortunately, you can only vote from your main account.

I accidentally voted for a pet on my side account! Will TNT freeze me? What should I do?
Absolutely not! TNT knows we all make mistakes (Its part of what makes us human after all!) and wont punish us for one mistake. However they also aren't fools, and know that a "mistake" doesn't happen 50 times. If you accidentally voted for a pet on your side account, make sure not to vote in that species on your main account and continue to vote on your main as normal.

I accidentally voted for the same species on my main and my side account, what do I do?
Pretty much the same as above, just don't vote on your side account again and you'll be fine. TNT will not punish you for a mistake regarding what you can/cannot do on side accounts, as long as you make sure not to repeat it.

Is there a limit to the number of pets I can enter a week?
There is no limit to the number of pets you can enter in one week… Except for the 5 account limit of course (20 pets).

If I transfer/trade/pound a pet currently in the contest, will my entry be removed?
If a pet is transferred between accounts (or pounded), the entry will not be removed from the contest. So make sure you have no entries planned before doing so!

I transferred/pounded/traded a pet currently in the BC, what should I do? Will the person adopting be frozen for art theft?
Now I will admit, this is not a topic I know so well. So I am really just guessing at the response here.
First of all, report the entry under the heading "other". Mention in the report that it was your entry, and you got rid of the pet on your account, and would like the entry removed from the BC. I am not sure if this will work, but I am fairly sure this will not give either person involved a warning.
As for whether they can be frozen for stolen art, unless someone reports it as stolen, they cannot be. I hope that Amanda has the sense to look into these things before she punishes (as it is quite common for art thieves to steal a picture, enter it and then pound the pet!), but I cannot say for certain.

I found a cool entry in the BC. Can I advertise their entry?
Advertise your Beauty Contest entries, and see others you can vote for. (Remember, you can only advertise or start topics regarding YOUR OWN Beauty Contest entry!)
As the topic of the BCb states, advertising for someone else will be against the rules.

What if I got permission from the person who drew it/ it was my friends and I got the permission to advertise it?
Still no. Unless you enter the pet, you cannot advertise it.

Someone on the BCb told me it was against the rules to post your manual voting results on the board. Thats not true, right? If so, why?
It is true (And it was probably me telling you!). You may not post manual voting results on the boards, unless the owner of the pet you voted for has asked you. This is considered advertising for others, as you are implying that particular entry is the best in species.
Posting descriptions of the entry is also against the rules, as if you're able to describe it enough detail so the artist knows who drew it... someone else can work out what the entry is.
THERE ARE TWO WAYS AROUND THIS RULE: Either do your manual voting silently, or only post the name of the pet you voted for if the owner of it asks you (This is considered as the same as voting normally).

May I trade/exchange votes with someone else?
You may not trade votes as this is against the rules. Sorry

Can I buy votes with np/items/pets/nc etc?
Most certainly no! This is even MORE against the rules then the above!

Can I promise people np/items/pets/nc if they vote for my pet?
There are no quick and easy ways to get rich in Neopets. You may not cheat or scam in any way. This includes the following:
Promising other players items or neopoints if they vote for a certain Neopet in the Beauty Contest. (Chat Rules page)
Most definitely not!

Can I enter my pet as a species it is not? / I keep seeing entries in the wrong species! Is Contest_judge blind or something? How do these slip through?
Because contest_judge does not check whether your image is of the correct species (I personally don't think that is even seen by her. Check the entry form. All you have is image and speech!), it is possible to enter a kougra image in bruce (for example). However people are able to report your image as being in the wrong species, if they do your image will be removed. If it isn't reported... don't expect many votes.

Can I draw my pet as a colour it is not currently, or even a colour that doesn't exist?
Yes, you can draw your pet as another colour, or a colour that currently doesn't exist (E.g. You can draw your blue pet as a zombie one. Even if that pet is currently not able to be painted zombie)

I zapped my pet when it was in the BC, and it changed species. What happens now?
If a pet changes species while in the BC, it will NOT be automatically removed. In fact the entry will stay in the original species, unless it is reported. However, no one will be able to vote for your entry. The pet can still win a trophy in its original species though.

At what account age can I enter the BC?
You can enter the BC at any account age.

At what account age can I vote in the BC?
Your account cannot vote until it is a week old, this is to stop people creating new accounts just to vote for a single BC entry.

How many times can I enter an image into the BC?
You may enter a picture in the BC as many times as you like. Just remember that some members of the community tend to not vote for an image that has been entered multiple times/ has placed multiple times.

Can I enter a picture in both the AG and the BC?
You can enter an image into both the BC and AG. However AG rules apply when entering into the AG (It must be identical to an already existing pet for example). However if you place with an entry in the BC, it is less likely to get into the AG (As stated by TNT in the editorial). Having an entry win the AG will not affect you entering the BC, however someone might consider it stolen and not investigate further.


(Forgive me for the highlighting on the second one, apparently I forgot to save a version without it)

Can I draw my pet cosplaying as a cartoon/movie/anime/game etc character?
You may not draw your pet Cosplaying ("dressing up as" for those unfamiliar with the term) any copyrighted character (Be it from cartoons/anime, games, graphic novels/manga, tv, movies etc etc). This could potentially get TNT a lawsuit for hosting images infringing their copyright. Some of these entries do slip through, as Amanda cannot recognise them all.

Can I have a watermark on the image?
Yes, you may have a watermark on your image.

Can my watermark include, or be of, my offsite gallery?
Absolutely not! TNT do not allow users to redirect people offsite (Due to the possibility it is being used for malicious purposes. You can blame the CGers, scammers, hackers, crackers, people with virus ridden websites and generally messed up people for that. And the fact the website you are probably talking about has 13+ or 18+ content that is not always hidden behind mature tags!), no matter how harmless it is.

Can I enter a photomanipulation/ sculpture/plushie etc into the BC?
Unfortunately, no. TNT say there is a "no photos" rule in the BC, meaning you can't have photomanipulations, sculptures, plushies or other similar things in the BC. So if you enter one of those, you will be rejected. There is a bit of an exception to the photos rule, and that is if you are taking a digital photo of a piece of drawn artwork. I would assume the no photo rule stems from the fact you can't have anything in photos that distinguishes you. With my experiences of the BC, I'm 99.9% sure the screening process is nowhere near as intensive as the AG or RC... as well... the image is up before you find out if you win or not. So I guess this is why the rule is in place.
Either way, no photomanips/ sculpture/ plushies etc. (Photomanipulations especially, because its hard to tell whether ALL the images belong to you. And that could present a copyright problem)

Can I advertise my entry off the BCb?
Yes and no at the same time.
It is perfectly acceptable to have your BC link in your signature while visiting other boards. There is no rule that stops you from doing so. You are also allowed to point it out, again there is no real rule stopping you.
There is also no rule stopping you from making posts along the lines of "Good luck. Vote for me? *pokes siggy*"
However, you cannot make board titles advertising your entry (such as "Vote for my giraffadoodle?") off the BCb. The same goes for something akin to "Pets UFT. Vote for my pet?", "Lending MSPP. Also, vote for me?" "Pet UFA to people who vote for my pet" alongside "lending avatar item to those who vote for my pet" are very much against the rules.

An extra editorial note on theme weeks:

I saw someone enter one of the official neopets images into the BC! Surely thats reportable?
Draw a picture of your Neopet looking its best. You can download one of your Neopet's images from the site and alter it or start from scratch. Please make sure it's your original work and not a copy of somebody else's picture. _{(Make sure your image is either a .gif or .jpg file.)} ("Enter contest" page)
It is perfectly fine to enter TNT's artwork in the BC, however you must add some edits to the picture. Unedited official artwork is reportable.

I saw an awesome picture drawn by another user. Can I enter it into the BC?
Absolutely not! Using any player artwork, that is not your own is art theft and therefore reportable.

What if I got permission?
That would still be a no.

(Applies to the above question too)

Can me and a friend collaborate on our entries?
You cannot collaborate on your BC entries, they must be 100% your own work, not partially someone else's.

How do I report art theft in the BC?
To report art theft, click the report link underneath the "vote" button (be careful not to accidentally click the vote button!). The form will automatically fill out the username, what part of the site it happened on, and the pet name. You will need to change the report type to "Stolen art in the beauty contest or other site area". From there, you want to find the original URL of the stolen image to copy and paste into the comments box at the bottom. Just include a little "Stolen from: *paste URL here*" and submit!

I reported an entry with the original URL, but I got a neomail saying I didn't include it. What should I do?
Did you include the URL of the image, or the URL of the page the image was on? The latter is not acceptable. It needs to be the exact URL of the image (And will end in an image extension such as .jpg, .gif and .png). You can either get this from right clicking the image and going to "properties" (IE), "Copy image URL" (chrome) or any similar function in your browser (I believe its something like "copy image location" in FF).

I found an image I really like. Can I trace over it and enter it in the BC? I am drawing the image myself, so surely its acceptable.
You may not trace anyone elses artwork, this is also reportable under art theft. Just because you traced it yourself, doesn't make it acceptable. Tracing official neopets artwork IS acceptable though.

How do I report a traced image?
Using the exact same method as art theft. Only when you are reporting traced images, its very helpful to include what people like to call an "overlay". What you do is, in any program that can support layers and 50% transparency, screenshot the BC page and then copy the image its been traced on into a new layer. Reduce the original image's opacity by about 50%, then scale and move the drawing so that the lines match the traced image. Save this onto your computer, and upload onto an image host. Then include the URL, alongside the URL of the original image, in your report. This is Amanda's preferred method of reporting traced images, as it saves her a lot of time and clearly shows the image is traced and not just heavily referenced!

I voted for an image, and later found it was stolen. Will I get punished?
Nope, only the user who submitted the image will get punished.

Copying and pasting the same message all over the place is not appreciated. People cannot stand it when you just go and spam the same message all over the place (Especially if you happen to be in the same species!). It shows you're just after a quick trophy with minimal effort in the BC. While you do get people who will vote for whatever comes their way, many people will actually blacklist your entry if they see you spamming everywhere. So, in order to catch as many votes as you can:
Always read the first post! And maybe even comment on it.
If you can prove you read the first post, that generally looks favourable in the eyes of the voters. Not to mention, some people do put "anti spam" catchers in their first post, so its always a good idea to take a look at those. If they don't have anything specific, and have an entry... check out the entry. Or if they don't seem to care... spam away. Theres no shame in just asking for a vote to someone whose message is "Post away!"

That being said, Just because someone hasn't posted the anti-spam phrase, doesn't mean they are a spammer.
So heres a scenario that happened to me more than once. A person goes and posts something in their first post, and at the end says "Post "cookies" to prove you aren't spamming". Now I go and comment on what they wrote above, but didn't use the word "cookies" (I personally think anti-spam phrases like that are a bit pointless, especially when there is something I can give much better input on). My entry gets ignored, when they comment on everyone elses, all because i didn't mention cookie. Now that is... rather stupid, no?
While anti-spam phrases catch out people who are real spammers... that doesn't always mean everyone who doesn't post them IS a spammer! And if said person has an entry, they are posting for your vote! If someone is directly commenting on your first post, don't treat it the same as you would a spam post, just because they decided not to talk about cookies with you.

Don't advertise on somewhere your competition started.
This very much links into the above statement- read the first post, and find out what species someone is in before you advertise on their board. Because theres nothing that makes someone facedesk more than if their own competition goes "Nice entry! Vote for me?" or even "Voted! Vote for me?"
You don't have to avoid all the people who enter your species for a whole week though (especially if they are your friend). Feel free to talk to them.. just neglect to mention your signature (You could even post a link at the bottom of your post, without anything afterward. This will destroy your signature, which a lot of people don't realise)

The majority of art that has ever been entered in the BC is HAND DRAWN.
."Ah but Jodie, what about those digitally drawn entries?" you're probably thinking, right? Well, hate to break it to you... but computers can't draw for you. Unless another body part has been used (e.g. feet), the majority of BC art is hand drawn (I have seen one entry in my day that was purposely foot drawn, and a part of one entry that was foot drawn). Hand drawn means drawn with the use of a hand after all. Pictures drawn with pens, pencils, paints, pastels etc etc are TRADITIONAL. Images drawn on a computer are DIGITAL. Using the correct words will save you a lot of grief.

No way of voting is superior to any other.
It seems to be the general consensus that manual voting is the BEST WAY TO VOTE EEEVVEEERRR! But really... that isn't true. Everyone has their own way of voting, based on their own personal opinions. Meaning... well they can never be right or wrong. Each way of voting has its pros and cons, so theres no need to act all high and mighty because you think your way of voting is the best.
That being said, there are ways of voting that are against the rules (vote trading), and ways of voting that can make people go "What??". It is still best to just stick with what method of voting works the best for YOU- regardless of what the community thinks.

Advertising off the BCb is generally frowned upon.
While the majority of the regs agree that its perfectly fine to advertise off the BCb, they also do agree that it depends on each case. Just having your link in your signature is perfectly fine.
However going around spamming "GL, vote for me?" everywhere is very much frowned upon. Its pretty much like going around adverspamming on the BCb... only worse as that isn't exactly where you are supposed to advertise. This is often made worse because you tend to get more votes by spamming around on the PC then you ever would sitting on the BCb.
By all means, go around other boards with your signature link. Just don't be obnoxious with it.

Entering the same image over and over again will win you less votes.
While the communities views on this tend to differ from person to person, the general accepted rule is that if your entry places once... it should not be in the BC again. It is seen as unfair, and if you could draw a winning entry once... you can certainly do it again.
Some users don't like it when you enter the same image every week, regardless of if it places or not. While this doesn't apply to everyone, be prepared to lose votes if you re-enter an image, especially if its already placed!

Don't neomail spam people!
If spamming on the boards is disliked, having someone neomail you just for the purpose of BC spam is even less liked. So... stay away from peoples inboxes unless you want to lose their vote.

Don't ask if you can't handle it.
Mostly aimed at people who ask for critiques, or "honest opinions". If you can't handle what you get, don't ask for it. Don't throw a tantrum because someone didn't give you a compliment, they are trying to help you improve as an artist after all.
Though at the same time, don't flame people for not being able to handle it. I've found a lot of younger artists tend to have somewhat sensitive egos, often because they're only really used to getting praised for their work. Just because they don't appear to appreciate it, doesn't mean they won't take your suggestions. I know I for one used to throw a tantrum if someone said anything negative, using all the lame excuses in the book... but I would still consider what they said in my future drawings.

If your image got rejected, be prepared to accept a theory as to why.
I know a lot of people like to say "oh theres nothing wrong, TNT are terrible!!" to you and don't give any helpful suggestions at all... but that doesn't mean you can throw a tantrum the moment someone says "oh you've put a copyright logo on your image, which isn't allowed as you don't own the copyright" or "Its not distinguishable as a neopet. Try this this and that". People are trying to be helpful, so you can enter the image again next week without it being rejected. Throwing a tantrum at them, or TNT/ Amanda, will not help you.

The BCb is not a place to get free art!
Okay, maybe this is just me. But it is a little annoying to go about your advertising and be constantly swamped by boards asking for art requests, especially for applications. Having free art is nice, but thats not what the BCb is for! We might consider ourselves artists, but this isn't an art board (Think of it this way, if you call yourself an artist and walk into a book store... is it suddenly an art store?). There is generally a board floating around for "The Art Agency". Posting your requests there helps keep the BC free of off topic clutter!
Also remember that the amount of art you have from other users in your application means nothing. Applications are a show of your dedication. Instead of bothering us, how about you show your dedication and draw yourself? Even if you aren't good at drawing... none of us started off as good as we are! Practice is what helps our art improve!

For the love of Fyora, if you want to know why your entry has been rejected- LINK THE PICTURE. Honestly guys, we seriously can't give ANY help if we cannot see the picture!
Similarly, if someone wants to know why they are rejected Oh no thats a good picture, TNT are just jealous, lol" is not an acceptable answer Nor is "Looks good to me". There is ALWAYS a reason for being rejected. If you don't have a clue why- DON'T POST, or direct them to my (Jodieklns) inbox. Let those who know the rules a little better deal with it. It saves a lot of grief

Feel free to ask about anything that may not be totally clear to you. If the question is important enough, it will be added to the end of the list.
The BC FAQ should always have a board up on the BCb, in order to spread the word! Any and all free bumps, along with advertising is appreciated!
This guide is 100% unofficial, however all the answers I have written are from 6 years of BCing experience, alongside different editorial answers and emails to Amanda. The information should be plenty reliable enough.

Link back