Why hello guest! We're so glad to find you here, interested in our Guide and in the Beauty Contest Itself!

So you want to know more about the Beauty Contest or maybe you're just curious... so let me explain a little bit about the Beauty Contest and how to use my Guide.

As the title states, this is a GUIDE. Yeah, some people might tell you something that works for them, while it might not work for others so my guide is no exception. While there are actual Neopes rules in here you MUST follow, there are also my very own opinions and experiences and what has worked for me, but if they work for YOU then the guide's main goal will be achieved.

The beauty contest can be simple yet complicated. But there is an important point YOU need to know before anything else: The Beauty Contest is NOT a PEOPLE'S CONTEST, but a PET'S CONTEST. This means, it's a contest for your neopets. Now after clearing up this missunderstanding, let's continue with the introduction.

Eventhough is NOT an art contest, an increasing number of entries each week are original artwork, also more and more people are inclined to vote for artwork that has been drawn by the user themselves but it's up to YOU and your skills to decide wether you draw a picture of your own or edit one of the images taken off the site.

There are a few very IMPRTANT rules regarding entries and behavior in the Beauty Contest and are as follows:

* All contestants must submit their own work and it must be Neopets related. You may not enter anyone elses work with or without their permission. If you do, your entry will be disqualified.
This rules means you are not to enter artwork taken off some other people like petpages, lookups, adoptables, neopets fans sites, past winners page, etc. Yes, it doesn't include an edited image taken off the original neopets content.

* You may not sell your artwork for Neopoints or any other form of compensation.
I think this rule is pretty clear, but it means you are not allowed to enter pictures made by other people, even if you pay for them using real money, neopoints or items.Neither you should sell images to be used in the various art contests. You are to enter the contest with pictures made entirely made by you or edited images that the neopets people have made.

* Buying votes with offers of free items is not allowed, as it is unfair to those that don't have items to give away!

Anoher easy to understand rule!. You are not allowed to exchange ANYTHING in return for a vote... and that applies to the giveaways some people make a week before entering the contest, so people remember their usernames and eventually vote for them. Asking a "vote for a vote", a vote for entering a guild, or even let people borrow avatar items for a vote (yeah, I remember a girl who made people vote for her entry just to fight her tonu for an avatar :P). The BC is about clean votes, you are to vote for people's entries because you like them ONLY. And yes, a VOTE is considered an ITEM too in words of the Contest Judge.

* If you win first place your entry in the upcoming contest will be deleted to give someone else a chance.

Yeah, pretty sad eh? Eventhough your pet won first place you had the chance of entering him/her again for the next week's round if you entered it right before the contest started... but not anymore. Once your pet wins first place, it's second entry gets deleted. :( So that really means 4 months of waiting for that pet to enter again. Then again, most people have more than one pet so there are more chances of entering another pet.

And last but not least *drumroll please* a rule not exactly written in the Beauty Contest page but in the BC chat room description that curiously many (even well known people) seem to ignore is the following:

* Remember, you can only advertise or start topics regarding YOUR OWN Beauty Contest entry!

yeah, this rules gets ignored pretty much by many contestants and it involves NOT ADVERTISING for an entry that doesn't belong to YOU... yup, even if you just slip his/her link to the userlookup/petpage/pet lookup that curiously has a link/image directed to a beauty contest entry. I mean curiously because people seem to direct others to their friend's lookup/pet lookup only when this friend is IN the Beauty Contest (many people's lookup descriptions have been CLEARED UP due to this), so even if it's a dear friend of yours (or a friend, or a sister or even your grandma) just avoid handling the burden of advertising for them.

Advertising is a bit tricky and sometimes time consuming, but it's something the Beauty Contender has to do by it's own..not letting their friends/family do the job for them. And by the way, this means advertising ANYWHERE on Neopets for an entry that doesn't belong to YOU (this means chat boards, neo signatures, pet pages, pet lookups, guilds (when you don't belong to it, of course), etc). Play fair and make other play fair too.

Well, there are many more rules you must follow so I advice you to read the Terms of Use and the Neo Chat Rules.

Well, after just giving a very rough you an idea of how the Guide works and what the BC is about it will be up to YOU whether you find my experience handy or you just come up with techniques of your own. If you have any ideas on how to impove this guide well, send me a neomail!

Ok before I tell you about the story behind the guide I will tel you about us. I've been drawing for as long as I can remember but I didn't draw a neopet until I saw the beauty contest for the first time (about 4 years now). How was my first time on the Beauty Contest, you ask? ha! well, it wasn't a nice week let me tell you since I got a sad number of 6 votes...yes, ladies and gentelman I got 6 votes only. Of course, back then my neopets artwork was far from good, so I can't blame people for not feeling atracted for for my earliest pictures.

But I didn't feel discouraged at all, instead of quitting the BC I started to make a research. I wanted to know what the BC was really about..back then 99.99% of all the entries were CAPS and at certain point back then I felt attracted to make a CAP and enter ir, but since I knew how to draw I entered my own artwork instead. So after many dissapointments and loads of entries I perfected my own neopets artwork but it wasn't until about 2 years ago that I won my first BC gold trophy using froststar.

Sure, my very first BC trophy was a Bronze one and I used my aisha Meosphinx, but the entry was pretty bad (in my terms) and Meowsphinx decided to quit the BC to follow a more intellectual career (yeah, she loves to read and is in charge of our book store) and besides, my drawing skills weren't that good so it took me a about two more years of practicing, when I actually managed to make a more that decent entry and the one that helped me achieve that was in fact my wocky froststar. Still my drawing skills could use some more practicing so that's what I did..and still do. Every once in a while, froststar and I take the one week trip and try to have fun while we cross our fingers wishing for a nice trophy for his trophy cabinet.

...and talking about froststar... well his story is pretty sad, actually.. but let him tell you about it.

Oh! hi guest, I'm so glad you want to read about my story. Well my story is not a faeire story, let me tell you. At one point a few years ago I was put in the pound. I don't know why, really. Maybe my owner was tired of me, or maybe it was due to a new pet comming out (the tonu) that my owner didn't want me anymore... and I don't know why my previous owner didn't want me no more since I trained hard as he told me, I read as many books as he gave me and I even let him paint me with the Fire fire, your pants on fire paint brush! I was very attractive, but still he got rid of me :(

The pound isn't as scary as some pets claim, but it can get cold and lonely. It was at night, when it was really cold and quiet when I soothed myself thinking I was someone else, somewhere else.. I dreamed about living under the care of a wonderful owner who loved me and cared about me. I had no items or toys of my own, so I managed to build my own toys from broken toy parts left behind by luckier pets who were adopted by their new owners, but they were tatty and sometimes dirty :( but I had to thank for what I had. Other times I sewed some sort of costumes made out of tatty blankets and old clothes... now that was my favourite past time! :) That made me feel warm inside and happy for a moment. I can't remember how long was my time spent in he pound, but I do remember how magical was the moment when I saw MaeLing's face for the first time.

She took me with her and Meowsphinx. I have been treated so nicely since then all I can do is thank for every goodness I've got every day. I still like to play pretend, sewing my own costumes and rebuilding my broken toys, but those long cold lonely nights are gone!. When Mewosphinx quit the BC I jumped in to fill in that empty space. I like the BC, I like to be something different every week, I think I'm the artistic part of this family and I love it! :).

So this is our story and the story of the guide itself was born from both our backgrounds: my artistic skills and froststar's talent for costumes and play pretend. We always take mental notes of the do's and don'ts of the BC, the newest rules and the neoetiquette but those notes mean nothing if they are not useful to others so one fine day we just sat down and started to transcribe out notes, opinions, artwork, etc. so after weeks working in our library we came up with the very first Beauty Contest Guide that ever existed on Neopia (so according to our research).

For our hard work we achieved the Site Spotlight trophy on December 14th 2004 and many other nice people have given us their own awards (sadly I lost them during my last BC Guide revamped layout. If you think we deserve an award, please let us know. :) There are even other Beauty Contest Guides who were born after our idea, so there are many many more ways to spread the BC craze, their rules and hopefully the neoetiquette!

But we won't keep you here, go on.. read the guide!


We have been awarded the Tail Award for being a good artist. Thnks so much, mayamonk! :)

Neopets quote:
Can you draw a picture of your Neopet looking great? Well then the Beauty Contest is the place for you! Win prizes and trophies every single week by submitting a GIF or JPG image of your Neopet.

And basically this is what it is. A contest where you draw a pic of your pet(s) or alter a pic off the site (we will talk about CAP's later) and enter it to the contest; then people will vote for whatever pet they think is the best dressed (hopefully yours) and you get to win good things.


Q: HOW DO I DRAW A PIC OF MY NEOPET?

Ok, this is where many of today's technologies come on handy. You can either draw your pic on plain paper and scan it to colour it with a paint program or just draw a pic and colour it using colored pencils. Some people even have the skill to draw their pictures with a mouse or a graphics tablet, but really, the sky's the limit. If you do not have a scanner you can always take a pic using a digital camera, but this option is not my favourite since you need a very good source of light because pics end up looking yellowish and very dark so the potencial voters an not appreciate your work of art. If you really have to use a digital camera for whatever reasons, make sure you edit it using a photo editing program (like Microsoft Photo Editor).

But I can't draw a decent pic you say, well there is another option but this one is much harder because it involves editing a picture you take off the site and make it look even BETTER, I'll tell you about this in a moment.

QUOTE FROM THE BC RULES:
You can use any of the pictures from Neopets as a basis for your pet pictures, or you can create it all from scratch. If you want to use an image from the site just save it onto your computer and open it out in any paint program. Once it is open draw on the clothes, make up, hair, etc. that you want your pet to wear and then save it. If you are using a PC you can right click on any picture you see on the site to get choices for saving to your computer. If you are using a Mac, click and hold the mouse down over any picture for choices. You can find pictures of your pets on the Quick Reference Sheet in Pet Central.

Yes, the option of using a pic from the site and add a few more touch ups. But this one has many disadvantages because most people do not vote for what it's called a copy-paste image or just simply CAP. If you wish not to draw your own entries this is the option for you, but the chances of wining the contest are very low. But go ahead, give it a try just make sure the result is uber awsome.

Q: WHAT PAINT PROGRAM SHOULD I USE?

That is based on your choice and your budget. You can use MSPaint, Adobe Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, Flash, Open Canvas... whatever paint program you can afford or feel comfortable using. Some of those paint programs have One Month Free Trials so take advantage of that and download a demo. Check it out, try it out and decide wich one you might want, but note that many of those are really expensive so either try those always handy OEKAKI programs, wich are online paint programs or save some serious money to buy your own.

Now as a side note. Please don't feel bad if your parents or you can not afford a fancy paint program! A paint program is not magic, you will not draw better if you use a the fanciest program you can find, like photoshop or PSP. This is about your drawing/colouring skills and those are not bought in a store!! You need patience and perseverance. Practice is the key to improve and make great pictures. Just use whatever paint program you have on your computer and practice on it. There is a neopets How to draw guide, look for i on the Stuff section on the yellow side bar. Or just practice on your own, but the KEY is PRACTICE. Always remember that!

Neopets only accepts two image formats, JPG or GIF, and your image must be of 17 KB or less. If you are using MS Paint you will have to use another program to save your image as one of those formats. I think some versions of MS paint allow you to save our image as a GIF or JPG, but if your version only allows you to save it as a BMP you will have to get a Photo Editing program or just ask someone to convert it for you.

If you do not trust anyone, well there is a program called IRFANVIEW and it's free. I can not post a link here, but just use a search engine to locate the page. I use Microsoft Photo Editor and I find that program handy for resizing or editing my pictures. I'm not sure if that program comes on every version of Microsoft Office tho.

Now about the image formats... GIF is an image format used for pics with very little colours on them. If your image has many many colours and effects you might have to save it as a JPG. Never save an image with many many colours as a GIF because it will look grainy!!.

Q: RESIZING YOUR IMAGE...HOW?

You need not enter a very tiny pic to lower the KB size! Never resize your image that much because all the good details will be lost for ever and ever and ever.. well, maybe not so, but a tiny thumbnail-size image never looks good! but don't enter huge giant size images either.I know the BC rules state you must enter a pic size 150 pixels by 150 pixels, but it is not necessary.

How do I fit the Kb limit?
You do not need to make your image look like a thumbnail to fit the KB limit. If you are saving it as a GIF I have no advice for you, but if you are saving it as a JPG then there is hope! ;) When you save it as a JPG a menu appears (I suppose this is a standard for all JPG menus) and there is someting like this:

CAP stands for Copy and Pase and a CAP is a picture you take off the site and add a few more touch ups, like hair, glasses, clothes. There are allowed and are NOT considered stolen artwork since neopets gives you permission to alter them. Quote from the BC Rules page: You can use any of the pictures from Neopets as a basis for your pet pictures, or you can create it all from scratch. If you want to use an image from the site just save it onto your computer and open it out in any paint program. Once it is open draw on the clothes, make up, hair, etc. that you want your pet to wear and then save it. If you are using a PC you can right click on any picture you see on the site to get choices for saving to your computer. If you are using a Mac, click and hold the mouse down over any picture for choices. You can find pictures of your pets on the Quick Reference Sheet in Pet Central.



Ok, so you have decided to enter the Contest with a CAP or edited picture or whatever name you fancy. What do you do if it's already a finished image? well think of a good and creative way to spice up that already existing image. A good way is to apply filters, play around with the brushes or learn some photo manipulation (if you have a more advanced paint program) to create a really cool looking spiced-up image. Remember even a CAP or edited picture needs to impress the audience so practice your colouring skills to make your picture a winner.

Make sure your picture is altered enough to avoid being rejected by the contest judge. Many think some glasses or a petpet added to the image is going to do the job, but sometimes that is not the case so think about a more complex way to make them look pretty because even a CAP needs effort put into it to make it looks better. Here are some examples of what they should look like to impress your potential voters:



This very GOOD manipulated picture was made by pclips This is a very good example of how good your edited pictures must be to win. Make sure you click on the image to see the full picture. I had to make a smaller version due to space problems, sorry :(

Notice how attractive these manipulated images look, so your pictures should look as good. It's all about dress to impress even for an edited picture. Just put your creative side and imagination to work and you'll create an even greater image.

Now eventhough people do not own edited images you have no right to steal someone's image and enter it to the BC. I don't know if it counts as a stolen image but it will not make you look good. You have to draw/edit YOUR OWN entries as the BC rules state, not take someone else's time and effort and claim it as your own. If you want to know more about photo manipulation just use a search engine to look for tutorials on how to use certain filters, effects or whatever goodies your paint program have and practice until you achieve that wonderful idea you have in mind.

Now this is a major problem! Art thieves run rampant through the site.. and mostly everywere, really. Stealing some else's artwork is against the rules and it's a reportable offence that can get your entry disqualified and your account frozen!.

Quote from the BC rules: New!!! Important!!! Please Read!!! All contestants must submit their own work.You may not enter anyone elses work with or without their permission. If you do, your entry will be disqualified.

This is clear enough to understand you are not allowed use an image not made by YOU! (except CAPS, bit still you have to alter them before submitting them to the contest). Some people have the nerve to use search engines to find pictures of a certain pet, some others steal past winner's images or images taken off petpages. Some even enter pictures from Neopets' fan sites and some more steal adoptables to enter them as their work.

It doesn't matter if you took somebody else's artwork and you changed the colours, added some glasses, wings, etc! it's still not yours. And you shall not steal from others who worked so hard on their pictures. You must learn to respect others as you expect them to respect YOU.

You are not allowed to ask people to draw a BC pic for you in exchange for items/neopoints. It's against the rules too.

There is no point in entering a stolen image, really. You can butcher the image by cropping it, changing colours, adding some fancy filters, adding YOUR singature or whatever creative way you might think of to disguise the original piece. You still will be BUSTED, reported and maybe even frozen. Then again, I advice everyone to either use a CAP o just put yourself to work and draw your own entries.

Another topic related to Stealing Artwork is TRACING an image and claiming it as your own. Many of us work really hard to come up with ideas to give our pets a unique personality just to find out someone else just copied the style/markings or the image itself!. Always make sure you draw your own entries in every single aspect of the image. Tracing other people's pictures is another way of Art Thievery because you are just ripping other's ideas/hard work. Remember, always draw your own artwork if you want to go far on the BC.

If you ever spot an art thief in the BC don't hesitate and report him/her, the artist will appreciate it very much!. Click on the Report Entry link and PROVIDE A LINK TO THE ORIGINAL PIECE. Make sure it's really STOLEN because you can damage an innocent player. Don't just be Report Happy! :P

So resuming all my advice, here's what you must always remember:

DO:

** Do Enter your own artwork!
** Do practice your drawing/colouring skills
** Do Advertise your heart out. You can advertise for short periods of time through all the day. Remember to use your lookup, shop, guild etc to advertise also.
** Be respectful towards other players and their artwork!
** Do play fair!
** Do report any art thief you see around the BC
** Do remember to have fun above all!!!



DO NOT:

** Do not enter traced, based,stolen artwork.
** Do not trade votes. It's against the rules and can get you reported.
** Do not CHEAT at all!!
** Do not spam on the boards (for example with annoying off-topic threads or with your BC link or making 10 boards per second!!).

A small FAQ for small various questions:

1.- How do I vote for people's entries?
It's quite easy, really. Many (if not all) of the BCers put their BC link in their signature. That link is clickable now so all you have to do is to click on the link and a new window will pop up. Then you will be taken to the contestant's page where you can click on the vote for PETNAME button and voila!.

2.- Where do I find my pet's URL?
Your entrie's URL can be found on your pet's contestant page. The url goes like this:


Http://www.neopets.com/beauty/details.phtml?pet=YOURPETNAME

Copy this one and just add your pet's name at the end.

3.- I do not have a photo editing program. Where can I ind one?
I know of one free photo editing program but there must be loads out there in the internet. I know of irfanview and you can find a free download in the irfanview site irfanview.com. Also there is a free trial of ACDSee in acdsystems.com. There is also one called the Gimp and you can download it for free in gimp.org.

4.- How do I know how many votes do I have?
Simple, YOU CAN'T anymore. It was disabled after people used that feature to trade votes. Now you have to wait until the contest ends to find out how many votes your pic has earned.

5.- How do I put a link in my signature?
This is easy. Go to chat preferences and you will find the section in wich you can change your avatar, font colour AND add something in your signature. :)

So, here's the full view of my BC entry. Thanks so much for your vote.