PET CENTRAL - The Neopian Beauty
Contest. It seems like a fun chance to show off your fancy art skills.
But is it really? Or is there something else that catches people's eye, besides
the flashing colours, or big soulful eyes? If you believe that it is the picture
alone that wins the contest, I think you are mistaken. Don't get me wrong, if
your picture is a copy of an official Neopets picture, you don't have as much
of a chance as the people who try hard and start from scratch. But it goes much
deeper than the artist's skill and even the picture itself.
The Species
This is the biggest factor in winning the competition. Shoyrus are some of
the biggest winners of the beauty contest. Not only because of the picture.
It's because you can ask almost any Neopian what their favourite Neopet is,
and almost all of them will answer "Shoyru". Is that fair? I think not. What
about the Lenny, the Kyrii, the Moehog?
Can't someone draw a picture of a less fortunate species and have it look
as good or possibly better than someone who wins off of the popularity? The
species such as Aisha, Shoyru, and Lupe get more votes than many others, and
I have seen many good pictures of Koi, Kyrii, Kiko, Buzz, and all the pets lower
on the popularity list.
I enjoy drawing my Kyrii, Maaije. I would prefer to draw her over my Lupe,
or my Shoyru. But if I expect to win anything, I have no other choice. There
is an occasional winner of the unpopular pets, but that is rare. Not to say
that all Shoyru pictures are bad. There are many that win that deserve to win.
But there are many that don't win that also deserve it.
The Colour
As most people have recognised, a painted pet is more likely to win than a
red, green, yellow, or blue pet. It happens, but not as often. Some people can't
afford a paintbrush, and may be able to draw just as well as the people who
win. As many people have said before, "The paint doesn't make the pet," or "Unpainted
pets can be beautiful too."
The Owner
If the owner is famous or well known, they have a much greater chance of winning
than some "nobody" who know one has heard of. HRobi, for example , has won the
beauty contest more times than most. Although she does draw very well, some
of these votes may be because of her shop, pets, or fame.
Cheating
Many people create multiple accounts to vote for themselves. I have not, however,
seen anything prohibiting the use of multiple accounts for votes. There may
be, but if I haven't seen it, chances are other people haven't and might not
realise it is in fact cheating. It is unfair to those who put effort into the
picture and don't want to cheat to win. Some people would prefer not to win
than to win dishonestly.
Vote for Vote
"Trading votes" may seem kind and harmless. But many people don't have many
Neofriends, and could be too young to use the chat. How then are they supposed
to trade votes? Look up random names and ask if they too have entered the beauty
contest? Vote trading is not illegal to the best of my knowledge but I look
down on it. It is not honest, because the person you are trading with may not
have the best quality work.
Programs
If you use a fancy program like Adobe Photoshop, or Paint Shop Pro, you have
a very high chance of beating someone who scanned their work or used paint.
Some people may not have the resources necessary to make their work professional.
So should they be "excluded" from the contest? I would agree that some of the
fancier programs do make your picture look good. But don't always look for the
most spiffed-up picture. Sometimes the scanned pictures are just as good.
Fair? You Decide
Do you really believe the beauty contest is "fair"? Does the species or colour
really make a difference in the artist's skill? Think about these things next
time you vote, because it isn't the person who made the picture who is being
unfair to less fortunate pets. It's the person who is voting. Make your vote
count. Don't "go-with-the-flow," you have an opinion so use it! | 
