There have been many contests at ActiveRain, and I told myself that when the "Inspired By Nature" Group got to 100 members, I'd ask the ActiveRain Powers-that-be if I could have a contest, too.
So I asked Bob Stewart, and he said, "No. Absolutely not. We have way too many contests, and people are having contests just for the sake of having contests and getting people points.
So I asked Bob Stewart, and here's what he said:
- 2,000 points (we're presuming these are ActiveRain points -- LOL) for first place
- 1,000 points for second place
- 500 points for third place
- 200 points for any entry
Thank you, Bob!
Added with edit (see comment #22 below): Mike Cole of CPG Tours has also graciously offered to provide some additional prizes for the winners:
- Five tours for the winner - $100 value
- Three tours for second place - $60 value
- One tour for third place - $20 value
Thank you, Mike!
Added with edit (see comment #44 below): Videos and audios, and video/audios, are not allowed. These will be still pictures only for this contest. Still pictures from videos, of course, would be acceptable. Also, people are not allowed, so people dressed up as nature would not be allowed.
With the important information out of the way, here's what we're going to do:
- Our goal is to create something that you might actually be able to use in your business, so we're combining the "Inspired By Nature" Group with the "Guerrilla Marketing Tactics" Group to have a "Nature & Marketing" contest.
- Contest begins July 13, 2009, and will end at 12:00 midnight Central Time on Sunday, August 16, 2009.
- All you have to do is take a picture of anything in nature and apply a tag line to it. Obviously (hopefully), if the intent is to create something that you might be able to use in your business, the tag line MUST apply to your business. ("Take" doesn't mean that you personally have to take the picture, only that you have to have a picture to use for the contest.)
- Title your entry "Nature & Marketing contest"
- Post your entry to the "Inspired By Nature" group and the "Guerrilla Marketing Tactics" group (and any other groups you choose).
- You may Photoshop your picture, use a picture that someone sent you (as long as it's not copyrighted), dress up your nature to make a point, or whatever. We're looking more for creativity and usefulness than anything else.
- You may enter as many times as you like, but you will be awarded points only once, and that will be for your highest finish. That is, if you enter five times and come in first, second, and third, you'll only receive 2,000 points for your first place entry and second and third places will be disqualified from receiving points.
- The judges will be.... Ah, yes, the judges. I've noticed in past contests that judges sometimes ignore their own contest rules in announcing the winners, so we're going to make this a popular vote. You will be the judges! It will be a popularity contest, but not like American Idol. You'll only be able to vote once, and you must be a member of the Inspired By Nature Group and the Guerrilla Marketing Tactics Group to vote.
At the end of the contest, I will gather all the entries together, put them in a numbered slide show, and let you choose. You'll be able to vote for first, second, and third place, and we'll award 3 points for a first place vote, 2 points for a second place vote, and 1 point for a third place vote (just like the college football polls! LOL).
I will monitor the entries to make sure that if it is pretty obvious that they are entering the contest, they meet all the requirements. I don't want to disqualify someone on a technicality, but I won't ignore the rules at the end if someone doesn't respond to my encouragement to modify their entry to meet the rules. At midnight Central Time on Sunday, August 16, 2009, that's it!
Here's an example that I came up with while looking through my pictures of Zoey the Cool Cat this morning:
*****
Last week's posts
- SST (Speechless Sunday with Text): Even though it's labeled, you can use it for something else - 7/12/09
- It doesn't have to be SSDD - 7/12/09
- Thankful Thursdays: A vision of thanks (for all days) - 7/11/09
- Ivy has its place. Just ask the Ivy League - 7/10/09
- Wood U like an IV? - 7/10/09
- Russel's photography for Foto Friday: Yummy. I'll pass, though. - 7/10/09
- Collecting rainwater is legal - 7/8/09
- WWW (Wordless Wednesday with Words): A macro flower slide show - 7/8/09
- Can Realtors and Home Inspectors actually play nicely together? - 7/7/09
- You never know where you'll find that better mousetrap, or what form it will take - 7/6/09
Previous week's posts
- How not to prune large trees - 7/5/09
- SST (Speechless Sunday with Text): The majestic and beautiful eucalyptus (slide show) - 7/5/09
- A slide show: Happy Fourth of July! - 7/4/09
- For all my dog-loving friends - 7/2/09
- What do Chinese drywall and football have in common? - 7/1/09
- WWW (Wordless Wednesday with Words): Flap your wings and off you go! - 7/1/09
- The mostest helpfullest Seller ever! - 6/30/09
- Bigger is not always better - 6/30/09
- My mostest uniquest foundation crawl space ever - 6/29/09
- My uniquest attic ever - 6/29/09
Need help with marketing? Join the Guerrilla Marketing Tactics Group.
Inspired by nature? Join the Inspired By Nature Group.
Classical music lover? Join the Classical Music Group.
Want to share a good book? Join the Active Rain Book Club.
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I love the idea for the contest... and that photo (below) is priceless! This should be a lot of fun.