This answer is for use only by Gallery Hosts who are interested in holding Contests.

 

NOTE:  More detailed explanations and step by step procedures for the following topics can also be found in other sections of he Help Q & A.

For example, see detailed information about using the Contest Management List

or the Member Management List in other Q & A sections. 

 

SnapBraggin offers three types of Contest Albums:

 

When a Host creates a Contest Album, the Host must choose whether the Contest will be a lower level (entry level) Standard Contest or a higher-level Champion or Grand Champion Contest.

 

Standard is the lowest, first level of Contests. 

 

Champion is the next level up, in which the 1st place winners from selected Standard (feeder) Contests will compete.

 

Grand Champion is the highest level of Contest, in which the 1st place winners from selected Champion (feeder) Contests will compete. 

 

 

 

DETAILED VERSION ANSWER about holding a Standard Contest: 

 

1.  Add a Standard Contest Album:  First add a Standard Contest Album to your Gallery.

 

While you are creating the Contest Album, you will need to make decisions about your Contest and set several parameters during Album Setup.

 

NOTE:  All of the Album Setup choices may be changed at a later date, if desired.

 

2. Decide how many entries each Member may upload into the Contest.  

 

If you want to limit how many entries each Member may upload, you can indicate a number restriction while you are creating the Contest Album.

 

Or you can change or remove the restriction by accessing the Contest's Manage This Album - Album Photo Settings page.

 

 

3.  Decide if you want the entries to have both Titles AND Descriptions.

 

If you care whether the entries have both Titles AND Descriptions (Titles are always required), then you will need to set that restriction.

 

You can set that restriction while you are creating the Contest Album.

 

Or you can set or remove the restriction by accessing the Contest's Manage This Album - Album Photo Settings page.

 

 

4.  Decide what size photos may be uploaded into the Contest.

 

If you want the photos to be a certain size or no larger than a certain size, you can indicate the size restriction while you are creating the Contest Album.

 

Or you can change or remove the size restriction at a later time by accessing the Contest's Manage This Album - Album Photo Settings page.

 

5.  Decide the judgement method.  Determine how the Contest will be judged.

 

Two judgement methods are possible:  Single Judge or Member Ratings.

 

You can choose the method while you are creating the Contest Album.

 

Single Judge:  Assign a Single Judge as the judgement method.  The Single Judge will choose the winners.  The Single Judge may be either a Gallery Member or yourself.    

 

Member Ratings system:  Assign Member Ratings as the judgement method.  When Member Ratings is the judgement method, all of Gallery's Members and Host may rate the entries to determine the winners.   

 

To set the How Winners are Elected option, access the Contest's Manage This Album - Album Contest Settings page.

 

Or you can change or assign the judgement method at a later time in the Contest Management List.

 

 

6.  If the judgement method is Member Ratings, decide whether the ratings will start when the Contest is changed to state: Open, or not until the Contest is changed to state: Judging. 

 

To make this decision, set the Allow Ratings While Open option.

 

Select YES if ratings will start when the Contest is changed to state: Open in the Contest Management List.

 

Select NO if ratings will not start when the Contest is changed to state: Open in the Contest Management List.  (Ratings will instead start when the Contest is changed to state: Judging.)

 

To set the Allow Ratings While Open option, access the Contest's Manage This Album - Album Contest Settings page.

 

7.  Decide how many Winning Finalists.

 

The Winning Finalists will receive awards. 

 

For example:  If you want awards to be given to the top 6 entries, set the number to 6.

 

If you don't care, set the number to 0.

 

However, be aware that the maximum number is 10. 

 

NOTE:  Awards will be given no higher than 10th place.   

 

To set the Mandatory Number of Winning Finalists option, access the Contest's Manage This Album - Album Contest Settings page.

 

8.  Start your new Contest Album in state: Closed. 

 

This will give you time to announce the Contest and to make sure that the Contest is ready to accept entries.

 

Use the Contest Management List to change Album states.

 

9. If the judgement method is Single Judge, decide if your Single Judge can judge his or her own entries. 

 

 If your Contest will be judged (not rated) decide whether it is okay or not okay for your judge to judge their own entries. 

 

If you think that it is not fair for a judge to judge their own entries, set the option for "Hide Judges' Photos When Judging" to YES.

 

This option is set in Gallery Management which means that it will affect all of the Contests in your Gallery.  

 

To set the Hide Judge's Photos When Judging option, access your Manage This Gallery - Gallery Contest Settings page, via the Host Tools button or menu link on your Gallery's Home page. 

 

10. Announce the Contest:   Tell your Gallery Members about the Contest.  

 

Your members will need to know where to enter, when to enter, what to enter and the cost to enter (if an Entry Fee is required):  

 

You can send direct emails, use the SnapBraggin Messaging Tool, post to an associated message group (such as a Yahoo Group), or post information onto your Gallery's Home page (description.)

 

Your announcement should include:

    A.  The Topic of the Contest.  What type of photos may be uploaded into the Contest? 

For example: photos of Butterflies.

 

    B.  The Contest Location:  The location of the Contest is: the Gallery, the Contest Album name, and the Group which the Contest Album is in.

 

    C.  The Dates for entering the Contest.  The dates for entering will be the dates that the Contest will be state: Open.  Those dates are the time period when entries can be uploaded into the Contest Album.

You should allow plenty of time for entries to be uploaded, usually 2-4 weeks.

 

    D.  The Dates for judging or rating the Contest.  The dates for judging or rating the entries will be the dates that the Contest will be state: Judging. 

 

You should allow plenty of time for juding or rating, so that noone feels pressured, usually 1-2 weeks.

 

    E.  The comprehensive Rules and instructions for entering the Contest.

 

    F.  The Number and Size of photos that may be entered into the Contest.  

 

    G.   Whether the entries will require both Titles and Descriptions.

 

    H.  And you should definitely provide information about any Contest Entry Fees, if you require them. 

 

11.  Give your Members permission to submit and to compete. 

 

Only those Members who have your permission will be able to upload entries into the Contest.

 

Only those Members who have your permission will have their entries judged or rated.

 

To give permission, you will use your Gallery's Member Management List.

 

To give a Member permission to submit and compete, set their Participation as: Can Submit (which includes Can Complete.) 

 

NOTE:  If you want to enforce the payment of fees, you can set a Member's Participation to: Can Not Submit.  This will prevent the Member from uploading entries or having their entries judged or rated until they pay you.

 

12. Decide whether or not you want to screen newly-uploaded entries for content.

 

Do you want to screen the entries?

 

If you want to manually screen all newly-uploaded entries for content, you will want to

set the option for Submission Approval Type to Manual in Gallery management.

 

If you set Manual Approval (as the Submission Approval type in Gallery Management)

that will set all Members to Manual Approval in the Member Management List.

 

If you are requiring Manual Approval, you will need to view and decide whether to Approve or Reject all newly-uploaded entries.

 

Newly-uploaded entries will be PA (Pending Approval), and will be awaiting your decisions.

 

Do you prefer not to screen the entries?

 

If you do not want to manually screen all newly-uploaded entries for content, you will want to set the option for Submission Approval Type to Automatic in Gallery management.

 

If you set Automatic Approval (as the Submission Approval type in Gallery Management) that will set all Members to Automatic Approval in the Member Management List.

 

All newly-uploaded entries will be automatically Approved.   You will not need to screen them.

 

NOTE: You always retain the ability to Reject entries that have been automaticaly Approved.

 

To set the Submission Approval Type option, access your Gallery's Manage This Gallery - Gallery Membership Settings page, via the Host Tools button or menu link on your Gallery's Home page.

 

13. OPEN the Contest.  (The Entry Period) 

 

If you have set all the parameters, and are ready for entries to be submitted:

 

Change the Contest to state: Open in the Contest Management List.

 

Members (who have your permission) and the Host may upload their entries into the Contest while the Contest is state: Open.

 

NOTE:  If Ratings During Open is chosen, the Members and Host may also rate the entries at this time.

 

14. CLOSE the Contest Album again (to end the Entry Period)

 

When sufficient time has passed, and you want to stop the Entry Period:

 

Change the Contest to state: Closed in the Contest Management List.

 

15. TAKE CARE OF PA, PENDING APPROVAL ENTRIES

 

Are you screening entries?  Is your Gallery set for Manual Approval?   If so, you must decide whether to Approve or Reject any PA, Pending Approval entries.

 

PA, Pending Approval entries will not be judged or rated until you decide!

 

Please use this time to make your decisions before you start the judging!

 

16.  START THE JUDGING or RATINGS (start the Judging Period) 

 

If it is time to start the judging, or to start or continue the ratings:

 

Change the Contest to state: Judging in the Contest Management List.

 

17.  Notify your judges that it is time to judge or rate the entries.   

 

Put out the word that it is time to select the winners!

 

Your Single Judge will judge their assigned Contest via the For Judges menu link.

The Contest will indicate:  Ready for Judging.

 

OR, the Members (and you) may rate the Contest via the Gallery's Home page. 

The Contest Album will indicate: Accepting Ratings.

 

18.  COMPLETE the judging (End the Judging Period.) 

 

Your Single Judge will end the Judging Period, by Completing the judging during the judging process.   This will automatically change the Contest to state: Completed.

 

HOWEVER, if Member Ratings is the judgement method, YOU must Complete the judging.

To complete the Ratings, you will need to change the Contest from state: Judging to state: Completed in the Contest Management List.  

 

NOTE:  Contests that are Completed can be re-judged.  Their winners are not official until the Contests have been Recorded !

 

19.  RE-JUDGE a Contest, if desired. 

 

Completed Contests are not official.   They can be re-judged, if desired, so that different Finalists and winners can be selected.  

 

A Contest may be re-judged by setting state: Completed back to state: Judging.

 

A Single Judge (via the For Judges menu link) may click on the Re-judge This Contest button.

This will change the Contest from state: Completed back to state: Judging.

 

Or, the Host may change the Contest from state: Completed back to state: Judging in the Contest Management List.  

 

NOTE:  Remember that a Contest that has been re-judged must once again be Completed !

 

20.  RECORD the Results (make the results official and final!)

 

Results are not official until they have been Recorded!

 

In order to totally stop the judging and end the Contest and make the results official, the Host must change the Contest to state: Recorded in the Contest Management List.

 

When the Contest is changed to state: Recorded, the winning entries will earn their awards and points, the Contest Results will be archived, and the Contest can no longer be re-judged.

 

21.  GENERATE the Written Results. 

 

If you would like to provide written results to your Members, you can generate the written results via the Contest Management List.

 

You can generate the results for one selected Contest.

 

Or you can generate the combined results for several selected Contests at once.

 

NOTE:  ALL SELECTED CONTESTS MUST BE IN THE RECOREDED STATE, in order to generate a written report. 

 

NOTE:  Be warned that it is a lot easier to generate written results for several interrelated Contests, by doing them all together, BEFORE you Reset the Contests! 

 

22.  Share the Results.  Share the written results with the Gallery Members.  

 

To provide results to your Members you can use:

 

direct emails

post the results onto your Gallery's Home page (your Gallery's description.)

post the results to an associated message Group (like a Yahoo Group)

or use the SnapBraggin messaging tool (available in your Member Management List) 

 

23.  RESET the Contest  (if you want to run it again!)

 

If your Contest has been judged or rated, and the results have been Recorded, (and the written results have been generated...if desired), you may Reset the Contest Album in the Contest Management List.

 

Resetting will allow you to prepare the Contest for another Entry Period.

 

When a Contest is Reset, it will be transitioned to state: Closed. 

 

When a Contest is Reset, the current judging activities will be cleared away (except for any DQ, Disqualifications, which will be retained.)

 

When a Contest is Reset, the entries will remain in the Contest (to be judged again, if desired!)