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Will someone be my guide in running a CAS contest?
jnscoey
Posts: 231 Member
I have an idea for a contest that would really help my game play out and I think contests are fun. Would someone be willing to be my guide through that process or just be there if I have questions? This will be my first contest and I am quite nervous about it being a flop.
Here is my idea:
I am terrible at ethnic CAS. And my game is seriously lacking in diversity. I would like some around the world Sims. I think I would have a few categories like Asian, African, Indian, Arab, etc. I would really like some Sims that actually look like each of these heritages.
Also I REALLY don't want to offend anyone. Please help me?
-J
Here is my idea:
I am terrible at ethnic CAS. And my game is seriously lacking in diversity. I would like some around the world Sims. I think I would have a few categories like Asian, African, Indian, Arab, etc. I would really like some Sims that actually look like each of these heritages.
Also I REALLY don't want to offend anyone. Please help me?
-J
0
Comments
If you have not already, read this it's some really good advice on running a contest.
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/327785.page#4433968
Good luck with it, I hope you find a volunteer. If you get it up and running with a mentor like you are seeking and some judges, I may be able to help with sponsorship if that's something you need.
LOL. Ya, I tried downloading some from the exchange but they had some CC that broke my game. I figured this way the rules would say no CC and I could be sort of sure that it will not be there....
Yeah I don't download any unless they are clearly labeled no CC, but I still scan them with custard because a few of them still had things attached to them.
I don't know what a good prize pool would be, it would depend on what you have on hand/have planned for. I suggest you start small and raise the amount if the situation calls for it. I did a contest recently where I increased the amount of prizes awarded based on participation but the actual prize amounts were small compared to some of the large build contests. http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/731106.page
For rules, I think Greencat's CAS contests are really well set up. You could peak in and get ideas for yours.
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/732749.page
I was looking around and found an older ethnic sims themed contest, you may get some ideas from there.
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/571960.page
As far as not offending anyone as you stated in your first post, I wouldn't limit it to certain races. I would call it an ethnic sims contest or something along those lines.
Try to make your rules for what you would like as clear as possible. If you don't want CC, certain EP's or SP's or store content be sure to say so.
As for prizes, it's up to you. Depending on when your contest ends, I may be able to sponsor some points for this. I wouldn't say that I am an expert at contests by any means, but my email is in my "about me" on my page.
edit: poor grammar :roll:
I can afford to put up about a 1000 points towards this contest. Sponsorships would be amazing, thank you. Also if the two of you want to judge....
And thank you, Jessabeans, I think I have a good idea about structure and rules. Thank you so much for the links. I am going to start writing up the rules and hopefully it will be up by tomorrow.
As for prize pools, it depends on how many you plan on issuing. For example, you listed 4 categories --- let's work with them. If you plan on having a 1st, 2nd and 3rd for each, then I would say keep the prizes low because you are giving more people a chance to win.
I ran a CAS contest for New Year's Eve outfits and broke it down by Teens, YA/Adults, Elders and Families.
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/629986.page
That should give you some idea of a prize pool. You can go lower. I just tend to be a little over the top sometimes.
When you get a chance, my e-mail is in my "Abut Me". Let me look over what you have and I'll tell you what's missing or should be added, how the points can be broken down, entry form, etc.
I will let you know soon how much I can sponsor. I wish my pages would work, maybe they will after maintenance.
This^^^
Judging was awful when I did it too. And them silly mypages. Hopefully maintenance will fix them :roll:
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/817478/hello-come-and-introduce-yourself
http://tinyurl.com/OneRoomOneWeek
http://tinyurl.com/rosemow
My Showcase thread https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/948861/rosemow-s-rooms-showcase
ritaroxy12's Studio Showcase
ritaroxy12's Gifting Thank You Shoutouts
Agree with all advice that's been given so far - and thanks Jessa for linking to my contest as an example!
I would also add, be really clear about the rules right from the start - chose a deadline and stick to it, say whether old creations will be allowed or not, whether upload is required, whether entries will be accepted if they failed custard, exactly what the judging criteria are etc. Also be on hand to answer any questions.
Valentine's day sounds like a nice deadline. It will give people plenty of time, and maybe inspire people to create partners for their sims and enter them in your contest :-)
I wouldn't stress too much about the prizes - obviously follow through with what you promise, but in my experience people enter or not based mainly on the theme and deadline, and maybe also how well organised everything looks. I think it is nice to give out lots of little prizes, but others prefer big grand prizes, so whatever you think is the best balance.
The theme sounds very interesting. There's a huge bias in favour of white female young adults on the exchange. Refining the concept may be tricky because obviously everyone has an 'ethnicity'. How about an around the world theme - create a sim of a certain nationality. That might add flexibility and shift the emphasis away from race (people could make an Asian American or a white South African) but it would probably also encourage people to create sims of other heritages than they would otherwise think to.
Btw, if you are in hurry for Sims before your contest begins, mine are cc free and among the latest to be uploaded to my studio are a Chinese lady, an African American lady, a Polynesian lady, and a Hawaian man who is of Jamaican descent. My households are quite ethnically diverse too - lots of Egyptians thanks to an overly procreative legacy family - but also Hispanic, Italian, and Eastern European. Oh and some pink and purple people too just for fun
My name is Sky and I have hosted "a contest or two" on these forums for a little over two years now, so I too wanted to pop in with some comments of my own. I do hope that is ok, since I see you have already gotten some great advice.
1) My number one bit of advice for your very first contest is to keep it simple.
2) Rather then having category's such as Asian, African, ect. leave it open to Sims of all ethnic origins (if you want to make sure everyone is clear on what you mean - you can add in that you are not looking for any Caucasian American Sims or whatever it is you do not want at all. If you prefer men or women post that as well - I have found it is often a lot easier to judge when you have all males or all females. Now if you want both you can do two categories to be fair (since some might say it is bias) just remember that means more prizes.
3) If you want no CC content be clear when stating that, this is a big one and just saying it will not be enough - so you will need to get/use custard or find one who would be willing to scan all entries first. While this seems like a very simple rule everyone can follow, at of times people download CC that attaches its self to all their uploads and they are not aware of it. So if someone does have it, let them know and give them time (if possible) to fix it - most people will go back and fix entries that come up with CC - so I always try to give people the option to do so.
4) In regards to prizes - find it helps to start off with prizes you know you can do at the end, people will get excited if you add in more places or increase the prize pool - but not getting what was promised well lets just say it does not go over well. As a rule of thumb I find never base prizes on points, you will be getting, since we all know real life can happen.
5) I would try to break down your format into sections - this allows people easier time to find info they are looking for.
6) As far as a deadline - I find at least 2 weeks is good for a nice CAS turn out. Also, know people like doing CAS contests so do not be surprised if you get a good amount of entries - be ready for this or limit the number of Sims a person can enter.
7) Also, understand if you do not state the Sim needs to be a new creation - be ready for a lot of Sim entries that people already have in their studio (this is not a bad thing - just understand it will happen and decided if that is ok).
8) Lastly, the best piece of advice I can give you besides keep it simple is this..... Understand everyone is different, people comes from all over the world here on the forums so you will NOT please everyone. Some people might not like the format, might not like making Sims, do not want to not be allowed to use CC, do not have time to get and entries in, and so on. Accept it, no one is normally ever mean if it is not something they are interested in they just wish you luck and move on. Do not get upset or offended, sometimes things come across different on forums and it is easy to get your feelings hurt and want to quit. But, don't let it get you done for each person who doesn't like something there is normally two who will.
So relax, take a deep breath and welcome to the world of contest hosting. Feel free to ask me any questions if you need to but I am sure Nesa will take good care of you - she is an amazing host!
Another thing you may want to think about is; If you allow previously created sims, can they have been used on other contests. Personally, I don't allow it. I ask for new creations because, if that sim won in another contest, it may have a disadvantage over the new sims.
Skymyst gave you good advice on having "Male" and "Female" categories. Those can be broken down to Teen, YA/Adult, Elder. You have to decide if you want familes. That would be a third category. Again, that makes for more prizes. So far, you have enough points to run a decent CAS contest.
Also, think about their outfits. If you want ethnic or "around the world" sims, should their clothing reflect their culture or country?
Create-A-Stud
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/551112.page
Design An Easter Egg Sim
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/516538.page
Disney Princess CAS Contest
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/434326.page
I Need A Hero Contest
http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/437610.page
I did not want to go super crazy posting old contests (I really should compile a list of all my past contest for easy access) but regardless I hope this helps you get a good idea of judging criteria.
Also, I do not mind helping you with judging if you need/want another judge.