The Wii Paint Summer 2 Photo Contest from RepcoLite Paints puts your chances of winning a Beatles: Rock Band set and a Nintendo Wii completely in your hands. All it will take is a camera, a RepcoBuddy, a little creativity and, of course, a little luck.

To help you better your chances and possibly help you gain an advantage over the other contestants, the Wii Paint Summer 2 Contest Experts at RepcoLite have put together this list of 5 foolproof tips--tips that are guaranteed to produce results.

 

1.  Don't Cheat

We hate to bring this one up first, but last year's contest was marred by some cheating.  The public vote is set up to allow you to vote ONE time per day from each computer you frequent.  We don't care if you travel to a library and vote from every machine there once a day. 

What we WILL NOT TOLERATE is the use of programs that describe your particular IP address allowing you to "trick" our system and place multiple votes from the same computer.

That's what happened last year and the picture was disqualified.  And sadly, it wasn't the contestant himself who cheated, but a friend who was trying to "help" him out.

To keep the contest fair for everybody, we will find any cheaters and they will be disqualified.  So please, don't cheat.

2. ENTER SOON

One of the easiest ways to better your chances is to get some photos entered NOW. RIGHT NOW. TODAY. Actually, you'll have to wait until June 22 to enter . . . but as soon as that day arrives, be sure to have plans to submit your first photo that week already.  See, every week that goes by is one less week for your picture to be displayed to the Voting Public (and the points you gather on this part of the contest play a significant role in your final score!)

Last year, during our first Wii Paint Summer Contest, many folks waited to submit their pictures until the end.  Not surprisingly, the picture that won the Grand Prize was the FIRST picture submitted.  Submit soon and submit often!

2. ENTER OFTEN

Another easy way to increase your chances of winning is to enter often.

REMEMBER: This is a summer-long contest that allows you to enter ONE photo every week. Take advantage of it! Afterall, the more photos you enter, the more chances you have to catch one of the judges' eye (or possibly the adoration of the public).

Either way, it's not rocket science to realize that 11 entries give you a better chance to win than 1 does. So enter ONE photo every week for the remainder of the contest and increase your chances to win!

3. ALWAYS KEEP A CAMERA AND YOUR REPCOBUDDY NEARBY

One of the best tips our panel of experts came up with was this one. So many times during our first contest, we heard contestants tell us about a great shot they COULD HAVE taken . . . if they'd thought to bring the RepcoBuddy and a camera along.

REMEMBER: You never know what you're going to run into on a given day. Having the RepcoBuddy and a camera handy means you're ready for that perfect shot . . . even if it comes when you least expect it!

4. DON'T WAIT ALL SUMMER FOR THAT PERFECT PHOTO OP!

This is a common mindset amongst many of our contestants. You know how it is--maybe you're going to a big concert at the end of July and you've got big plans to get the RepcoBuddy on stage. Or maybe your family is taking a big vacation in August and you can't wait to snap some shots of the RepcoBuddy jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge or something like that.

Well, those things are well and good--definitely worth a picture or two--but don't forget that there are a lot of funny, potentially winning shots happening all around you every single day.

It's all about originality, creativity, humor and a willingness to have some fun. So don't wait for your big trip or your big summer event. Start taking photos now and who knows, one of those could be a winner.

5. GET OUT THE VOTE!

Of all the tips we've given you here, this is THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE. This is the one that can produce the most results in the shortest amount of time. And it's simply this: Get Out the Vote!

REMEMBER: Once you've got a picture submitted, it will appear on repcolite.com and is open to be voted on by the public.  This points value that you achieve here (click here to see how the points are distributed) has NO UPPER LIMIT.  So, the more votes you get, the better you'll do. 

So basically, once you've got a photo in the contest, you're in a campaign. And that means you need to drum up your base and Get Out The Vote! Here are some ideas to help you get started:

• Call your family and friends and encourage them to vote for your picture on a regular basis.
• Send emails to all your email contacts and tell them about the contest, directing them to the repcolite.com website and asking them to vote daily for YOUR photo.
  
• Encourage them to forward the link to your shot to all of the people on THEIR email contact list and so on.
  
• Post information about your photo and the contest on any forums or blogs you visit. Include a link to the repcolite.com page and ask for their vote.
• Be sure to vote for yourself.
• Take advantage of the "Tell a Friend" link on the bottom of each picture page. (Simply click on your picture and scroll down. Near the bottom of the page, you'll see a "Tell a Friend" button. Click this, type in your friend's email address and a brief note and click send. Your friend will receive a link directly to your picture where they can place their vote and help you win.)
• Put an ad in the Classifieds or write a letter to the editor of your local paper.
• Get creative and get people voting for you!

BONUS TIP:  DON'T CHEAT!

We hate to bring this one up at all, but last year's contest was marred by some cheating.  The public vote is set up to allow you to vote ONE time per day from each computer you frequent.  We don't care if you travel to a library and vote from every machine there once a day. 

What we WILL NOT TOLERATE is the use of programs that disguise your computer's particular IP address allowing you to "trick" our system and place multiple votes from the same computer.

That's what happened last year and the picture was disqualified.  And sadly, it wasn't the contestant himself who cheated, but a friend who was trying to "help" him out.

To keep the contest fair for everybody, we will find any cheaters and they will be disqualified.  So please, don't cheat.