1. What is a RepcoBuddy?
2. How and Where and When can I get a RepcoBuddy?
3. What kind of pictures can I take?
4. Are there photo categories this year?
5. How will the pictures be scored?
6. The scoring is very complicated this year . . . why?
7. May I vote for my own picture?
8. May I cast more than 1 vote per day for my own picture?
9. Can I vote more than once for my picture from the same computer?
10. What if somebody cheats on my behalf?
11. Is Photoshop permitted? 
12. Do I need to put the RepcoBuddy on a Paint Can to play?
    

 

 

1.  What is a RepcoBuddy?

A RepcoBuddy is that smiley-faced paint can you see peeking out from behind the cloud in the above graphic.  We're giving them away in the form of FREE gallon can wrappers that you can affix to any gallon can you have laying around your home.  (Or, you can buy a pre-made RepcoBuddy on a brand new bucket for $1.00 plus tax).

 

2.  How and Where and When can I get a RepcoBuddy?

This link tells you everything you need to know.

 

3.  What kind of pictures can I take?

You can take any kind of picture you'd like of the RepcoBuddy. Just make sure their original, creative, entertaining, amazing AND, above all else . . . FAMILY-FRIENDLY!

 

4.  Are there photo categories like last year?

No.  Last year we devised 4 different categories and your pictures had to fit one of them.  After looking for feedback, we determined that was too constraining.  Folks asked for a free hand in the contest and so this year, we're giving it to you:  No categories.  Just take cool, interesting, funny, original pictures.  

 

5.  How will the pictures be scored this year?

This link here will answer all of those questions.

 

6.  The scoring is very complicated this year . . . why?

LONG ANSWER:  Well, last year, one of the complaints we had about the contest was that the "BEST" pictures didn't win.  The pictures that won, according to some people, were just the pictures that had the biggest and most involved network of voters in place.  To solve this, we have decided on this system.  We feel it is the best possible system as it accounts for all the voting and ratings your pictures get on the website . . . but it doesn't let those numbers completely outweigh the importance of having a quality shot as well.  With this system, you could do very well in the public voting--you could have hundreds of people voting for you everyday--and you could achieve high total points for that part of the contest.  But, if you're picture isn't very good, those points will be balanced by the low marks you get in the other judging areas.

SHORT ANSWER:  We wanted to make the contest more fair.

 

7.  Can I vote for my own picture?

Yes.  You may cast 1 vote each day for EACH PICTURE YOU'VE SUBMITTED from each computer you own/visit.  (So if you've submitted six photos, you can vote for each photo once each day--6 votes).

8.  Can I cast more than 1 vote per day for my picture?

Yes, but with exceptions.  As we said above, you may vote for your own picture one time each day from EACH computer you visit/own. 

 

9.  Can I vote more than once for my picture from the same computer?

No.  See, the system we have in place recognizes the number or address from which your computer votes from.  If you try to vote 2 times from that same address, it will not allow you to.  If you decide you want to travel to a friend's house and vote, fine.  If you want to go to the library and vote from all their computers, fine.  But DO NOT TRY TO VOTE FROM THE SAME COMPUTER USING AN IP ADDRESS SCRAMBLER.  If you don't know what I'm talking about when I say that, you're fine.  If you do know what I'm talking about, please don't try it.  It happened last year and the offending picture and contestant was disqualified.  We have systems in place to detect this and we will find you if you're cheating.  So please, play fair . . . the rules are broad enough as it is.

 

10.  What if somebody cheats on behalf of my picture?

This is tricky AND sad for us as judges.  That's exactly what happened last year.  Friends in the voting network of the picture that was eventually disqualified voted multiple times from the same computers to help propel their friend's picture to the top.  We caught it AND, even though the contestant didn't cheat, we still disqualified the shot.  The lesson to learn here is to make sure you encourage your voting network to play fair.  The prizes are too big for us to allow any cheating and we will be ruthless in our pursuit of fairness. Understand, we will disqualify a 90 year old grandma who's trying to win the game for her sick grandson if she's cheating.  We don't like to . . . but we will.

Also . . . it's sad that we have to say this, but just to head off anybody who just got a bright idea to sabotage a picture ahead of them in the voting process:  we also have a system in place to catch you.  If we catch anybody trying to purposely sabotage another picture, that person will be tossed out of the contest AND prevented from entering any other contest RepcoLite may hold in the future.

So please, make it easy on everybody and just play fair!

 

11.  Is Photoshop Permitted?

Some of you have access to image editing software on your computers and will want to use it.  That's absolutely fine this year.  Photoshop the dickens out of your pictures . . . BUT, realize that our judges are going to look more favorably and assign HIGHER point totals to original and regular photos than they are to photoshopped images. 

And the reason is this:  we want you to get out there in the world, tool around Holland and West Michigan and the US with your RepcoBuddy and take pictures.  Talk to people, get groups involved in your shots, get creative. 

That takes a lot more work than sitting in front of your computer, manipulating images with your mouse.  I know.  I do that photoshop stuff all day long . . . .  So use the computer editing software if you want to . . . but don't be surprised if standard photos rank higher . . . .

12.  Do I Need to Put the RepcoBuddy on a Paint Can to Play?

No.  Of course, we'd prefer that the RepcoBuddy be photographed in the form of a paint can--and the easiest way to do that is to tape him to an old gallon can you've got around the house--but we understand that that's not always possible.

If you're traveling, for example, please feel free just to bring the paper wrapper and photograph that.