Contest vs Competition

One of the most common issues concerning guilds is the use of contests. Any contests are strictly prohibited in guilds, according to Neopets' terms and conditions.

But what about "competitions"? Those are allowed! Well, yes, those are - but there is a difference between a contest and a competition.

Contests... competitions... same thing?

A competition is simply an activity which involves the struggle to win. It is mainly just for fun, and doesn't reward any prizes to the winner. This is allowable in Guilds.

A contest, on the other hand, includes the promise of handing out prizes. Whether it requires the Guild members to pay for qualification or not, it's still considered as a "contest", as long as it offers prizes. This is strictly prohibited on all of Neopets, including Guilds.

So before you start an activity in your Guild, think first - are there prizes at stake? Will the guild members earn x amount of Neopoints or maybe get some items? If yes then this is a contest, and even before you start thinking about it, you should realize that your account can get frozen for doing so.

Alternative Rewards for your Members

Remember, not everything has to revolve around earning Neopoints! Often your members will simply enjoy the challenge of competing in guild competitions - and if they don't, well, then maybe your guild is not for them. There are many alternative options for rewarding member participation - little graphic trophies are becoming increasingly popular as a "prize" for members who complete certain activities. Members can display them on their lookups, or in their shops, to say "Look what I've done!".

Another option is to use your guild ranks and some form of point system where members are awarded a certain amount of guild points when they do different activities - and a certain amount of points is required to move up to the next rank. Or at the end of a fixed period of time the member with the highest point total gets a special rank for the next month or so. Rewards are limited only by your imagination - its up to you to figure out something other than Neopoints that will appeal to your members!