Welcome to Gaia! ::

hey sorry for the late post I saw it the other day but didn't have time to post. : )

1. Generally I find the most attracting prize pool is though who offer quite a few rare and expensive items or lots of gold that could make up to the same sum. Contest that offer at least 5-10 expensive/rare items or big gold prizes get my attention because there worth the effort put into an art contest (which from an artist point of view is always a gamble because you never know if your hard work will pay off or not) So if theres many good items, or prize money, you know your odds of winning something decent for your time is worth it. So its more motivating to participate in contest like that.

2. Hmmm depends on what items or gold your offering... I've seen people offer up rare items like the mini wings and make there contest last only 4 months and get loads of entries. But generaly the longer you wait the better. Because it gives more poeple more chances to see your contest. Bumping and keeping your thread alive during this time would be very important as well. As long as you have an active thread and it goes on for a long periode of time, you should be good. But this is just how I view it : 3

3. I have entered art contest before. What influences my choice to enter is generaly the prizes, if its worth it or not. I'm questing for rare 03 items so when I see things like mini wings or halo up for grabs in contest I generally try to give it a shot. Mind you I prefer entering contest like that which offer up good 2cd and 3rd place prizes as well... and not just the one expensive items. Another thing that interst me is large portions of gold, which could help me on my quest for the 03 items I want. So if a large portion of gold was offered up it works well for me as well. Gold is usually a better option compaired to items in contest. Because it fits everyones needs. With items its tricky cause if the artist in question dosen't like the items up for grab there less likely to enter, were as gold, could be used to get what ever you want. Plus they don't deflate like crazy over the course of a year neither.... so its a sturdy income. I once tried competing for and item in the past, that was worth 13 mill when I started... by the end of the contest its market value was only 3 mill..... so its kinda a let down when items deflate, cause your expecting it to be worth (x) amount... only for it to turn up way... way... way less than what you originally tried out for.

4. Ummm 30 + characters is A LOT!... I think many artist will be discouraged to try just because of the large number. If you really want it though, you'd have to put a BIG prize tag on it, so it could motivate people to try. But again.... 30 is a lot, so the prize would really have to be worth it.... specially cause... in art contest your never garentied to win... so may not necessarily be worth your time.

5. yea I got that before in a contest as well... Did a crazy portrait drawing and got only 300k... which I shouldn't be picky I guess I was lucky to even get something, but I did feel jiped cause I did feel like my entry was worth something more... maybe I had to high expectations but in anycase.... yea I know what you mean.... but ummm heres the thing, unless you've got huge funds, I don't think it will be possible to please everyone. Specially cause giving gold to all your participants is some huge doe..... cause you can often get many applicants who's entries maybe took them 5 min to draw up... and well giving them even 10k for participating can add up to the 100s quickly. I love the way you think, I think the same way, I even have a hard time picking winners for the monthly contest we have here, cause I want to give everyone a prize, but I don't have the funds to do it for everyone.... its your call in the end. It would be nice of you to do, but depends on how much your thinking of investing into your art collection 3nodding

I'm a bit late getting to this thread but here's my take on it.

1.) If you can go big, and you're willing to put the time and effort into organizing an easy to navigate thread, posting in it, and advertising then do it, definitely. Larger contests tend to attract artists at a higher skill level. Also a combination of gold and items is best. Though, you should always advertise your contest in the total gold amount of all your prizes to get more attention. (IE: 3 mils worth of prizes)

2.) Depending on the scale of your prizes, and the content of the contest anywhere from 3 months + is fine. It's all up to you personally, and there's no right amount of time, though I think a year is a bit much unless the contest you're hosting is HUGE.

3.) I do occasionally. What tends to interest me is first the high level prizes, and from there I'll look to see if I'm at all interested in the characters. Uninteresting characters are generally a deal breaker for me in contests.

4.)30 is definitely a bit much. Best case scenario you choose maybe 10 characters, and advertise that there are more characters to choose from. You can also try rotating out the 10 you have on the main page of the thread so they each get equal exposure.

5.) Honestly, not winning anything is a risk that people have to take when entering a contest, and though I know it can be pretty disappointing when you don't win, but even if you do feel jipped at least you got something for your trouble. If you want to be able to provide consolation prizes for every entrant make sure its an amount, or item that wont change the worth of your other prizes. When it comes down to it, consolation prizes aren't as important as your main prizes. They're just a nice plus, and possibly a little extra incentive to enter.

of course. Hit me up if you have any questions.