| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] | Non-transparent contest rules and illogical winner determination Thread poster: Zea_Mays
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Zea_Mays 
Italy
Local time: 11:25
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | STILL WAITING FOR AN ANSWER | Nov 15, 2023 |
Ana, Jared? There are still many people waiting to be recognized as winners from the last contest.
| | | | Zea_Mays
Italy
Local time: 11:25
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | What US laws say | Nov 15, 2023 |
(...)
Contests and Sweepstakes
Official Rules
Most states require that every contest and sweepstakes be governed by official rules that are readily available to entrants. The details in official rules vary depending on the nature of the promotion, but most states generally require both contest and sweepstakes rules to include:
Eligibility requirements (like age) and exclusions (like family members of sponsor employees).
Clear entry instructions for all methods of entry. For contests, entry instructions should include detailed directions about what an entrant must submit and in what format.
The start and end dates (and times and time zone if applicable) of the entry period.
A complete description of the nature and number of prizes that are to be awarded and their approximate retail value.
How and when a list of winners may be obtained.
The corporate name and physical address of the sponsor.
For contests, the states generally also require in the rules:
The criteria by which the winner is to be selected.
The method for determining prize winners if a tie occurs. Otherwise, some states require that both winners receive the same value of prize.
(...)
Contractual Issues
By making public the conditions and rules of a contest or sweepstakes, a sponsor makes an offer to potential participant. If a participant performs all the requirements of the offer under the published rules, a legally binding contract results.
https://www.americanbar.org/groups/gpsolo/publications/gpsolo_ereport/2022/december-2022/sales-promotions-contests-sweepstakes-laws-regulations-your-business-clients-must-know/
This means that former participants who were not treated according to the official rules would have grounds to file a complaint with Consumer Protection Agencies.
[Bearbeitet am 2023-11-15 18:20 GMT]
| | | | | How winning entries are generally determined | Nov 15, 2023 |
Hi all, hello Zea,
I won't go into too much detail, but here is some of what goes into determining (or attempting to determine) winning entries in a contest. A certain ratio of voters/votes to number of entries in finals is sought. Usually, with a ratio of 3 and up, it begins to become easier to see a clear winning entry-- usually. But whoever is overseeing the contest also looks at things such as the point spread. Sometimes, if the ratio is not very high, and there is a very small ... See more Hi all, hello Zea,
I won't go into too much detail, but here is some of what goes into determining (or attempting to determine) winning entries in a contest. A certain ratio of voters/votes to number of entries in finals is sought. Usually, with a ratio of 3 and up, it begins to become easier to see a clear winning entry-- usually. But whoever is overseeing the contest also looks at things such as the point spread. Sometimes, if the ratio is not very high, and there is a very small point spread between the first and second entry, for example, it may be decided that more voters are needed to clearly define the winning entry in a given pair.
Looking at the numbers for this contest, I see that in every pair that had at least a ratio of 3, at least one winning entry has been declared. For the remaining pairs, unfortunately, the simple reason winning entries could not be declared is that not enough people voted.
During a contest, the person overseeing it works very hard to get those votes and "close out" all of the pairs that are formed. When this does not happen before the deadline, a tough decision needs to be made: do you extend the contest and keep trying to encourage more people to vote (a source of complaints), or do you close out the contest and put those pairs into feedback so that at least participants are not left hanging indefinitely (also a source of complaints)? I'm honestly not sure which of those two are best, I personally have tried both while I was running contests, and in my experience, if people in a certain language pair did not want to participate by voting during the contest, they didn't suddenly want to after the deadline had passed either, but in very few (I think) cases, some pairs were able to be "closed out" further down the line.
So the key is getting enough participation in the voting phase so that clearly-defined winning entries emerge. That's not always as easy as it may sound. I think those of us who oversee a contest could do a better job at promoting and encouraging participation, and it is always helpful if contest participants do the same among their own networks as well. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Zea_Mays
Italy
Local time: 11:25
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | @Jared: the method MUST be stated in the rules | Nov 15, 2023 |
Just state the method transparently and in a comprehensible way in the rules, and all is fine.
Actually, all previous participants who met the official rules and obtained the most points in their combination would have to be retroactively declared as winners.
I understand it is hard work, but it is also for participants. So the frustration is on both sides, with more people involved on one of them.
So as for me, I will no longer participate until things hav... See more Just state the method transparently and in a comprehensible way in the rules, and all is fine.
Actually, all previous participants who met the official rules and obtained the most points in their combination would have to be retroactively declared as winners.
I understand it is hard work, but it is also for participants. So the frustration is on both sides, with more people involved on one of them.
So as for me, I will no longer participate until things have not been solved. ▲ Collapse
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Zea_Mays
Italy
Local time: 11:25
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | AI bots can help | Nov 15, 2023 |
I have asked Bard and Chatty to "translate" Jared's explanation into a contest rule. While Chatty's answer was too verbose and complicated, Bard delivered a more straightforward "translation":
Bard wrote:
Contest Rule:
A certain ratio of voters/votes to the number of entries in the finals is sought. The goal is to achieve a ratio of 3 or higher. Usually, with a ratio of 3 and up, it becomes easier to identify a clear winning entry. However, the contest organizer also considers the point spread between entries. In cases where the ratio is low and the point spread between the first and second entries is very small, more voters may be needed to clearly define the winning entry.
Example Calculation:
Consider a contest with 10 entries in the finals. Assuming a target ratio of 3, the contest organizer would aim for at least 30 voters/votes. If the actual number of voters/votes is 20, the ratio would be 2, and the contest organizer may decide to extend the contest to encourage more participation.
Math Formula:
The ratio of voters/votes to the number of entries in the finals can be expressed as:
Ratio = (Number of voters/votes) / (Number of entries in finals)
As for the spread, when it is very small, why not simply declare ex aequo winners instead of having all this hassle?
| | | | Zea_Mays
Italy
Local time: 11:25
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
When will the updated rules be live? And what about the participants on previous contests?
BTW: voters and votes is not exactly the same. You'll have to decide between voters and votes.
| | | | Zea_Mays
Italy
Local time: 11:25
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Are you waiting for someone to make a complaint to the authorities?
What does it cost to finally make those changes?
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