Hey there everyone! SD here with another Pop 5 post. You know the drill! Today, I’ll be counting down what I think have been the best contests (both from the Poptropica Creators, and within the community).
A good contest’s goal should completely be about community involvement! The more fun it is to participate, the better it is. Simple, but that’s not all! Cool prizes are a great incentive, unique rules lead to an exciting competition, and annual events make for something to look forward to. So let’s get started!
#5: The PHB Halloween Costume Contest
By now, this event is simply traditional, so it had to make this list. With 9 contests and counting, our annual sp00py competition continues to be a fan favorite. The name speaks for itself: Every Halloween, the PHB picks the best of the best costumes, made by you guys! I still remember loving it before I became an author, and participating every year!
Having this annual contest allows everyone to look forward to it throughout the year, especially those really into Halloween! It gets everyone in the community involved in something easy to participate in. However, it certainly doesn’t make the top of my list simply because of it’s repetitive nature. With Original Poptropica dying down, there are only so many new accessories to mix and match. But don’t worry to much, because Poptropica Worlds is offering a whole new array of clothing to compete with!
#4: The PHB Tribal Tournament
Though this event has only happened once, I have to say that it was a blast! Ever since Poptropolis Island rose out of the sea, tribes have been a pretty big deal within the community. Inspired by the Olympics, this contest brought together members of the same Poptropica tribe as they fought for glory through art, trivia, and medal collecting!
Not only was this contest completely unique in our community, but it also allowed for many different talents to shine. Yes that’s right, you could still easily participate if you weren’t an artist! Nanobots may not have come out on top, but everyone in every tribe put up an amazing fight, and it was exciting to see all the friendly competition. Are you hoping for this event to rise up once again?
#3: The Poptropica Costume Contest
Sure, a costume contest isn’t completely original at this point, but this one definitely topped them all! Clothing and customization is a gigantic part of Poptropica, so this event was huge for the community. In this contest, fans got to create their very own Poptropica costumes and winners were promised to be put in the actual game! Who doesn’t want to brag that their outfit is actually in Poptropica? Though the runner ups have not had their costumes implemented in game yet (*cough* what’s up creators *cough*), the grand prize winners can continue to brag to all their friends.
Poptropica Worlds has started to introduce a lot more modern clothing, and I personally think that’s super cool! It’s no doubt that some of these decisions had to have been inspired by contest entries, as submissions were really creative and diverse. I’m still bummed I won’t be getting to wear some of those great outfits! I’m hoping for another contest like this in the future, what do you guys think?
#2: The PHB’s Poppies
Not to toot our own horn, but I totally love the Poppies, what about you guys? Similar to award shows like the Oscars, the Poppies presents various Poptropica-themed categories that the entire community votes on and announces the winners in an annual livestream. Like the PHB’s Halloween Costume Contest, it’s something to look forward to all year, and we just had a pretty good one!
The categories are always changing to keep things fresh, and I think it’s great that everyone in the community gets to decide on the winners! Since it’s not your average art contest or anything, it can be much more interesting to see the results. And as a cherry on top, it can be lots of fun to have everyone dress up for an awesome party! We always seem to come back to costumes, huh?
#1: The Create Your Dream Island Contest
I’ll bet this top pick comes as no surprise! The CYDI Contest was a hit, with all Poptropicans dying to know who the winner was, as the Creators sorted through numerous submissions. Ever since Poptropica was born on the internet, fans were coming up with their own island ideas. So, of course a contest where Poptropicans had a chance for their idea to be made a reality was gripping!
This contest not only lead to the creation of Arabian Nights Island, a wonderful adventure, but also boosted Poptropica’s “Island Creator Kit” book. From start to finish, I think this event was amazing and I will continue to mourn those runner up island ideas that sounded spectacular. The contest allowed for the creative to let loose their imaginations in a way that we were all waiting for. In fact, I’m sure many Poptropicans hope to see this contest return!
Honorable Mentions
- The Hall of Fame Contest — This one almost made the list! Having your own Poptropican in the game is another big dream for many players. In this contest, all you had to do to achieve that dream was what we all always do: play Poptropica as much as possible! A great idea, and a tough competition!
- The #PoptropicaArt Contest — In the Poptropica community, art is a huge deal! With this contest, Poptropicans got to show off their art skills more than ever across all social media. I’ve got to say that every single submission was amazing!
- The Poptropica Sticker Design Contest — This one just recently closed submissions, but winners haven’t been announced yet. It couldn’t make the list, as we haven’t seen how it ends, but it’s without a doubt a cool, unique idea. Another way to show off artistic talent, but with a twist! Who wouldn’t want their friends constantly texting with a sticker that you made?
So… do you agree with my list? What have been your favorite Poptropica Contests? What kind of contests do you hope to see in the future?
~SD
