We work hard to continuously improve the BetterBNC contest platform now being used by hundreds of organizations across North America. Now, we’re pleased to share details on two important updates.
Captcha: Thanks to user feedback, we’ve made two significant changes to the contestant entry form.
The entry form has been redesigned and simplified.
We have replaced the “Google Captcha” with a more widely known system which saves time by asking fewer and easier questions.
Why do we need Captcha?The “Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart” program helps ensure your contestant entries are legitimately made by a real person — computers cannot successfully read the distorted text, which greatly reduces the chances of a “hacker bot” gaining access to your contest.
PayPal Integration: For users of the Revenue Manager module — a software update from PayPal we deployed closes a rare occurrence related to timely reporting of payments to your PayPal Advanced account from certain bank cards. Note that some cards, such as American Express, may require additional setup within your PayPal Advanced account (contact PayPal for information).
BetterBNC provides timely and thorough support for everyone involved in your contest. Questions about rules, eligibility and payments should be directed to the contest admin but you can send your judges and contestants to BetterBNC for any other needed support. They just complete a trouble ticket and we’ll take it from there. All support is included — there is no additional charge. We’re here to ensure your contest is a success.
What happens when the Contestant Manager account belonged to a former employee? Typically, this situation is revealed when the new employee uses the “lost password” feature, only to discover the link is being sent to a dead email address. When contacted, we will use predetermined security screening steps to verify their authority to become the new Contestant Manager. If we are unable to make a determination, we refer the new employee back to the contest admin who can then update the Contestant Manager information.
For very large PDF file entries (such as for PR/ad campaigns or General Excellence categories), some contestants choose to first e-publish these entries on their Issu, VuDu, or RealView platform. These are third party vendors with their own offerings and plans, so contestants should be mindful of what their plan offers. When addressing the file size issue with your contestants, remember:
BetterBNC recommends individual files be under 5 mb but the platform will allow up to 20 mb per entry attachment.
Judges’ time is important, so file size is critical to ensuring their total time commitment to your contest does not become burdensome waiting for unnecessarily large files to download.
Encourage contestants to use Acrobat or other available programs to reduce the size of the PDF file before uploading. Select the resolution for “web viewing” – 72-99 dpi is sufficient.
Contestants who might be struggling with extra large file sizes are encouraged to seek our assistance by submitting a trouble ticket — we can help.
BetterBNC leads the way in comprehensive and unlimited training and support for all client contest administrators. Running an awards competition can be challenging but you can count on us to provide guidance every step of the way. If you need help, let us know.
Please remember that BetterBNC requires that all contest administrators receive training from us directly. That includes any helper admins you may have working on your contest within our platform. Each admin must also have their own login credentials — do not share your credentials with anyone. Please contact us to establish additional admin accounts. These accounts will remain active until you tell us to cancel, so it’s important to manage these carefully.
As a contest admin, you can always complete a trouble ticket if you have questions and a member of our tech team will get right back to you.
The leading contest platform for organizations sanctioning awards competitions and contests for print and broadcast journalists and other creatives in the media industry. Contact us at 360.427.6300.
