Contest Submission Limits

You’re absolutely right.

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I’ve been here for seven months now. I first started with 95/96% (which I kept for quite a while). Also, I was consistently on two leaderboards (Contests Won and High Ratings) until last month. I wonder why… Not so much.
Suddenly, almost overnight, I was down to 70’s% even though I was being shortlisted on a daily basis. Despite all of this, I managed, somehow, to stay on the leaderboards. But everything was about to change again. My percentile was, suddenly, under 60%, making me lose Tier A. I came here in hope of getting some answer. Oh, my dear summer child…
I was finally told that I had been blocked twelve times. ??? Which I find odd being that I only remember being blocked 2 or 3 times (one of the CHs who blocked me had also shortlisted me). Also, I used to follow each and every contest I entered until the very last minute. So, it makes sense that I would be aware of those twelve blocks. It all comes up to this: creatives who work hard, read the whole briefs and follow the “rules” are being left behind so that newbies (yes, even newer than I am) can thrive: I am now allowed to submit three entries per contest while some creatives who never won a contest and hardly submit ideas have percentiles of 95% thus are allowed to submit 40 entries. If the new submition policy is designed to prevent spam and maintain quality than, I wonder, why does a creative who submits 5 or 10 entries each month is granted such a privilege (not only those but also the ones who are lucky enough to maintain their “95’s%”. I guess they are never blocked. :wink: ). Makes you think.
PS: when accused of being blocked in twelve contests, I asked through the BB if they could tell me which contests were those. I was told that that was information I was not allowed to have… Thank you.

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@Porti

I can understand the frustration, especially since I do not agree with the blocking the way it is done now. I think there needs to be a system in place that builds up to the block and also allows warning to the creative so they have a chance to maybe reorient. I’ve also had a few other ideas about it. But, I’m not going to reiterate this here. I also think that you should be allowed to know which contests you’ve been blocked from, and that you’re not allowed doesn’t make sense to me.

Anyhow, while I can understand the frustration, I feel I should speak up. Over my time here, I keep seeing things voiced as solutions to issues that unfairly penalize people that have not deserved such. I think we need to be more aware of this as we make suggestions as solutions to issues. If it’s at all possible, we need to be more aware in how much impact or effect that our solutions may have.

Now, let me explain something I have come to understand about our percentages. It is a social system, meaning you are compared and contrasted to all other creatives. If someone is not very active, they don’t have as many contests and entries to compare and contrast to the rest of the ‘squad’. This does not mean it makes things any easier, however. Becayuse that is when each entry will carry more weight (either positively or negatively – because there is less … they weigh MORE). Actually I wonder if it’s harder to maintain a decent percentage at fewer entries than it is with more entries and participation. The reason I say this is because your percentage can change daily and is based on your stats for the previous so many days (a months time). So your daily entry can change things quickly. And if you’ve not entered a lot, but have entered some and have some weighty entries, things can swing quite wildly. Think of this, I am not very active due to medical issues and such and there are several others that also are not very active, but our percentages and allowances are across the board – some of us have percentages in the 90s and some have percentages in the 50s-60s. This is because, like you, … we have to earn the percentage we have and maintain it the way we can … no different than you (so good ratings, bad ratings, blocks, etc all impact us too). Sometimes less entries may work in our favors but not always – considering I, myself, have experienced drops of 10-20%+ it isn’t always the case. I may enter only 5 entries a contest and I may only participate in a few to a dozen contests when things are really bad for a month, but doesn’t mean that I’m working any less harder than you and not earning that percentage.

I was never one to agree with the massive amount of entries, I know I don’t need them. But I like the ability to earn a few more based upon what the CH thinks in that current contest. So if they want to limit to a decent amount and then allow the ability to earn more, I’m okay with this. But none of us can agree on what a decent amount is. Different people have different styles and some come up with ideas differently. It’s not my place to say how many should or should not be had based on that. I think 5 (unless there is a reason for it to be lower) is the least amount that should be allowed and I definitely thing that 40 is more than enough. But figuring out things between there is a bit more difficult which is why I think SH has decided on the way it is.

Anyhow, I can agree that some thins can seem unfair when we’re on one side of things and others are on the other side. But that does not mean that we know and/or understand each specific factor and variable that may make their situation and scenario what it is, so we shouldn’t estimate that too much. SH is the one that has access to that information and they’ve made their allowances and considerations based upon that. SH does all it can to remain fair. Sure, there are some suggestions we can make that may make things better … but we should aim them more in ways that may benefit everyone … including the CHs … where possible … and mind what may cause more issues or difficulties to others.

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@Porti I don’t understand your post. First you say it’s unfair for some Creatives to have a 40 submission limit, but then you go on to say that creatives that only submit 5 or 10 names shouldn’t have that 40 entry limit ( because they aren’t using them all?). So which is it? Do you want no one to have higher limits, or only people who will actually submit the entire 40? I do see your point about being able to see which contests you have been blocked from entering. I’ve been here over two years and have not been blocked, so if it were to happen, I would want to know.

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@rareworthy Thank you for your coment.I’ll answer ASAP

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I’ll answer you ASAP @ ALDaisy1

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Hello again @rareworthy :smiley:.
First of all, thank you for your thoughtful comment.
I don’t feel “frustrated” per se, I would if I felt somehow that my entries su****, which I don’t. What I do feel is that my situation is not being addressed fairly. IF I was blocked from 12 contests, then why am I not allowed to Access that “information”? I might as well have been “blocked” from 300…who can tell? This is, to say the least, an odd situation, do you agree? :thinking: I am pretty sure this is a mistake, everyone can be mistaken.
Like you, I have always been against the old submissions policy. Hundreds of names submitted to a contest seemed ridiculous in my ( humble) opinion . Did I ever submit such amount? Only once since the CH kept asking me for more. I did tell him that I didn’t want to “spam” him though, but he told me to keep submitting them. If anyone cares to check my profile, they can check my “average number of submissions” per contest, 5 if I’m not mistaken.
The main issue with my account is the fact that my percentile is now 60 % due to 12 blocks ( which ones? I was never allowed to know) . How does that work? My percentile goes down the hill almost overnight for unclear reasons. On the other hand, as much as I get likes and loves, it never goes up…I wonder how some creatives, who complained about this in the past, have now percentiles way over 90% hmmm, wish I knew.
Again, if you visit my profile, you’ll be able to see that I was winning a few contests a month ( not a particularly impressive number though). Also, I managed to be featured on 2 leaderboards since the beginning ( high ratings )and contests won. For that reason I was still able to submit a higher number of entries. Not anymore. So, I wonder, is it worth the effort trying to win a contest in the “dark”? Yes, in the dark, being that I am not allowed to access the information which led to all this.
I thank you for your answer and I also want to be sure that you are aware of the fact that I respect every creative in here. My intention is not to stand up for any reason, nor to diminish others behaviours. I NEVER underestimate the efforts of other creatives. I do think about equality for all regarding opportunities and overall coherency though.
All the luck in life and in here. ( Wait…in here also but after me because I’m not an hypocrite :joy:)
@rareworthy, I wish you all the best and I truly hope your medical issues are solved rapidly, in the end that’s all that truly matters.
PS: I am using a particularly weird Android to write this…forgive me for the poor writing

It is our policy to not share specific links of contests from which you were blocked, because we’ve had instances where creatives have sent messages to CHs (in some cases outside SH platform) challenging why they were blocked.

Our team shared the total number of blocked contests with you as a courtesy because you had specific questions about your percentile score. Based upon your message, it appears you do not trust this information to be true. Unfortunately there is no further information we can provide on this matter.

The percentile score calculation applies consistently to all creatives. It is a relative score - so if other creatives are able to achieve a higher proportion of high ratings, with a lower proportion of contest blocks, they should (and do) receive a higher percentile score.

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The thing is, if you’re ‘watching’ these contests or even ‘bookmark’ them for return before you’re blocked and then go back and try to submit entries, you’re given the message that everyone now knows that you’re being blocked even though, to my knowledge, doesn’t say you’re being blocked just that it was decided that a smaller pool of creatives be used for the contest. So … in a way, this can still happen and you’re only making it slightly more difficult. Therefore, shouldn’t that information be provided since it’s obtainable via other means?

If not, I get it … kinda. I think that what some of us have said here should be thought over by the the team. People being allowed to be blocked from a contest when they have had anything above a on the right track seems a bit unfair. Can SH think about implementing a strike system or something? This way it is more fair to everyone. I’ve brought up many ideas and solutions as have others and some are much better than what I could even think of. But, these solutions allow it to be fair and also allow for the CH as well as creatives benefit too. Because if someone is warned with feedback and given the chance to take that feedback and make themselves better … it means the creative may not need to be penalized and will be permitted to learn and the CH may even get a name they love from that same creative over the next few entries. Never know.

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Next month I will be here 5 years and to my knowledge I’ve never been blocked.
But since SH is so big on transparency, then why aren’t we allowed to know we’re blocked?
Maybe it should be in our activity feed, like all our ratings are.
Then if your worried about creatives contacting the CH, there are two options I see.
1.) When you’re blocked from the contest, you’re blocked from contacting the CH.
Or
2.) Rules already state that you cannot challenge the CH, so if they do, then they should not be allowed to participate at all in any further contests or at least have a 3 strike rule.

Lately I’ve been seeing too many creatives challenging the CH in the message sections of the contest. Makes us all look bad as a whole.
Just my personal opinion

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I already wrote that the inclusion of invisible blocks in the percentile is a great evil for creatives. Only these blocks are purely individual. Our vision of the naming may not coincide with the vision of the customer. We are trying to find a name for CH that will glorify him forever. So why are we being punished for trying to help him? Let the CH blocks creatives. But these blocks should not be taken into account when calculating our percentile.

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Given the number of times that Squadhelp has had to create new rules because of the bad behavior of creatives, I agree with SH’s handling of blocks and their relationship to our scores. I imagine SH is as tired of this sort of thing as we are. I also imagine SH has quite a bit of data to back up what they are doing.

It is my opinion that SH should not have to act as a parent. So many stories have been told lately and in the past of extremely concerning behaviors of creatives here. And yes, just like in parenting sometimes, we all get to pay for the sins of our brother and sister creatives, even when/if we are innocent. Yes, I am sick of it, too. Really sick of it.

To my knowledge, I have been blocked one time in a contest in over 3 years here and maybe a year(?) since blocking became a thing. I remember because I came over here and said something about it because it never happened to me before. I had JUST submitted one entry moments before and was about to submit another and got a message that I had been blocked. I have no idea what I did wrong according to that CH but I remember thinking, well, I guess I need to move on. Yes, my feelings were hurt! And it honestly took time for me to move on! Yes, it would be really nice if we could get explanations about why we are blocked. But my feeling is that SH is probably so sick of having to deal with bad behavior that they don’t feel so compelled to work so hard to tell us why. And I will tell you, I don’t blame them one bit if that is the case. This is a place of business. There is still rampant disregard for rules in contests, rules of the platform in terms of private and public engagement with CHs and other creatives and more. Customers have the right to block anyone who is not providing them with what they came here for in order to save time and energy. And I’ll bet they even hit the block button accidentally! Now, we all get to pay for that, too.

Next time I get blocked I will be just as upset as the last time. I won’t know why, but what I will know is that SH had to create a rule because of others’ continuous bad behavior. It’s just like when I was in Catholic school and had to write my spelling words 100 times a night because some other kid was disrespectful to Sister Mary. Is it changing the behavior of creatives? In Catholic school they did it to exert some peer pressure. Maybe this will as well. Meanwhile, just as Sister Mary’s punishment was instrumental in making certain her students could spell, perhaps blocking will improve everyone’s submissions to contests and limit overwhelm for the CH. Time will tell.

Sorry, this is undoubtedly one of the most unpopular opinions expressed so far on this subject. My guess, though, is that there is a very silent bunch of people thinking the same thing.

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You say “'Sorry, this is undoubtedly one of the most unpopular opinions expressed so far on this subject. My guess, though, is that there is a very silent bunch of people thinking the same thing”. Many are really silent, but not because they agree. Many are silent because they are afraid to say something. But we have a really wonderful site! And we can express our position here. I respect the SH’s policies, but I consider the block system unjustified. If one of the creatives breaks the rules, they need to punish him personally. And the blocks have nothing to do with it.

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Yes, you are so right and that is why I am expressing my opinion. You are also right that silence is not always agreement. All I know is the number of times that we have all been punished by new rules set due to the behavior of others.

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I have no doubt in Your decency and SH policies! We are all discussing here how to make the SH better and more transparent. I understand that this is very difficult, because it is hard to please tens of thousands of people. But I hope this is achievable.

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If my coworker keeps stealing pencils and there is a general rule about not stealing stationary he will be warned. But if my coworker insults a customer, especially if it happens more than once, he will be fired on the spot. That’s what SH lacks right now - discipline. Not the catholic church group type of discipline, SH needs to start punishing individual creatives that are ruining everyone’s experience here, both for creatives and contest holders. It is a bit off topic, but last few post made me write this.
Regarding number of submissions, for some people 5 per contest is enough to see if they “click” with CH. If they get good ratings they enter more, if not they move on. For others it wouldn’t be enough even if you gave them unlimited number of entries…

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In my opinion 40 is too much, limit it to 10 max.
The submissions will be more curated and carefully selected if limit is reduced.

I value my submission limits- 40 is perfect.

Who is new on SQ has zero possibilities to win with this system of score, entries, etc. :worried:

mmm not really, in the beginning we start at the same level and rules also, only 5 submission limited. By the time and depend on your submission quality, this limit will increase.

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