Create your first contest
A contest is a prize, terms and a deadline. If all three are already in your head, publishing takes under ten minutes.
1. Open the creation page
Hit Create contest in the DareBay header. The whole form sits on one screen, no five-step wizards.
2. Write a title people will click
Short, concrete, to the point. "Film yourself making breakfast in a single take" beats "best morning content". The title is the only thing most viewers read before deciding whether to open the terms at all.
3. Write the terms
The description is a contract. What exactly has to be in the entry? What gets it disqualified? Does it have to be in English? Does the work have to be original? Be as precise as you can: ambiguity hurts you more than it hurts the participants.
4. Pick a category and a subcategory
That is how people find you. Take the narrowest category you still fit into. Narrower means a more relevant audience.
5. Entry format
One of three:
- Text: written entries, up to the character limit you set.
- Image: one photo or a small gallery.
- Video: a short video, uploaded to DareBay storage.
One format per contest, no mixing.
6. How the winner is picked
One of three selection types:
- RANDOM: a random pick among the most liked entries at the end. Good for light giveaway campaigns.
- CREATOR_DECISION: you pick the winner yourself after the deadline. Good when quality is subjective and you trust your own taste.
- VIEWER_VOTING: the community votes and the top of the tally wins. Good if you want the contest to be about the community.
The selection type is locked in at creation: once published, it cannot be changed.
7. The prize (or prizes)
A prize is either MONEY (a wallet payout in USDT on TON, a bank card, a bank transfer, Telegram Stars, Telegram gifts) or ITEM (a thing, described in text: "a signed vinyl record", "concert tickets"). You can set several prize places (1st, 2nd, 3rd) and several winners in one place.
A money prize is locked the moment you publish: it leaves your balance and belongs to the result until the contest ends. You cannot pull it back, which is exactly why participants get to work.
8. Dates
- Start: when entries open. "Right now" is a perfectly normal choice.
- Entry deadline: when new entries stop being accepted.
- Selection deadline (CREATOR_DECISION only): by when you commit to naming the winner.
9. Check the commission
The organizer pays the commission, once, when creating the contest. You see the exact amount in your currency before you confirm, and there are no hidden add-ons. Nothing is taken out of the winner's prize, they receive the full amount. Rates and the promo for early organizers: commission.
10. Publish
One click. The contest moves from UPCOMING to ACTIVE, the prize pool is locked, and participants start sending in work.
→ Next: Submit your work (to see what the other side looks like), or how winners are chosen, the detail on each selection type.