Tomorrow, we’ll start a new Name This Place contest, an exciting time in the life of all MissPresers. It’s been a while since we’ve had a contest, and I know we’ve had a number of new readers join our group since then. For those of you who have come around these parts since the last contest, the basic gist is that I will post a picture of a building in Mississippi, and the first person to identify the building wins a point. Readers who identify other pieces of information about the building after the initial identification also get a point, so there is more than one opportunity per day to grab a point. At the end of the week, we hand out the title Mississippi Preservationist Extraordinaire to the person with the most points.

If you’ve participated in previous contests, make sure to read The Rules again since we’re changing things up a bit this time around to spice things up.

Contest Rules:

1.  Between one and three photos will be posted each day. Posting times will be either 7 AM, 9 AM, or 11 AM, or all of the above. In other words, I may post at 9:00 one day, at 7:00 and 11:00 the next day, and at all three times the next.

2.  The buildings represented will all be Mississippi buildings–there will be no out-of-state buildings (Who cares about those anyway??). The buildings may or may not still be standing.

3.  I may or may not give a hint before the photo. It just depends on how I’m feeling.

4.  The first person to state the name of the building, along with its location wins a point. Post answers in the comment area. The format of the first answer must include the name and the town/community or it won’t count. Those who complain about having to name the town will also be forced to name the county.

5.  An extra point will be awarded to anyone who comes along later and adds more information to the initial answer; for instance:

• information about a construction date, architect, renovations, or historical information about the building’s use or importance;
• comparisons to other buildings of a similar type or style, or buildings with the same architect or builder.
• Only one point per person for extra information, no matter how much information you give. This means that up to two points can be awarded to the person who answers first if he or she includes not only the name and location but also the construction date, etc. But only one point can be awarded to anyone who adds information after the initial correct answer. As a strategy, however, you might consider that if you add a bunch of extra information you will be taking away points from others who won’t have much left to say once you’re done.

6.  If there is a judgment call about whether your information is accurate or if it “adds” enough to be interesting and thus eligible to receive a point, I, E.L. Malvaney (hereafter referred to as “Grand Name-This Place Master”) will make that judgment call after consulting my dog and any other relevant parties.

7.  If no one guesses correctly for a photo in a 24-hour period, I win the point. While my goal in life is to win a contest of some sort, any sort, I must point out that it would be a major embarrassment for the MissPres universe for me to win the Name This Place contest.

At the end of the week (i.e., after Friday), the person with the most points wins the right to be called “Mississippi’s Preservationist Extraordinaire” (*until the next contest).

The first photo will appear tomorrow. Good luck!

Categories: Contest