Welcome to the 8th annual Million More in May Competition!
Spring is here in the northern hemisphere and that means we can get outside and take BillionGraves photos in the cemetery!
And as if the great weather wasn’t reason enough, we also have some fantastic prizes for you!
May Motivation
We hope that the Million More in May Competition motivates you to help add one million more unique images and transcriptions to the BillionGraves database during the month of May.
As always, the greatest reward for your efforts comes from knowing that you are preserving precious genealogical records and making them readily available for families around the world who will be eternally grateful.
But we also have some pretty terrific prizes to give away!
Everyone Can Win!
The BillionGraves Million More in May Competition is really a competition against yourself because EVERYONE can be a winner.
Just meet the requirements listed below and you will win one of the prizes offered for that tier! Yes, you read that right – EVERYONE THAT QUALIFIES WINS!
And the more you do, the bigger the prize!
Tier 1: 1,000 Photos Uploaded or 500 Transcriptions Completed
EVERY BillionGraves contributor that uploads 1,000+ unique photos or transcribes 500+ records will get their choice of one of these phenomenal prizes: :
- 6 Months Subscription to BillionGraves Plus
- or D/2 Gravestone Cleaning Solution – 1 quart
- or $30 Amazon Gift Card
6 Months Subscription to BillionGraves Plus
You could receive 6 months free credit to the BillionGraves Plus services! Take advantage of 7 features that will help you find your ancestors faster than ever before!
D/2 Biological Cleaning Solution
Or choose a quart size bottle of D/2 biological cleaner. Clean up to a dozen standard size gravestones with the same quality of care that has been used to clean:
- the U.S. Capitol
- the Washington Monument
- the Alamo
- the Gettysburg Monuments
- the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Amazon Gift Card
Or select a $30 Amazon gift card! You’ll have fun deciding what to order!
Tier 2: 5,000 Photos Uploaded or 2,500 Transcriptions Completed
EVERY BillionGraves contributor that uploads 5,000+ unique photos or transcribes 2,500+ records will get their choice of one of these great prizes:
- BillionGraves Small Gravestone Cleaning Kit
- or Amazon Echo Dot
- or $50 Amazon Gift Card
BillionGraves Large Gravestone Cleaning Kit
When you complete the requirements for Tier 2 you could win a BillionGraves Small Gravestone Cleaning Kit.
BillionGraves Small Gravestone Cleaning Kit includes all the tools you need to safely clean gravestones:
- (1) quart of D/2 Biological Solution
- (1) soft-bristled poly scrub brush
- (1) detail brush
- (1) lichen scraper
- (1) inscription pick
- (1) cleaning instructions (with tips from more than a decade of professional experience!)
Amazon Echo Dot
Or choose an Amazon Echo dot. You will be able to ask Alexa to play music, answer questions, read the news, check the weather, set alarms, control compatible smart home devices, and more.
Amazon Gift Card
Or choose a $50 Amazon gift card. Any of these three great prizes will make you smile!
Tier 3: 12,500 Photos Uploaded or 5,000 Transcriptions Completed
EVERY BillionGraves contributor that uploads 12,500+ unique photos or transcribes 5,000+ records will get their choice of one of these amazing prizes:
- BillionGraves Large Gravestone Cleaning Kit
- or DNA Kit
- or $75 Amazon Gift Card
BillionGraves Large Gravestone Cleaning Kit
Or select a BillionGraves Large Gravestone Cleaning Kit. It includes all you need to safely clean up to 12 medium-size gravestones:
- (2) quarts of D/2 Biological Solution
- (1) soft-bristled poly scrub brush
- (1) detail brush
- (1) lichen scraper
- (1) inscription pick
- (1) cleaning instructions (with tips from more than a decade of professional experience!)
DNA Kit
Have you been dying to get your hands on a DNA kit to learn more about your family heritage? Well, wait no longer! By completing the requirements for Tier 3 you could earn a DNA test from any of these great companies:
Amazon Gift Card
Or choose a $75 Amazon Gift Card! Whatever you choose, it’s a win for you!
Tier 4: 25,000 Photos Uploaded or 15,000 Transcriptions Completed
EVERY BillionGraves contributor that uploads 25,000+ unique photos or transcribes 15,000+ records will get their choice of one of these awesome prizes:
- Noise Cancelling Headphones
- or an iRobot Roomba 675 Robot Vacuum
- or $200 Amazon Gift Card
The best-performing around-ear headphones from Bose
You could choose these awesome Bose QuietComfort 25 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones (available for either Apple or Android/Samsung).
QuietComfort 25 headphones are engineered to sound better and be more comfortable. Put them on, and suddenly everything changes. Your music is deep, powerful and balanced, and so quiet that every note sounds clearer. Wear them while you take photos at the cemetery! No matter how noisy the world is, it’s just you and your music.
Roomba 675 Robot Vacuum
Or choose your very own robot! Then let your Roomba 675 robot vacuum do the work while you are at the cemetery taking photos! The Roomba’s patented 3-Stage Cleaning System is specially engineered to loosen, lift, and suction everything from small particles to large debris from carpets and hard floors. Just press “clean” or schedule Roomba while you are on the go with the iRobot Home App.
Amazon Gift Card
Or choose a $200 Amazon Gift Card. The gifts in Tier 4 will not disappoint!
Tier 5: 50,000 Photos Uploaded or 30,000 Transcriptions Completed
EVERY BillionGraves contributor that uploads 50,000+ unique photos or transcribes 30,000+ records will get their choice of one of these phenomenal prizes:
- $500 Genealogical Services from Genward
- Apple iPad WiFi + Cellular, 128GB
- $500 Amazon Gift Card
$500 worth of professional genealogical services from Genward
Break through your genealogical brick walls with Genward’s awesome genealogical services! View this video below to learn more about this fantastic prize!
Apple iPad (Wi-Fi + Cellular, 128GB)
Or an Apple iPad with both WiFi and Cellular options
- 9. 7-inch Retina display
- A10 Fusion chip
- Touch ID fingerprint sensor
- 8MP back camera and 1. 2MP FaceTime HD front camera
- Two speaker audio
- 802. 11ac Wi-Fi and LTE cellular data
- Up to 10 hours of battery life
Amazon Gift Card
Or a $500 Amazon Gift Card! Wow! What will you choose?
Let’s Go!
New here? Do you want to get in on the competition, but need a little help figuring out how to get started? Read on . . .
HOW TO FIND A CEMETERY TO DOCUMENT:
This is a great question! We have put together several videos to help users find a cemetery nearby to photograph. For additional information, refer to the getting started page here.
- How to Update your Location to Find Nearby Cemeteries
- How to Find a Cemetery To Photograph – Empty Cemetery
- How to Find a Cemetery to Photograph – Some Records Completed, But Not All
- How to Work with the Cemetery to Take Photos
Getting Started:
1. Download the BillionGraves app to your smartphone.
2. Create a free account on the app or at BillionGraves.com.
3. In the app, click on “take pictures” to begin taking photos in your local cemetery. The GPS location will automatically be recorded.
4. When finished, connect to Wi-Fi and upload cemetery photos.
5. Repeat! 🙂
Helpful Tips
• Register! It’s 100% free and 100% necessary if you’re going to participate in this competition. Make sure once you register that you verify your email! To claim your prize we will communicate with you through the email you provide and verify.
• Like us on Facebook, Follow us and Instagram! It’s simple to do and keeps you constantly up to date will all the new amazing things we are doing at BillionGraves!
• Make sure that you have the latest and greatest BillionGraves apps. Check the iTunes App Store, Google Play, for any updates on your device.
• Make it a habit. Go to the cemetery regularly—incorporate a local cemetery into your daily walk or bike ride, and snap some pictures along the way.
• Create a group event! It’s a great way to get organized and share in the fun with friends. Create a group event here.
• Follow your progress on our leaderboard! We have awesome graphics that will track your progress every step of the way! The leaderboard is not in real time. Please allow 24 hours for numbers to reflect accurately! Remember that photos that are flagged by transcribers will be removed from your totals so the totals may vary daily. Don’t forget you can always correct any images that are flagged. Learn more about fixing flagged images here.
• A word of advice: don’t wait for Memorial Day. The decorations at the cemetery for that holiday actually make it MORE difficult to collect images—people have to transcribe the content, and flower arrangements and other decorations can easily obscure that important content.
• Contest begins May 1, 2019, and ends May 31, 2019, @ 11:59 pm GMT (That’s 6 pm MST and 8 pm EST.)
Teamwork pays off!
If everyone in the group logs their different devices into one account, your efforts will be combined, making it easier to hit your goal! For example, a husband/wife team could get the grand prize together by taking 25,000 images each.
Once you hit the 50,000 photo goal or 30,000 transcriptions goal, switch it up and combine efforts with another person in the group to earn multiple prizes!
The Fine Print (Cause we have to have fine print, right?)
- All photos and transcriptions must be submitted before the closing date of May 31, 2019 @ 11:59:59 pm GMT (That’s 6 pm MST). Any submissions after that point will be excluded from the final results.
- This promotion is intended for photographers and transcribers.
- Supporting records will NOT be counted towards the monthly totals. Only images that originate from the genuine BillionGraves apps will be accepted.
- If you or another user marks a headstone picture as “bad” we deduct it from the uploader’s total images.
- For transcribers, we will be looking extra hard at the quality of transcriptions as well. We will erase the record and have it re-transcribed if it’s not done correctly. Any record not transcribed correctly will be deducted from your total.
- In the off chance that we don’t have enough images to transcribe, GO TAKE PICTURES! We will allow both photos taken and transcriptions completed to count ONLY if there are no photos left in the transcription queue. BillionGraves must announce this update before this exclusion becomes active.
- Make sure you have permission and are welcome to take pictures in your local cemetery before doing so. Remember, private cemeteries require the permission of the owner before taking any pictures.
- This promotion is open to all to participate ages 13 and above for free. Registration is required. Register HERE. It’s free!)
- More than one individual may contribute to a single account, however, the limit is one prize redemption per BillionGraves account. The prize will be claimed by only the username the combined work was completed under. BillionGraves will not arbitrate any disputes.
- ALL RECORDS MUST BE UNDER ONE ACCOUNT. BILLIONGRAVES WILL NOT COMBINE ACCOUNTS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE.
- Items will ship in 6-8 weeks after the contest closes for winners residing in the U.S. International winners, please allow 8-12 weeks for items to be delivered.
- Due to current world-unrest, some areas may increase the amount of time it takes for prizes to be delivered. If for some reason your country isn’t compatible with the prize tiers, we will work with you to provide you with a prize or gift card that is equal in value.
Recipients will be required to provide a mailing address for physical items. - Winner will be required to provide completed tax forms for the redemption of the prize.
- REQUIRED: ALL PRIZES MUST BE CLAIMED WITH PROPER MAILING/DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS BY THE 15TH OF JUNE OR YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE THE PRIZE! WE WILL SEND OUT CONFIRMATION EMAILS BY THE 3RD OF JUNE. IF YOU DON’T RECEIVE A CONFIRMATION EMAIL ASKING FOR YOUR ADDRESS, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR SENDING IT TO US BY THE 15TH AT BonnieG@BillionGraves.com.
Thanks a Million (in May)!
Cathy Wallace and The BillionGraves Team
