Case Study: Winning an Instagram Beauty Contest with Bought Votes
How a makeup artist with 2,300 followers beat finalists with 10× her audience in a 21-day Instagram beauty contest — full timeline, tactics, and lessons.
Read more →14 contests with public online voting in Maryland — Athlete of the Week and more. Real, paced votes; honest guidance on each contest's rules.
Statewide Maryland · High School on SI (Sports Illustrated / Arena Group)
Free statewide weekly fan poll at SI.com High School covering Maryland prep athletes across all MPSSAA public classes and MIAA private schools. Voting closes Sunday at 11:59 p.m. PT. Run by High School on SI (Sports Illustrated / Arena Group).
High School on SI runs a weekly statewide baseball fan vote at si.com/high-school/maryland each spring (March through June). The May 4, 2026 ballot drew 16 nominees — a deep field that ties the Maryland softball poll's count and spans MPSSAA public schools and MIAA private programs. Voters are limited to once every six hours, and the poll closes Sunday at 11:59 p.m. PT.
Statewide Maryland · High School on SI (Sports Illustrated / Arena Group)
Annual end-of-season fan vote at si.com/high-school/maryland, run by High School on SI (Sports Illustrated / Arena Group), honouring the top Maryland prep baseball player across both MPSSAA public schools and MIAA private schools statewide.
High School on SI runs a statewide weekly fan vote for Maryland boys basketball each December through March. Unlike the SI Maryland football polls, this one caps at one vote per person per six hours — which changes how a campaign here has to be built.
Statewide Maryland · High School on SI / SBLive Sports (Sports Illustrated / Arena Group)
Annual end-of-season fan vote at si.com/high-school/maryland, run by High School on SI (Sports Illustrated / Arena Group), recognising the top Maryland prep boys basketball player across both MPSSAA public schools and MIAA private schools statewide after the winter season concludes each March.
High School on SI runs a weekly statewide boys lacrosse fan vote at si.com/high-school/maryland through the spring season (March–June). Unlike the football polls on the same platform, this one limits each voter to once every six hours — a hard cadence that changes how campaigns are built.
High School on SI / SBLive Sports runs this statewide Maryland defensive fan vote separately from the offensive poll — a split introduced in 2025 that created its own distinct ballot, ballot URL, and winner each Sunday. Anyone can vote, no account needed, and the poll closes every Sunday at 11:59 p.m. PT.
The High School on SI / SBLive statewide fan vote for Maryland's best prep football offensive performance each week. Since 2025, SI runs two separate weekly ballots — offensive and defensive — where one combined poll ran in 2024. Both close Sunday at 11:59 p.m. Pacific; anyone can vote with no account and no stated per-person cap.
High School on SI's weekly statewide reader fan-vote for the top Maryland girls basketball performance of the week. Editors set the field; anyone can vote once every six hours on si.com, and the ballot closes Sunday at 11:59 p.m. Pacific — meaning a disciplined six-hour cycle, not a one-shot push, decides these races.
Statewide Maryland · High School on SI / SBLive Sports (Sports Illustrated / Arena Group)
Annual end-of-season fan vote at si.com/high-school/maryland, run by High School on SI (Sports Illustrated / Arena Group), crowning the top Maryland prep girls basketball player from both MPSSAA public schools and IAAM private schools statewide each spring after the winter season concludes.
High School on SI runs a weekly statewide girls lacrosse fan vote at si.com/high-school/maryland each spring (March–June). Editors pick ten nominees from across all MPSSAA classes and private schools; voters are limited to once every six hours — a cadence that rewards a school whose community shows up repeatedly across a full week, not just once.
Statewide Maryland · High School on SI (Sports Illustrated / Arena Group)
Annual fan-voted Player of the Year awards at si.com/high-school/maryland, run by High School on SI (Sports Illustrated / Arena Group), honouring the top Maryland prep athlete each season in sport-specific categories including boys basketball, softball, and girls flag football — statewide coverage of MPSSAA public and MIAA private schools.
High School on SI runs a weekly statewide softball fan vote at si.com/high-school/maryland each spring (March through June). The confirmed April 20, 2026 ballot listed 16 nominees, including two players from the same school — Boonsboro — appearing on the same poll simultaneously. Voters are capped at once every six hours; the poll closes Sunday at 11:59 p.m. PT.
Statewide Maryland · High School on SI (Sports Illustrated / Arena Group)
Annual girls softball-specific fan-vote award at si.com/high-school/maryland, run by High School on SI (Sports Illustrated / Arena Group), honouring the top Maryland prep softball player at the close of the MPSSAA spring season — statewide, covering MPSSAA Classes 1A–4A public schools plus WCAC private schools. Voting closes Sunday 11:59 p.m. PT.
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