Unlike most betting parlors, however, these contest are rarely about sports.
Big traditional mailing list companies -- like Equifax and Experian -- have been buying e-mail addresses, often from these contest sites, and linking them with their vast stores of other information about people.
"Project Jay," a special spun off from "Project Runway," follows one of these contest winners post-show, just at the point that the contest's host — in this case, the rosy German model Heidi Klum — is dropping him like a wet rag.
For an example of how customizable these contest sites are, check out this fake contest, which shows off a TechCrunch-themed design along with some interesting ideas for alternate Crunchies statue designs (we like the real guy just fine, though).
"Those kinds of attitudes are what we're trying to highlight and these contest killings do a good job of it," Coronado told VICE News.
But due to the open and cross-platform nature of these contest, every participant benefits from a chance to share their pride about their town or their pet.
