By entering as a contestant or by voting, you agree to the following rules. Beyond Earth Foundation (the "Organizer") administers this competition to raise funds for its general operations and to celebrate New York State drag performers.

1. Eligibility

• Contestants must be 18 years of age or older at the time of entry.
• Open to drag performers competing in one of two categories: Drag Queen or Drag King.
• Open to performers who live and/or perform a majority of the time in one or more of these regions: Western NY, Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, Central NY, North Country, Mohawk Valley, Capital District, or Hudson Valley.
• New York City and Long Island are excluded from this competition — they have their own contest, Voter's Choice NYC.
• Organizer staff, board members, and their immediate families may not compete.

2. How to Enter

• There are two ways to enter: a performer can enter themselves (self-nominate), or anyone can nominate a performer they'd love to see compete — the Organizer will reach out to invite nominated performers. Either way, entering is free.
• To compete, submit the online application with your drag name, category, region, contact information, a short bio, and a photo.
• All applications are reviewed and must be approved by the Organizer before appearing on the ballot. The Organizer may decline any application at its discretion.
• Applicants must provide complete and accurate contact information, including legal name, email, and phone number. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
• Applications open: immediately. Application deadline: July 31, 2026 at 12:00 PM (noon) EST.

3. Competition Timeline

• Voting opens: August 1, 2026.
• Top 10 cutoff: September 30, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET. Standings freeze; the top 10 in each category advance as finalists and all other contestants are eliminated.
• Voting closes: October 31, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET. Final standings among the finalists determine all placements.
• Results announced (after verification of results and receipt of all October funds): 4th–10th place on November 4; 2nd Runner-Up on November 5; 1st Runner-Up and the Winners — Mr. & Miss Voter's Choice NYS — on November 6, 2026.
• Empire State of Drag: April 9–10, 2027, Clemens Center, Elmira NY — the Winners perform both nights.

4. How Voting Works

• Every signed-in supporter receives one free vote per category, per day.
• Supporters may also donate to vote using these bundles, each usable once per category, per day: $1 = 1 vote, $5 = 10 votes, $10 = 25 votes, $25 = 75 votes, $50 = 200 votes, $100 = 500 votes, $250 = 1,500 votes, $500 = 4,000 votes.
• Daily limits reset at midnight EST each day. Per-contestant vote totals are kept private during the competition; only standings (place) are shown publicly.
• The Finale Climb. Over the last three days of voting, every vote (free and donation) is multiplied: Oct 29 = 2×, Oct 30 = 3×, Oct 31 = 4×. On Oct 31, standings are hidden all day; final placements are revealed with the results announcements (Nov 4–6).

5. Fair Play & Anti-Fraud

• Daily caps exist so that no single person can simply buy the outcome. Attempts to bypass them — multiple/fake accounts, automated voting, or other manipulation — are prohibited.
• The Organizer may void suspicious votes and may disqualify any contestant or voter found violating these rules.

6. Titles & Prizes

• Placements. Final standings at 11:59 PM ET on October 31, 2026 determine the placement of the 10 finalists in each category (Drag Queen and Drag King): the Winner, 1st Runner-Up, 2nd Runner-Up, and 4th through 10th place.
• The Winners. The first-place finalist in each category is crowned "Miss Voter's Choice NYS" (Drag Queen) or "Mr. Voter's Choice NYS" (Drag King), receives a crown and sash, holds the title for one year, and is invited to perform both nights at Empire State of Drag (April 9–10, 2027, Clemens Center, Elmira NY) with a $300 travel stipend.
• The October Prize Pool. 100% of all donations received from October 1–31, 2026 (net of payment-processing fees) is distributed to the 20 finalists as artist grants: Winners 25% of the pool each (50% combined); 1st Runner-Up 8.75% each; 2nd Runner-Up 3.75% each; and 4th–10th place share 25% equally (approximately 1.79% each). The live pool total is displayed on this site throughout October.
• Announcement schedule. To allow time to verify results and receive all October funds, placements are announced in stages: 4th–10th place on November 4, 2nd Runner-Up on November 5, and 1st Runner-Up and the Winners on November 6, 2026.
• Grant eligibility & payment. To receive a grant, a finalist must (a) remain in good standing and in compliance with these rules through their announcement date; (b) provide an accurate legal name, mailing address, and payment details; and (c) complete any tax documentation the Organizer reasonably requires (for example, IRS Form W-9) before payment. Grants are paid to the individual performer after results are verified and all October funds have been received — targeted within 30 days of November 6, 2026 — and are not transferable. Grants are awarded under Beyond Earth Foundation's grant-making policy in furtherance of its charitable mission to support the art of drag in New York State.
• Succession. If a Winner is removed, disqualified, withdraws, or is unable to perform at Empire State of Drag, the 1st Runner-Up, and then the 2nd Runner-Up, in that category will be asked and considered for the title and/or the performance opportunity, at the Organizer's discretion. Any prize share forfeited by a disqualified or withdrawn finalist is redistributed within that category as the Organizer determines.
• Ties. Ties in vote totals are broken first by the number of unique voters, then by the earliest first vote received. The Organizer's decision is final.
• Titles and prizes are non-transferable and have no cash value beyond the grant amounts stated above.

7. Donations

• All donations support Beyond Earth Foundation's general operations and this competition, and are non-refundable except where required by law.
• Beyond Earth Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. You will receive a receipt for your records. Donations are processed securely through Stripe. Please consult your tax advisor regarding your specific situation.

8. Code of Conduct

• This is a celebration of drag and community. Harassment, hate speech, threats, or discrimination of any kind — toward contestants, voters, or staff — will not be tolerated and may result in removal or disqualification.
• Contestants are responsible for their own conduct on and off the stage during the competition period.

9. Privacy

Contact information collected through applications and voting is used only to administer the competition and is handled per Beyond Earth Foundation's privacy practices. Your email is never shown publicly.

10. Organizer Rights

The Organizer may modify, suspend, or cancel the competition, or amend these rules, if needed to run it fairly or for reasons beyond its control. The Organizer's decisions on all matters are final.

11. Contact

Questions? Contact Beyond Earth Foundation at Donations@beyondearthfoundation.org.

We respect your privacy and collect only what's needed to run the competition.

• What we collect

• To vote, we ask for your email so we can send a one-tap sign-in link.
• If you join the reminder list, we keep your email to notify you when voting opens.
• Contestants provide their drag name, legal name, email, phone, social handle, bio, and photo when applying.

• Public vs. private

• Shown publicly on the ballot: a contestant's drag name, region, bio, and photo.
• Kept private: legal names, emails, and phone numbers — used only to administer the competition. Voters' email addresses are never shown publicly.

• How we use it

To authenticate voters, keep voting fair, contact contestants, and send the voting-launch reminder. Donations are processed securely by Stripe — we never see or store your full card details.

• Sharing

We do not sell or rent your information. It is handled only by the trusted service providers that operate this site (Supabase for data and sign-in, Stripe for payments, and our email provider), solely to run Voter's Choice.

• Cookies & storage

We use minimal, essential browser storage to keep you signed in. We do not use advertising trackers.

• Your choices

To unsubscribe from reminders or ask us to delete your information, email Donations@beyondearthfoundation.org anytime.

• Contact

Questions about this notice? Reach Beyond Earth Foundation at Donations@beyondearthfoundation.org. We may update this notice from time to time; the latest version always lives here.