BillionGraves is one of the world’s leading online cemetery websites. No doubt most of you would have heard of it, and I’m sure a number of you have even used it to look for headstones.
May has arrived and that signals the beginning of BillionGraves’ 8th Annual “Million More in May” Competition! And they have AMAZING prizes for those who participate!
Their goal is simple, they are aiming to get 1 million new headstones photographed, transcribed and added to the BillionGraves database during the month of May, but they can’t do it with help from you, and thousands of others around the world.
While the northern hemisphere is currently in Spring it’s a great time to get out an about visiting a cemetery or two, and down in the southern hemisphere we’re in autumn, and while the weather is getting cooler, it’s not TOO cold just yet, so there’s still time to get out and about to a cemetery before winter hits.
How can I participate?
It’s easy and free to participate! You can take photos of headstones in cemeteries near you with your mobile device, or you can transcribe photos that others have taken and make them searchable on the site. The Million More in May competition is open to ANY registered BillionGraves user, anywhere in the world.
Getting started …
First up, if you don’t have a BillionGraves account, you’ll need to register. You can do that here. It’s free and you need to do this to participate in their competition. And be sure to that once registered, you verify your email from them too!
If you want to take pictures, you can start by getting the app on your mobile device (phone or tablet).
– Download the app for your iSO device
– Download the app for your Android device
Then check out their site map to see what cemeteries have already been done. Tip: click on the titles of the cemetery to see how many photographs have been taken. Some have 0 or just a few, while others have hundreds or thousands.
Or if you want to transcribe photos? Learn more about how to transcribe by following the link here
– Start transcribing headstones now
The competition …
It really couldn’t be easier. This year, there are five tiers of great prizes and EVERYONE can be a winner! In the blog, they provide all the details about A Million More In May, and the prizes you can win. CLICK HERE TO READ.
Some of the prizes on offer are:
– Roomba robot vacuum
– $500 of professional genealogical services
– gravestone cleaning kits
– Amazon gift cards
– DNA kits
– and more!
At the end of the month, the total number of transcription of photographs uploaded is used to calculate which prize level you have earned for your efforts! The more you do, the better the prize! There is no limit to the number of photos taken or transcriptions completed.
Follow the top photographers and transcribers throughout the month of May on BillionGraves’ leaderboard, right here: http://bit.ly/BGMillionMoreLeaderBoard
Be sure to read their Terms & Conditions, just so you’re aware of them (scroll to the bottom of this link) and now go out and have fun visiting, and photographing cemeteries.
Keeping it social …
You can follow BillionGraves on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. And if you’re sharing your pics online, be sure to hashtag them #MillionMoreInMay.
