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Shelter Photo Contest playbook.

Shelters run pet photo contests where votes are donations. Ten steps from claim to launch, with the exact prompts to paste into Claude, Cursor or Lovable.

Claim Shelter Photo Contest to unlock every step

It is free. Enter your name and email and we will also email you a link to this playbook.

01

Claim your idea

1 minute
  • You have claimed Shelter Photo Contest. Your claim is free and stays active while you keep building.
  • Bookmark this page. It is your personal playbook, and the link in your email always brings you back here.
  • Write one sentence on who you are building for and why. Start with: "Shelter Photo Contest helps animal shelters and rescue groups ..." You will reuse this sentence everywhere.
02

Domain and name

15 minutes
  • Decide if you will keep the name "Shelter Photo Contest" or pick your own. Short, easy to spell and easy to say out loud beats clever.
  • Check if these domains are free at your registrar (for example Porkbun, Namecheap or Cloudflare): shelterphotocontest.com, getshelterphotocontest.com, shelterphotocontestapp.com, shelterphotocontesthq.com, tryshelterphotocontest.com, shelterly.com.
  • Buy the .com if you can. Expect about $10 to $15 per year.
  • Grab the same name on Instagram, X and TikTok, even if you will not post yet.
AI PROMPT

Suggest 15 short, memorable brand names for an app that does this: Shelters run pet photo contests where votes are donations. It is for Animal shelters and rescue groups. For each name, give a matching .com domain idea and one sentence on why it works. Avoid names of existing well known companies.

03

Trademark basics

30 minutes
  • Search the official US trademark database (tmsearch.uspto.gov) for your name, and also search Google and the app stores for apps with the same or a similar name.
  • If a similar name already exists for similar software, pick a different name now. Changing it later is expensive.
  • Filing your own trademark is optional at the start. Many founders file once they have paying customers. This is general information, not legal advice, so talk to a trademark attorney before filing.
04

AI build kickoff

20 to 40 minutes
  • Open your AI coding tool (Claude, Cursor or Lovable) and start a new project called Shelter Photo Contest.
  • Paste the prompt below exactly as written. Let the AI finish, then run the app and click through every screen.
  • If something breaks, copy the full error message back to the AI and ask it to fix it. Repeat until it works.
  • Suggested stack: Next.js, MySQL, Tailwind, hosted on a small VPS. You can tell the AI to use it, or let it choose.
AI PROMPT 1 OF 3

Build a web app called Shelter Photo Contest. A shelter admin signs up and creates a contest with title, theme, start and end dates, entry fee and price per vote. Publish a contest page with a gallery.

05

Server and hosting

30 to 60 minutes
  • For the web app, the simplest path is a host that deploys straight from GitHub (for example Vercel, Render or Railway). A small VPS works too if you are comfortable with servers.
  • Set up a managed database (MySQL or Postgres) with your host and keep the password in an environment file, not in your code.
  • Put your code on GitHub so you never lose it and can deploy with one click.
AI PROMPT

My app Shelter Photo Contest is built with Next.js, MySQL, Tailwind, hosted on a small VPS. Walk me step by step through putting it online: creating accounts, environment variables, connecting my GitHub repo, connecting my domain, and turning on HTTPS. Assume I am a beginner and explain each click.

06

Backend and data

1 to 3 hours
  • Now build the core feature. Paste the prompt below into the same project so the AI keeps the context.
  • After it runs, test it with real looking data. Try it the way a customer would, including mistakes like empty fields.
  • Ask the AI to add basic checks: required fields, friendly error messages, and nobody seeing another user's data.
AI PROMPT 2 OF 3

Supporters enter by uploading a pet photo, pet name and caption, and pay the entry fee with Stripe. Admins approve entries. Voters pick an entry and buy votes in bundles through Stripe checkout. Show a live leaderboard.

07

Frontend and design

1 to 3 hours
  • Make it feel like a real product. First paste the design prompt, then the feature prompt below it.
  • Pick one brand color and one font and stick with them everywhere.
  • Show it to 3 people who match your customer and watch them use it without helping. Fix whatever confuses them.
AI PROMPT 3 OF 3

Redesign every screen of Shelter Photo Contest so it looks clean, modern and trustworthy for Animal shelters and rescue groups. Use one brand color, generous spacing, clear buttons, and make it work well on phones. Add a simple logo using the name Shelter Photo Contest.

AI PROMPT 3 OF 3

Add share cards for each entry so owners can rally votes. Add an admin dashboard with total raised, entries and votes over time. Announce winners by email. Take a small platform fee on each payment.

08

Go live

1 day
  • Deploy the web app to your host and connect your domain. Check that https:// works and that sign up, log in and the main feature all work on the live site.
  • Add a privacy policy and terms page. Your AI tool can draft them, and app stores require a privacy policy.
  • Set up simple analytics so you can see visits and sign ups.
AI PROMPT

Write a checklist to launch Shelter Photo Contest (web) with everything I might forget: domain, HTTPS, privacy policy, terms, analytics, error monitoring, backups, and a support email.

09

Marketing plan

Week 1
  • Your first customers: Animal shelters and rescue groups. List 20 real people or businesses that fit, and message them one by one. Ask for 10 minutes of feedback, not a sale.
  • How it makes money: Small platform fee on donations. Put the price on your site from day one, even if you offer a free trial.
  • Post where your customers already spend time: local Facebook groups, Reddit communities, industry forums, and LinkedIn.
  • Launch on Product Hunt and relevant subreddits once 5 real users have tried it.
AI PROMPT

Write a launch plan for Shelter Photo Contest, which shelters run pet photo contests where votes are donations. The target customer is Animal shelters and rescue groups. Include: where to find the first 100 users, 3 short launch posts, a cold message template, and a simple pricing page headline.

10

Launch and grow

Ongoing
  • Expected launch cost: under $100. Keep costs low until people are paying.
  • Talk to every early user. Ask what almost stopped them from signing up, and fix that first.
  • When your site is live, reply to your Zweegs claim email with your link and we will add the Shipped badge to your idea.
  • Stuck on any step? You can hire a builder to finish it from the Build it for me page.

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