Prom is once again upon us and the anticipation of enjoying a magical night that will produce memories has everyone very excited. A new caveat about this years prom, however, could put a damper on what should in the end just be a bit of fun to end the school year.

This year, the Ames High Prom committee has created a contest for the Ames High population: have the most-widely “liked” promposal this year and you win two free tickets to the dance. Students can share their promposal photos with the “AmesPromposals” Instagram account, which will then post them for all the people that follow the account or people on Instagram in general to “like”. Whichever has the most “likes” prior to Prom will win the tickets.

This is a completely great idea on the surface for many reasons. Students are able to get innovative with their date inquiries and get to really push the envelope, which will undoubtedly create a buzz about the dance that might not have been there if there was no competition. Seeing the creative spirit of the school put on display is amazing to see, and I definitely have enjoyed seeing all the promposals myself. The fact that it has been turned into a competition, though, is another matter.

When you think about it more, it seems just a bit unfair. A few problems straight off the bat: One, some kids might not have the capabilities of sharing or even liking someones promposal on the account because they don’t have an Instagram account. If it’s a vote for the students of Ames High, then everyone that wants to have a say in determining the best promposal should be able to and shouldn’t be restricted by not having a cell phone or for another reason.

Another way it can be a bit unfair is that if someone wanted to, they could easily exploit the “liking” system and get a ton of illegitimate votes on their picture in order to win. I’m not saying that it’s likely to happen, but there are some people that are inclined to doing this, and if just one person does it, others could as well.

Prom really is a reward in it of itself. For Seniors, it’s one of the last things they’ll do as high schoolers. It’s all just a bunch of fun that is rightly deserved after getting through the school year. The best thing to do is go out and just enjoy the night. It may be a bit on the expensive side to pay for the tickets, buy a dress, and go to dinner, but nobody has to have a Prom in the first place; it’s a reward. Go out and enjoy the process: the dress/tux rental, the fancy restaurant, the time with friends, and especially asking that special someone, but don’t turn it into a competition.