# SEO Contests: full content (English)

Source: https://concours-seo.com/ · FR/EN pages linked per entry.


## Pioneers (2002–2005)
Between 2002 and 2005 the first SEO contests appeared on forums and directories: an invented keyword, zero Google results and a deadline to rank first. PageRank and anchor text then dominated rankings.

### Schnitzelmitkartoffelsalat (2002)
- Category: Pioneers
- Country: Germany
- Summary: First contest identified in the archive, designed to test search-engine robots with an invented German-language keyword.
- SEO context: Google launches the Google Web APIs (April 2002), opening programmatic access to the engine.
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/schnitzelmitkartoffelsalat/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/schnitzelmitkartoffelsalat/

### Nigritude Ultramarine (2004)
- Category: Pioneers
- Summary: International English-language contest, one of the most famous in SEO history, which popularised the invented-keyword principle.
- SEO context: “Austin” update (January 2004), following Florida (November 2003). Google goes public (August 2004): search visibility becomes a major economic stake.
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/nigritude-ultramarine/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/nigritude-ultramarine/

### Mangeur de Cigognes (2004)
- Category: Pioneers
- Summary: SEO contest 2004 · Pioneers
- SEO context: “Austin” update (January 2004), following Florida (November 2003). Google goes public (August 2004): search visibility becomes a major economic stake.
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/mangeur-de-cigognes/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/mangeur-de-cigognes/

### Chocoku (2004)
- Category: Pioneers
- Summary: SEO contest 2004 · Pioneers
- SEO context: “Austin” update (January 2004), following Florida (November 2003). Google goes public (August 2004): search visibility becomes a major economic stake.
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/chocoku/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/chocoku/

### Sorcier Glouton (2005)
- Category: Pioneers
- Summary: SEO contest 2005 · Pioneers
- SEO context: Google, Yahoo and MSN introduce rel="nofollow" (January 2005) against comment spam. “Jagger” update (October–November 2005) targeting artificial links; Google Analytics launches in November.
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/sorcier-glouton/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/sorcier-glouton/

### MSNBetter ThanGoogle (2005)
- Category: Pioneers
- Summary: SEO contest 2005 · Pioneers
- SEO context: Google, Yahoo and MSN introduce rel="nofollow" (January 2005) against comment spam. “Jagger” update (October–November 2005) targeting artificial links; Google Analytics launches in November.
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/msnbetter-thangoogle/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/msnbetter-thangoogle/


## Golden age of SEO contests (2006–2010)
Blogs, directories, link exchanges and black-hat techniques: the golden age sees contests flourish, with ever more absurd keywords and a genuine community culture.

### Tiger l’Osmose (2006)
- Category: Golden age of SEO contests
- Summary: SEO contest 2006 · Golden age of SEO contests
- SEO context: Google Sitemaps becomes Google Webmaster Tools (2006), the ancestor of Search Console. MSN Search becomes Live Search (September 2006).
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/tiger-l-osmose/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/tiger-l-osmose/

### Loupanthère (2006)
- Category: Golden age of SEO contests
- Summary: SEO contest 2006 · Golden age of SEO contests
- SEO context: Google Sitemaps becomes Google Webmaster Tools (2006), the ancestor of Search Console. MSN Search becomes Live Search (September 2006).
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/loupanthere/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/loupanthere/

### Cobraoupouaout (2006)
- Category: Golden age of SEO contests
- Summary: SEO contest 2006 · Golden age of SEO contests
- SEO context: Google Sitemaps becomes Google Webmaster Tools (2006), the ancestor of Search Console. MSN Search becomes Live Search (September 2006).
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/cobraoupouaout/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/cobraoupouaout/

### Cobraoutaxi (2006)
- Category: Golden age of SEO contests
- Summary: SEO contest 2006 · Golden age of SEO contests
- SEO context: Google Sitemaps becomes Google Webmaster Tools (2006), the ancestor of Search Console. MSN Search becomes Live Search (September 2006).
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/cobraoutaxi/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/cobraoutaxi/

### Tagger l’Os Mauve (2006)
- Category: Golden age of SEO contests
- Summary: SEO contest 2006 · Golden age of SEO contests
- SEO context: Google Sitemaps becomes Google Webmaster Tools (2006), the ancestor of Search Console. MSN Search becomes Live Search (September 2006).
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/tagger-l-os-mauve/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/tagger-l-os-mauve/

### Kazayarama le Chamow (2006)
- Category: Golden age of SEO contests
- Summary: SEO contest 2006 · Golden age of SEO contests
- SEO context: Google Sitemaps becomes Google Webmaster Tools (2006), the ancestor of Search Console. MSN Search becomes Live Search (September 2006).
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/kazayarama-le-chamow/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/kazayarama-le-chamow/

### ambatchdotcom seocontest (2006)
- Category: Golden age of SEO contests
- Summary: SEO contest 2006 · Golden age of SEO contests
- SEO context: Google Sitemaps becomes Google Webmaster Tools (2006), the ancestor of Search Console. MSN Search becomes Live Search (September 2006).
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/ambatchdotcom-seocontest/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/ambatchdotcom-seocontest/

### Isulong SEOph (2006)
- Category: Golden age of SEO contests
- Summary: SEO contest 2006 · Golden age of SEO contests
- SEO context: Google Sitemaps becomes Google Webmaster Tools (2006), the ancestor of Search Console. MSN Search becomes Live Search (September 2006).
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/isulong-seoph/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/isulong-seoph/

### Kablumy (2006)
- Category: Golden age of SEO contests
- Summary: SEO contest 2006 · Golden age of SEO contests
- SEO context: Google Sitemaps becomes Google Webmaster Tools (2006), the ancestor of Search Console. MSN Search becomes Live Search (September 2006).
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/kablumy/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/kablumy/

### Zurtouij (2007)
- Category: Golden age of SEO contests
- Summary: SEO contest 2007 · Golden age of SEO contests
- SEO context: Universal Search launches (May 2007): images, news and video enter the results. Google lowers the visible PageRank of sites selling links (October 2007).
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/zurtouij/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/zurtouij/

### Combat Oupouaout III (2007)
- Category: Golden age of SEO contests
- Summary: SEO contest 2007 · Golden age of SEO contests
- SEO context: Universal Search launches (May 2007): images, news and video enter the results. Google lowers the visible PageRank of sites selling links (October 2007).
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/combat-oupouaout-iii/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/combat-oupouaout-iii/

### globalwarming awareness2007 (2007)
- Category: Golden age of SEO contests
- Summary: SEO contest 2007 · Golden age of SEO contests
- SEO context: Universal Search launches (May 2007): images, news and video enter the results. Google lowers the visible PageRank of sites selling links (October 2007).
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/globalwarming-awareness2007/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/globalwarming-awareness2007/

### Stockbanddonné (2007)
- Category: Golden age of SEO contests
- Summary: SEO contest 2007 · Golden age of SEO contests
- SEO context: Universal Search launches (May 2007): images, news and video enter the results. Google lowers the visible PageRank of sites selling links (October 2007).
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/stockbanddonne/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/stockbanddonne/

### Taupe irradiée (2007)
- Category: Golden age of SEO contests
- Summary: SEO contest 2007 · Golden age of SEO contests
- SEO context: Universal Search launches (May 2007): images, news and video enter the results. Google lowers the visible PageRank of sites selling links (October 2007).
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/taupe-irradiee/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/taupe-irradiee/

### SEOcratie (2008)
- Category: Golden age of SEO contests
- Summary: SEO contest 2008 · Golden age of SEO contests
- SEO context: Google Chrome launches (September 2008). Google Suggest arrives on google.com (August 2008) and shapes queries.
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/seocratie/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/seocratie/

### Seocontest2008 (2008)
- Category: Golden age of SEO contests
- Summary: SEO contest 2008 · Golden age of SEO contests
- SEO context: Google Chrome launches (September 2008). Google Suggest arrives on google.com (August 2008) and shapes queries.
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/seocontest2008/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/seocontest2008/

### Black Hattitude (2009)
- Category: Golden age of SEO contests
- Summary: SEO contest 2009 · Golden age of SEO contests
- SEO context: “Vince” update (February 2009) favouring big brands. Google, Yahoo and Microsoft announce rel="canonical" (February); Bing replaces Live Search (June).
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/black-hattitude/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/black-hattitude/

### Schroumyziguac (2009)
- Category: Golden age of SEO contests
- Summary: SEO contest 2009 · Golden age of SEO contests
- SEO context: “Vince” update (February 2009) favouring big brands. Google, Yahoo and Microsoft announce rel="canonical" (February); Bing replaces Live Search (June).
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/schroumyziguac/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/schroumyziguac/

### Schroumyziguac Citraubien (2009)
- Category: Golden age of SEO contests
- Summary: SEO contest 2009 · Golden age of SEO contests
- SEO context: “Vince” update (February 2009) favouring big brands. Google, Yahoo and Microsoft announce rel="canonical" (February); Bing replaces Live Search (June).
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/schroumyziguac-citraubien/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/schroumyziguac-citraubien/

### Gnomecorp (2009)
- Category: Golden age of SEO contests
- Summary: SEO contest 2009 · Golden age of SEO contests
- SEO context: “Vince” update (February 2009) favouring big brands. Google, Yahoo and Microsoft announce rel="canonical" (February); Bing replaces Live Search (June).
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/gnomecorp/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/gnomecorp/

### Superrefman (2010)
- Category: Golden age of SEO contests
- Summary: SEO contest 2010 · Golden age of SEO contests
- SEO context: “Mayday” update (May 2010) hitting the long tail. New Caffeine indexing infrastructure (June) then Google Instant (September).
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/superrefman/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/superrefman/


## Post-Penguin (2011–2015)
After Panda and Penguin, artificial links and thin content become risky. The archive lists only four contests for the period: organisers and entrants become more cautious.

### Pandanarol (2011)
- Category: Post-Penguin
- Summary: SEO contest 2011 · Post-Penguin
- SEO context: Google Panda (February 2011) penalises low-quality content. Google, Bing and Yahoo launch schema.org (June 2011).
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/pandanarol/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/pandanarol/

### Sentimencho (2012)
- Category: Post-Penguin
- Summary: SEO contest 2012 · Post-Penguin
- SEO context: Google Penguin (April 2012) targets artificial link schemes. Knowledge Graph launches (May) along with the link disavow tool (October).
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/sentimencho/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/sentimencho/

### Loupanthere (2012)
- Category: Post-Penguin
- Summary: SEO contest 2012 · Post-Penguin
- SEO context: Google Penguin (April 2012) targets artificial link schemes. Knowledge Graph launches (May) along with the link disavow tool (October).
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/loupanthere-2012/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/loupanthere-2012/

### Alphabet (2015)
- Category: Post-Penguin
- Summary: SEO contest 2015 · Post-Penguin
- SEO context: Mobile-friendly update (21 April 2015), nicknamed Mobilegeddon. RankBrain is revealed (October); Alphabet is created as Google’s parent company (August).
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/alphabet/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/alphabet/


## French excellence (2016–2019)
A structured French scene driven by players such as Wix (SEO Hero) and the Qwant search engine (Qwanturank, €50,000 in prizes and anti-spam testing).

### Cricetus (2016)
- Category: French excellence
- Country: France
- Summary: SEO contest 2016 · French excellence
- SEO context: AMP launches (February); Penguin 4.0 becomes part of the core algorithm in real time (September). Mobile-first indexing is announced (November 2016).
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/cricetus/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/cricetus/

### SEO Hero (2017)
- Category: French excellence
- Organiser: Wix
- Summary: SEO contest run by Wix, which staged search-ranking competition at scale.
- SEO context: Penalty for intrusive mobile interstitials (January 2017). “Fred” update (March 2017) aimed at monetisation-driven content.
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/seo-hero/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/seo-hero/

### Qwanturank (2019)
- Category: French excellence
- Country: France
- Organiser: Qwant
- Summary: Launched by the Qwant search engine: €50,000 in prizes and anti-spam testing.
- SEO context: New sites move to mobile-first indexing by default (July 2019). rel="sponsored" and rel="ugc" introduced (September); BERT rolls out in Search (October).
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/qwanturank/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/qwanturank/

### Smartphone pliable (2019)
- Category: French excellence
- Country: France
- Summary: SEO contest 2019 · French excellence
- SEO context: New sites move to mobile-first indexing by default (July 2019). rel="sponsored" and rel="ugc" introduced (September); BERT rolls out in Search (October).
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/smartphone-pliable/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/smartphone-pliable/


## Recent contests (2020–2025)
Students, Discord communities, absurd keywords and multi-platform scope (Google, TikTok, ChatGPT): recent contests pave the way for the GEO era.

### Masdigbord (2020)
- Category: Recent contests
- Summary: 2020 contest aimed at students.
- SEO context: Google announces Core Web Vitals (May 2020). Passage ranking is announced (October 2020).
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/masdigbord/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/masdigbord/

### Branding Astral (2024)
- Category: Recent contests
- Country: France
- Organiser: Neurchi SEO
- Summary: Organised by Neurchi SEO in 2024: 30 participants, structured phases, massive backlinks and narrative strategy.
- SEO context: March 2024 core update and new spam policies (scaled content, site reputation abuse, expired domains). AI Overviews launch in the US (May 2024); the llms.txt standard is proposed (September 2024).
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/branding-astral/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/branding-astral/

### Stratégie de citrouilles algorithmiques (2024–2025)
- Category: Recent contests
- Country: France
- Organiser: FepSem
- Summary: Multi-platform contest (Google, TikTok, ChatGPT) organised by FepSem: over 1,000 participants and an absurd keyword that became a cult.
- SEO context: March 2024 core update and new spam policies (scaled content, site reputation abuse, expired domains). AI Overviews launch in the US (May 2024); the llms.txt standard is proposed (September 2024). March 2025 core update; Google rolls out AI Mode in Search. Generative answers (AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini) become a visibility channel in their own right.
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/strategie-citrouilles-algorithmiques/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/strategie-citrouilles-algorithmiques/

### Keywordkönig (2025)
- Category: Recent contests
- Summary: SEO contest 2025 · Recent contests
- SEO context: March 2025 core update; Google rolls out AI Mode in Search. Generative answers (AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini) become a visibility channel in their own right.
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/keywordkonig/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/keywordkonig/

### Flumberico (2025)
- Category: Recent contests
- Summary: SEO contest 2025 · Recent contests
- SEO context: March 2025 core update; Google rolls out AI Mode in Search. Generative answers (AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini) become a visibility channel in their own right.
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/flumberico/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/flumberico/

### Linkavista Giveaway (2025)
- Category: Recent contests
- Summary: SEO contest 2025 · Recent contests
- SEO context: March 2025 core update; Google rolls out AI Mode in Search. Generative answers (AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini) become a visibility channel in their own right.
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/linkavista-giveaway/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/linkavista-giveaway/

### Concours étudiants SEO (SUPINFO, Excelia, INSEEC) (2025)
- Category: Recent contests
- Country: France
- Organiser: SUPINFO, Excelia, INSEEC
- Summary: WordPress and SEO challenges run by SUPINFO Lille, Excelia and INSEEC to build a portfolio and a network.
- SEO context: March 2025 core update; Google rolls out AI Mode in Search. Generative answers (AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini) become a visibility channel in their own right.
- EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/contests/concours-etudiants/
- FR: https://concours-seo.com/concours/concours-etudiants/


## Guides

### Preparing an SEO contest
Set SMART goals. State what the contest must prove (test a technique, engage a community, earn natural backlinks) with a duration, a scope and a numeric indicator. Pick an absurd keyword. An invented term with no exact match on Google or Bing guarantees a level field. Check the quoted query on each targeted engine and the available domain names. Historic examples: Schnitzelmitkartoffelsalat, Nigritude Ultramarine. Write the rules. Spell out banned techniques, sanctions, the closing date, the engines measured (Google, Bing, TikTok, ChatGPT…) and the prizes. Check the contest regulations that apply in your country.
EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/guide/preparation/ · FR: https://concours-seo.com/guide/preparation/

### Creating and launching an SEO contest
The official contest page. A stable URL, a title containing the keyword, the rules, the timeline, a sign-up form and schema.org Event markup. This page is the reference for entrants… and for engines. Mobilising the community. Discord, LinkedIn, historic forums: announce the contest where practitioners are. Branding Astral structured its phases; Qwanturank leaned on large prizes and press coverage. Snapshot the baseline. Before kick-off, record the results for every engine: proof that no result existed and a point of comparison.
EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/guide/creation/ · FR: https://concours-seo.com/guide/creation/

### Running an SEO contest
Track the ranking. Schedule snapshots (weekly or daily) of positions with a rank tracker and keep the screenshots. Multi-platform measurement, as in the algorithmic pumpkins contest, requires a single protocol. Moderate and sanction. Plan a jury, a reporting channel and graduated sanctions for spam, negative SEO or hacking third-party sites. Communicate regularly. Newsletters, public leaderboards and phase announcements sustain engagement and earn natural mentions.
EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/guide/management/ · FR: https://concours-seo.com/guide/gestion/

### Optimising to win an SEO contest
On-page optimisation. Keyword in title, H1 and URL, semantic variations, internal linking and structured data. Useful content withstands updates such as Panda (2011), Penguin (2012) or Helpful Content (2022). Backlinks: natural versus artificial. Golden-age contests such as Black Hattitude tested the limits of black hat; after Pandanarol and Penguin, quality prevails. Indexing and GEO. Sitemap, Search Console and speed ensure indexing. For generative engines see GEO and AIEO.
EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/guide/optimization/ · FR: https://concours-seo.com/guide/optimisation/

### Analysing SEO contest results
Essential KPIs. Final position per engine, referring domains, indexed pages, impressions and clicks in Google Search Console, mentions in generative answers. Tools: Search Console, Ahrefs, Majestic, Semrush, Monitorank, Looker Studio dashboards. The post-mortem. Publish winning techniques, timeline and mistakes. Qwanturank served as an anti-spam test for an engine; student contests such as Masdigbord feed portfolios. Archive and compare. Compare with the contests in the archive: same mechanics, different algorithmic contexts.
EN: https://concours-seo.com/en/guide/analysis/ · FR: https://concours-seo.com/guide/analyse/


## FAQ
Q: What is an SEO contest?
A: An SEO contest is a competition in which participants optimise a site to rank first for a specific, usually invented, keyword before a deadline. It tests ranking strategies under comparable conditions.

Q: How do you run an effective SEO contest?
A: Set SMART goals, choose an absurd keyword, use Discord for the community and measure positions with Google Search Console and a rank tracker.

Q: What are the benefits of SEO contests for digital marketing?
A: They earn natural backlinks, boost organic traffic and strengthen multi-platform visibility.

Q: How do you choose a keyword for an SEO contest?
A: Pick an invented, absurd keyword for a neutral, fair competition, and check that it has no exact-match results before launch.

Q: Which tools should you use to track an SEO contest?
A: Google Search Console for performance, Ahrefs, Majestic or Semrush for backlinks and a SERP rank tracker.

Q: Are SEO contests suitable for students?
A: Yes: schools such as SUPINFO, Excelia and INSEEC use them to build portfolios and network.

Q: What is a GEO contest?
A: A GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) contest measures a content’s visibility in the answers of generative AI such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity or Google’s AI Overviews, rather than SERP positions alone.

Q: What is the oldest SEO contest in the archive?
A: According to this site’s archive, the oldest listed contest is Schnitzelmitkartoffelsalat (2002, Germany).


## Glossary
- SEO: Search engine optimization: the techniques that improve a site’s organic visibility.
- GEO: Generative Engine Optimization: optimising to be cited in the answers of generative AI engines.
- AIEO / AEO: AI Engine Optimization / Answer Engine Optimization: GEO variants focused on assistants and answer engines.
- SERP: A search engine results page.
- Backlink: An inbound link from another site; historically a major ranking signal.
- PageRank: Google’s algorithm that weighs pages by their inbound links.
- Texte d’ancre / Anchor text: The clickable text of a link, used as a relevance signal.
- Nofollow: A rel attribute telling an engine not to pass credit through a link.
- Black hat SEO: Techniques that violate search-engine guidelines (spamdexing).
- Google Panda: A 2011 update against low-quality content.
- Google Penguin: A 2012 update against artificial link schemes.
- Google bomb: Ranking manipulation through links sharing identical anchor text.
- Concours SEO / SEO contest: A ranking competition on a keyword, often invented, with a deadline.
- llms.txt: A file proposed in 2024 to guide large language models to a site’s essential content.