I just want to add I have not had a chance to catch up on the entire thread. I have seen a few posts and complaints/comments.
I'm just going to say a few words on this. The contests I've run up until now were all vague and open to interpretation. I gave users the option to vote for either your favorite user or piece of content. In this case, I did the same thing. We didn't have any rules on self-promotion or any rules for or against campaigning. I'm happy to consider new rules for future contests. Regarding this contest, I think it would be unfair to change things.