Good day, Ryan here again :)
I suggest if there are quality replies with multiple like, at the end of the contest each like can add points (say like 3 for each) to the final result.
From there we can prevent a great reply from losing to a random post, which the author may lose their interest on participating.
Thank you for this idea. I do want everyone to have an equal chance though, even those whose English is less good. But it's very true that some people put in a lot more effort than others. Perhaps a second price for the best comment with the most upvotes would work...
Exactly what I meant to say, thanks for considering it!