House Democrats launched their annual social media competition "Member Online All-Star Competition" Monday, aimed to encourage members to gain as many new followers on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube in the coming weeks.

Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (Md.), who recently spearheaded an effort to increase voter registration via an online application, speaks to the importance of social media to the Democratic party.

“Social media is critical to having an ongoing dialogue with the public, and over the course of the contest, House Democrats will work to engage with even more constituents and get our message out to millions of Americans.”

This is the third year in a row Democrats have competed in the Member Online All-Star Competition. Last year, the competition resulted in over 57,000 new fans, followers and subscribers, described by Hoyer as a major success.

But Democrats aren't the only ones adding some friendly competition into their social media goals. Republicans similarly held an annual competition called “Republican New Media Challenge," earlier this year, with Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI) squashing the competition and earning more than 11,000 followers between the three new media platforms.

For Democrats, the competition will continue for another two weeks. Members of leadership are disqualified, while all members of the House Democratic Caucus automatically compete. There's no opting-in. Last year, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) won. Here are last year's results: