How does the "Top Contributor" system work?

You need to answer Qs regularly & maintain a certain percentage of best answers.I got my first TC when I was on 12% best answers.As you have found,staying away for a week of two loses you your badge.

According to Y!A : "A "Top Contributor" is a member of the Yahoo Answers community who has shown that they are knowledgeable in a certain category. Each user can be a top contributor in a maximum three categories. You earn it or lose it depending on your recent participation in a certain section. The more positively you contribute, the more chance there is that you will get a TC badge. Just like featured users or category leaders, it's another way to give credit to community members."

Y!A has never said what the precise requirements are. It's commonly accepted that you need to answer a lot of questions (50?, 100?, who knows...) in a category and get Best Answers on a certain percent of them (probably 10-15%) each week.

You can have TC badges in up to 3 categories at a time. There is no TC badge for the Jokes & Riddles and Polls & Surveys categories.

TC badges are based on your recent activity, not your level or total points, how long you've been here or your overall BA %.

:o)

that is rumored you are able to desire to invite 40 to 50 questions each and every week in a undeniable type & get a minimum of 10 % proper answer to those you answer. ( that should basically be 4 or 5 each and every week & infrequently worth making different debts & cheating to realize as yet another person shows ) you are able to desire to try this 3 to 4 weeks in a row to be recognized via the gadget as acceptable Contributor for that type, & then you certainly would desire to proceed to make a contribution to that type weekly & get BA 's or you will lose the badge. ( it quite is all rumored as Y/A retains the relatively formula a secret ) in spite of the undeniable fact that it has look to hold real for people who've the badge (s). a individual could be a TC in as much as 3 categories even with the undeniable fact that sometimes a individual will coach extra beneficial than 3 - Polls & Surveys and Jokes & Riddles they have not got TC's. factors do not make a individual a TC via fact they'd come from a number of random categories . that's the concentration of answering in a type or categories a individual has some interest or information in giving solutions that are effective to the guy asking which will earn them the BA's & alongside the way the TC badge*

Maintaining a weekly (mystery) "quota" of answers in the category.

User wanting to become a TC must have more than or equal to 12% Best answers.

User should be at least on level 2, although there have been claims that first-level users with TC Badge have been seen.

User should concentrate only on one particular category to become a Top Contributor for that category.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahoo!_Answers