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[Foxeye]

Joyrider's return reminded me that the original fan art site did have some challenges. I wasn't an active member during those years, so I was wondering if folks could tell me more about how those events went.  Did they include prizes?  How were they judged (one judge, voting, a whole panel, etc)?  Or were they more just "name a subject and see what people come up with"? 

I love the idea of challenges/contests, as well as art trades (secret-santa-esque swaps), though you have to be careful with those, so as to be sure that everyone really finishes their trade and no one is left gift-less.

[Wildfire]

There were a couple of contests each month. One for fan-fictions and one for fan-art.
There were awards for the winner and the runner-up. One can be seen on http://users.skynet.be/NewstarsDen/ , the frontpage.
I believe there were three judges, Amanda, Dartfan and a third.

There were also an art-trade thing where you could decide if you wanted to join in, then you were randomly paired and then you had to submit your picture within a month or so.

[Joyrider1978]

Hurrah!  I only really remember the Art contest, and I can't even remember if the monthly themes were voted on or decided beforehand...  I only participated in a few, but I don't think there were a great many anyway.  Dartfan would remember more if he were around (I miss you DF!); plus he made nifty 'prizes' for the winners (I still have mine! Nifty! )

However, if the theme contest were also to be resurrected, I don't know how I feel about there being 'winners'... though that is what made it a contest, I suppose.  I think it deterred some people from entering.  If clever crafty mods could think up neato themes, I think it might be most fun just to see everyone's entries, or if winners are necessary, have a 'winners' circle' of...oh...how 'bout eight, since it's such an important elfin number? (provided eight people entered...)

Now art-trades, or the couple we did, were super-fun, but I can't think of a way to get around the "no one did mine!" curse.  We had a sign up sheet and everything, but it was still a cross-your-fingers kind of job.  But boy was it fun when it worked!

Now I am absolutely poo at all things organizational, or I'd throw my hat in the ring here to help you out Foxeye.  I can be wicked moral support tho!

[Afke]

Oooh, I still like both these things, but I don't know if I'll be able to join in anything with a deadline.
I have done a few of them at the old site, and the trading we did at my holt too for a while. It worked well 'cause only if you'd have time you'd sign up for it, that helped in getting all trades done.

As for themes; you can always do those! Anyone who wants can pick up on them. Only when you want to turn it into a contest you'll need extra rules and deadline.

[Foxeye]

I think I like the idea of challenges/themes as well, as I think we're still a relatively small community, many who would need open-ended dates. If/when we get more critical mass, then quarterly or twice-yearly contests that don't overlap with the calendar contest might work out.  Hopefully by that time we'd have a better sense of who would make a natural judge (at the moment the only mods are myself and the lifemate, since I feel that mods are something that need to evolve organically, if that makes sense)

[dreamweaver]

I think it would be fun to have two constant judges and the third would be offered to the person who won the last contest. 

[Foxeye]

That's a good idea, Dreamweaver. 

So while I'm waiting for the gallery 2.0 software to be released that will let us have special submission folders for contests...what are some subjects that would interest people?

Two that occurred to me so far are:
- What-if...the humans hadn't attached the firstcomers, but the firstcomers were still unable to get the palace off the ground. What sort of civilization do you imagine might have occurred?  How would the elves have changed then? The humans? The trolls?
- Who is Splotch?  She's meant to be a symbol more than a character, so if she were your own muse/mascot, who would she be? What is her personality, her history, how does she dress?

Don't hesitate to list challenges that have been done before that you liked the theme of... I think some subject matter is worth returning to again and again.

[dreamweaver]

That's a good idea, Dreamweaver. 

So while I'm waiting for the gallery 2.0 software to be released that will let us have special submission folders for contests...what are some subjects that would interest people?

Two that occurred to me so far are:
- What-if...the humans hadn't attached the firstcomers, but the firstcomers were still unable to get the palace off the ground. What sort of civilization do you imagine might have occurred?  How would the elves have changed then? The humans? The trolls?
- Who is Splotch?  She's meant to be a symbol more than a character, so if she were your own muse/mascot, who would she be? What is her personality, her history, how does she dress?

Don't hesitate to list challenges that have been done before that you liked the theme of... I think some subject matter is worth returning to again and again.

I love "What if"'s... they leave so much open.  I think that would be a fun one to keep coming back to.  What if the characters were born a different gender?  What if the palace started to eat the souls early... what if the sun village tortured people instead of keeping them safe?  tons of possabilties. 

I also like possible crossovers... like putting the elves in places of other characters on other shows or just what would happen if they met (blank) cast?

[Joyrider1978]

Though too sleepy right now to think of new themes, some of the old ones on previous-EQFanArt were Impossible Couples, When Skin Meets Skin (non-Recognized couples), a Wild West theme, a movie poster theme (imagine Cutter and Leetah as Jack and Rose on the Titanic movie poster)....umm.... I'm sure there were more.... but I haven't finished my coffee 

[Wildfire]

There was a Contrasts theme as well