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Invisible Phantom

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Welcome to the Art Contest Forum!

If you're here, it can only mean one of a few things. You're here to run an Art Contest, to enter one, or you stumbled in here accidently.
If it's the final, clicking on the "Forums" button in your Main Menu near the top of the screen should put you back to the main forum screen.

But, I'm sure you're here to find out more about this forum and I hope to answer all your questions! Whether through my own knowledge, or the help of those who are known within the Art Contest forum for either being a huge participant in many contests, or the runner and operator of them.

I've tried to organize this thread to be as easy as possible to read and understand, while not being overly lengthy and/or boring. In light of this, allow me to give you a Table of Contents.

Table of Contents
Post One -> You're here.
Post Two -> Proper Forum Etiquette, and Expected Behavior.
Post Three -> The "How To" of Art Contest Management.
Post Four -> Suggestions on Running a Successful Contest.
Post Five ->The "How To" of Art Contest Entries.
Post Six -> Suggestions on a Proper Submission.
Post Seven -> Make Your Scanner Work For YOU!
Post Eight -> The Words of Our Leaders.
Post Nine -> Various Essays and Thoughts of Those Within the Thread.
Post Ten -> A Listing of Art Contests Worth Checking.
Post Eleven -> The Art Contest Aid Thread's Mini Contest of the Moment.
(Yes, you can win even here!)
Post Twelve -> Links to Places Outside of Art Contests.
Post Thirteen -> Various Thanks and Congratulations.
Post Fourteen -> Link to W2ACF!
Post Fifteen -> Reserved.


Thanks for stopping by, and I hope we've answered all your questions. ^-^V

Updates
Oct 25th, 2005 -> In a decision made today, I've decided to give up on keeping this thread viewable for others. There is two stickies for AC already. And while mine may list much more dealing with everything to do with Contests, it does not seem to be used by anyone. crying
I'm not deleting the thread, so if people can find this, they can use it. Ciao.
Sept 10th, 2005 -> Seems I've lost that job already, but it's more their loss for being such unflexable people. (They basically didn't wish me to get home or celebrate my religion. stare Nice, huh?) Added new contests and removed one's finished, so check those out!
Countdown to my own huge contest is on! It's only 37days away! ^o^
August 26th, 2005 -> Finally got myself an actual job. So some of my time is being taken by that. Added a new section to W2ACF, the "Make your scanner work for YOU" section which gives tips for scanning for those who love pencils, but not ink. ^-^V
August 9th, 2005 -> Someone mentioned code stretching, hopefully problem is remedied (Can't tell as it doesn't happen to me. >.< wink . May be plans to either merge or combine with Raesha's thread on making or entering contests. ^-^;;
Still nothing on the sticky-ness front.
July 20th, 2005 -> Things still hectic... No word yet on Sticky-ness for the thread. Trying!
June 12th, 2005 -> We were hit with the migration bug. Since posts in the old thread could not be edited, I'm moving everything here. Sorry for the inconvience.
June 7th, 2005 -> Finally got room in my sig to add a link to here. I really should look for an image mapper. >.> If you wanna link here too, scroll down to post 13.
May 30th, 2005 -> Just posting to say I am still alive and have been keeping everything up to date. I've had a few inquiries into whether or not this will be stickied. No word yet on that... But hopefully there will be soon. ^-^V
May 9th, 2005 -> Been able to keep W2ACF on the first page so far. Gotten some help (thanks muchly everyone). Added new contests. Looking to have this stickied.
Apr 15th, 2005 -> Finished all the posts. Listed a few more contests, and updated a couple of posts. Added the 'Please Note' to welcome.
Apr 13th, 2004 -> How To of AC Entries up.
Apr 12th, 2004 -> How To of AC Management up, Links to Contests up.
Apr 11th, 2004 -> Suggestions Posts up and additions made to various posts already up.
Apr 10th, 2004 -> W2ACF created. Welcome/intro, Rules and Guidelines Word from the Leaders, Thanks and Mini-Contest posts up.

Our Sister Thread: Art Contest Do's and Don'ts

Invisible Phantom

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<center>Proper Forum Etiquette and Expected Behavior</center>

Art Contests is a place for the imagination to soar. While many contests here will be for art of a person's avatar, there are many who ask for their Original Characters, Various Scenes from Stories, or even an Image in their head they lack the talent to draw as they wish it to be.
In this, while each contest will have it's own rules, there are a few that go through any contest you will enter. And, there are even expected rules for those who run the contests to follow, to keep it fair to the artists in return.
But remember, these are expected rules. Not always enforced. So, when entering, be sure to ask the person who runs the thread if something is allowed before doing it within their thread. And when running, be sure to think of the people who will be entering, or even create a thread to ask what the majority's opinion would be.

<center>--------------------------------------------------------
So, You wanna Enter a Contest?</center>

arrow Be sure to read through all the contest's posts.
If it's a really long contest, there is a good chance they will have up to a full page of posts (that's 15 full posts). Read them all. Even if you have to save the thread to your favorates and come back the next day to finish it, READ IT ALL. Many running contests will be happy you did.

arrow Enter your OWN artwork.
Stuff by various anime and manga artists out there are NOT your own artwork. In this, not only are you not entering what was asked, but in a lot of cases, you're entering Stolen Art!
This is frowned upon throughout ANY of the Art Forums.

arrow Don't whine about other people's entries.
There are a lot of good artists out there, and they will more than likely want to enter contests with a very high prize. Some of these artists feel bad when someone comes in and begins by saying "If YOU enter, then I have NO chance!" Or something along those lines.
Not only is it rude to the person you say it to, but to the person running the contest. Just don't do it.

arrow Gaia is PG-13!!!
First of all, make sure the person running the contest is allowing entries that may be deemed over this limit. If they are, then be sure to put a warning with it. The best way to do a warning is like so:
WARNING! The Following Picture Includes (Nudity/Anthromorphics/Violence/etc...)
This way, no blame can be laid to yourself or the owner of the contest should someone be offended by the picture, or report it.

arrow Do not be disruptive.
Many art contest hosts encourage friendly chatting and discussion in their threads, but be sure to keep it a warm environment. Do not make derogatory comments about any entries, and keep in mind that some artists don't appreciate criticism of their workat all, even if it is positive. Leave your personal drama at home or in Life Issues; nobody likes to hear people complaining about how bad their lives are. On that note, you should NEVER beg for special consideration or donations from the host because your aunt died or you have skin cancer. Leave that stuff at home, because it's disrespectful and unfair to those who are working hard to earn that contest's prizes.

arrow Be gracious.
NEVER complain about the prizes, or offer to buy them off of the host. If you don't agree with anything in the contest, then don't argue it with the host. Just find another contest or go to the Exchange.

<center>--------------------------------------------------------
So, You wanna Run a Contest?</center>

arrow While there is no rule for the minimum amount for a contest, try to make it worth the artist's time.
A lot of artists -will- enter a contest that has only a prize of 1k. You may not get some of the people who can take weeks to draw a picture to enter with that amount, but you will get some. But know this. Many artists like to get something for their time. So, waiting those extra few weeks to collect a bit more gold is worth it when you think about it.

arrow Don't profit from a contest.
You're already getting art, what do you need to make gold for? Draw yourself or make a shop to get gold, but don't take gold from someone who is nice enough to draw for you in the FIRST place. If you MUST make an entry fee, try to keep it around 100g or less, and give the ENTIRE proceeds created as the prize. Don't keep any for yourself. It's not fair to the artist who takes the time and effort to do something for you to have to PAY YOU to do it.

arrow Be clear and precise.
Take those extra five minutes to open up Word or some other typing program to run a spell check on your main posts. Don't use net or leet speak. It not only shows n00bishness, but no actual desire to have people enter.
A person who writes even a short Art contest paragraph explaining what they want in good spelling and grammar is more likely to recieve better entries than someone who does a page of net or leet speak, even if they have reference photos.

arrow Hosting the artwork is a major help.
Some people don't have the funds or grace of being able to find a good hosting service that is fairly, if not impeccibly, reliable. Hosting the art yourself gives a good chance that if some of the hosts go down while judging, unless it is your own host, you should still be able to see the entries.
Saving them to your hard drive in a Desktop folder can also abate this problem.

arrow Don't be afraid to ask.
If you're stuck on how you should do something in a Contest, don't be afraid to ask those who are used to running contests. The majority of them are very nice people, and will be more than willing to help you out.

Invisible Phantom

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<center>The "How To" of Art Contest Management

Overall, this is but a guideline to how you may wish to set your contest up. It is by no means the 'only way it should be done', but rather a good way it could be done.
I have created this based on how many have set up their contests, and which ones seem to command the most attention. As long as the basic elements to a contest can be found, any set-up is ideal. But many will find order and organization much easier to understand than hectic clutter.</center>

The Title
If the title to the thread is too long or confusing, some may tend to shy away. Be direct, and try to give as much info in the space provided. You have room for roughly 80-100 characters (Spaces and Punctuation included.)
So, try to keep the focus title (what it is about) to 40-50, so that you'll have room to put the ending date and possibly total in prizes after it.
A Focus Title can be as simple as "Draw me!" or "Draw my character!"... Or, it can be elaborate as "[Username]'s OC Contest for [Total Amount in Prizes]. Ends [Date of Ending]"
But either way, try to give as much info as possible before the person enters your topic.

The Posts/Page
For a truly good contest, try to save about half to the full page of posts for your own use. It may come down to you using only three or four of them, but at least you won't be stuck should you need more room later.

~*~

The First Post
This is the most important post as it is the very first one people will see. Try to have your contest banner here, as well as a welcome paragraph, notices/announcements, a table of contents or something to tell people what they'll expect in the next posts, and finally Updates.

The Welcome Paragraph
Your welcome paragraph should be the foundation point to your contest, saying what you wish and what you hope for or expect. There doesn't have to mention of prizes or anything. Just a very simple thing, like so:
Sample Welcome
Welcome to my contest. I'd like to thank you for stopping in. My goal in this contest is to recieve art of [name what the contest is for]. I hope to see a lot of good entries, and would be pleased if you came in to talk for a while.
I'll try to be here and answer any and all your questions, but if I take a bit forgive me. I'm only one person. smile Above all, I hope you have fun and wish everyone luck in this.

It doesn't have to be like that, in fact, I encourage you to write it as you see fit. Just remember to include the most important parts; Welcome, what you want, what you hope for, and that you're willing to help.

Notices and Announcements
Things come up. It's a well known fact, and Gaia has problems of it's own. If something happens that you must extend the contest, or even shorten it, be sure to put this in bright, bold and large letters so that people can see it. Also, it's a good idea to post it on the current page of the thread, and possibly quote it for a couple of pages after.
Don't just make a small note someplace and expect people to note it. If you can, put it in the title too. Remove the prize and/or ending date to tell them there is an announcement.

Table of Contents
Very simple, this can be done in so many ways, and a good example of this is seen in the first post of this thread. Just a quick little laydown of what is on the various posts following the first so people can skim straight to where they want to.

Updates
If you think that you'll be making changes and/or adding more to your contest, have a place for updates. This will allow people to see that you're active and keeping up to date with your thread, in case you don't get the chance to post much during a stretch of time.

~*~

The Next Posts
While they don't have to be in this order, it seems the best way to do this for focus of attention and pull to read through everything. The next posts would do well to be in a rough order of Prizes, Info, Expectations, FAQ, Links, and other small things.
The Prizes and Info can sometimes take more than one post to complete. If this is the case, don't worry about it. Spreading out your characters to make them easier to read, or seperating the catagories of prizes will be very helpful to those looking at them.

The Prize Post (s)
List the Top Prize FIRST! While it may be nice to prove you have a lot of catagories, most will look to the top prize the first. This is what everyone will aim for, and you don't want to disappoint.
Try to have more than the typical "First, Second & Third." If you need some ideas on various Catagories, here are some of the most popular; Most Creative, Most Humorous, Most Dramatic, True to Character, Best Colour, Best Traditional Media, Best Computer Media & Best Composition.
You can always come up with your own, but these seem to be one's seen in most of the larger contests.

The Information Post (s)
What are the people to draw? This/these post/s will answer that. A good way to do this post is to define what you want, give a picture (or more) for reference and as much information on the character (when there are characters) as possible. If you have a profile page outlined on them on a website someplace, link to this.
The more information you can give, the better the chances are you'll be rewarded with what you seek.

Expectations
While not a normal post, I feel it's important. This post would outline what you would like to see, and give ideas to people of what to draw.
There may be a specific pose or costume you'd like in the picture, so this post would be perfect to put links to pictures of samples.

FAQ
People will always ask questions. As the host of the contest, it's your duty to aid the people as much as possible. Having a FAQ that answers any questions you expect, with room to put up any asked so others may see the answers is a good way to cut down on the amount of questions asked. Also, by posting those that people ask in the thread, it'll cut down the chances of being asked the question over again.
But always be ready to answer any new ones that may arise.

Links
Never under estimate the power of a link exchange. Having a place to put up links of shops and auctions, or even other contests currently running... And giving your own banner to them in return profits both sides.
In a lot of the larger contests, when people entering those see a banner to another contest, they will usually hop over to the other one to see what interested the larger contest enough to link you.
And where people tend to go to shops and auctions a lot, they will chance upon your banner, and most likely come to pay a visit, even if they don't enter, they may be willing to spread the word.

Other Small Posts
Some people like to add other things to their contests. These can differ greatly, and not all will have them. To see some of these, I suggest looking at currently running contests. Because if I were to list them all, I'd be here all night. xd

Invisible Phantom

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<center>Suggestions on Running a Successful Contest

This is not the begin all/end all of running a contest. This is just a compilation of what I noticed draws the most and gets the best response. It is not meant to be a directive of 'How it must be done.' But rather, a guideline for what you may wish to consider putting in it.</center>

arrow Decide on the caliber of art you wish to recieve.
Remember, it tends to be that really well known artists for doing beautifully coloured pictures tend to charge exceptionally high prices. If they allow commissions to be done over gaia at all. If you want people of this caliber to enter, you're going to have to offer a lot more than just 1000 gold.
A lot of them spend weeks to finish an entry, and would like a fair chance to win something good.

arrow Be fair in your catagories.
Face it, when you're given a choice between entering a contest that has only one really high prize, or one that has a few different catagories totalling the amount of that first contest, you'll most likely go for the catagories.
Why is this? Because, your chances of winning something are much higher. That's what a lot of people will look for, and will most likely enter for that chance rather than the one for all gambit.

arrow Don't let anything sway your judgement.
Sometimes, people who enter the contests will be nice and give you a donation. As rude as it may sound to the donators, Do NOT allow this to sway your voting.
If they draw a stick figure and donate 10k to you, you should not choose that piece over one that's fully fleshed out. (unless the point of the contest was for a stick person... then, I guess that'd be an exception.)
I know you may feel guilty over it. And there is the possibilty that the person who donated may be a bit angry they didn't win. But hey, the other artists in the contest will be pleased with you and if you ever run another contest, they're more likely to enter again.

arrow Present your contest clearly.
A good idea to the creation of any art contest is to make it up in the Test Forum first so you can see how it looks.
For more on how to present your contest, see the "How To" just above this post.

arrow Be interested and interesting.
If you post your contest, but never post in it, how are people to know you care about it? Be interested in your own contest and try to encourage entries. As Sabin stated, 'say something you like' about each piece submitted. But don't go overboard. A simple thing like "The hair looks really good." would be perfect.
Also, try to give a bit of variety. If you are asking for pictures of your avatar. Give a few different choices. If it's for Original Characters, try to go with characters that are not so much like the others.
People like to have a choice. If they're not allowed some room for creativity, they'll get frustrated and give up. Try to stay away from 'this is how it must be done' and try to lean more towards 'I'm open to something new.'

Invisible Phantom

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The "How To" of Art Contest Entries.

After entering more contests than I could count, I feel that I'm able to give a good accounting of how entries should be made to contests, what they should be and so forth.
As ever, this is not the way it MUST be done, but the way it would be best to be done as.

This post is on the assumption there is no Entry Form to be used. If there is an Entry Form, use that over the suggestions in this post!


The Contest's Request
Know what the person is asking for. Are they asking for Drawings, Sculptures, Pictures, Writing, or something else?

Hosting Services (AKA: Servers)
While there are many free hosting Services that are easy to find (PhotoBucket and ImageShack) you may wish to look around more before deciding on these two. While you cannot direct link from a great many, there are lots of various places to host pictures. And since it's best to link anyway, it would not matter if you had to use some of them.
(See the bottom of this post for various Free Image Hosting Sites)

Making your Entry Stand out.
Space it out. When it's bunched together, it can sometimes be overlooked. More on this in the suggestions (Next post)
Example
Here's my entry.

The Girl with the Rose

It was drawn and coloured on Painter. I tried for a more rough look with it to bring out the personality more than anything.


Visual (Non Textile) Entries
When submitting a drawing entry, be sure to post it in at least 2 sizes. One, a full size of about 768 x 1024 (Regular Paper size) and a smaller size (roughly 500 x 500 or less). The first will most likely be the original scanned piece, and the second will become a possible sig picture for them.
Some people running contests don't have good art programs to shrink with, so doing this for them will not only cut down on things they must do, but show a bit of courtesy to them.
If, however, your entry is a flash or gif, you would still want to link to it, but giving it in more than one size may be more difficult in this.

Visual (Textile) Entries
If you're entering something made from textiles (Sculpting, Wood Burning, Pastels, etc... Things that cannot be scanned easily.) Be sure to take the pictures of it in an area surrounded by a solid colour. This 'studio' can be made from a cardboard box with the base and sides covered with wax paper or plain white paper. And the good thing of this is that it then creates a display case for you to showcase the piece in.
Take pictures of the item(s) from as many angles as possible. This helps to capture all the details of the piece.

Photographs and Photo Manipulations.
If the contest is asking for Photo's or Manipulations, it's best to show first: the original picture, and possibly a stage or two of the manipulation. Also, try not to use another person's artwork or pictures from the internet.
Some people can become very upset when pictures from their websites are used without their permission.

Writing Entres
Since writing can vary, from very short limmericks to long lengthy stories, it's best to use your judgement on this.
Is your entry really long? Maybe it'd be best to post to a web service and link to it. Maybe it's a short entry? Then, it may be best to just post it.

Music Entries
These can be a bit of a pain to get in. Very few free hosting sites give you enough room to put up a high quality music file. In cases like this, it may be best to ask the person running the contest if you can either send them a CD of the music, or even an e-mail with it attached.
If it comes down to it, this lesson site can teach you on making music of a proper size for a website.

Listing of Free Hosting Services
Key
smile Image Host
biggrin Web Host (Image, Text and Music)
razz Multi Host (Forum and Image Hosting)
whee Direct Linking Allowed
sweatdrop Thumbnail Given for Link
domokun No Direct Linking Allowed
xd Option to Upgrade for a Fee
stare May Shrink Images
ninja Limited Uploadable Capability*


PhotoBucket smile whee xd stare
Image Shack smile whee stare
Tiny Pic smile sweatdrop stare
Angelfire biggrin domokun xd
Geocities biggrin domokun xd
MSN Groups razz domokun
RipWay biggrin whee xd ninja

(More will be added as found)
*This means that if you use this site to give a link to the person, it may be best to see if you can PM the entry as the bandwidth seems to be low on this site, and they may not recieve the entry otherwise.

Invisible Phantom

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<center>Suggestions on a Proper Submission</center>

Do not assume this is the way to always enter an art contest. Some contests will have explicit rules on how to enter.

arrow Look for a Submission Form.
A lot of contests that will have many entries will ask you to fill out a Submission or Entry Form. It's a very basic thing that will more than often include a space for your name, the title of your entry and the entry itself. Some contests will ask for the media's used, and a few will ask for how you found out about the contest, or were referenced to it.

arrow Make your's stand out without being overblown.
If the person/people running do not have a form to fill out, be sure to post your entry in a way it will be noticed. Making a hidden link or saying "You can find my entry here" With the 'here' linked is not the best ways to do this. Try something like so:
Random Artist
Here is my entry to the contest:

(Picture Link Here)

(Notes on the picture Here)

Remember to space it out, and try to always link your pictures. There are still some people who have dial-up modems and/or slow modems, so their computers can and probably will crash when coming to a graphic intense page.
Be respectful of others bandwidth.

arrow Make sure the picture is in the largest possible size.
There are a few Art Contest runners who like to print off the pictures they get. By scanning the picture in as large as possible, then saving it in jpg format (the best for printing) and linking that to the person is much better than resizing it and not only losing detail, but forcing the person to print off a very small copy of your picture.
768 x 1056 is the same size as an 8 x 11 piece of paper. Saving the picture in a size equal to or greater will keep a lot of detail in the printing process.

arrow Be Patient.
Just because you've submitted your piece early does NOT mean the person running the contest will end early to give you your prize. If you've submitted a piece early, good job. You could actually use this time to make more entries (unless the contest does not permit this) and raise your chances for winning more or better prizes.

arrow Don't be afraid to ask the person/people running the contest for help.
It's a rare case when the person or people running a contest will not help you get their character right. Don't be afraid to post a WIP ("Work in Progress" wink or even ask if you can PM one to them in case you don't wish others to see it before it's done.
Not only do you show that you're willing to get it right, but you also will benefit by finding out what you may be doing wrong before it's too hard to fix it.

arrow Give "credit" where it's due.
If you drew a piece of art, but had a friend colour it or fix it, be sure to tell the person running the contest when you enter it that you had help. There have been times in the past where people did not do this, and when the person who helped found out they were not credited, got upset and in one case had recieved the prize in lieu of the one who entered it. (Proof was given to this case.)
Even if your friend said that you could have the full prize, be sure to mention them. A few contest owners will go back to some people later to request commissions, and they'd be very disappointed to find out then that you were not the full mastermind behind the piece.

Invisible Phantom

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Make Your Scanner Work For YOU!


Hate trying to scan in something only to have to erase sketch lines, add in lines or even redraw it because your scanner did not scan it the way you wanted it to?
Are you a person who doesn't like to always ink things because you're either scared of messing up, or just not experienced enough in inking?

Well, here's a few tips I've picked up to help me out over the years.
I've learned to mess around with the settings until I get my desired result. Now, I know many of you don't have the time or wish to do the same, and that's why I'm helping you out here! ^-^

My shaded pencil drawing came in so faded!
First off, what dpi are you scanning at? The majority of shaded pencil pieces need to be scanned at 500dpi or higher. This can be troublesome if your computer isn't very good or fast, causing you to turn off a lot of programs just to make the one scan, but it will be worth it overall.
Here's a look at what tinkering with the settings can do.

I've drawn a simple ball and shaded it in with a light pencil. It says HB, but it acts more like a 2H. >.<
Here is the scan at 150dpi (The general default)
As you can see, it's quite faded and blotchy.
Now up to 300dpi
Not much better, but there is a difference.
Now, we move to what is needed. 600dpi is the next stage my own scanner goes to, but 500dpi will work as well.
Here, i've scanned it in the 3 versions that can be chosen; Colour, Grey and Black/White.

As you may have noticed, the Grey version came out the best. This is because greyscale is made especially for pencils. ^-^ But, this is not always the case... O.o

Arg! I want the sketch lines to disappear!
This method will require a bit more work on your part, but it will at least keep you from having to ink as well.
Here is the original sketch I made.
If you'll note, I used a red pencil to sketch it out, but then went on top with a black pencil pressing firmly to leave a solid line.
If you scan this as a greyscale... It appears like so. Not very helpful, as you've still got to erase the sketch.
But... if you scan it in as "Black Text" or Black/White... You get this!

Looks like it was inked, doesn't it? But, let's say you forgot to press firmly with the darker pencil. No problem, you can scan it so all the lines show, but there will be a bit of erasing.

Oops! I forgot to press firmly and now I'm losing lines!
Tried the above method and got Something like this? You forgot to press firmly. But fear not! This can still be scanned by returning to the greyscale.
The original sketch can be seen here, and...
Here I've scanned it in greyscale.

See, little bit to erase, but overall not that bad for someone to colour. ^-^ If that's too light still, you can always take out the picture and press more firmly on the lines to darken them and try scanning as B/W once more.

Hope this helps you out. Don't be afraid to tinker around with your settings. It's no good to try and scan a picture that will have parts cut off or doesn't show up right, which only serves to frustrate you.

Make your scanner work for YOU. Not you for it. ^-^V

Invisible Phantom

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The Words of Our Leaders


If you're a regular of Art Contests, you've seen the titles with the really huge prize amounts written into them. And if you enter the thread, you'll find some of the largest art collectors, and possibly the best there are for running contests.
I thank each of them most humbly for their words they have given to me that I quote here for you. The only things I would dare to change in these quotes would be any spelling or grammar mistakes (And believe me, there are very few. 3nodding )

Kia Ryou
Well here are a few things I expect when I see a good and fair art contest on Gaia :

Rules : Yes all Contests needs rules and guidelines for the artists & writers to follow. For a contest to be personalized to your liking and the behavor of the participants. Rules would be more than neccessary for any and every contest.

What you want : It is nice to see any art/writing contest that's written out plainly about what the owner of the art contest wants. An Example would be : I would like this to be of my Gaian avatar with these such and such people/items/animals. Or : I would like my orginal character with this such and such person/items/characters.

Refrences : It is a good idea to also have good refrence material for what you want. It will give the artist a good start and it will also help you get more to what you want from this contest.

Bad Example : I want a picture of my ninja character please?!?!?!

Good Example : I would like a picture of my ninja Original Character. Here are my references: Example 1 Example 2

Character profiles : It is also good to have character profiles for your original character. This will help an artist know what kind of personality this character has. It will also help the artist portray this character more correctly.

Entry listings : It is good for any art contest to list the entries. This will let other artists and anyone else entering know if you are keeping up with them. It will also let people know what they are up against.

F.A.Q : Although F.A.Q's are not necssary it is a good idea to have these that way you don't have to answer questions over.

List of Prizes : Prizes are what bring a contest together. Face it, without these prizes there would be no contest. The bigger the prizes the more entries you should expect.

Banner listings : It's always a good idea to have your own banner.

Example : User Image

Although it may be hard for some people to make their own banners. Banners can be bought in the Mini shops for reasonable prices. Also it is best you upload these banners onto your own server.

Free Image Hosting Sites (AKA: Server):
http:www.photobucket.com
http://www.tinypics.com


Sabin Duvert
- Have clear ending dates and rules for how WIPs ("work in Progresses" wink are to be treated. Can posters submit them? If so, any special notice? Will there be an extention on the ending date?

- In general, it's considered bad form to extend a contest for an unreasonable abount of time (especially repeatedly) if it's already close to the end date. A lot of artists might bust their butt to get an entry submitted on time only to face a surprise extention. A few days is understandable, especially if Gaia's been having issues, but to extend it a few weeks or a month a week before it's supposed to end without a good reason is suspect.

- Try to get prizes sent out in a reasonable amount of time. Otherwise participants might worry.

- Be thorough in your character desciptions, and if it isn't clear, be open to answer more questions smile . The more specific you are in what you're looking for, the better your participants will be able to draw what you have in mind.

- Be fair: Both in judging and presentation. If you're willing to help someone with an entry with a Long Q&A session about a character, make sure the option is at least available to other participants.

- If you have a specific style you prefer over another (say, you REALLY like realism, but dislike anime-style) Please say so. You will frustrate participants if, when the awards are revealed, all entries of a particular style receive nothing despite execution or accuracy.

- along those lines, it's a good idea to say the sorts of things that you look for when judging: what is most important to you? Accuracy to the character? Overall artistic merit? Originality? If something weighs moreso to you, say so smile

And.... because it's useful.

HOW TO RUN A SUCCESSFUL ART CONTEST WITH A LOT OF PARTICIPANTS:

The Most important factors:

1. Activity in the thread. If you ignore your thread, then people won't be as enthusiastic about the contest. Get in there, "chat", and answer questions.

2. Respond to entries. If someone takes the time to draw something for you, the least you can do is comment on it. Offer an option in your rules to give critiques, but I wouldn't reccomend offering it unless they ask. However, try to point out something you like about the entry. However, on the SAME note, don't overly gush over an entry, or it will make others feel nervous. You can gush when you announce the winners ^_~.

3. Have good prizes - Yes, it admittedly is a factor. A few GOOD big prizes in the top spots, and also, a good deal of other prizes for other categories. If you just have a couple BIG categories often times many people who enter will only enter if they think they have a fighting chance or just for the fun of it. If you have a LOT of categories with decent prizes then it will encourage many more people to enter with the chance to win something.

4. Advertise!- no one will enter if no one knows about your contest, no matter HOW much you're giving away. Make some banners - make them look spiffy, and spread the word - but DON'T nag people or spam in places that it's not appreciated. The idea is to get the word out to people who would be interested, not to demand entries.

5. Organization - A little organization goes a long way. Make your front page of the contest look nice. Have headers, organization, and easy-to-find answers. Pictures of the characters on the page is a plus, and eye-catching. If it looks more "professional" then people will be more confident in your contest.

6. Get to know people Another aspect that is, unfortunately, hard to control. But, it seems to prove true - if you know a lot of people, then they help spread the word, and it also helps if you have been around Gaia a long enough time for people to know that you're not running a scam.

Invisible Phantom

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Various Essays and Thoughts of Those Within the Thread

It is my thought, that this thread will hopefully become a huge help to those within the Art Contest forum. In this, I realize some will come in to give their opinions and thoughts on either this thread, or contests in the forum.
I would like to hear them all. Compliments, Critiques, even outright Hatred of what I have created here. Unlike those who get upset at flames and such, I laugh at them and will usually find flaws in their logic (As most flamers, I am sorry to say, do not think through or read through their response before hitting 'submit'.)
This post will link to all of these, but only if it's a response long enough to warrent attention. I'm not saying you have to write out a full blown report, but something longer than a few words sentence is most definately required.

No Links yet.

Invisible Phantom

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A Listing of Contests Worth Checking

To make things simplier, I will only be linking contest banners here. If you don't have a banner, yet would like to be linked, tell me. I'll see what I can do, and possibly make you up a banner.
Also, I'm aiming to leave out any that ask you to pay to join. As I find that asking people to pay to enter your contest is wrong. (See the Proper Forum Ettiquite, under the 'Running a Contest' section.)
In addition. To help you out, I have them listed by ending dates. The one's ending soonist are near the top, while those ending much later in the year are further down.

Any others, you need to go look for them now. I won't be updating this. >.>


User Image - Blocked by "Display Image" Settings. Click to show.
Ends: Nov 30th, 2005

User Image
Ends: Dec 31st, 2005


User Image
Ends: Jan 15th, 2006 *unconfirmed*

User Image - Blocked by "Display Image" Settings. Click to show.
Ends: Jan 18th, 2006


User Image - Blocked by "Display Image" Settings. Click to show.
Ends: Feb 1st, 2006


User Image
Ends: Feb 2nd, 2006

Always room for more, and I am searching through...
.....Damn me and my addiction to art contests. blaugh

Invisible Phantom

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Mini Contest of the Moment


It's a Art Contest Forum. So, what would you expect to see? Art Contests, right?
Thus, following along that fact, there will be a mini art contest here. The prize isn't going to be very high, unless people donate towards it, but, on the other token, there is no entry fee to it either. ^-^

No current Mini Contest due to lack of funds in anticipation of my huge contest opening Oct 17th, 2005!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Past Contests


Gaia Wing Contest
-To draw a picture that would include the given Gaia Wing image in exact size-

First Place - Pkumo
Not only did Pkumo do a very cute and creative picture with a perfect way to include the G-Wing, but she also deemed myself a worthy subject to draw. 4laugh
Pkumo
2000g ^-^

Second Place - BishonenBunnyGenerator
The very simplistic style of paint is a definate eyecatcher as, while simple, has the detail and dimensions to give a feeling of semi-abstract.
Bishounen Bunny Generator
1000g

Third Place was removed to the fact that less than 5 entries were submitted...

Most Creative - lovedforwhatiamnot
Ah... Domo. Will he never cease to be an influence on the people of Gaia?
lovedforwhatiamnot
2 Dried Grass Skirts, Hockey Mask & 100g

Honorable Mention:Bishounen Bunny Generator

Donators:
Rosierjay - Dried Grass Skirt, 100g smile

Invisible Phantom

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Links to Places Outside of Art Contests

Got a Shop? Know a good guild? Just want to have a cool place linked for others to see? This post is where I shall put the links of those places outside of Art Contests.
(And yes, I may shamelessly advertise here at times. wink )
Auctions will be listed by ending date. All others will be listed as given. (unless I feel like taking the time to Alphabeticalize it later.)

Auctions

Art Request Threads

Commisson Shops
User Image - Blocked by "Display Image" Settings. Click to show.

Free Art Threads

Guilds
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Mini Shops

Other

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Invisible Phantom

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Various Thanks and Congratulations


This is where I will personally thank each and every person who's done something to help me in the creation of this thread. ^-^ As well as give Congratulations to those I feel deserve it.

Kia Ryou - For giving a very in depth post on what she expects to see in a Good and Fair Contest. Thanks, Kia! 4laugh

Sam Skip Sam - For giving me a couple more rules I completely did not think of. Thanks, Sam! I'm sure those running contests will thank you as well. smile

Sabin Duvert - For giving a very helpful couple of posts (Cut down to one quote in the 'Word Section') On various parts to Contesting. Thanks, 'Binny! blaugh

SongJewel - For pointing out what my poor tired mind did not notice. The 'D' in Congradulations. xd (Supposed to be Congratulations) Thanks, Song. xd

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Wanna Link to Here and Help Other People?


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[url=http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8317086]
[img]http://www.mousira.furtopia.org/test/acf.JPG[/img][/url]

25height x 500width

Invisible Phantom

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Gaia Forums » GAIA Gaming » Mini Shops » Art Shops » Art Contests

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