It's my pleasure to announce my second art contest of 2009 -- YOUNG ARTISTS CONTEST.

IMPORTANT: Please read all the information on this page before you send me your entry information or questions in notes. COMMENT IS NOT THE WAY TO SEND YOUR ENTRIES OR QUESTIONS.


ELIGIBILITY: Deviants between the ages of 13 and 17. There will be three age categories in this contest: 13, 15 & under, and 17 & under. The cut-off date for eligibility and classification purpose is August 15, 2009. Example: If you turn 18 on August 16, you are eligible to enter in the 17 & under category for this contest. *Please be fair to yourself and others by being honest about your age. Only a truly desperate would attempt to increase one's chance of winning by entering below his/her age category. Whatever the outcome, this is not something people would respect.


THEME: This contest will not have a theme. Any subject matter in any style is accepted, excluding mature content.


MEDIA ACCEPTED: Traditional drawings and paintings only. (They are: charcoal, pencil, colored pencil, pen & ink, watercolor, acrylic, oil, pastel, oil pastel, crayon, etc. on paper or canvas as support. You may mix any number of media just so long as they're traditional media.) NO DIGITAL ART, NO PHOTOGRAPHY, NO 3-D CREATIONS, AND NO LITERATURE.

This is a contest to give a level playing field for the young artists. It is also the wish of the organizer to put more emphasis on fundamental artistic skills in drawing and painting.

Entries DO NOT have to be made specifically for this contest. You may enter deviations already in your gallery. If you have a piece that you're really proud of that you made for your art class at school, by all means, go ahead and enter it.

SUBMISSION LIMIT: Up to 2 entries per deviant.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: Saturday, August 15th, 2009, at 11:59 pm PDT (GMT minus 7 hours). No late entry will be accepted. No deadline extension will be given.


HOW TO ENTER: Send a note with a link to your deviation to *aruarian-dancer. Subject line of the note should read: "Contest Entry". In the body of the note, specify which age category you're submitting your entry into. Please put a simple sentence with a link (either to my homepage or this journal) such as, "This is my entry to *aruarian-dancer's Young Artists Contest." in the "Artist's Comments" of your submitted deviation. * IMPORTANT: Failure to comply will result in disqualification. Note: Each participant is allowed one (1) change or withdrawal during the contest period up to 24 hours before the deadline.

By submitting your entries to this contest, you are agreeing that you have read and agreed to the terms of this contest.


JUDGES:


CRITERIA FOR JUDGING: Creativity/originality 40%, technique/skill 30%, composition/design 20%, presentation 10%. Although fan art is not outright excluded from the contest, fan art in general will score lower in terms of creativity/originality, compared to an original character drawing. Technique/skill is judged based on how well you draw and how well you use your medium to best accomplish your inner vision. Presentation is overall appearance; We would like to discourage you from entering a drawing done on a lined notebook paper, for example. Also, if your piece is vertical (portrait) in orientation, but you do not rotate the photo when you submit it to dA, this, too, will be a disadvantage. Uncropped photo showing anything other than the image of the artwork does not present well, either. * If you lack resources to edit your photo of the entry(e.g. cropping or rotating), contact *aruarian-dancer to get help.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF RESULTS: On or around Saturday, August 22nd, 2009. Here on this journal and in a dA news article.

PRIZES: Many generous deviants are donating various prizes for this contest.


1 BEST OF SHOW (chosen from the 3 first place winners): 3-month dA subscription from *liralenli, a request from ~FukaruRhyan, and a digital certificate

~~~Category 1: Age 13~~~

1 FIRST PLACE: 1-month dA subscription from *aruarian-dancer; gift/request art from *zaradei; requst from =ChiyoNemuri; journal features from *zaradei,*sexy-colours,~Iolii,=HiddenGems,=Alexia88, & *aruarian-dancer; and a digital certificate

1 SECOND PLACE: gift/request art from *zaradei; chibi art from *Ari2266; request from ~b00mh3ad5ho7; request from *Bluebella7; journal features from *sexy-colours,~Iolii, =Alexia88, & *aruarian-dancer; and a digital certificate

1 THIRD PLACE: gift of colored head shot from *sexy-colours; gift art from =Nara-Kun; journal features from *sexy-colours,~Iolii, =Alexia88, & *aruarian-dancer; and a digital certificate

~~~Category 2: Ages 15 & under~~~

1 FIRST PLACE: 1-month dA subscription from *aruarian-dancer; gift/request art from *zaradei; request from =ChiyoNemuri; journal features from *zaradei,=HiddenGems,~Iolii,*sexy-colours, =Alexia88, & *aruarian-dancer; and a digital certificate

1 SECOND PLACE: gift/request art from *zaradei; request from ~PlacebicYue; a piece of writing from *Ari2266; journal features from ~Iolii,*sexy-colours, =Alexia88, & *aruarian-dancer; and a digital certificate

1 THIRD PLACE: gift/request art from ~stephokere; colored head shot from *sexy-colours; gift art from =Nara-Kun; journal features from ~Iolii,*sexy-colours, =Alexia88, & *aruarian-dancer; and a digital certificate

~~~Category 3: Ages 17 & under~~~

1 FIRST PLACE: 1-month dA subscription from =HiddenGems; gift/request art from *zaradei; journal features from *zaradei,=HiddenGems,~Iolii,*sexy-colours, =Alexia88, & *aruarian-dancer; and a digital certificate

1 SECOND PLACE: gift/request art from *zaradei; request from ~PlacebicYue; piece of writing from *Ari2266; journal features from ~Iolii,*sexy-colours, =Alexia88, & *aruarian-dancer; and a digital certificate

1 THIRD PLACE: gift/request art from ~stephokere; colored head shot from *sexy-colours; journal features from ~Iolii,*sexy-colours, =Alexia88, & *aruarian-dancer; and a digital certificate


If you have any questions that are not answered on this contest information page, send *aruarian-dancer a note with a subject line "Contest Question".


Frequently Asked Questions
So far, 95% of the questions asked have been the kind that could have been easily answered if the entrants would have read the information thoroughly.

Q: Can I enter a deviation that's already in my gallery from a year ago?
A: Yes. Entries do not have to be made specifically for this contest. However, if you're entering the work you made when you were 13 and you're now 14, the category used for submission will be based on your current age (in this case, 15 & under), NOT when the work was made.

Q: How many entries can I enter?
A: 1 or 2. Your choice.

Q: I am 17 right now and I turn 18 on the August 10th. Can I submit an entry before that date for this contest?
A: Sorry, but no. The cut off date for age classification purpose for this contest is August 15th, 2009. If you turn 18 anytime before that date, you're considered over the upper age limit.

Q: Is it OK to adjust my color or brightness using a photo editing program? My scanner makes my original image look too light.
A: Editing an image of your entry for such purpose is often necessary and therefore allowed. But do not add enhancements, such as texture, frame, etc. Editing should only be done in order to make the scanned/photographed image to look as close to the original as possible.

Q: I drew a lineart in pencil on paper (traditional), and I want to color it on my computer. Is that OK?
A: Not for this contest. The work must be 100% traditionally done.

Q: Can I enter fan art?
A: Yes. Fan art is not excluded from the contest. However, a good portion of judging will be based on creativity/originality, therefore, a fan art cannot be expected to score high in that area.

Q: What do you think my chances of winning are?
A: It is NEVER a good idea to ask contest judges or organizers such a question. This contest makes all the current submissions viewable to all. You can take a look at the entries and estimate it for yourself. Putting your time and effort into your creation will show in the quality of your work.

Q: Can I use markers to color my work for this contest?
A: Of course. Basically, if you have to draw or add color/texture/background using your computer, it's not accepted in this contest. But if you're drawing on paper, canvas, board, etc. with any medium that leaves lines or colors on it, it's accepted.

Q: If I wanted to enter a drawing that I did when I was 13, although I entered my first piece in the "15 & under" category, do I submit to the "age 13" category?
A: Although it is up to each participants if you choose to enter an old work that was done a few years ago, your age category is determined by your chronological age as of August 15th, 2009. So if you choose to enter that old piece, you'll be entering that in "15 & under" category.

Q: I've already entered 2 pieces in "15 & under" category. Can I enter more in other age categories?
A: No, each participant is limited to 2 submissions. And in one age category, only.

Submissions Galleries
Due to high number of entries received, the submissions gallery has been moved to separate pages by age category.

Young Artists Contest Gallery - Category 1: age 13
Young Artists Contest Gallery - Category 2: ages 15 & under
Young Artists Contest Gallery - Category 3: ages 17 & under