What motivates you to participate in a FAC contest?

[Farah]

Hello, firstly I'd like to apologize if this topic has been discussed before. I hope I placed this in the right forum category. Well,. I'd like to make a slight survey on your opinions on FAC contests hosted by FAC forumers themselves.

Please cast your vote on the poll given in the thread. Aside from that, I hope you wouldn't mind sharing more details on:
1) What exactly is an 'easy' contest?
2) What sort of prize you'd like to recieve as contest winner(besides art request)?
3) What sort of contest theme you'd prefer?
4) Anything else you'd like to recommend.

Okay, I'd loved to hear from you guys coz I'm interested to host a contest myself in FAC forums, but I need your honest opinions on this before doing so. Thanks.
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[jhonenfreak]

I like to anticipate the results just to see if I won or not. I guess it's a personal pride thing.

1) What exactly is an 'easy' contest?
If old art is allowed and I already have a submittable drawing.

2) What sort of prize you'd like to recieve as contest winner(besides art request)?
Promotion of my gallery.

3) What sort of contest theme you'd prefer?
Anything not having to do with a specific fandom, and especially not one where only anime or manga style is accepted (which seems to be a popular theme, lately.) Other than that, I'm open to anything creative. I'm hosting a contest myself right now that askes participants to draw a fancy dessert.

4) Anything else you'd like to recommend.
It's always nice to see the criteria for judging.
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[London]

1 and 2: Same as above.. pretty much.

3) What sort of contest theme you'd prefer?
I'm okay on specific fandom contests.. but specific [i]character[/i] contests or "draw my OC" contests annoy me. I'm not all that consistent with my theme choices.. Examples would be the alien contest and the dessert contest. Neither subject matters is what I regularly draw, but I entered both.

4) Anything else you'd like to recommend.
Clearly stated judging criteria.
Content restrictions (no violence, no yaoi/yuri..) are stupid.
Mm.. One other thing, I guess. I only enter contests if I think it'll be worth my time. A [i]lot[/i] of the contests on these forums are hosted by people who offer request art as a prize but do not put time or effort into their work. Why do they expect these people to submit art if they're only going to get poorly drawn artwork in return?

Hoo. Nice to see someone putting some thought into hosting a contest instead of randomly slapping up some theme and a few half-assed rules.
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[Farah]

Oh, wow. Thank you for the tips & response. They are very2 helpful!

Umm.. about judging... if the host lets almost anyone cast a vote to select the winner in 'Contest Polls' category forum, is there a chance of people cheating or something?

[quote]
2) What sort of prize you'd like to recieve as contest winner(besides art request)?
Promotion of my gallery. [/quote]

This is a very good suggestion, jhonenfreak. But I doubted it is not helpful for the winner when the contest host(me for instance) is not a popular artist. I can place banner/link of your gallery in my website, DA jounal, FAC journal etc.. but I'm afraid doesn't that really help promoting the winner if people hardly visit my sites. Perhaps there are other more effective ways to do this?

[quote]A lot of the contests on these forums are hosted by people who offer request art as a prize but do not put time or effort into their work. Why do they expect these people to submit art if they're only going to get poorly drawn artwork in return?[/quote]

Oh, I couldn't agree more! Just curious, do you think contests with 'real prizes' is much better than those with art request prizes? Oopss.. sorry for having too many questions.. I guess I just wanna avoid from hosting incompetent contests in FAC.

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[Stratadrake]

[quote]Content restrictions (no violence, no yaoi/yuri..) are stupid.[/quote]
They are everything [b]but[/b] stupid.

1 - Contest hosts, just like any person, don't have to view anything they don't like. If the host abhors stuff like blood, violence, sexual content, etc., then entering such a piece will only tick them off.
2 - Sometimes, offensive content simply [b]is not consistent[/b] with the theme of the contest to begin with. For example, why the frell would you ever need a yaoi advisory for a submission to, of all things, the "Desserts" contest? For some contests, limits on certain types of content aren't so much restrictions as they are [u][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanity_check]sanity checks[/url][/u] -- the kinds of questions you shouldn't even need to ask.

Myself, I've hosted over a dozen contests on FAC. As much as I review the Contests section everyday, there's rarely a good contest that I feel like entering. If the theme of the contest sounds boring (favorite anime, favorite char, specific OC, etc.) then I'm outta there. On the other hand, if it gives me a cool idea to work on or experiment with, I'm in.

1) Easy? Well, the fewer words the contest's theme can be described in, the better. Hosting contests isn't like posting requests, for a good contest you need to specify a [i]general[/i] theme and let each person come up with their own result.

2) Prize? It depends mostly on who's offering the prize. If the prize is a requst, and it's by an artist I really admire, you can bet I'll be pulling out all the stops.

3) Theme? Anything that is unique, unusual, and doesn't specify a specific subject to draw. One reason I don't fill requests for people is that a lot of those requests are very specific, which stifles creativity. If you've ever seen some of the requests I've given, I give a general theme of what to do and deliberately leave everything else to whomever wishes to volunteer.

( ...which probably explains why NOBODY volunteers for my requests -- rofl. )

4) Anything else?

- Remember that while not all requests can qualify as a contest, any contest can qualify as a request. If a contest inspires you with an idea, but your idea wouldn't be eligible in the contest's rules (e.g., due to content limits), this doesn't mean that you can't actually create a piece from the idea, it only means it can't be accepted in the contest. If the idea is good enough for you, then don't stress over whether or not the specifics you have in mind will be eligible for the contest, just go out and do it anyway.

- It's all about the theme. Boring is as boring does; if you want your contest to stand out and shine, you can't ask other artists to mold themselves to your expectations, you need to let the participants [b]be themselves[/b] and come up with whatever they do best. Point them in the right direction, but don't drag them along by a leash.
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[Throttle]

if i ever participate in a contest i'll do it all for the prize...
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[infurno]

I usualy do contests because of the subject. sometimes it's an excuse for me to try something new. and sometimes i just love the Challenge of trying my best to win (even though i really don't try my best every time.).

The prize isn't much on my mind. I'm not very good at making requests.

Deadlines i could care less for.
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[sailorharmony2000]

I mostly join contests if I hear of an idea that I haven't thought of doing, like the 'evil twin' contest or the 'make a character a mermaid/merman' idea. I would never in a million years have thought to do those, even if it wasn't part of a contest. If it sounds really interesting, I'm in. Also, if the contest's theme is based on a character or show that I draw all of the time anyway, why not enter that contest? ^^

1) What exactly is an 'easy' contest?

-For contestants, I think 'easy' would be a contest that revolves around something that the contestant actively draws anyway, like I said above. If you know about a character/show or constantly draw dogs, then a contest that revolves around the two would not need too much thought put into it.

2) What sort of prize you'd like to recieve as contest winner(besides art request)?

-Just the fact that people adknowledge that I try to do a good job on my art and I take my time; most of my drawings aren't half-assed that I did in class at the last minute that I want people to look at.

3) What sort of contest theme you'd prefer?

-As I've stated, anything that I'm already into. If I like orca and I see a contest that revolves around those creatures, I'm more than likely going to enter. Also, it would be nice not to see the usual, like 'Favorite couples'...Nothing wrong with it, but sometimes it can be overdone.

4) Anything else you'd like to recommend.

-I know each contest is to the owner, but it wouldn't hurt to pick out pictures that not only followed directions, but actually place a few of the people whose work you can tell that they put a lot of time and dedication into. Nothing is more irritating that someone just picking out a picture because they like that particular character, show, animal, etc. I love cats, but I wouldn't just pick out pictures that are cat-related and place them as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd over say a picture of a bat that looks like someone put a good 12 hours of work into. Also, it doesn't hurt to pick out pictures that are creative vs. pictures that people just copied from an existing picture online or in a book. Inspiration is one thing; copying and putting into contests is another.
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[unfocused]

i have to vote the judging style. One thing i hate is when you think you're entering a contest thinking it would be judged fairly but then find out other, unmentioned, criteria is involved in the judges decisions. I've noticed a lot of people sometimes take the underdog over the better picture done by the more skilled artist. Of course you'd think "well, the better artist is a more mature person and a good sport, they can take second place and be happy with it." which might be true, yet that judge just ripped a deserving artist off and wasted his time since the contest was never going to be judged fairly in the first place and no matter how well he could have done his picture, it would never have mattered because the prize was always going to go to the underdog anyway.
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[Stratadrake]

[quote]I've noticed a lot of people sometimes take the underdog over the better picture done by the more skilled artist.[/quote]
Skill is not (and perhaps should never be) the [i]only[/i] criteria for a winner. I can point to any number of contests where skill isn't the objective.

There was a Pokmon Anthro contest where the goal was to draw out a Pokmon in a "human"-like style. I entered that one but didn't even place, because I wasn't using the same conception of "anthro" as they were.

I hosted a dragon-ifying contest, and the winning piece wasn't the most technically skilled one, but the one who seemed to have the best resemblance to the character on which the dragon was based.

There's at least one other of my contests where if I called the winner now it might come as an upset. As much as I can write out rules and procedures at length, long rules stifle casual creativity.
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[gamefox120]

I would enter for respect
and to make a name for my self
I just want to be known for my abilities as an artist
I want every one to know that if it has a form I can draw it for them and by entering contests and winning them the Legacy of my works will spread

[Touzoku-joou]

1) What exactly is an 'easy' contest?

~ Old art being allowed, and I have something I can enter. Or just something that doesn't require that much thought or creativity. Sometimes I like that, and sometimes I don't.

2) What sort of prize you'd like to recieve as contest winner(besides art request)?

~ Well, I like art requests. :< Mostly because I really enjoy seeing my characters drawn in art styles other than my own. But other than that, I'd have to say promotion.

3) What sort of contest theme you'd prefer?

~ I like to alter existing characters (either fanart or original characters). Make them older, younger, into animals (or into humans if they are animals), draw them in a different setting, etc.

4) Anything else you'd like to recommend.

~ Overdone contests suck. Chibis are WAY overdone, "draw your character and my character together" contests are boring. The only done-often contests that don't suck are the holiday ones, because they're like tradition.

But fandom-specific holiday ones suck. Like "Inuyasha Christmas" or something. Screw that shit.
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[Battou]

It's kinda selfish of me but, more often than not I enter a contest to give me the incentive to finish a picture. I have a real bad habbit of not finishing what I start.

for exsample

[b]Strata's Mirror, Mirror,[/b] I have been wanting to work on my OC for some time, I figured a rival would help. I ended up not finishing that one, I'll have to get to work on that

[b]inluvwithlyserg's random comic yay me[/b], Knowin me I prolly would have left that in pencil burried in my fileing cabnit

[b]Shiloh's Pokemon ALL-STAR Champions[/b], the four I entered there are part of larger pics that I started months ago, the Scyther was done last year.

[b]sword dragon's RPV Character designing[/b], I had not touched that pic since february



If that is not the reason it is generally somthing that inspires me. for the most part prizes are not even figured in I just don't often care(there may be exceptions in the future but none now)


------------------------------------------------------------------------
To anwser your questions

[b]1) What exactly is an 'easy' contest? [/b]

1. easy vs dificult is baised on user preferences, popularity of the subject, restraint (rules) along with others.

allowing old work does not necessarily make a contest easy, It mearly makes it easier to get entries.

In other words,That depends on the users who look at the contest.


[b]2) What sort of prize you'd like to recieve as contest winner(besides art request)? [/b]

2. N/A


[b]3) What sort of contest theme you'd prefer? [/b]

3. somthing inspiring, I am personally a big fan of is altering existing characters


[b]4) Anything else you'd like to recommend. [/b]

4. I feel that one should not start a contest if they have no intrest in the outcome, make it somthing you wan't (Common sence really)

like Touzoku-joou said stay away from over done ideas.
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[Uchiki]

I voted for the first one. If I like the theme of the contest, I will enter it. That simple.

1) Easy contest? Hmm... that's a hard one. I suppose if the rules seem sound enough and simple to follow, not too overly complicated.
2) Prize? I'd be just happy with the host of the contest doing a request. That's nice for me.
3) Theme? OC contests are welcome, indeed. They make you get creative, and I do love writing nice, long bios for my OCs... when I can think of info for them!
4) Nope. Well... maybe if people were to read the rules a bit more, we wouldn't be having contests where there are very few rules, and not enough info on what the theme is? That's what I think, anyways.

Which reminds me... I must make another contest of my own

[Edward_Elric_1308]

Usually, out of boredom, or if I have nothing else goin' on.

[AriaGunnir]

Actually I was thinking that the contest was going to be judge by a specific jury, like perhaps a few of the artists who were featured on the homepage, or some of the long-timers... American Idol-style works too, but it could also turn more into a popularity contest, rather than being about the art. Also, is there a way we could advertise somehow, like send out a mass email to everyone or is that considered spamming? Or what if there was a contest that perhaps considered the age of the contestants: for instance a category for an age group say 9-12/13-16/17-20/21 and up... It's just my opinion, but if I was 12 years old and there were adults I was competing with, I would wonder if I should bother (at least that's how I felt when I was 12); also if I was one of the judges I would want to be fair and would consider that all the different ages would have different levels of experience levels with art and therefore a 10 year old would be judged differently from a 20 year old, for example. So perhaps you could have either the same contest going on with different age categories, or you could have several of the same type of contest, each having a different age category. I may be over-analyzing this a bit because of my years of teaching drawing and my education.

I really do like your prizes! If I won 1st, 2nd or 3rd, I would be honoured to take what was given to me. What will you do if there are ties? Will you have to re-do the vote or get someone else to judge from the ties?

I really did like the fact that this contest was about Original Art and that subject matter was unlimited and that it wasn't limited to Manga Style (which is the most popular style, it seems, in this particular Forum)...

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to try out your contest...
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[rolla_roach]

Easy contest: No such thing
Prize: None, really. Just the fact of knowing you're art is good enough to place is fine
Theme: I like OC contests, Pokemon, Disney, or realistic animals.

Anything else: YES!!!!!

Okay, I think contests should seperate CG from Traditional style. Either judge them differently or make a 'just CG' or 'just trad.' style contest. It seems that CG (Photoshop, especially) always comes out on top. I'm really sick of people telling me that people judge art on effort, not ability; because that's a down right lie. Everyone drools over the pretty and shiny the Photoshop pieces, especially in OC contests, rather then focusing on the important stuff (like the OC's bio! I think that's kind of an important aspect people tend to overlook).

It also feels as though everyone on FAC worships digital art, and only those who have Photoshop (or any other digital 'art' program) should be considered artists. Has anyone gone to the home page lately? I've never seen any 'Featured Art' done with traditional media; nor have they featured an artist who specializes in trad. media. All FAC promotes is "digital digital digital". Honestly, it makes some of the Trad. artists feel unworthy
I'm just saying.......
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[Battou]

I respect you and understand that you are refering to FaAC, but I do have to point this out,
http://www.funart-central.net/



I do agree with you on the aspect of separating out CG from Traditional but, CG is the growing norm. Not just here but every where. Like you said people oogle over the CG work, so artists are adapting to the demand and going to CG.


I was thinking of starting a contest soly for traditional work to acompany the CG only one I started but, I can't seem to come up with a solid subject for it.
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[London]

[quote]I've never seen any 'Featured Art' done with traditional media[/quote]
Then you haven't been payin' close enough attention.
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[Battou]

[quote]originally posted by [b]London[/b]
[quote]I've never seen any 'Featured Art' done with traditional media[/quote]
Then you haven't been payin' close enough attention. [/quote]

Yeah, I had cough that one as well
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