Okay, I finally got around to posting the thumbnails in the journal! 
If you've sent us a CONTEST ENTRY and you don't see it listed here, then please send it again! Things have been a little hectic for us, and we want to make sure we haven't missed anything!
Also, anyone who still hasn't submitted, remember that there's only a little more than a month left before the contest ends! The same reminder goes for anyone who's considering a second or third contest entry 
~Seitou, January 22, 2009-------------------------------------------------------------------
All the contest information is listed below, so read everything carefully. If you have any additional questions, don't hesitate to ask

~
Seitou
Contest I: Winter Contest
Task:Part I
Before you do anything, you should read through the following three poems; they're not long, I promise
1) Christmas Roses by Francis William Bourdillon
[link]
2) The First Snowfall by James Russell Lowell
[link]
3) The Snow Bird's Song by F. C. Woodworth
[link]Part II:
Draw an original character in winter clothing, from any historical era before 1950, and connect your image to
any of the three poems listed above.
You can connect your picture to any of the poems in
any way possible. For example, you can illustrate a scene from the poem, pull from a single image (such as the snow or the roses, etc.), depict the feeling/mood of the poem, borrow the title, etc.
You can connect your image to the poem in any way at all that you wish, just as long as it makes sense and it's one of the three listed above.
Rules:
No more than three (3) entries per participant! Take your time with each entry, though, if you decide to draw more than one.

No fan art! No characters from anime, cartoons, films, series, comics, games, books, etc. Any characters that you draw must be of your own creation/design.

Costume designs must be original in order to be accepted. Do not directly copy designs from paintings, fashion plates, extant clothing, etc.

Costume designs should also be as historically accurate as possible. Please note that historically inspired costumes are different from historically accurate costumes.
Submitting Entries:
If you are interested in participating, then you MUST say so here in this journal. SIGN UP here to enter. Please note that signing up does not obligate you submit anything; its just a way for you to show that youre interested in taking part. So, even if youre not certain that youll be able to draw anything, sign up anyway and we'll add you to the participant list.

All contest submissions should be sent in via Note and clearly labeled as a Contest Submission.

When you submit your entries, please include the following: 1) a link to your entry; 2) the era or style of fashion depicted in your entry; 3) the poem you chose to work with for inspiration; and 4) a brief description of how your entry connects to the poem.

Well start accepting entries just before Christmas (so you can start sending stuff in around the 21st).
Duration:The contest officially starts today, December 1st, and it will end March 1st!
Judging:Your judges are:

All entries will be judged according to a point system. There are several categories and a certain number of points that can be won in each category. Each judge will award points for every piece independently (so every piece will be judged four separate times). Then, we'll tally up the points each entry received and see who got the most in the end

Categories and Points are as follows:

Sticking to the Theme... 10 pts maximum

Historical Accuracy........ 10 pts maximum

Creativity...................... 10 pts maximum

Neatness & Effort......... 10 pts maximum

Bonus*........................... 5 pts maximum
*
Bonus points can be awarded to participants who decide to include more than necessary, providing that their extra work is relevant to the theme and enhances the overall piece (i.e. additional characters, multiple views of a costume, a background, a character engaged in an appropriate activity, etc.)In the event of a tie, we'll resort to a popularity poll.
Prizes:1st Place:

1 full body, inked and colored, original character illustration from ~
Seitou
1 bust/head shot original character illustration from *
suburbanbeatnik
5 month front page feature
2nd Place:

1 full body original character illustration from *
suburbanbeatnik
3 month front page feature
3rd Place:

1 inked and colored original character bust from ~
Seitou
1 female character drawing from *
KingAndrewI
1 month front page feature
Tips & Resources:Normally, the other mods and I are more than happy to offer feedback on costuming work, but since this is a contest, we cant really answer any costume-related questions. The most we can do is give everyone a list of tips and reference material.
There are a million links to sites with good reference material right in our Historical Fashion Reference Material journal, so I advise looking through there first.
Other tips!

Costume design goes beyond designing pretty dresses; it includes hairstyles, hats, jewelry, shoes, and any other accessories a person might wear.

What your character wears should reflect that characters social standing!

Also, think about how a characters costume affects the way that characters stands, moves, and goes about daily activities. Some costumes are more restrictive than others.

Consider which colors were more common during different eras and which colors were more popular during certain seasons.

Taking liberties is fun, but realize that theres a certain point when taking too many liberties decreases the historical accuracy of a costume. Theres a big difference between historically accurate and historically inspired.
Best of luck, everyone
Participants:
Entries:
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