Hello and welcome to this month's contest. This time around it’s not just an art contest! We’re collaborating with the Writing room to hold a joint contest with two prizes—one for each submission type.
Submission Deadline: NO FURTHER ENTRIES WILL BE SCORED! (unless I've explicitly told you otherwise)
This months theme will be “First Battle”. Now I know that sounds a bit vague, but it is so by design to allow for as much creative freedom as possible; the only other stipulation I’m going to make is that it has to be Pokémon related. If you’re not sure whether or not your idea fits the theme, just ask a room auth in Art or Th!nkPi from Writing and they’ll be happy to help.
From an art standpoint, this contest is quite different from many of the ones we’ve had in the past. For one, it will be quite challenging to achieve the theme while drawing only one subject, meaning that you’ll almost certainly have to draw two characters and show them interacting. Additionally, the room is generally focused very heavily on drawing Pokémon, but in this contest there is a strong possibility your piece might include trainers, environmental hazards, terrain and backgrounds in general. None of these things are required, but all of them can contribute to showing what you wish in the theme.
While the criteria for past contests has leaned towards a bias on design (i.e. mega evolutions or ability shift), this contest ignores design almost entirely and looks at one’s ability to express emotion in characters. Particularly, the feeling that one gets when they enter their first battle. This theme is centered around your ability to convey emotions through art or writing. Similarly, you might want to show movement of elements/characters within the piece (which can also be difficult). Do not feel forced to deeply convey both aspects of emotion and movement as the scoring rubric might seem to imply; scoring will be done such that if a focus is put on one or the other it will contribute towards points for both.
Now I’m well aware that this contest might initially seem like it requires a much higher ability level to enter than previous contests, and to some extent it does, but the scoring will not heavily bias stylistic choice of expression—meaning a more minimalistic style such as those found in comics are completely acceptable. Even still, it’s quite likely that drawing a piece for this contest will take significantly longer than past contests, and for that reason I recommend working on it sooner rather than later.
Submission Formatting:
Scoring Criteria: (Out of 100)
Submission Formatting:
Scoring Criteria: (Out of 100)
Both winners will be able to choose either an Amazon $10 gift card OR 1-month free of Netflix, Crunchyroll Premium, or Hulu+!
As a final note, if you would like to submit both types of submissions they will be scored separately even if they are on the same piece. However one person can not win both prizes. In the event that somebody [magically] scores first in both categories, the prize for writing will be forfeited and given to the person who scored second place in the writing category.
Submission Deadline: NO FURTHER ENTRIES WILL BE SCORED! (unless I've explicitly told you otherwise)
This months theme will be “First Battle”. Now I know that sounds a bit vague, but it is so by design to allow for as much creative freedom as possible; the only other stipulation I’m going to make is that it has to be Pokémon related. If you’re not sure whether or not your idea fits the theme, just ask a room auth in Art or Th!nkPi from Writing and they’ll be happy to help.
Art Submissions
From an art standpoint, this contest is quite different from many of the ones we’ve had in the past. For one, it will be quite challenging to achieve the theme while drawing only one subject, meaning that you’ll almost certainly have to draw two characters and show them interacting. Additionally, the room is generally focused very heavily on drawing Pokémon, but in this contest there is a strong possibility your piece might include trainers, environmental hazards, terrain and backgrounds in general. None of these things are required, but all of them can contribute to showing what you wish in the theme.
While the criteria for past contests has leaned towards a bias on design (i.e. mega evolutions or ability shift), this contest ignores design almost entirely and looks at one’s ability to express emotion in characters. Particularly, the feeling that one gets when they enter their first battle. This theme is centered around your ability to convey emotions through art or writing. Similarly, you might want to show movement of elements/characters within the piece (which can also be difficult). Do not feel forced to deeply convey both aspects of emotion and movement as the scoring rubric might seem to imply; scoring will be done such that if a focus is put on one or the other it will contribute towards points for both.
Now I’m well aware that this contest might initially seem like it requires a much higher ability level to enter than previous contests, and to some extent it does, but the scoring will not heavily bias stylistic choice of expression—meaning a more minimalistic style such as those found in comics are completely acceptable. Even still, it’s quite likely that drawing a piece for this contest will take significantly longer than past contests, and for that reason I recommend working on it sooner rather than later.
Submission Formatting:
- No limits on number of submissions
- Each piece must have a title
- Each post must contain an image (preferably hidden with a [ hide][/hide] tag) depicting the theme.
- You can use any visual medium (digital, traditional, sculpture, ect.)
- Words are allowed within the image (like in a comic), but take care not to be dependent on them.
- If you wish to write notes on what you’re trying to express, you can, but keep in mind the more you can express with just the image itself, the better.
- This thread is for posting submissions only. You can like posts to show support, but please no written feedback in this thread. Multiple strikes will lead to disciplinary actions @v@
Scoring Criteria: (Out of 100)
- Creativity (25)
- Artistic display (35)
- Expression of emotion/movement (30)*
- Level of finish (10)
Writing Submissions
Submission Formatting:
- Maximum limit of 3 written submissions or 3,000 words (whichever is reached first)
- Each piece must have a title
- Each post must be spoilered with a ([ hide][/hide] tag)
- You can use any written medium as long as it matches the theme
- You are allowed to use images to help set the mood of your piece. However, you can only use one image per submission.*
- This thread is for posting submissions only. You can like posts to show support, but please no written feedback in this thread. Multiple strikes will lead to disciplinary actions @v@
Scoring Criteria: (Out of 100)
- Characters (40)
- Setting/Imagery (25)
- Creativity/Originality (25)
- Grammar/Spelling (10)
Characters - Our theme is based on a Trainer's and/or Pokémon's first battle; this implies multiple characters being involved. The bulk of your piece will revolve around the emotions and thoughts of these characters, so points are most crucial in this category. Define each character’s personality and emotions clearly to score high in this category and fit the theme.
Setting/Imagery - The setting is important in establishing the tone. Paint a crisp backdrop for the battle by highlighting the environment. Alternatively, you can choose to focus on the imagery of the battle. If you forgo a descriptive environment be sure to provide vivid imagery of the feelings and actions in the trainer’s first battle to help set the tone.
Creativity/Originality - First and foremost, I do not mind if you choose to involve existing characters from the series or existing fanfics. If you choose to do this, your challenge will be to focus on your creativity in presenting these characters. Show us a new side of them, or portray them in a way not expected. If you choose to create your own characters, then your challenge is to define them. How do they differ from your average, run-of-the-mill trainer? What is it about their thoughts and feelings that should capture the reader’s interest? Also, don’t forget to take into account POV. Are you writing from a trainer’s point of view? A Pokémon’s? Third-person? Avoid the cliche and write something fresh to score high in this category. Plagiarism will result in instant disqualification.
Grammar/Spelling - I will not mark down points for a few mistakes. If your work has several mistakes (enough to make it difficult for one to read with ease) then I will mark down some points. Use proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation to the best of your ability. If you feel you that you often misspell words, be sure to use a spell check tool. There are also plenty of members around who may lend a hand. Visit the Writing room on Pokémon Showdown or post in the Writers on Smogon thread. Unfortunately, judges cannot give feedback on works in progress, since they bear the responsibility of judging the finalized submissions. Feel free to message Th!nkPi, but only if you’re having trouble finding help for a grammar and spelling check.
Setting/Imagery - The setting is important in establishing the tone. Paint a crisp backdrop for the battle by highlighting the environment. Alternatively, you can choose to focus on the imagery of the battle. If you forgo a descriptive environment be sure to provide vivid imagery of the feelings and actions in the trainer’s first battle to help set the tone.
Creativity/Originality - First and foremost, I do not mind if you choose to involve existing characters from the series or existing fanfics. If you choose to do this, your challenge will be to focus on your creativity in presenting these characters. Show us a new side of them, or portray them in a way not expected. If you choose to create your own characters, then your challenge is to define them. How do they differ from your average, run-of-the-mill trainer? What is it about their thoughts and feelings that should capture the reader’s interest? Also, don’t forget to take into account POV. Are you writing from a trainer’s point of view? A Pokémon’s? Third-person? Avoid the cliche and write something fresh to score high in this category. Plagiarism will result in instant disqualification.
Grammar/Spelling - I will not mark down points for a few mistakes. If your work has several mistakes (enough to make it difficult for one to read with ease) then I will mark down some points. Use proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation to the best of your ability. If you feel you that you often misspell words, be sure to use a spell check tool. There are also plenty of members around who may lend a hand. Visit the Writing room on Pokémon Showdown or post in the Writers on Smogon thread. Unfortunately, judges cannot give feedback on works in progress, since they bear the responsibility of judging the finalized submissions. Feel free to message Th!nkPi, but only if you’re having trouble finding help for a grammar and spelling check.
Both winners will be able to choose either an Amazon $10 gift card OR 1-month free of Netflix, Crunchyroll Premium, or Hulu+!
As a final note, if you would like to submit both types of submissions they will be scored separately even if they are on the same piece. However one person can not win both prizes. In the event that somebody [magically] scores first in both categories, the prize for writing will be forfeited and given to the person who scored second place in the writing category.
Last edited: