The 11th contest is here! =D

Theme of the Contest

Drop Me A Postcard Sometime

We're not going to give many set guidelines for this, but the basic idea is to make a wallpaper that looks like a postcard. You can have borders, stylized text, post markings, a bunch of Hawaiian anime characters in hula skirts, anything you can think of that you think would look best for your own wallpaper (it's completely up to you).

The only real rule on wallpaper content is that it has to say something on it that's believable as something a postcard might say. "Season's Greetings", "Having a great time, wish you were here", "Happy Birthday from Madrid" (that's in Spain ^^), whatever you think sounds good (we won't be overly strict).

Rules & FAQ

Collabs okay. You can enter an old wallpaper of yours if it qualifies. You don't have to put your wallpaper in the AP gallery to enter the contest if you'd rather not, and the subject of it doesn't necessarily have to be from an AP approved category. One entry per person, but you can substitute or revise your entry before the deadline if you want.

Deadline

February 20th, 2009 or as long as it takes for there to be 6 wallpapers entered

Rating Scheme

8 points = text (how nice it is, how natural it looks with the rest of the wallpaper)
4 points = convincing as a postcard (how much does the wallpaper actually look like a real postcard)
4 points = layout/composition (how well balanced and well planned the wallpaper comes across as)
4 points = technical merit (image quality, general quality of the work put into the wallpaper)

Prizes

Winner = 12 free scans or 12 anime/j-pop mp3s
1st Runner Up = 8 free scans or 8 anime/j-pop mp3s
2nd Runner Up = 4 free scans or 4 anime/j-pop mp3s

Best In Text = 5 free scans or 5 anime/j-pop mp3s
Best In Convincing As A Postcard = 3 free scans or 3 anime/j-pop mp3s
Best In Layout/Composition = 2 free scans or 2 anime/j-pop mp3s
Best In Technical Merit = 2 free scans or 2 anime/j-pop mp3s

All Contestants = 3 free scans and 2 free anime/j-pop mp3s

Notes: You can mix mp3s and scans if you win. Also, the prizes are cumulative, so if you win the contest and get best in all 4 judging categories, you would receive 24 free scans or 24 free mp3s, plus the 3 scans and 2 mp3s for participating ^_^

Contest Judging

A panel of 5 judges will be selected, each will have 20 points to give out, for a total of a 100 possible points you can receive. If you'd like to volunteer to be a judge, let us know. Judges may not enter the contest though.

I'm in as a contestant. =P

I volunteer to be a judge : D

Just asking by
i'm not quite sure whether this one fits the category or not


if it fits, then i'm entering it then :D

No, the contest's about making a wallpaper that looks like a postcard itself, not that has a postcard in it... THOUGH, I bet you could probably modify a version of it to fit the contest pretty easily and it would look very cool.

All you need to do would be to take out the current title text and maybe put some kind of cursive text or something (maybe saying, 'wish you were here', or 'missing you' or something) that looks postcard-ish over in maybe the lower right corner perhaps? Optionally you could add in a border of some kind or postage marks or a stamp? If you did, it'd be a very cool visual I think. You know, post card within a post card? It probably wouldn't even be much work to do either... Just a thought though ^_^

Then i'm volunteering to be a judge
school has started and i'm worried that i don't have enough time to finish the wall in time ^^a

Lol.. Same here... I couldn't complete a simple 2 hrs vector because of college! *sighs* I still have stacks of books under my mouse... Anyway, I was wondering how are we suppose to make up an address for the postcard. Well, sometimes in anime, they only state where the setting is but never the complete and accurate address.

Well, an address isn't required of course, and they are usually put on the back of the card in any case, but if you want one and there's not a clear indication of what you want to use in the anime, you can just take a guess and make one up that sounds vaguely right to you, or ask someone else do do it ^^

Anyway, I have an idea, but I wonder invitation postcards are acceptable or not.

And, which side of the postcard you mean? The front glossy part (the one with only pictures) or the back part (the one with all the words and address and stamps.)??

Well, I meant the front (^_^; hadn't even considered the backs really) but you could do a wallpaper that was the back of a postcard if you want... There's no restrictions on it ^_^
There's also no restrictions against an invitation post card either, so have at it! =D

not sure why, but there haven't been as many members entering this contest as have in the past... So I've decided, the deadline will be modified as follows...

The deadline will be Feb 20th UNLESS there are less than 6 entries by then, if there are less, the contest will close when we have 6 wallpapers ^_^ (whenever that is)

I haven't even started PS-ing anything although I have plans in my mind.. Too busy meanwhile with tonnes of homeworks.

Well... I'm not sure if this wallpaper will be accepted in the contest but anyway is my first try :P

This wallpaper is based in one thanks greeting card... I use a few textures to made it looks a bit old and stamps brushes to try to made it looks like a postcard ^_^

The scan is from the Scan Gallery and can be found in this URL:
http://www.animepaper.net/gallery/scans/Kimikiss/item166778/

Alright, now I'm suddenly interested in this contest. What I am wondering though is on the text. When I think about making a wallpaper for this. I can really only show one side to the postcard. Meaning the front of the postcard has the image and where you are like 'Washington' or 'California'. While the other side has the post mark and the writing like 'I'll be home soon.' 'Wish you were here.'

If you can't tell what my question is already I'll just spill it out. How can I put 'believeable' text if I'm wanting to make the front of the postcard because the back of a post card doesn't have any images? Cause most people I know don't write on the picture but I suppose that could be me.

thanks for your time,
::Angel::

So your going to enter? That's great! ^_^

and for what the wallpaper you make has to have in it, the only real requirements are those two underlined things in the first post. That you make some effort to make the wallpaper be at least vaguely reminiscent of a post card in some way, and that the wallpaper has some kind of text on it that might be said on a post card. The rules are open to interpretation, we're just looking for genuine effort - so it's easy, just do your best! n_n