2013 Mascot Contest

[JeffT]

Announcing the launch of the Kumoricon 2013 mascot contest!

Artists, here's your chance to make your work a part of Kumoricon.

The grand prize winner will receive a free Artists Alley booth at Kumoricon 2013.

The mascot will be prominently used in Kumoricon art and publicity material for the 2013 convention year, including but not limited to the website, promotional flyers and posters, advertisements, merchandise, and badges. It should be an immediately attractive, original, anime-style character or characters reflecting the "cloudy" theme of Kumoricon, typically with an umbrella. We need two versions: one adult or teen, and one chibi.

Due date and time: Sunday, June 24, 11:59:59pm, Pacific Daylight Time.
Who may enter: Anyone except Kumoricon board members, and Kumoricon staff who are involved in running the contest.
How to enter:

Email to website@kumoricon.org, with the following items:

1. The file(s) included as attachments, or a link to download the file(s). (You can also arrange alternate delivery as long as it arrives by the due date and time.)
2. The full name of the entrant or all entrants.
3. The name or nickname to display as credit in the gallery.
4. A working email address where you can be contacted (if not specified it will be assumed the one it is sent from).

Summary of rules (see fine print below for full rules)

• Theme: Entries should represent themes of Kumoricon, such as clouds, the color blue, or umbrellas. (These are examples, and an entry need not have all of these things.)
• Composition: Each entry must contain both (1) an adult or teen mascot, and (2) a chibi mascot; of the same character and style.
• Although typically the mascot is one person or character, it may be more than one, but the totality of the mascot must be drawn in both standard and chibi forms.
• Intellectual property transfer: The winning entry, including any variations that have been or will be drawn of it, becomes the intellectual property of Kumoricon.
• Kumoricon may display all entries (not just the winner) in galleries or use them as extra art.
• Original work: Entries must be solely the original work of the credited entrants.
• No prior publicity use: Entries cannot have been used by other organizations (such as mascots for other anime conventions).
• Appropriateness: Entries must be appropriate for all ages, and appropriate for Kumoricon publicity.
• Multiple entries and re-entering: An entrant can enter multiple, completely unique entries.
• An entrant can update an entry, replacing its prior version.
• Entries in previous years' contests may be re-entered if they did not win.
• No discussion about entries: Nobody can use the forums to talk about specific entries until voting has ended.
• Deadline: If you miss the deadline slightly, send it anyway, as soon as you can. We can sometimes accept slightly late entries, depending on the situation.

Format

• Color: Full color
• Resolution: 300dpi (or higher) filling an 8.5"x11" sheet
• File format: Any format (including web formats, Adobe formats, GIMP, and Inkscape). Lossless formats (such as PNG, PSD, or vector formats) are preferred.

Contest administration summary (see fine print below for full rules)

• We will confirm entries as they are received.
• Voting will be performed online by staff over a weeklong period, with the entries anonymized.
• Voting will use the Schulze method, a ranked voting system.
• Once voting is closed we'll post the gallery publicly before the winner is announced.
• The winner will be announced at Closing Ceremonies of Kumoricon 2012.
• If we receive a large number of entries, we may pre-screen them. (We haven't needed to do this yet, and our ranked voting system accommodates large numbers of entries, but we may if need be.)
• We reserve the right to modify the contest once it is underway, or even after it closes, if unforeseen circumstances require it. (For example, extend the due date if we don't get enough entries, or repeat the contest, or even throw it out, if we lose data.) If this happens, due care will be taken to follow the spirit of the rules and be as fair as possible to all entrants.

The fine print

• All rules stated above apply. Additionally, these rules in the "fine print" section apply, and take precedence if they address the same issue as the above in more detail, or are found to conflict with any rules stated above.
• The winning entry becomes the intellectual property of Kumoricon, including alternate variations or derivative works of the winning entry that the artist may have already drawn or may later draw (whether or not by request of Kumoricon). Therefore, all entrants commit to this possibility at the time of entering. Once a winner has been announced, this commitment is relieved for all non-winning entries in the contest.
• Winning entrants retain any rights they have to display, copy, distribute, and sell their winning art for strictly personal purposes (no publicity purposes), provided the entrants do not imply or state that they represent Kumoricon, and provided that the pieces of art so distributed or displayed are not implied to be or represented as official pieces of Kumoricon merchandise, unless Kumoricon has authorized such activities.
• Entrants give perpetual, irrevocable permission for Kumoricon to display their entries in galleries and to use the entries as ancillary art in program, signage, and publicity material produced for the 2012 and 2013 conventions, and to continue to publish and make available copies of these materials in perpetuity, whether or not those entries win the contest.
• Entries must be original work, and solely the work of the entrant or entrants.
• Entrants must be authorized and able to assign ownership of the entry to Kumoricon, and to grant Kumoricon permission for the described uses, per the above rules describing such.
• More than one person may contribute jointly to an entry, but all people must be identified in the submission and are considered entrants.
• Entries may not have been previously used for publicity purposes by any organization or person. (It is acceptable, however, if the entry was previously or is currently displayed in a gallery; for example, a portfolio of that artist's work.)
• Content and theme: Entries must be appropriate for all ages. Content, design, and themes of the entries must be appropriate and suitable for their intended uses, including their use as publicity for Kumoricon, at the discretion of the Director of Publicity or the Kumoricon board.
• Entries displayed for voting in the contest must be anonymous, and not have identifying marks. All displayed entries will be credited to their entrants after the close of voting. Entrants, if they wish, may submit a second version containing a signature or marks which will be used for future display in contest galleries.
• Entrants must not talk about or link to their entries, or discussion about their entries, or any entries in the contest, on the Kumoricon forums, private messages, mailing lists, or other Kumoricon communication systems, or bulk messages of any form to staff, until we have announced that a winner has been determined. (Non-entrants are also obligated to obey this rule, as a rule of the forums.) This is to help ensure fairness in the voting.
• An entrant may enter more than once, but each design must be completely unique from others by the same entrant. (If two different people had produced them, and neither could be said to be copying from the other, then the two entries will be considered "unique". Otherwise, not.)
• Entries received very shortly after the due time of 11:59:59pm may be accepted at our discretion, but if they are, we reserve the right to apply any type penalty (or no penalty) in our sole discretion, including a penalty that affects how the voting is calculated.
• Voting is open to staff who have officially registered (submitted signed form, paid dues, and been approved and ratified, and any other applicable staff membership policies in place) by the start of voting. Staff registering after this point may still vote if we enter their data before the close of voting.
• Voting will be done online shortly after the close of voting. Voting will be performed using the Schulze method. In this method, voters rank their choices in order rather than selecting just one. There are many systems of ranked voting which compute the winner differently from each other. The method used here, the Schulze method, has been selected because among all known ranked voting systems, it most encourages voters to rank their choices in their true order of preference, rather than using "strategic voting". For example, in a voting system in which voters only select one choice, voters would be discouraged from picking their true favorite if they didn't perceive it to be popular, because it would be "wasting" a vote. However, with the Schulze method, it is almost always in each voter's best interest to list their true preference order. Ultimately, this system makes it most likely that the true preference of the voters, as a group, is selected as the winner.
• Entries which do not meet the criteria in the rules may be disqualified, and entrants not participating in the contest according to the rules may have their entries disqualified. If this is discovered after a winner is announced, the award may be revoked.
• If an insufficient number of entries is received, an unsuitable entry is chosen in the voting, or if, for any reason, the voting cannot be completed, for reasons including, but not limited to, technical problems with the voting, loss or corruption of ballot data, or insufficient number of votes received, then the Kumoricon board reserves the right to extend the due date for entries, change the start or end dates of voting, annul the voting, run a new election, or choose an entry as the winner, at its option. If, for any reason, the selected winner is not the winner determined by the voting, Kumoricon will release a statement identifying such fact.
• Kumoricon reserves the right to add, remove, or modify rules, or make special allowances or changes to the contest, at its discretion, to resolve any unforeseen circumstances or problems which may arise, in the interest of ensuring fairness and seeing that the contest is completed according to the intent and spirit of the rules.

[JeffT]

Gallery of previous mascot contest entries and winners, for your perusal.

Because of the low number of entries in the program book cover and pocket guide cover contests for the past few years, we are not running the cover contests this year.

[ScrumYummy]

Just out of curiosity, what are you planning to do for the covers this year? Is someone in-house designing it?

Also, just as an aside, I think the reason why you never had many entries for the cover contests is because the prize was kinda meh, and designing a cover is a lot of work when the prize isn't so great.

I always did it for the fun of it, as I'm sure the other few entrants did, but maybe if you offered a better prize to the winner, you would not only get more cover entries, but more quality ones as well?

[AllyKat]

Just out of curiosity, what are you planning to do for the covers this year? Is someone in-house designing it?

Also, just as an aside, I think the reason why you never had many entries for the cover contests is because the prize was kinda meh, and designing a cover is a lot of work when the prize isn't so great.

I always did it for the fun of it, as I'm sure the other few entrants did, but maybe if you offered a better prize to the winner, you would not only get more cover entries, but more quality ones as well?

To answer your questions;

Yes, I made the decision this year to have our talented staff of graphic designers come up with the over all scheme and design of the Program Book and Pocket Guide. It is my belief that this will do a couple of things:

#1 Provide us with a more cohesive design for our books (inside and out)
#2 Allow the Graphic Design staff to integrate their design into the entirety of the books without having to manipulate others' art
#3 Give them the freedom to get started RIGHT NOW on the books and their designs

I thought long and hard about the conundrum I faced with the book covers. I just couldn't come up with a good prize that didn't feel so generic or "meh" to our entrants. I'd like to hear from anyone who is interested in bringing this contest back about ideas for good prizes. Right now Artists Alley space is so limited I am not sure that's a viable option. But like I said, the more ideas I have the more likely we will be to bring back that contest!

For now though, I hope you guys are excited because I'm going to be pushing my staff for the best covers and books they've ever printed for our 10th year!

[ScrumYummy]

To answer your questions;

Yes, I made the decision this year to have our talented staff of graphic designers come up with the over all scheme and design of the Program Book and Pocket Guide. It is my belief that this will do a couple of things:

#1 Provide us with a more cohesive design for our books (inside and out)
#2 Allow the Graphic Design staff to integrate their design into the entirety of the books without having to manipulate others' art
#3 Give them the freedom to get started RIGHT NOW on the books and their designs

I like all of those points, although I do have some feedback, thoughts and ideas about them that could work with bringing the contest back.

For example, you could set up the contest in such a way that it incorporates a unified look and theme for not only the book, but the whole convention.  Since the mascot contest is a year in advance, you could have a rule that requires the mascot and color theme (or if you don't want to require the mascot, maybe just the color theme) be used for the cover art. That way, your in-house designers can already be setting up the color scheme and interior layout well before the cover contest is over.

The contest could also be for "just the art," with the logo and layout being designed in house. Take, for example, the covers for Giant Robot:

http://www.giantrobot.com/magazine/

They all have the same logo, and mostly the same layout design, which for the most part are pretty simple layouts, and something like that would be very easy to do. But they all incorporate art in such a way that doesn't detract from the design, while providing a showcase for the art in a way that is both interesting and eye-catching.

I thought long and hard about the conundrum I faced with the book covers. I just couldn't come up with a good prize that didn't feel so generic or "meh" to our entrants. I'd like to hear from anyone who is interested in bringing this contest back about ideas for good prizes. Right now Artists Alley space is so limited I am not sure that's a viable option. But like I said, the more ideas I have the more likely we will be to bring back that contest!

Since the AA table is not a very likely option, I think other viable options would be a free pass to the convention, and/or free space in the art gallery, or more space in the art gallery. The art gallery is technically free already, but does take commission on pieces sold; the cover contest winner could have that commission waived. And/or be given more space in the art gallery (I think right now, only ten pieces are allowed to be shown per artist, so it would be neat if the contest winner prize was more space). So it's the next best thing to having an AA table.

Another option: contest winners could be given art tables outside of the artist alley. Not only does that free up space in the AA, but it also looks like the con is saying "hey, check out the contest winners!" which would also serve to drum up excitement for the contest, tell more people about it, and attract more entries for the following year. The art tables for the contest winners could be in other places in the convention space, such as hallways, etc.

For now though, I hope you guys are excited because I'm going to be pushing my staff for the best covers and books they've ever printed for our 10th year!

I am super-excited to see what you guys come up with! Especially since this is the con's 10th anniversary.

I hope none of this comes off as detracting from the 10th year design; the main reason why I am voicing my concern is that it I really liked the spirit of the cover contest, the tradition of the cover art being made by the attendees of the con, and I am really sad to see that go. I hope that you will at least consider bringing it back for next year; maybe we can put together a focus group to discuss ideas for bringing back the contest, or setting up new rules, or something, to see if it can possibly come back next year.

[Abe]

So the Mascot Contest is canceld for Kumoricon 2013?

[JeffT]

So the Mascot Contest is canceld for Kumoricon 2013?

No... it's active as described in the original post. What suggested it was cancelled?

[Abe]

Oh okay my bad I red it wrong sorry 

[Davence]

Hi, this will be my first time going to kumuricon, but i have a friend that told me about this contest, she also told me besides the artist booth, you will also give the winner 2 tickets to the con is this true or have you guys scaled back the prize to just the booth?

[JeffT]

Hi, this will be my first time going to kumuricon, but i have a friend that told me about this contest, she also told me besides the artist booth, you will also give the winner 2 tickets to the con is this true or have you guys scaled back the prize to just the booth?

The two badges are actually part of the standard two badges included with any Artists Alley table, so therefore, they are part of the contest prize also.

[Davence]

Sweet ty,

[Davence]

Hi i had just one more question in relation to the contest, i was planning on buying my tickets in 2 weeks to the Con.  If by chance i where to win the contest would i be refunded the price of the tickets, or should i just wait till after the winner is announced and if i do nto win, go buy my tickets then?

[JeffT]

The prize is an Artists Alley table in 2013. The pre-registration that is open right now is for the 2012 con. So there's no conflict. (The mascot contest winner isn't even announced until the last day of the 2012 con.)

[bamfi1218]

Hey, do we have a scavenger hunt this year?? My friends and I STILL HAVE TO CHOOSE A COSPLAY OUTFIT!! D: We'll be decided this week, hopefully we'd be on the scavenger hunt, but I just was wondering  

Do the Mascot entries have to be from an anime/manga.video game or a fanmade character?   

[JeffT]

Do the Mascot entries have to be from an anime/manga.video game or a fanmade character?   

Actually, it should be totally original, not based on another source.

[bamfi1218]

Alright, great!! Thanks for letting me know  

[Daws]

I know this is close to the due date so I'll send an email and post on the fb page too so hopefully I'll get an answer in time, but I was hoping there was a way I could deliver mine to someone on Sunday? I know that's asking a lot, it's just done in prismacolors and they won't scan for crap.

[JeffT]

I know this is close to the due date so I'll send an email and post on the fb page too so hopefully I'll get an answer in time, but I was hoping there was a way I could deliver mine to someone on Sunday? I know that's asking a lot, it's just done in prismacolors and they won't scan for crap.

Ultimately, it will need to be scanned in order to be entered into the contest, as the gallery and voting is online, so if you are able to scan it, then you scanning it would be best as you'll have the most control over what it looks like. If you just don't have a scanner, then you can mail it. However, it must be postmarked by the due date. If you are not sure you will be able to send it postmarked in time (which basically means today--Saturday), then in order to accept it afterward we'll need a digital photo received by the due date and time as proof that it was completed. Please PM me, or email website@kumoricon.org if you'd like to make arrangements to mail it.

[Daws]

Oh, okay I figured you wouldn't be on here tonight so I actually just emailed you what I just wrote. Obviously you can disregard that. I'm just not sure what to do because all I have is a laptop. I do have a scanner but I can't tell that well what's the laptop and what's the scanner in the difference in color. Photos look truer to color to me but then sometimes they print differently from what I see on my screen so I think some of it may be my laptop too. I was just hoping I could do the drawing and that one of you would know how to take it from there digitally, I'm just not very skilled at digital stuff or very well equipped.

[JeffT]

Oh, okay I figured you wouldn't be on here tonight so I actually just emailed you what I just wrote. Obviously you can disregard that. I'm just not sure what to do because all I have is a laptop. I do have a scanner but I can't tell that well what's the laptop and what's the scanner in the difference in color. Photos look truer to color to me but then sometimes they print differently from what I see on my screen so I think some of it may be my laptop too. I was just hoping I could do the drawing and that one of you would know how to take it from there digitally, I'm just not very skilled at digital stuff or very well equipped.

I guess I'll say, it's up to you then what you want to do. If you mail it to us, then I will scan it, and I'll do a minimum of processing on it. However, I can't assure that it will look how you intended it.

Based on what you said, I'd lean toward you scanning it, as (1) It eliminates the risk it could get lost in the mail, and (2) Even if you don't do the perfect scan, you'll at least be able to check the final digital file you send and make sure it looks acceptable.

If it does win, you'll have a chance, if you'd like, to tweak the digital copies or use more time and care in scanning it, for the copies we use to make our materials for next year, if you don't have time to do that now.

[Daws]

I guess I'll say, it's up to you then what you want to do. If you mail it to us, then I will scan it, and I'll do a minimum of processing on it. However, I can't assure that it will look how you intended it.

Based on what you said, I'd lean toward you scanning it, as (1) It eliminates the risk it could get lost in the mail, and (2) Even if you don't do the perfect scan, you'll at least be able to check the final digital file you send and make sure it looks acceptable.

If it does win, you'll have a chance, if you'd like, to tweak the digital copies or use more time and care in scanning it, for the copies we use to make our materials for next year, if you don't have time to do that now.

Alright, we'll I'll just do my best. I'll try doing both and then try to adjust the best I can tell afterwards.

[JeffT]

With less than one day to go, I'm letting everyone know that all submissions received so far have been replied to and confirmed. If you sent something and it has not been confirmed, that means it was not received, and you should re-send and PM me about it right away.

On Sunday I'll be replying to them continuously throughout the day as they come in (not necessarily real-time, as I won't be at the computer at all moments, but I mean I will reply as soon as I see them--not wait until the end to do all the confirmations). Though in the last two or three hours I will be trying to confirm entries in near real-time.

[Davence]

Hi i was wondering if there is a place where i can view the mascot entries for this yr?

[JeffT]

Hi i was wondering if there is a place where i can view the mascot entries for this yr?

If you mean for 2012, then here:

http://www.kumoricon.org/mascots-covers

If you mean the currently running contest for 2013, then those entries will be added to the above galleries after voting has closed. (The winner will not be marked, but just mixed into the rest of the entries at random. The winner will be announced at Closing Ceremonies.)

[JeffT]

All entries received so far have been replied to. If you have sent one and it has not been replied to, please PM me immediately!

[Daws]

I'm dieing to see all the 2013 entries! and see what everyone came up with 

[Ennex]

When does voting close? Also super eager to see the other entries.

[JeffT]

Voting closes July 8, but it might be a few days more before the gallery is posted.

[DSaturn]

I can't wait to see what people came up with either. Every year, my group goes through the gallery and predicts who won... So far, we've never picked the right one.

[JeffT]

Voting has concluded, and we have a winner! The winner is a secret until the announcement at Closing Ceremonies.

In the meantime, the gallery is posted:

http://www.kumoricon.org/mascot-contest-2013

We had a record 47 entries this year!

[Spontaneous]

Wow, there are two that just completely blow away my entry *A* Good job to everyone though!

[DSaturn]

Wow, there were quite a few partner mascots... and so many super cute/awesome ones. It's going to be hard to narrow down my guess... Maybe we should put money on it this year for our bets on who you guys chose... Gah, I can't wait to find out.

[Xella]

Ooh, lots of really nifty ones this year!  To be honest I can't even begin to speculate on who would have eked out top spot but I bet it was pretty close!

Since the gallery is up now (with our names and everything), is it safe for us to start discussing/talking about our entries (be it here or off-site) or would you prefer that not happen 'til after con?

[JeffT]

Since the gallery is up now (with our names and everything), is it safe for us to start discussing/talking about our entries (be it here or off-site) or would you prefer that not happen 'til after con?

Yes, that's fine. The ban on discussion here was only up until the voting was completed. (And it never applied outside of the Kumoricon forum or other Kumoricon systems, except with the stipulation that you couldn't attempt to bulk contact staff about it via any means.)

[Daws]

Wow, there certainly are a lot of entries this year! Can we make guesses on here as to who won? I have my guess as well as some others I really like, but I don't want to offend anyone by specifying my faves.

[DSaturn]

I've narrowed my guess down to four/five... There are so many good ones.

[Daws]

Well since no one said I couldn't I suppose I'll voice my guess   I hope no one minds.
I believe that Elaine Huang and Jacqueline Taylor's entry will win. It's very professional and detailed and looks most along the lines of the last several mascots chosen.
My personal favorite though is Susan Zou's. It's so original and weird in the best way possible! I love it   I love the eyes, the little leaf on the head, the cloak, and the little bird on the adult form. It's just so unique, adorable, and well done.
That being said there were many with cool aspects. I can't name them all but for instance I thought the style of Tallybearddragon's was really cool, Degrassifangirl69's was freaking ADORABLE!, Davence Young's was extremely original, Saki-Kitsune's had a really friendly appeal, Rastea's cloud kimono was gorgeous!, Shiba's hair color was beautiful, and overall everyone just did an amazing job showing their unique ideas and creativity!

[Heirii]

Oh yay! They're up now!

Everyone's designs are so creative and i can tell they all tried really hard! I have a few in mind that might win but you never know, i guess! I'll name a few that i really liked. Susan Zou's was super original and i love the horns/ears! Very cute! I also really liked Ann's design. Simple but very eye catching and pretty! Elaine Huang and Jacqueline Taylor's is absolutely stunning! I really like the colors!
I love the hair and colors on TrinityInRainbows. Very pretty! And Degrassifangirl69's has super pretty eyes!

Im really excited to see who wins this year!

[Daws]

Oh yay! They're up now!

Everyone's designs are so creative and i can tell they all tried really hard! I have a few in mind that might win but you never know, i guess! I'll name a few that i really liked. Susan Zou's was super original and i love the horns/ears! Very cute! I also really liked Ann's design. Simple but very eye catching and pretty! Elaine Huang and Jacqueline Taylor's is absolutely stunning! I really like the colors!
I love the hair and colors on TrinityInRainbows. Very pretty! And Degrassifangirl69's has super pretty eyes!

Im really excited to see who wins this year!

Did you do the night sky one? I love the eyes! I didn't notice the shooting star til I blew it up, so pretty! I also love how the night sky is inside the umbrella and the look on the little chibi's face as her hand get rained on 

[chocuu]

i'm guessing that Elaine & Jacqueline are going to be the grand winners, i love their entry <3 (i'm susan zou though > u o)

[Heirii]

Did you do the night sky one? I love the eyes! I didn't notice the shooting star til I blew it up, so pretty! I also love how the night sky is inside the umbrella and the look on the little chibi's face as her hand get rained on 

Yes, that one is mine. Cx
Thank you! All those details took me awhile to do. Very tedious! ;ono

I'm happy you like it!

[Bopie98]

Just looked at the winner and the gallery....The winner is GORGEOUS!  The other ones were good too, but I can see how that managed to be number 1.  Any way the artists can put up reference pics that show the mechanics of the outfits for cosplay purposes?  I'm REALLY tempted to do one next year!

[Rathany]

Which mascot won?

[@random]

A picture (or a link) being worth a thousand words: https://www.kumoricon.org/?p=2239

[Rathany]

Thanks   They are adorable.

[veraca]

Yay boy and girl versions in the same "mascot"!

[DSaturn]

Two members from my group actually guessed right this year. They are super adorable and were on my top list.

[Daws]

I called it! still I'm of course a little sad I didn't win, but as soon as I saw theirs  I knew it was the winner. Congrats to Elaine Huang and Jacqueline Taylor! you did an amazing job!