Mascot and cover contests will start shortly - suggestions?

[JeffT]

The highly anticipated mascot and book cover contests will begin within the week.

The rules last year are posted here: http://www.kumoricon.org/forums/index.php?topic=4497.0;all

I plan on having the rules be very similar this time. I'm going to cut out some of the technical details from the rules to make the rules shorter, and because it's not necessary--we can adapt to what is submitted. If anybody has any comments or suggestions for changes in the rules, please make them in this thread!

Somebody asked whether staff or all attendees would vote. This year, I plan on having it be a staff vote again. The reasons for this are:

1. We don't yet have an attendee web site login system for pre-registered attendees.

2. Voting at-con doesn't work for the mascot because it's not enough time to use the ranked voting system, which is the most fair. It doesn't work for the books because they have to be printed before the con!

3. When we opened voting to the web without logging on in an earlier year, there were problems with ballot-stuffing, and it wouldn't be fair.

We might switch to a pre-registration system in the future that lets us do voting among all attendees.

[bastett08]

Could we possibly have a theme this year for the cover contest?  Like chibi, lolita or maybe "Alice in Wonderland" or something?  It would help those who just have a hard time coming up with ideas so that it might help the judging process and the creative process as well.

Also, for those who have already sent in their money for the booth in the artist alley, if this person wins can he/she pass it onto someone else who has already pre-regged but just couldn't get their money in for the artist alley booth?

[JeffT]

Also, for those who have already sent in their money for the booth in the artist alley, if this person wins can he/she pass it onto someone else who has already pre-regged but just couldn't get their money in for the artist alley booth?

Quick reply to this part: The artist alley table is for 2009--the year after this one--because the winner is not even announced until the end of the con.

[JeffT]

I think I am going to go with not having a specific theme. As the mascot is a strong representative symbol of the con, I don't want to limit the mascot to any one sub-section of fandom, nor imply that that theme is now Kumoricon's primary theme for that year.

Of course, entrants are free to use a theme in their entry. All the themes you named would be fine in a mascot.

There is also a little bit of guidance in Kumoricon's theme in general: The umbrella, clouds, Oregon, and the blue color (although blue is not a requirement by any means).

We then try to incorporate themes of the winning mascot into the web site and other publicity design for that year, especially the color scheme and shortcut icon.