"A Splash of Colour" contest - [closed for judging]

[Priestess of Neptune]

||Introduction||

It has been over half a year since the last contest, so it is high time for another. This contest promises to be a larger event, with more creative license, more prize money, and more chances to win!

Table of Contents:
1. Procedure
1.a. Terse Portion
1.b. Lengthy Portion
1.c. Entry
2. Prizes
2.a. Terse Portion
2.b. Lengthy Portion
3. Program
4. Processing
4.a. Judges
4.b. Rubric
5. Participants
5.a. Terse Portion
5.b. Lengthy Portion
5.c. Donators  

[Priestess of Neptune]

||1. Procedure||

An explanation of how this contest works will be needed, as in allowing for more winning entries, the contest must be larger. Thus, this contest is really two in one, one brief, and one lengthy. Each contest has its own entry fee; there is no limit to the number of entries per contest, except the bounds of your own wealth and time.

Also included in this contest will be guild-wide participation, through voting by members on each piece, which will be further explained in 4. Processing.

||A. Brief Portion||

This section of the contest is shorter in all ways: entries are shorter, and the deadline is sooner, with slightly smaller prizes than the longer portion. There will be two categories in which work will be entered - short poems and short short stories. The length requirements are as follows:

Short Poems: maximum of 30 lines

Short Short Stories: maximum of 600 words, or two pages (whichever comes first)

Due date: March 3, 2010
Entry Fee (per piece): 200 gold

||B. Lengthy Portion||

A converse to its twin, the lengthy portion offers larger prizes, but with the stipulation that more effort be placed into a work, evidenced by lengthier entries. In fairness, we have allowed a longer period of time in which to complete this - twice as long as the short half. Length requirements are as follows:

Poems: minimum of 30 lines

Short Stories: minimum of two pages, maximum of twelve pages

Due date: April 3, 2010
Entry Fee (per piece): 500 gold

||C. Entry||

Entries must be PMed to the judges (one copy to each judge - it is your responsibility to send all four copies. Failure to do so will result in that judge's points lost), and the entry fee(s) must be traded to myself (Priestess of Neptune). Please ensure that your entry is properly formatted within the PM body - if paragraphs/line breaks are unclear, the judges' moods will certainly not be inclined in your favour. Try sending a copy to yourself before sending it to the judges (judges will be listed in 4. Processing). Do not post your submissions to any contest thread - PM them to the judges only. The pieces will be released for guild-wide review near the end of each contest, as described in 4. Processing.  

[Priestess of Neptune]

||2. Prizes||

I am donating 100k to fund this contest. However, prizes listed here are minimums, based upon only what I have used as funding. Contributions, in addition to entry fees, will increase prizes. PM myself (Priestess of Neptune) if you wish to donate.

||A. Brief Portion||

Poetry
1st: 7,500
2nd: 5,000
3rd: 2,500
Popular choice award: 1,000

Prose
1st: 7,500
2nd: 5,000
3rd: 2,500
Popular choice award: 1,000

||B. Lengthy Portion||

Poetry
1st: 15,000
2nd: 7,500
3rd: 4,000
Popular choice award: 1,000

Prose
1st: 20,000
2nd: 10,000
3rd: 5,000
Popular choice award: 1,000  

[Priestess of Neptune]

||3. Program||

Both the short and long contests will use the same program/prompt. Understand that your ability to follow the program, ie. express the prompt through a manner metaphorical, literal, structural, or however else you might choose to do so will be the major determinant of the 'quality' of your piece. The judging criteria will be further detailed in 4. Processing.

So without further ado, here is the program/prompt:

"A Splash of Colour"

Remember, you may explore the program in whatever manner you wish, but your ability to convey the program to the judges will be the determining factor in how well it has been followed. This being said, I will provide three images as an impetus to the thought process. Thanks to Kasi Karra for providing the images.





 

[Priestess of Neptune]

||4. Processing||

Each section of the contest will be judged once it is completed. Once the judges have finalized their scores, the entries will be posted, and guild members will be allowed to vote 0 to 5 points on each piece. This done, the final score for each piece will be available to its respective author, and the entries winning prizes will be announced to the public.

||A. Judges||

Kasi Karra
Priestess of Neptune
5 to Midnight
Collote

||B. Rubric||

Please note that while different aspects have been granted differing amounts of point values, and yes, the point values do reflect the subjective importance of each aspect, that does not mean that things such as spelling and grammar should be sacrificed. In order for you to receive the highest score, you should peruse, proofread, and polish your entry(s).

The "allusion/meaning/purpose/depth" category is the grade for the "so what?" of the piece, or what it is about it that makes it worth reading, that makes it something more than the mundane. All of the other categories are self explanatory.

Poetry

Following the program/prompt: 15
Diction: 15
Allusion/meaning/purpose/depth: 15
Punctuation/rhythm: 10
Structure: 10
Judge's opinion/rating: 10
Spelling: 5
Grammar: 5
Popular vote: 5

Prose

Following the program/prompt: 15
Allusion/meaning/purpose/depth: 15
Characterization: 15
Spelling: 10
Grammar: 10
Plot: 10
Judge's opinion/rating: 10
Description/Imagery: 5
Diction: 5
Popular vote: 5  

[Priestess of Neptune]

||5. Participants||

This list of entrants will be updated as all four judges report that they have received your entry, along with the appropriate entry fee being paid.

||A. Brief Portion||

Poetry:

Prose:

||B. Lengthy Portion||

Poetry: Fiat Lux Aeterna - "Empire: The Histories"
Mythological Irony

Prose:

||C. Donators||

Fiat Lux Aeterna (2k)

||Good Luck!||  

[Fiat Lux Aeterna]

*donates*

I'm working on a poetry piece for this. It's alright if it's a little dark, or if it deals with mature things like drugs, right? emo

This contest looks like fun... I can't wait to see what the other entries are going to be like! whee  

[HolyDemonAndy]

I think I'll definitely be submitting something. I've been wanting to write a story for a little bit now - but I forgot what it was about; although it's on the tip of my tongue, and I think I'll definitely be able to write it in poem form either.

I need to give it possibly many a days' worth of thought on it, however. So forgive me if you don't receive my entry soon. :O

Edit: Maybe I'll even write a poem based around all of my characters. smile

Edit: I'd most likely have to do a poem for each character, however. XD  

[Priestess of Neptune]

@Lux: If you define "mature" as drugs, that would be acceptable. Remember, you are bound by both the Gaia's ToS, and the guild's own ToS. Any overt sexual deviance, swearing, or any other content unsuitable for those below the age of 13 is not permitted. In essence, if you must ask whether or not something is acceptable, then it likely is not. Drug use I will tolerate, only so long as you do not endorse it. It is impossible to teach a lesson without knowledge of what there is to be fended from.

As a tangent, your name is enjoyable. Why did you choose it?

@Andrew: Do not worry about time - the deadline for short entries is not until the 3rd of March. Turning in an entry early does make the judge's lives easier, however.  

[Fiat Lux Aeterna]

Alright, thanks. I've got about 3/5 of my poem done - even though it's short, it's really taking a lot of thought.

My name? Eh, it's a good metaphor for whatever I feel like making it one for. razz But no, really. It's about maintaining the supremacy of the human race over nature, but then understanding that eventually the human race will die out, just as the sun will, although it seems eternal. burning_eyes So while there is, Let There Be Light!

I'm not gonna ask why you chose your SN. razz But anyway, I like your avatar - it's like it's being possessed by the shadow guy behind it, then being forced to commit acts of violence (like against that fishy!). Dark and thought-provoking. Cool.

In any case, I'll try and make anything that might be iffy subtle, or not such a big deal. I just wanted to ask, because drugs are central to my poem. Or at least that's how it's written. They aren't really, though.

EDIT: It looks like my poem is gonna be a longer one (40 lines), and I've figured out a way to make the content didactic while still incorporating my subject matter (sweet!) cool  

[TwoSidesToMe14]

I don't get the prompt. Most of my stuff is dark, unexpected kinds of stuff. Do I have to make it light and bubbly?  

[Kasi Karra]

We knew that if we made the prompt too specific that all of the entries would look some what similar to each other so we made the prompt a little abstract to let you interpret it however you like.  

[Fiat Lux Aeterna]

Hah, mine is definitely NOT going to be light and bubbly.

Don't forget, red is also a colour... but that's all the help I'm going to hand out.