Internet Outreach Social Media Art Contest

Summary:

Something we would like to do

Internet Outreach Social Media Art Contest

RJB_R 27 May 2017 18:31

The SCP Foundation Internet Outreach team would like to run an art contest through the social media pages. As a prize, we would like permission for placing the winning artworks at the top of some hub pages for a few months.

Prospective Rules:

---

SCP Social Media Art Contest

It's the tenth year anniversary of the foundation of the SCP Foundation! To celebrate, aside from doing the most contests we've ever done in a year on the mainsite, we will be running the first-ever Social Media Art Contest!

This contest is about celebrating SCPs of all sorts, new and old, as well as the other actors in the SCP Universe.

Categories will be Series I, Series II, Series III, Series IV, Characters, Mobile Task Forces and Groups of Interest. Entries will consist of artwork from articles in each of those categories.

Winners will have their artwork displayed at the top of the various series pages until January 2018!

---

Rules:

1. Art must meet a resolution of 500 by 500.
2. The piece must be safe for work.
3. There are no limit on how many pieces of art an individual can contribute but one person cannot win multiple categories.
4. Must depict one SCP, Character, or Group of Interest relevant to the category. SCPs from groups of interest are allowed as long as it is clear what category it is being submitted to.
5. Entries can be emailed to (The Official SCP Gmail).
6. File name must indicate who or what is being depicted.
7. Brownie points will be given to entries depicting lesser-known content.

Contest will run from July 1st 2017 to August 15th 2017. Entries will be judged for the next month, possibly two months if the volume of submissions are large enough.

What Will I Win? Winners will have their displayed on the hubs relevant to their category for the remainder of the year. (Or other amount of time)

(Potential) Judges:

LilyFlower
EldritchCyanide does not match any existing user name

---

If everyone is cool with this, or has suggestions for ways to adjust it, then we would run it at the specified times. We will also take volunteers for judges if anyone wishes to help out. We figure this would be a fun thing and a nice way to get some main wiki/satellite fandom interaction going.

It would be announced across the various pages, and given continued coverage throughout the proceedings. We expect to receive quite a large volume of art but not an unmanageable one. We may also create a main site art gallery with everything following the conclusion of entries being added.

So basically, you guys have any problems with this being done?

---

Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you!

Re: Internet Outreach Social Media Art Contest

(account deleted) 27 May 2017 18:52

This sounds great. The only thing I'm unclear on is whether or not contestants need to have a Wikidot account and site membership or just a fandom presence, since you're talking about the satellite fandom meeting the mainsite and whatnot. I'd recommend that contestants need a Wikidot account (they're free and easy to set up, after all) and site membership, and thus need to meet the wiki's age limit of 15. A lot of satellite fandom members are underage (sometimes massively so — I know artists on Tumblr who are as young as 12 and 13) and it'd be weird/contradictory to let satellite fandom people who aren't of age to be on the wiki have something of theirs potentially featured/linked on the wiki.

We may also create a main site art gallery with everything following the conclusion of entries being added.

Maybe add it to the artwork hub LurkD and I revamped a few months back?

---

Edit: A few things I forgot to mention:

I'd love to be on the team for this (since you're asking for judges) but I will say that my experience in analyzing art is in graphic design, not traditional media like drawing. Are we allowing all art forms for this (like graphic design/digital/abstract/representative rather than literal/etc.) or is it centered around drawing and traditional art forms?

Last edited on 27 May 2017 22:27 by (account deleted) Show more

Re: Internet Outreach Social Media Art Contest

MrWrong 28 May 2017 02:19

The only thing I'm unclear on is whether or not contestants need to have a Wikidot account and site membership or just a fandom presence

Agreeing with this uncertainty. Most optimally, a Wikidot account and site membership would be needed. Or should we use membership/subscription for the SCP Foundation on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter etc. (e.g. assuming that I am a member of the SCP deviant art group only, would I be able to join based on that)?

it'd be weird/contradictory to let satellite fandom people who aren't of age to be on the wiki have something of theirs potentially featured/linked on the wiki.

I think they can still be credited, with an off-site link to their other body of works.

Lastly, for a contest called "Social Media Art Contest", it appears that submission will be not public. I don't see how "social media" comes into play here (beyond the ambiguous "through social media pages"). From the description above, it is less misleading if you use the term 'Art Contest'. And yes, I am nitpicking at this point.

Last edited on 28 May 2017 02:21 by MrWrong Show more

Re: Internet Outreach Social Media Art Contest

RJB_R 01 Jun 2017 20:39

I would like to be promoting the art, perhaps we can go with teas suggestion of a dA group to feature them publicly

---

Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you!

Re: Internet Outreach Social Media Art Contest

subtletea 02 Jun 2017 00:13

If it's going to be a social media contest I would argue that membership/subscription for the SCP Foundation social media sites be all that's required to enter the contest- if someone from deviantArt or tumblr or any other of our social media sites enters the contest, then they will have a main page on their respective social media site we can link to in an onsite gallery or on a dA page, whichever.

Re: Internet Outreach Social Media Art Contest

Blaroth 27 May 2017 20:20

I'd say remove the 'no nsfw' thing, as just gore and blood (Which is a big part of scp) is well, nsfw. If you do not remove it then I suggest defining nsfw entries.

Re: Internet Outreach Social Media Art Contest

RJB_R 27 May 2017 20:22

I say so only because if they're going to be on top of the pages we should show stuff that won't alienate people. I can make it more specific.

---

Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you!

Re: Internet Outreach Social Media Art Contest

LilyFlower 27 May 2017 20:23

It's actually (as far as I know) against both site and wikidot rules to have porn posted, so that would have to be barred, not sure about gore etc. since it's all art.

---

~🌸~Flower Power~🌸~

Re: Internet Outreach Social Media Art Contest

(account deleted) 27 May 2017 21:03

not sure about gore etc. since it's all art.

Technically Wikidot's content rules don't permit any "graphic" content, I believe, whether it's sexual, gore-related, blood-related, violent in general, or otherwise R-rated. Cartoonish stuff would probably be fine Wikidot rules-wise, but then we have the photorealism question (what if two people were to draw a gory scene but the photorealistic higher-effort one is "worse" and is disqualified even though both pieces are the same content?) and it'd probably be better to just avoid it. As an initial brainstorming pitch, I'd say this:

• No gore
• Only mild blood
• No nudity
• No clothed sexual content (stuff that is clearly contextually NSFW)

…Might be safe, fair, and in line with Wikidot's rules. Idk. There's definitely a lot of violent stuff specifically going on in SCPs, and I wish we could allow its depiction safely.

Re: Internet Outreach Social Media Art Contest

Rejekyll 27 May 2017 21:00

I suggest including a list of acceptable file formats (jpg, png, pdf, etc) to make things easier for y'all.

Re: Internet Outreach Social Media Art Contest

Vincent_Redgrave 28 May 2017 17:23

Unfortunately, I will not have time to participate or assist with this, beyond showing off the winners on tumblr after it's done.

However, I think we need to have a specific place to host and showcase the images in an easy manner that isn't going to be an exhausting amount of work for us, and specific requirements for submission as far as resolution and file format.

Do we want to separate for categories of artwork as well? such as digital art, graphic design, sculpture/other 3D art, black-and-white like what sunny does, etc? Or is that getting too complex?

Re: Internet Outreach Social Media Art Contest

(account deleted) 29 May 2017 00:43

I think separate categories would be good and fair for people who have differing talents. It's hard to judge "best" pieces when their styles are radically different.

Re: Internet Outreach Social Media Art Contest

subtletea 29 May 2017 02:16

Maybe a DeviantArt account created specifically for SCP Art contests, as opposed to just a group? The submissions could be emailed to an associated email and then posted there.

Re: Internet Outreach Social Media Art Contest

RJB_R 02 Jun 2017 16:41

The main points I'm gathering from this thread and other feedback I've gotten is such:

• Social media contest needs more involvement from social media
• File format and image size need to be more liberal/flexible
• More explicit content guidelines.

So here's what I'm thinking: The contest is done mostly across the social media pages, only requiring following or being a member of one of those sites and not being on the main wiki. Entrants can submit as many pieces as they want, as long as they are around 1000x1000 in order for them to fit at the top of these hub pages. The file format can be anything but if it affects the visual quality of the piece then that could factor into judging. We could do as tea suggested and have a contest dA group for this and future contests to give a display place and also for future contests. We could also just make a new contest folder on the dA for these entries to be submitted to. There would also be a wiki page from which information would be presented and WikiDot site members could participate.

I think people are cool with the prize of having the art featured at the top of hub pages. I had heard one person say it might harm immersion, but it's only going to be at the top of the page and I think an artistic image depicting an in-universe element would enhance immersion, especially if we presented it just as the image with a caption linking to the SCP and the artist in the same way we've done with dragon snails and such.

---

Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you!

Re: Internet Outreach Social Media Art Contest

(account deleted) 02 Jun 2017 19:37

I still am slightly concerned about letting people who are not wiki members and potentially underage enter into something that directly involves placement on the wiki upon winning. I can agree to disagree on that, though, but this part also grabs my attention:

The file format can be anything but if it affects the visual quality of the piece then that could factor into judging.

I really think we should just say .png, .pdf, or .jpg/.jpeg. If we say "any file type", we're going to get people sending us art programs' native file formats that we can't open. I don't know of any program that won't let people export as one of those aforementioned file types, so it shouldn't be an obstacle.

Re: Internet Outreach Social Media Art Contest

RJB_R 30 Jun 2017 20:15

Alright, I've been busy with some class stuff but I think I've got a good setup based on the feedback in this thread and elsewhere:

Rules&Conditions:

1. Winners would have their art displayed on corresponding hub pages until January 1st, 2018.
2. Art must be sent to <email> or through a social media page with the artist's name and the category they wish to enter the piece in as the file name.
3. Content of art must be relevant to the category. The same artwork cannot be submitted into multiple categories.
4. Categories will be SCPs from Series I, Series II, Series III, Series IV, along with Characters, Mobile Task Forces and Groups of Interest.
5. Art can be submitted if it was originally posted within 30 days prior to the contest officially beginning.
6. Art must be safe for work, so that it can be displayed on the hub pages. While blood, guts and glory are all part of the SCP universe, they're not part of this contest.
7. The posting period would last between <posting date> and August 15th. From there, the judging period will last between 1-2 months depending on volume of entries.
8. Identity of the judges will be kept secret until after the announcement of the winners. Attempts at sucking up to tumblr/deviantArt/facebook/reddit/twitter/tumblr mods may result in disqualification and/or eternal shame.
9. Image resolution should be. 640x356. All entries should be submitted using the .png format.
10. During the contest, batches of images will be submitted to the SCP Foundation social media pages. These selections will not be made by the judges and may or may not correspond with their opinions. All artists will be fully credited in these posts.

I like the idea of setting up a contest dA, for this and possible future endeavors even on the dA alone. If subtletea still wants to get that rolling I see no reason to stop her. If anyone has further suggestions for rules and regulations for this contest, please post them here. I'm planning on having social media posts go out once things are set up from IO's end, and making a contest forum post on the main site directing people to the social media pages.

---

Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you!

Re: Internet Outreach Social Media Art Contest

(account deleted) 30 Jun 2017 22:11

Having kept up with this thread and thought about the topic quite a bit the past month, this seems like a comprehensive way to run the contest and I for one support it. My only qualm is this:

Image resolution should be. 640x356

That's so minuscule, though. I'm guessing that's just the size you'll want to use for when the winner(s) is/are up on the wiki in some format, but can't we just export the winning piece in that size but let people submit in larger resolutions? 640x356 is going to severely limit visual detail in certain styles and pieces, I'd suspect. Not to mention some people will probably have ideas that require vastly different aspect ratios, resolution aside.

Last edited on 30 Jun 2017 22:11 by (account deleted) Show more

Re: Internet Outreach Social Media Art Contest

RJB_R 30 Jun 2017 22:12

Maybe better to not specify a resolution but let people know that the images will be displayed at that resolution?

---

Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you!

Re: Internet Outreach Social Media Art Contest

(account deleted) 30 Jun 2017 23:54

My only concern with specifying a resolution is that it might limit the place of aspect ratio in contributing to the tone/meaning of a piece. If we say, for example, that a submission needs to be 1920x1080 or something, then everyone is limited to the 16:9 aspect ratio. Someone with a piece depicting a really long portrait aspect ratio or a square or anything else would have to redo their idea for an aspect ratio they don't want to use. A potential solution might be listing three options (a landscape one, a portrait one, and a square one) for resolution, so that we receive consistent submissions but people aren't forced into using portrait or landscape when their intention was something square, et cetera.

Of course, I have in mind that this might complicate things, so I suppose it is possible to just say that using a required aspect ratio and resolution is just part of the challenge for consistency's sake (if we do this, I'd recommend using landscape or square).

Re: Internet Outreach Social Media Art Contest

Joreth 01 Jul 2017 20:32

Limiting resolution, or ratio, isn't the greatest choice. We can specify that images will be displayed on the page in a certain way (for instance 500 pixels wide) but I think limiting the resolution is bad.

Re: Internet Outreach Social Media Art Contest

Decibelles 04 Jul 2017 01:24

Is photography acceptable?

Re: Internet Outreach Social Media Art Contest

(account deleted) 04 Jul 2017 01:54

I feel like the parameters of that could get complicated, but that excluding it is also not the way to go? Idk, I feel like if we involve photography, we're opening the doors to a flood of sub-par entries from people who think photography is 'the easy art' and doesn't require effort (a sadly common viewpoint), and we're also involving the complications with image editing versus graphic design versus photography versus photorealistic art and ad infinitum. And then we're going to have so many types of art that it won't be possible to pick only a few overall winners.

I think that for the sake of organization, if we allow photography, that's enough to warrant art type categories and winners in each category. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it will make things a little less straightforward.

Re: Internet Outreach Social Media Art Contest

subtletea 01 Jul 2017 15:50

Zhange PM'd me in chat with input about making a dA page for the entries. I'm in favor of this approach. Pardon the name, also, I was eating breakfast and out the door to an appointment.

+ PM logs

2017-07-01 09:36:29] <Zhange> I have some opinions on the art comp if you have time to hear me out
[2017-07-01 09:38:01] <EnglishBreakfastTea> Yep!
[2017-07-01 09:38:14] <Zhange> Ok thanks
[2017-07-01 09:38:24] <Zhange> So about one of the things in discussion
[2017-07-01 09:38:56] <Zhange> I think that posting the images from a specific contest DA account would cause problems
[2017-07-01 09:39:23] <Zhange> Many people, myself included, tend to post our stuff on DA
[2017-07-01 09:40:44] <Zhange> It sort of hinders the exposure and recognition, and double posting would lead to accusations of art theft by people who don't read descriptions.
[2017-07-01 09:42:17] <Zhange> I realise that many people do not have accounts on each social media site, which seems to be a large concern.
[2017-07-01 09:44:04] <Zhange> However, I've seen how some groups on DA deal with this problem. (not sure about other sites tho, since DA is the only one that I'm familiar with)
[2017-07-01 09:54:17] <Zhange> EnglishBreakfastTea I think
[2017-07-01 09:54:36] <Zhange> I've suggested this to someone before? But I forgot
[2017-07-01 09:54:39] <Zhange> So
[2017-07-01 09:55:26] <Zhange> It could work for people to send their files with links to their social media posts as well
[2017-07-01 09:56:55] <Zhange> on DA, everything can be put in a group journal. The images hosted on that site can be put as thumbnails, while images on other sites (Tumblr, Instagram etc) can be added as links to those locations.
[2017-07-01 09:57:33] <Zhange> This would get all the entries in one place without having to make a whole new account and causing confusion regarding who the artist is
[2017-07-01 10:01:05] <EnglishBreakfastTea> Even if you have brought it up before, it's perfectly alright to bring it up again. I'm going into a doctors appointment right now, so with your permission I'll log this on o5 and also relay it to the rest internet outreach team in about an hour and a half.

Last edited on 01 Jul 2017 15:50 by subtletea Show more

Re: Internet Outreach Social Media Art Contest

RJB_R 04 Jul 2017 00:27

That sounds good, when things get rolling we'll get that set up. Planning for launching this on the 5th so we have folks undivided attention.

---

Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you!

Re: Internet Outreach Social Media Art Contest

RJB_R 09 Jul 2017 23:58

Noting that we're holding off until a few IO members can commit their full attention, so I'll get a final amended ruleset and such out this week.

---

Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you!

Re: Internet Outreach Social Media Art Contest

Decibelles 01 Jul 2017 23:05

Just wanna say that I am in love with the idea of an art contest.

I don't know if y'all have done this but I'd look to the Japanese site for inspiration for this. This is the contest they ran last year, and I don't think the way they went about it (posting articles for their art) was necessarily bad; you can still do quite a lot like this, and I think lets people easily identify artists and the work they post just as well.

Last edited on 01 Jul 2017 23:09 by Decibelles Show more

Re: Internet Outreach Social Media Art Contest

RJB_R 18 Jul 2017 02:41

http://www.scp-wiki.net/forum/t-2896231/social-media-art-contest it's up and started!

---

Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you!