* Hello, Comrades! - We have reached the deadline for the Shades of Autumn Contest. Please join us in thanking all the wonderful artists who have submitted entries to the contest. We at Djinn will now begin the daunting task of our final review of all these great entries and choosing the winners. Please check out all the entries here: [link] . We will begin announcing the winners soon. *

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Well, we've got a lot of new Autumn Country stuff in the works and to help kick it off we thought we'd host a mid-year Autumn Country contest (mid-year from Autumn, that is). This one is similar to the big annual contest, but with a focus on illustrating and adding to the world of Autumn Country as close to 'canon' as possible.

One of the main reasons we are slanting this contest in this way is to promote an entirely new aspect of the official Autumn Country site, called Shades of Autumn. This part of the site will permanently feature stories and artwork that have captured particularly well the characters, themes and visual imagery of the Autumn Country project. Here are the details.

The 1st Annual Shades of Autumn Contest

Contest Overview:

- Create original art works illustrating or expanding on the stories and/or characters of Autumn Country; DJINN Productions' fictional frameworld that explores myth, folklore, strangeness, and storytelling (among other things). These can be related to existing stories or they can be entirely new, but the focus is on being as true as possible to the 'frame world' that Autumn Country has established.

- The contest includes several categories. You can submit in multiple categories and you can submit as many entries as you like. The categories are:

Visual Arts; i.e. drawings, paintings, photo-manips, collage, motion pictures, etc.

Writing; i.e. stories, vignettes, screenplays, poetry (no, we're not kidding about the poetry)

Branding & Merch; i.e. posters, T-shirt designs, promotional material, bumper stickers, anything that might help spread the word about Autumn Country (no matter how odd the idea or design).

* New Category *

Stock Imagery; i.e. Stock images created specifically to illustrate, and help other artists illustrate, the world of Autumn Country. These do not necessarily have to be Model Stock, but ALL ENTRIES in this category must state which specific character, place, or thing from AC the image is intended to represent.

- Entries do not have to be brand new works of art, but they do have to relate very closely to the stories, characters, and specific themes of Autumn Country.

- Judging will be based on creativity, execution, and how well the piece captures the 'Autumn Country vibe' while staying true to the 'mechanics' of the Autumn Country world. For the Branding & Merch category, judging will also be based on the usability and potential impact of the design or idea.

- Deadline: June 5, 2009

PRIZES

First Prize in the Visual Arts, Writing, and Stock Categories
- Permanent feature of the winning entries on the Shades of Autumn site
- 1-month subscription to dA (donated by *simplexkitten)
- A small Autumn Country print
- One of my patented 550 Cord bracelets
- Feature in my journal

First Prize in the Branding & Merch Category
- Opportunity to negotiate the official use of your entry to promote AC
- 1-month subscription to dA (donated by *simplexkitten)
- A small Autumn Country print
- One of my patented 550 Cord bracelets
- Feature in my journal

Second Prize in Each Category
- A small Autumn Country print
- One of my patented 550 Cord bracelets
- A page from Nicolas Martin's journal

Third Prize in Each Category
- A small Autumn Country print
- One of my patented 550 Cord bracelets


(If you would be interested in donating a prize for the contest, please send me a note and I will gratefully add it to the list.)


REFERENCES
For those of you who have no idea what the heck all of this is about: Autumn Country is here: [link] . The site, and how you travel through it, is a big part of the story - so have fun exploring. There will be new content of various types over the coming weeks. We'll post a note at ~AutumnCountry as they are released. (And remember, much of Autumn Country exists outsite the bounds of the 'official' site).

If you want more background info please check out Autumn Country's site here at dA; ~AutumnCountry

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If you have questions or need clarification on any of this, just ask.

More soon.

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Jade's Stock Photo Request Policy:
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As of March 2008, the only stock photos I will produce will be requests. If you need something specific for a project, I'd love to hear your pitch. To clarify, I'm not looking for ideas (I've got plenty of those), I am interested in collaborating with serious artists who need specific images or references. Please see this journal entry for complete details: [link]

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Jade's Stock Usage Boilerplate
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The rule of thumb with my stock is: (Almost) No Rules. Do whatever non-commercial thing you want with them. If you need them to help you make a little dough that's great, just contact me so we can work something out. Thank you.

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Curator of:


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Host of P O R T F O L I O, Dangerously Cool, & DS2 and Autumn Country's Liaison to the Real World

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