Beginners Beautiful Pen Contest
1 - This is a contest to find the most beautiful pen made by a beginner. It is open to any member who has been making pens less then six (6) months and there are some great prizes to be won. This contest is being held on the "honor system". Since I can't actually check on how long you've been turning, I hope you will abide by this system. If you are a new member but have been making pens for longer then the last six (6) months, there are still contests for you to enter and win so please let the real "Newbies" have a chance to show their work and maybe win something .
2 - It must be a ballpoint kit pen with no alterations beyond what the kit instructions call for. No roller ball, fountain, or "kitless" pens will be accepted in this contest. There is a contest for other kit types, it is the Beautiful Pen Contest. There is also a contest for your "kitless" creations, it is the Freestyle Contest. You can cast, dye, inlay, segment, or whatever in this contest. Just be sure you follow the KIT requirements as this is not a modified or freestyle contest.
No laser or decal work please. This is a beautiful pen contest not a beautiful decal or laser work contest.
The laser work refers to laser inlay kits as well as engraving. These kits show the design talent and workmanship of the kit maker and the laser equipment, more so than the actual turner, therefore they will not be allowed.
Here is a question that was asked based on my "pre-contest" announcement. It was such a valid question I asked the person if I could post it publicly along with my answer so that it helps clarify it for everyone:
Question:
"Hi Landon,
When you specified no laser work, were you just targeting kits and laser work done by third parties? This is a good rule.
I own a laser and have used it creatively in my pen making. Would I be able to submit a pen that incorporated some of my own laser work, or is this also not allowed. Thanks."
Response:
In keeping with the idea to keep a level playing field in the Beginners and Intermediate contests, we have elected to use the "no laser work" rule. You can enter more than one contest and I would encourage you to go all out and put those skills to work in the Freestyle contest. We want the other (beginner and intermediate) contests to be more about the pen, the blank, and the workmanship of the "freehand" turner and less about the fancy CNC machines and the expensive laser equipment. While using this other equipment makes use of very special skills, those skills are allowed to be shown in other contests. Thanks for your question. I hope this clarifies my stance on the subject.
3 - Only one pen per person, so make it your best work. Take the best pictures you can because the quality of your pen will be based on what we can see. Keep your backgrounds and props simple so they do not distract the eye from your pen.
A maximum of 3 photos will be allowed.
4 - The pen must be made for the contest by the person entering the contest and not have been shown before Feb 1 2011.
5 - You are required to include the name of the kit, a brief description of the pen and/or materials, and a photo.
6 - Finalists will be chosen based on the fit, finish, and "wow" factor of your pen. A panel of judges will choose the top 3 pens and the winner will be chosen by an open poll.
Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third places.
All entries must be received by 9:00 PM EST* on Feb 12th.
*9:01 is too late.
Please do not wait until the last minute.
The poll will be posted on Feb 15th, and voting will end at 9:30 PM Mountain time on Feb 22nd.
Winners will be announced Feb 26th.
PLEASE DO NOT POST YOUR ENTRY DIRECTLY TO ANY THREAD.
ONLY ENTRIES SUBMITTED VIA THE ENTRY LINK WILL BE ELIGIBLE. After the entry is received, I will post it anonymously to the appropriate thread.
Only one entry per person will be allowed.
Feel free to contact me by PM if you have any questions.
Intermediate Beautiful Pen Contest
Here are the rules:
1 - It must be a kit pen.
Minor alterations such as custom finials, swapped out "pimp stones", or "hidden" clips will be allowed.
Do not go overboard on any alterations to the kit, this is not the modified contest. If you think it is possibly a questionable alteration, you had best not do it. Pens deemed "overly modified" by the judges will be disqualified. Please don't force this to happen, there are other contests to display those skills other than this one.
No "kitless" pens will be accepted in this category. There is a contest for your "kitless" creations, it is the Freestyle Contest found.
You are required to include the name of the kit and a brief description of the pen and/or materials and a photo. Feel free to use wood, acrylic (any version) clay or whatever medium you like. You can cast, dye, inlay, segment, or whatever in this contest. Just be sure you follow the KIT requirements.
No laser or decal work please. This is a beautiful pen contest not a beautiful decal or laser work contest.
The laser work refers to laser inlay kits as well as engraving. These kits show the design talent and workmanship of the kit maker and the laser equipment, more so than the actual turner, therefore they will not be allowed.
Here is a question that was asked based on my "pre-contest" announcement. It was such a valid question I asked the person if I could post it publicly along with my answer so that it helps clarify it for everyone:
Question:
"Hi Landon,
When you specified no laser work, were you just targeting kits and laser work done by third parties? This is a good rule.
I own a laser and have used it creatively in my pen making. Would I be able to submit a pen that incorporated some of my own laser work, or is this also not allowed. Thanks."
Response:
"In keeping with the idea to keep a level playing field in the Beginners and Intermediate contests, we have elected to use the "no laser work" rule. You can enter more than one contest and I would encourage you to go all out and put those skills to work in the Freestyle contest. We want the other (beginner and intermediate) contests to be more about the pen, the blank, and the workmanship of the "freehand" turner and less about the fancy CNC machines and the expensive laser equipment. While using this other equipment makes use of very special skills, those skills are allowed to be shown in other contests. Thanks for your question. I hope this clarifies my stance on the subject."
2 - Only one pen per person, so make it your best work. Take the best pictures you can because the quality of your pen will be based on what we can see. Keep your backgrounds and props simple so they do not distract the eye from your pen.
A maximum of 3 photos will be allowed.
3 - The pen must be made for the contest by the person entering the contest and not have been shown before Feb 1 2011.
4 - You are required to include the name of the kit, a brief description of the pen and/or materials, and a photo.
5 - Finalists will be chosen based on the fit, finish, and "wow" factor of your pen. A panel of judges will choose the top 3 pens and the winner will be chosen by an open poll.
Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third places.
All entries must be received by 9:00 PM EST*on Feb 18th.
*9:01 is too late.
Please do not wait until the last minute.
The poll will be posted on Feb 19th, and voting will end at 9:30 PM Mountain time on Feb 26th.
Winners will be announced Feb 28th.
PLEASE DO NOT POST YOUR ENTRY DIRECTLY TO ANY THREAD.
ONLY ENTRIES SUBMITTED VIA THE ENTRY LINK WILL BE ELIGIBLE. After the entry is received, I will post it anonymously to the appropriate thread.
Only one entry per person will be allowed.
Feel free to contact me by PM if you have any questions.
Freestyle Pen Contest
The objective is simply to make a functional pen. Only pens that are new to the site this month will be eligible. Not important when you started, it just has to be a pen that wasn't shown publicly prior to February 1st 2011.
As was done last year, we would like to keep the entries anonymous through the use of the entry form. Please try to use a "plain" background. That is one free of your "normal" backdrops and/or props so that it does not give obvious clues to your identity.
PLEASE DO NOT POST YOUR ENTRY DIRECTLY TO ANY THREAD.
ONLY ENTRIES SUBMITTED VIA THE ENTRY LINK WILL BE ELIGIBLE. After the entry is received, I will post it anonymously to the appropriate thread.
Only one entry per person will be allowed.
All entries must be received by 9:00 PM EST* on Feb 18th.
*9:01 is too late.
Please do not wait until the last minute.
Judging this year will again be a 2 part process. First a secret panel of judges will pick the top 4 pens, then we will post the top 3 to a poll to let users vote for the winners. The poll will be posted on Feb 19th, and voting will end at 9:30 PM Mountain time on Feb 26th.
Winners will be announced Feb 29th.
This contest is open to anybody who wants to compete. Any and all styles of pen will work. While "Kit Pens" will be allowed, this is a freestyle contest so strive to think "outside the box" a bit. A nice kit pen might be better of in the BEAUTIFUL PEN contest. Qualities to be taken into consideration by the judges will be:
[FONT="]Originality of concept and materials (uniqueness of each)[/FONT]
[FONT="]Workmanship (how well the concept and materials were implemented)[/FONT]
[FONT="]Functionality (it must be a usable, working pen), Fit, and Finish[/FONT]
[FONT="]Overall "WOW factor" (how it gives you that jaw dropping feeling)[/FONT]
Each of these qualities will carry equal weight during the judging so keep that in mind as you plan, prepare and finish your entry.
These places will be based on the user votes of the judges' Finalists:
1st place ---Prize TBA
2nd place---Prize TBA
3rd place---Prize TBA
***These winners will be decided by the judges/random draw***
Almost Made It (4th place) - For the pen that almost made it into the voting but didn't.
Prize TBA
Random Voter - This one is simple, all you have to do is follow along with the thread and vote for your favorite pen. I will randomly pick one voters from the list, and give you a prize. Because the voting is kept secret, be sure to post that you have voted to get your name in the drawing.
Prize TBA
Basic Rules Recap
- Entry must be a working/usable pen.
- You can enter only once. You should try to take the best pictures possible (up to 3). While this is not a photo contest, judges will be using the photos to quantify the quality of the pen. (For example, if the pen appears out of round in the pictures the judges will have to assume it is out of round)
- In the event of a tie in the public poll, the winner will be decided by the judges.
- Entries MUST be submitted via the entry form link provided in the contest entry thread.
- Have Fun!!!!