April's Challenge asks us to look to a fellow TrekBBSer's art and be Inspired by Laura. Posters have also been making suggestions for the May's Challenge Theme, which of those ideas inspire you to vote? Please feel free to vote whether you intend to create an entry or not, we want to generate as much interest and participation as possible. And let us know how you've voted below and why: what piques your interest about each theme, what you think we might see. You never know, your thoughts could just be the spark that lights someone's imagination and leads to a new piece of Star Trek Art. THE NEUTRAL ZONE remains and the Themes within it, which scored the lowest average in the polls, are in danger of being eliminated from future votes. We have Twenty Themes suggested by BBS members for you to choose from and you have until the poll closes on the 1st May to vote for your FOUR favourites. Details for each Theme are as follows: Specific Show -- Deep Space Nine Dedicated to art inspired by one specific Star Trek show or era. Each month you have the opportunity to vote for a different era cycling through: TOS/TAS --> TNG --> DS9 --> VOY --> ENT --> MOVIES --> DSC --> PIC --> LDS --> PRO --> SNW --> TOS/TAS --> ... The More Things Change Time may move at warp speed, but not everything does. Show us how something Trek has changed over the years - landscapes, buildings, ships, people, beliefs. The New Next Generation What's next for Star Trek? Show us what could follow your favorite incarnation of Star Trek or the future of fandom itself: the Next Generation of Star Trek fans. Beginnings A New Year is here so taking inspiration from that show us some Trek Art related to new Beginnings. It could be inspired by something from the start of your favourite series or show us the beginning of a new mission, the introduction of a new character, ship or family member. Tall Tales Or, a funny thing happened on the way to Delta Vega. Dedicated to those adventures that are the most bizarre and unbelievable, the ones where if you described them to someone they'd reckon you'd done a little too much LDS - Abraham Lincoln floating in space, holograms taking over the Enterprise, being shrunk to the size of a toy, evolving into a lizard?! Or perhaps you can think of something even weirder than those we've seen on the show. Timekeeping We know our Starfleet crews get themselves into all sorts of temporal scrapes, but how do they (and other galactic citizens) tell the time wherever they are? Apart from stardates, the odd PADD/viewscreen display, Sisko's Saltah'na clock, and a couple of "antique" 20th century watches, what do contemporary timepieces look like in the Star Trek time periods? Especially those from worlds other than Earth? After all, not everywhere has a 24 hour day... Not Good Enough Art inspired by unpopular episodes. Today Is A Good Day to Die-o-rama Release your inner child with a diorama demonstrating anything Trek - landscapes, ships, historical moments. Make it or draw it, if you prefer. Mixed media - use any material you want. Rules To Live By Rules of Acquisition, Lefler's Laws, and more! Illustrate a principle espoused by a character or species and how it might play out in real life, in the Trek universe. (Bonus points if you use an actual episode/film scenario to prove the rule.) Black and White...and Grey Illustrate something Trek without color. Prove to everyone that Trek looks good, no matter what. Signs and Symbols Every good organization has a logo, a banner, or insignia. Design a variation on an already-seen icon, such as the Starfleet Delta or the IDIC (perhaps an earlier version, or a different race's take on it). Or create a flag, symbol, or emblem for a race that currently doesn't have one. Your fanon design might just become canon someday! Texture Is For Kings Engage your creative juices to create something Trek that's so tactile in appearance that you could reach out and touch it (if it weren't for that pesky computer screen in the way, that is!) To Seek Out New(born) Life What did your favorite characters look and act like as babies? How would our grown-up characters interact with any infantile organisms they might encounter? Your artwork must have a baby/babies, or something related to infancy. Memory Alpha Roulette Hit the "Random Page" button on Memory Alpha (top left next to the logo, hover over "Explore" and click on "Random Page"). The first two in-universe articles you get are the subject of your artwork (or at least the first one you like). Gift Shop Goodies Who doesn't love souvenirs? Imagine what visitors, passengers, and tourists might bring home as a memory of their stay on the Enterprise, visit to DS9, vacation on Vulcan, etc. Whether it's an actual piece of the ship, a funny t-shirt, a pretty postcard, or something more outrageous, one thing is certain; it'll always remind you of your visit. World Buildings Dust off your set square and set up your drafting board. Show us some of the Trek buildings we never got to see. What does the Temple of T'Panit look like? Where does the Department of Temporal Investigations hang up their clock? How about Station Salem-One prior to the attack? What did Zefram Cochrane High School look like when Geordi attended it? Or create your own building for your favorite species' education, business, religion, etc. An Unexpected Perspective Mostly we see the Star Trek Universe from the point-of-view of our heros, but how do others perceive their life in the future? Show us an interpretation of life in the Trekiverse from a different perspective, perhaps from that of the villains or a small child, animals, space-aliens or pets (Livingston, Porthos, Grudge...) or maybe even from that of technology or the Starships themselves - the stranger, the better. The Catwalk What fashion can be found sashaying down the catwalks (runways for the Americans ) of Cait, Fillandia (Ariolo), and Janus VI? Would a Xindi-Aquatic wear Tholian silk? And what would an Aurelian wear to pop to the shops? Your task is to design an item of apparel, an outfit, costume or uniform (not necessarily Starfleet) for a non-humanoid Federation citizen or other denizen of the Star Trek Universe. Preferably being worn by said non-humanoid! [THE NEUTRAL ZONE] Leap of Faith (Of The Heart) Celebrate the leap year by taking a leap of faith! Prove why "risk is our business" by depicting tricky maneuvers, scary encounters, and characters beating the odds. I'm Ready For My Close-Up, Mr DeMille Technology, people, places - we've seen no end, but have we seen through the deck 14 forward view ports of the Enterprise-D? Or zoomed in on the eastern shoreline of that inland circular sea on Betazed? Or been up close and personal enough with Big Merp to see if his skin is made up of finely interlocking scales? Show a close-up of something/one from Star Trek which includes details (of your own design) that have yet to be seen on screen. [THE NEUTRAL ZONE] Remember you can choose FOUR!! Thanks for voting, have fun! Spoiler: Archived Holiday Themes CHRISTMASTIME THEMES: That Rings A (Jingle) Bell "Hmmm...I remember this, but I can't quite put my finger on where I've seen it before." Place something that looks uncannily Trek in a place you'd never expect to find it. Bonus replicator credits if it's hiding in a holiday-themed setting. Every Problem Has A (Re)Solution What New Year's resolutions are your favorite characters making for themselves and each other? Depict your favorite Trek characters facing their fears, learning a new skill, or quitting an old habit. As Prophecy Foretold Portray a scene from a species's religious texts or show a character taking part in a spiritual activity, visiting a religious site, etc. Season's Greetings Show us what you imagine our favourite Star Trek characters might send or receive in the way of gifts or greetings cards at the this time of year - a family picture of the Rikers, a Quark's Bar gift voucher, a personalised coffee mug? Christmas Crossover Taking inspiration from your favourite festive stories, movies, music videos (?) show us how they might manifest if they played out in the Star Trek Universe. Which character would be your choice for Scrooge or what would happen if Wesley was left Home Alone? VALENTINE'S DAY THEMES Where My Heart Is, Beyond Antares How do characters/species show their love for each other? Friends, parents and kids, true loves...anything you want. Hearts and Flowers Happy Valentine's Day! Incorporate imagery of hearts and flowers into any Trek-themed project you choose. (Doesn't necessarily have to be directly related to Valentine's Day) Be Mine, Space-Time Valentine What kind of Valentine cards and candy would Trek species dole out? Design a card or gift, alien/Starfleet style.
Less than a week to go and it's a tight race for the top spot, which is currently tied. We need more voters! If you haven't voted yet please cast your eye across the Theme suggestions and pick any that intrigue you. Your choice could make all the difference.
Someone will have to not leave it so late to vote (in case of a very last minute tie) that they miss the opportunity... again.
That was a closely fought battle once again, but we do have a winning Theme for May: Lots of intriguing directions to go in with this one. I do wonder what else could fit under this topic: mission or project patches, department logos, starship insignia or "nose-art"...?
Didn't "nose art" have its own challenge years ago? Edit: Found the answer to my own question: Yep! http://www.ptrope.com/Contests/200407/ In fact, I believe this contest is what finally pushed me into joining the TrekBBS! (Yeesh, nearly 20 years ago....)
Phew, yeah... 20 years! I'm not sure if I noticed that "nose art" challenge back during my lurking years, but whenever I've looked through the past contest lists it's one that I wish I'd had a crack at. So, I thought I'd try sneaking in the option here...
And the Theme suggestion thread is now up for June. June!! https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/june-art-challenge-suggest-your-themes.316684/
The new "enter" thread is traditionally posted by the winner of the previous contest, which is yet to be decided this month. Although, in the past, if it hasn't appeared by mid-month I have been known to step in.