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Contest: ENTER January 2026 Art Challenge - Suggest Your Themes!

Starscape

Commodore
Premium Member
As of posting, here is our current Art Challenge state-of-play:
  • Voting on November's Challenge, "Sacred Texts" remains open for entries for the time being.

  • And December's Festive Theme, chosen by vote, is "SMake it Seasonal".


As we see out the old year, a new one awaits. What springs to mind as we turn the page on another year and what might that suggest to you for Theme ideas?


Theme Rule:
  • Only ONE Theme suggestion per poster per contest is allowed (if you have more than one suggestion you could try combining your ideas into a super-Theme or save your other ideas for another month).

Also, to help generate as much participartion as possible you might want to consider whether your Theme idea could encompass a range of some of the following:
  • Skill Level
  • Time Commitent
  • Media (Physical, Digital, Photochop, 3D...)
  • Subjects (Characters, Tech, Starships...)

Once you've thought of something, please post your idea here and feel free to discuss, ask questions and suggest ideas for entries for any of the submitted themes. If we can get a conversation started about the challenge it'll help to get those creative juices flowing. :)



The Main List of Themes:
  1. Specific Show -- Prodigy
    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 --> ...

  2. 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.

  3. Deep Space Dine
    Fancy yourself a chef? Create your version of a classic Star Trek food (include your recipe, if applicable) and plate it with perfection in a photograph or invent something brand new. Alternately, if you're a kitchen nightmare, draw us the perfect mouthwatering (or gag-inducing, depending on who you ask) meal.

  4. Warp Signatures
    Everybody puts a little of themselves into their art. For this challenge, your artwork must contain a self-reference, whether it's your face somewhere in the crowd, your name plastered on a ship, or something a little more subtle, such as color choice, artistic style, or favorite medium. It shouldn't take a complete sensor scan to figure out who's responsible for your work this time around.

  5. See You In The Funny Papers
    Shine up those speech bubbles and splash panels! Prove your comic genius by illustrating a Trek situation so bizarre it could only happen in a comic book; turn a memorable movie/TV moment into a full-page spread; create a strip for the Sunday paper. Emulate one of the masters or showcase your own style.

  6. The Road Not Taken
    What if Kirk had never cheated while taking the Kobayashi Maru test? Or if Reed had never joined Section 31? Create a piece of art that shows a Star Trek character who made a different choice at a pivotal moment in their life, depicting how that decision transformed their life and the galaxy around them.

  7. The Final Font-ier
    One of the many things Star Trek is known for is its fabulous fonts. Write a love letter to the letters we love by incorporating them into your artwork - starship names on hulls, alien languages on artifacts, display graphics, etc.

  8. Not Your Daddy's Star Trek
    In recent years there's been an attempt to create new Star Trek shows to expanded the fan base by appealing to different age ranges: Prodigy for children, Scouts for pre-schoolers and Starfleet Academy for young adults. Now, it's your turn. Take an existing Trek show, episode or movie and put a new twist on it so that it would entice a distinct demographic, or fans of a different genre, to watch. Alternatively, create your own Trek show or spin-off geared towards an, as yet, untapped potential fan group.




Voting for January's Theme will commence ~18 December. Please post your ideas by then for inclusion in the poll.

Have Fun! :bolian:



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.

  • 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?

  • If Wishes Were Horses
    What do you wish to see in Star Trek? Or, what might your Trek character of choice wish for? Draw or make a Star Trek wish come true at this magical time of year!

  • Sweater Weather
    Nothing says Christmas like an ugly Christmas sweater. It'll never become a uniform variant (hopefully!) but it sure looks festive. So get out your pen, stylus, or even your knitting needles, if you've got a knack for it, and whip up something that'll keep your favorite characters warm and cozy on a snowbound holiday away mission.

  • The Santa Claus Paradox
    Santa Claus, not only does he deliver presents to every child across the world all in one night he also collects and stores masses of information about who wants what and also who is naughty or nice. It seems impossible, right, perhaps even paraxodical? Well, it does to us... but surely there's lots of technology and strange alien races in the Star Trek universe that could achieve these goals. Show us how you would solve the Santa Paradox from a Trek point of view: clones, robots, transporters, warp drive, god-like aliens, time-travel... what will you choose? 🎅

  • New Year, New You(niverse)
    If you're looking for a fresh start, begin by exploring the multiverse of options available to you. What is your favorite character(s), species, ship, etc up to in an alternate reality or timeline? More evil, or showing their softer side? Choosing a different career path, or just a different hairstyle? (For bonus points (not really), try a medium of art you're never or rarely used before - you might find you love it!)

  • That's a Wrap
    If there's one thing that really makes a Christmas gift special, it's the way it's packaged. Create a print for Christmas wrapping paper that's sure to make your superior recommend you for a promotion (or at least send you a very nice thank you card) before they've even seen what's inside.

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.
 
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