September marks one year since we completed our first community chosen Challenge Theme. How do we all think it's going? There's been a lull in entrants the last few months, hopefully just a summer thing, but to gauge the general interest in contributing to these Challenges I've added a poll to this thread.
So, here's the current state of play:
July's Challenge, TOS-Up, is running until mid-August.
And August's Challenge Theme is Specific Era -- Movies.
But we are still interested in new Themes suggestions for next month's challenge if you have any ideas to share.
We have an new Theme in THE NEUTRAL ZONE and is in danger of being eliminated from future votes. All but one of last month's NEUTRAL ZONE Themes have been LOST IN THE DELTA QUADRANT and won't be included in further polls. The one lucky Theme, Believe It Or Not, returns to the main list, for now, after receiving significant interest in the last poll.
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:
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 Current List of Themes:
Specific Show -- Discovery
Dedicated to art inspired by one specific Star Trek show/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 --> ...
Transporter Malfunctions
Duplicates, amalgamations and transmogrifications. Oh my!
The Menagerie
We hear about Berengarian dragons, and Andorian bulls, and Orion wing-slugs, and Terrelian seapods and the like, but didn't get to see them. What do they look like? How big are they? What kind of environment do they live in? Will they eat you?!?
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.
Fighting Stance
Show hand-to-hand combat at its best and worst - honorable surrender, self-sacrifice, using someone as human/alien shields, no mercy, knock down drag out, fancy footwork, anything goes!
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.
Storyboard
In the words of Wikipedia, a “storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture” or television show. Here you can try your own hand at the process, creating a storyboard for a sequence from your own Star Trek story involving established or imagined characters.
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.
Expect the Unexpected
What's hiding behind that rock? Who's hailing us? Where are we? Depict Starfleet encountering something they didn't bargain for...as usual.
Trek Tech It Up
Design a futuristic version of a current tool or device. Even if the upgrades aren't much of an improvement, at least it looks cool....right?
Believe It Or Not
What constitutes an urban legend in the Trek universe? Mysterious creatures, celebrity sightings, gossip about famous legendary Starfleeters...what stories do the new recruits whisper by warp's glow?
[THE NEUTRAL ZONE]
Space Vogue
What are all the most fashionable people wearing this year? Design a new outfit or uniform in(spired by) the style of your favorite species/faction.
[THE NEUTRAL ZONE]
[LOST IN THE DELTA QUADRANT]
Body by Brand Name
Since certain iconic brands are bound to survive or be revived in the future, what would a starship/uniform/base, pretty much anything, look like if it was built or designed by a particular company? Not limited to products or types of products the company makes. So what about a starship designed by Tiffany/Swarovski? A tricorder from Blackberry?
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.
We're All Friends At This Table
Depict characters from different backgrounds forgetting their differences, crew of a ship coming together, cooking being a universal language, enemies declaring a truce, etc. all centered around eating and drinking.
Where Do I Go From Here?
Everybody has unanswered questions about what became of their favorite characters, love-to-hate'em characters, and blink-and-you'll-miss'em characters. So where does their life take them in the future? Poetic justice, or a better life?
[LOST IN THE DELTA QUADRANT]
Voting for September's Theme will commence ~17 August. Please post your ideas by then for inclusion in the poll.
Have Fun!
So, here's the current state of play:
July's Challenge, TOS-Up, is running until mid-August.
And August's Challenge Theme is Specific Era -- Movies.
But we are still interested in new Themes suggestions for next month's challenge if you have any ideas to share.
We have an new Theme in THE NEUTRAL ZONE and is in danger of being eliminated from future votes. All but one of last month's NEUTRAL ZONE Themes have been LOST IN THE DELTA QUADRANT and won't be included in further polls. The one lucky Theme, Believe It Or Not, returns to the main list, for now, after receiving significant interest in the last poll.
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 Current List of Themes:
Specific Show -- Discovery
Dedicated to art inspired by one specific Star Trek show/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 --> ...
Transporter Malfunctions
Duplicates, amalgamations and transmogrifications. Oh my!
The Menagerie
We hear about Berengarian dragons, and Andorian bulls, and Orion wing-slugs, and Terrelian seapods and the like, but didn't get to see them. What do they look like? How big are they? What kind of environment do they live in? Will they eat you?!?
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.
Fighting Stance
Show hand-to-hand combat at its best and worst - honorable surrender, self-sacrifice, using someone as human/alien shields, no mercy, knock down drag out, fancy footwork, anything goes!
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.
Storyboard
In the words of Wikipedia, a “storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture” or television show. Here you can try your own hand at the process, creating a storyboard for a sequence from your own Star Trek story involving established or imagined characters.
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.
Expect the Unexpected
What's hiding behind that rock? Who's hailing us? Where are we? Depict Starfleet encountering something they didn't bargain for...as usual.
Trek Tech It Up
Design a futuristic version of a current tool or device. Even if the upgrades aren't much of an improvement, at least it looks cool....right?
Believe It Or Not
What constitutes an urban legend in the Trek universe? Mysterious creatures, celebrity sightings, gossip about famous legendary Starfleeters...what stories do the new recruits whisper by warp's glow?
[THE NEUTRAL ZONE]
Space Vogue
What are all the most fashionable people wearing this year? Design a new outfit or uniform in(spired by) the style of your favorite species/faction.
[THE NEUTRAL ZONE]
[LOST IN THE DELTA QUADRANT]
Body by Brand Name
Since certain iconic brands are bound to survive or be revived in the future, what would a starship/uniform/base, pretty much anything, look like if it was built or designed by a particular company? Not limited to products or types of products the company makes. So what about a starship designed by Tiffany/Swarovski? A tricorder from Blackberry?
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.
We're All Friends At This Table
Depict characters from different backgrounds forgetting their differences, crew of a ship coming together, cooking being a universal language, enemies declaring a truce, etc. all centered around eating and drinking.
Where Do I Go From Here?
Everybody has unanswered questions about what became of their favorite characters, love-to-hate'em characters, and blink-and-you'll-miss'em characters. So where does their life take them in the future? Poetic justice, or a better life?
[LOST IN THE DELTA QUADRANT]
Voting for September's Theme will commence ~17 August. Please post your ideas by then for inclusion in the poll.
Have Fun!
