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ModDB and Dell bring you an all-new game concept art competition that challenges you to put forth your best depiction of raw power.

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As gamers and modders, many of us have been exposed to virtual displays of raw power — whether it be the forces of nature ripping apart a physics-driven interactive environment or a monolithic beast tearing apart your computer-generated comrades. Games and the machines we play them on allow us to experience these displays of raw power from the comfort of our own chair. If you were to create a game concept depicting raw power, what would it look like?

Following the success of our previous concept art contest, ModDB is proud to present yet another as we kick-start a number of game development comps that will challenge old and new mod teams, mappers, modellers and the rest of our community.


Winners Announced

The finish date has come and past and the entries submitted have been judged. The winners are announced and this competition is now COMPLETE.

The Challenge

ModDB and Dell bring you an all-new game concept art competition that challenges you to put forth your best original concept imagery that showcases raw, unbridled, untamed power in any form.

This competition is brought you by Dell, the people behind XPS and Alienware desktop PCs and notebooks. These machines are put together using the cutting-edge of graphics technology and provide their own raw power to make sure you can run all the latest games and mods.

Entering

All discussion and work in progress shots should be posted in the thread provided here. You are required to submit works-in-progress so we can provide feedback and help you on your way to winning!

Final entries are to be emailed to awards@moddb.com before the deadline to considered for judging.


Judging

The judging of the submitted models will be done by ModDB staff. Judges will choose and will select the top image to receive the award. ModDB staff reserve the absolute right to disqualify any submission that they believe may be in violation of rules.

ModDB reserves the right to amend any of the above during the course of the contest with or without notice.

Prizes

  • $500 USD cash purse for first place (winner takes all)
  • Runner-up entries will be showcased here

Participant Rules

All entrants agree to abide by the following rules:

  • Submissions will be accepted beginning on 21st May 2008
  • Submission window will close midnight 10th June 2008 GMT
  • Winners will be announced on the 12th June 2008 with all entries showcased here
  • Only one entry will be accepted per person. Once your entry is received it cannot be changed, edited or withdrawn
  • Character art, landscapes, weapons and most other game art will be accepted provided it fits the theme listed above. 3D concept art will be accepted provided all assets, models, landscapes used are original and created for this competition (as emphasized by the rule below)
  • The work submitted must be original (never before seen) and not a forgery. Forgery will result in immediate disqualification
  • In any and all cases of dispute the Judges' decision is final
  • No pornography, political or questionable content will be accepted
  • By entering the contest each entrant releases ModDB, Dell(Sponsor), their subsidiaries, affiliates and business partners, and the employees, directors, officers, agents, attorneys, successors and assigns of any of the foregoing, from any and all claims or liability, including but not limited to damages, losses or injuries, suffered by the entrant or any third parties in connection with participation in this sweepstakes or acceptance or use, misuse or malfunction of any prize awarded. By entering the sweepstakes, entrants acknowledge compliance with these sweepstakes rules (including without limitation all eligibility requirements). All matters relating to the interpretation and application of these rules shall be decided by Sponsors in their sole discretion. By entering the sweepstakes, entrants and prize winners grant Sponsors permission to use his or her name, address, email address, photograph and likeness, voice and entry for advertising, publicity or other purposes without additional consent or compensation except where prohibited by law. By entering the sweepstakes, entrants consent to receive notification of future promotions, advertisements or solicitations by or from Sponsors or Sponsors's business partners, via email, direct mail, or other means of communication.
  • In the event of any dispute, entries will be deemed made by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at the time of entry. Authorized account holder is deemed as the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, service provider or other online organization that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address. The potential winner may be requested to provide Sponsors with proof that the potential winner is the author of the entry and the authorized account holder of the e-mail address associated with the potentially winning entry. If for any reason (including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of Sponsors which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this sweepstakes) the sweepstakes is not capable of being conducted as described in these rules, Sponsors shall have the right, at their sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process, and to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the sweepstakes. Sponsors assume no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries. Sponsors is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers, or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any e-mail or entry to be received by Sponsors on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website, or any combination thereof, including, without limitation, any injury or damage to participant's or any other person's computer related to or resulting from participating or downloading any materials in this sweepstakes.

BY ENTERING, YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE READ AND ACCEPTED
ALL OF THESE RULES. GOOD LUCK TO ALL ENTRANTS!


Post comment Comments
kinesis916
kinesis916

I like competitions. But I doubt that I will have any time for this, even if I was a concept kind of man.

Oh and the link to the forum thread doesn't work.

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ambershee
ambershee

Why would Dell be interested in Concept Art?

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Sallycin
Sallycin

They're probably not, but it allows them to paste their name on something.

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ambershee
ambershee

Possibly. I would have thought that 'XPS' gaming systems would actually want something game-like to present. A pretty picture doesn't have a whole lot to do with XPS gaming machines.

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raxiv
raxiv

Hmmm. That's a good point, but sensing conspiracy everywhere is also wrong don't Ya think? :)

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Loomeister
Loomeister

Well it's very possible that they want to see if they can use someone's art as an advertisement, showing the "Raw Power" of an xps rig.

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Squeebo
Squeebo

Yeah, that was my guess, too.

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INtense! Staff
INtense!

We are always open to sponsors wanting to support indie game developers - Dell (who owns Alienware) enjoyed the previous comp and wanted to run one of their own.

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Henley
Henley

I say good on em' whats wrong with splashing some cash around to get modders more exposure?

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ambershee
ambershee

With such a competition, arguably it's an artist, and not necessarily a modder that will get exposure :p

It's a bit off, I have to wonder why a cash prize, and not a Dell product too.

I guess I'm just cynical, but this is a bizarre move for Dell's advertising, it just doesn't make any sense for a competition sponsored by a line of high-end gaming machines would revolve around a medium that frequently doesn't involve a computer at all, or if it does, most likely not a high end gaming machine. The company is using it to expose their gaming machine system line, but they're not offering a prize that has relation to it. What gives? It might as well be sponsored by Heinz Baked Beans.

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raxiv
raxiv

Some people like beans :P

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Sallycin
Sallycin

I think it's because this is a modding community, and people who mod are also typically gamers. Being a gamer, you need a new rig every so often which Dell provides. I don't exactly see what you're going on about with the prize that is not a Dell product.

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Metafiz Author
Metafiz

He just loves to complain. It's much easier to be a cynic rather than actually doing something worthwhile for the community.

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AJ_Quick
AJ_Quick

yeah because its not like Ambershee spends all his time on this site writing Unreal engine tutorials and helping out modders or anything.

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Metafiz Author
Metafiz

Doesn't mean he isn't being cynical in his comments because he's written all those tutorials.

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FJS
FJS

An excelent opportunity for the concept artist.

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DamageINC
DamageINC

so theres no categories this time, it can be anything?

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Metafiz Author
Metafiz

RAW POWER! Other than that, yeah anything.

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ArChNeMiSiS
ArChNeMiSiS

So self portraits are alright? :D

Lol, just kidding, good luck to everyone who enters.

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BlazeHedgehog
BlazeHedgehog

I physically ruined my hand on the last art competition; I never had problems with carpal tunnel syndrome before then... and I didn't even get an honorable mention for my work because everybody else outclassed me by orders of magnitude.

I don't think I'll ever enter another one of these Moddb art contests for as long as I live.

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jacksonj04
jacksonj04

I honestly doubt you got CTS from entering one concept art competition.

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AlexCrafter
AlexCrafter

Why are there all these concept art competitions and nothing else? Damn, I'd love to compete but my drawing isn't great. I suppose its because drawing is a platform everyone has, but still.

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INtense! Staff
INtense!

Yeah we've got a number of different contests coming up for modellers / mappers and mod teams, as I said in the feature - so don't worry you guys will soon have your shot.

Oh and conceptart is incredibly important part of visualizing the game development process.

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Crispy
Crispy

They're easier to judge and have a quicker turnaround time. (Short) stories are on the same level, models are still suitable as are animations (but they'd have to be very short), maps and mods take longer to do and usually would result in a much lower turnout. Those last two are also harder to judge unless there are very defined guidelines beforehand.

What I'd like to see is the competitions being linked somehow. E.g. A modelling contest is based on modelling an element of the winning entry of the concept art contest, then the animation one is based on the winner of the modelling contest, then a map contest is run to somehow incorporate the animated model. Obviously this would limit which engines could be used, but that might be a good thing in terms of making it judgable.

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SleepingDaemon
SleepingDaemon

This sounds great! I will see if I can cook something up.

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Thestjester
Thestjester

Although I'm all for this, I don't see how this relates to modding. This kind of competition would be better suited for communities like Conceptart.org or CGpad, but I guess we have enough stuff going on over there. I just don't see it fair as the majority of people on moddb.com have talents in departments other then traditional art. Can't have both of best worlds...

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ambershee
ambershee

This is kind of where I was coming from.

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Sallycin
Sallycin

Oh, I think I understand the point you were trying to make now.

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Sorbitar
Sorbitar

I think this is a brilliant competition. Good on modDB and Dell. Concept Artists play a vital role on any modding team, whether its a case of visualising that much needed atmosphere, designing a futuristic weapon or vehicle, or simply a character model sheet to give the 3d artists a heads up. After all, why else do they say a picture speaks a thousand words!

I sadly don't draw myself, but I will be following this closely! Good luck everyone, in advance!

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Gongong
Gongong

Nice to see these encouraging competitions.
Pity I lack of either skill or passion to enter any of them... :P

Just one thing I dislike, by even entering the competition gives Dell to use your atwork and even your name in their ads or whatever.
Sure, it gives them rights to put a notice on their site, brag about it and so on, but I dislike the fact that it doesn't stop there.
Imagine this: you make something awesome, grab second place, don't get a penny and Dell uses your art to sell a new laptop model and makes millions.
Not plausible, but due to the entering rules, possible.
(Sure, on the other hand, someone could then find out who made the atwork and hire you, etc etc... :P)

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Noesis_Interactive
Noesis_Interactive

We think this contest is a good idea (despite some of the doubts that have been posted already). Concept art really is an important part of the process and it would be pretty stupid to start modelling characters or props or start mapping out levels without first drawing some sketches and pictures of what you have in mind. I've heard countless industry professionals say that the most important work is done before you even sit down at the computer, (namely concept art, model sheets, design documents, scripts, etc.) Some people have stated that they don't think that their drawing skills are good enough but, really, you could express raw power through a simple line drawing pose (although I'm sure the winner will be way more detailed than that, ha ha). Also, I didn't see anything that said it had to be a "drawing" so what's to stop anybody from using 3D models and game maps to create their piece of art? This fact totally negates the argument that this competition doesn't apply to "modders". Also, ModDB would be stupid to turn down any kind of sponsorship from anyone, especially a huge and respected company like Dell, no matter what prizes they're offering. I do kind of respect the fear that Dell will take all the entries and exploit them to the max but you have to think about the positives. You are given a chance to win 500$ and would anybody be paying you for that entry anyway? (Professional concept artists shouldn't answer that question, ha ha) Most likely not. The worst that could happen is that you wouldn't win and would then see your piece of art in advertisements which you could then list on your resume and brag to your friends about. Overall, we think it's a good idea and like Scott said, there will be more contests to come for everyone else who's not down with the drawing. Looking forward to seeing the raw art that comes out of this raw power contest! Good luck everyone!

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Metafiz Author
Metafiz

Yup, 3D is accepted: "Character art, landscapes, weapons and most other game art will be accepted provided it fits the theme listed above. 3D concept art will be accepted provided all assets, models, landscapes used are original and created for this competition (as emphasized by the rule below)"

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Noesis_Interactive
Noesis_Interactive

*Cartman voice* - "Sweeeet"

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BunnyJen
BunnyJen

Great contest, can't wait to see what the entrants come up with. And for those asking why this relates to modding....of course concept art relates to modding... creating new assets, environments, stories and characters can all use concept art. It defines the entire look and feel of a game. People cast aside concept art too easily.
Good luck to all!

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LJFHutch
LJFHutch

When will they post the results? It's been 4 days. IT's THE 17th now! please?

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The_Voice
The_Voice

Can I still join this competition? And if so, do I need to sign in somewhere?

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Thaiauxn

This would have been fun!

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