Gamers’ charity SpecialEffect has launched a new community artwork competition that aims to celebrate a selection of iconic video games. The ‘One Special Game’ initiative is now accepting submissions in partnership with a selection of popular gaming franchises including Mass Effect and Stardew Valley.
The competition invites artists, illustrators and graphic designers, no matter how experienced, to create a bespoke piece of artwork that pays tribute to one of four iconic video game series. An industry judging panel will select winners for each category and the designs will be turned into limited edition art prints. The contest is part of a series of initiatives that support SpecialEffect’s annual One Special Day fundraising event, which this year celebrates its fifth anniversary.
Each of the four video game series were hand-selected and are titles that mean a lot to millions of players across the world. The ‘One Special Game’ titles for 2020 are: Stardew Valley (Eric Barone), Mass Effect (EA), Monument Valley (usTwo Games) and Need For Speed (EA).
Entrants are asked to submit an A3 design that reflects the spirit of one of the aforementioned titles by 11th September 2020, with entries open to those living in the UK. SpecialEffect welcome submissions across all mediums and artistic styles, and the more creative the design the better! Once entries are closed, a panel of industry professionals and illustrators will judge all submissions and select up to 12 images that will make up this year’s ‘One Special Game’ artwork collection. One design will also be selected as ‘Game Poster of the Year’, with the winner being awarded a Wacom Cintiq 16” Creative Pen Display supplied by the team at Escape Technology. Runner-up prizes will be awarded to the creators of all other images chosen as part of the collection.
“Alternative ‘takes’ on movie posters have been a thing for a long time now and we want to bring that creativity to video games through ‘One Special Game’”, said organiser Stephen Hey. “We’ve carefully selected the four games and had the blessing of their creators or publishers so we are excited to see what beautiful images are submitted, plus we’ll give people the chance to own them, and raise funds for an amazing charity at the same time”, he said.
SpecialEffect Fundraiser, Nick Streeter said,
“This is a fantastic opportunity for SpecialEffect to help celebrate some of the most amazing games ever published, games like Stardew Valley, that really mean something to people. Plus, it’s a great addition to One Special Day”, he continued.
As part of SpecialEffect‘s annual One Special Day event, fans will be able to buy prints of the winning collection via an exclusive online store, with designs being made available as limited edition and numbered prints. The profit from all print sales will go directly to SpecialEffect to help them continue their brilliant work transforming the lives of people with physical disabilities by helping them to play games. The collection will go live on ‘One Special Day,’ Friday 2nd October 2020.
How to enter the ‘One Special Game’ competition
- Firstly, download the full competition rules and Terms and Conditions here: http://onespecialday.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/OSG2020_Brief_FINAL.pdf
- Choose one of the four selected titles and create 1x A3 poster image as a 300 dpi digital file plus a smaller image for sharing (at least 1,080 pixels wide). Please ensure that all work is 100% original content and do not use official game art, logos, publisher logos or screenshots.
- Mail your smaller thumbnail images to entries@onespecialgame.com with the following information:
- Name and location (One Special Game is open to people in the UK)
- Twitter name/Instagram name
- Game chosen and a line or two on why you chose this title i.e. why it is special to you
- Professional capacity and connection to the games industry, if you have one
- By submitting your entry, understand that you agree to the Terms & Conditions of the project and give SpecialEffect permission to reproduce the work purely to publicise, or raise funds for the charity (this will include A3 prints, but images may also be used for postcards and other merchandise).
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