User blog:BrickfilmNut/Inter-Wiki LEGO Contest - October 2013

Hey everyone! Welcome to the first-ever inter-wiki contest! In the first of a series of contests operated on Brickipedia, the LMBW, the CUUSOO wiki, the LU wiki, and the MLNW, we will be asking you to create a spooky Halloween scene, either in LEGO or in writing! There will multiple prizes at stake and lots of fun to be had, but more details on that below.

Background
In a joint effort to both improve the ties between the various LEGO wikis out there and to attract a wider variety of contest entries, BobaFett2 and I have organized a bi-monthly series of inter-wiki LEGO contests! While the first one will be a little bit shorter and simpler to get everyone familiarized with the contests, there will be a lot more offered in the future. MOC and non-MOC contests will run alongside each other, though their start and endpoints will be offset from each other by one month. Prizes may start out small now as well (largely consisting of templates and a mention on a "Inter-Wiki Contest Hall of Fame"), but will hopefully increase in value as the contest gains popularity. So be sure to enter!

Instructions
This month's contest will be special in that it will be divided into two categories; building/photography and writing! Feel free to enter either one of the two, or even both! Both categories will be judged separately, and winners will be chosen from each category.

In addition, the contest runs from October 1 to October 31, 2013. Entries must be submitted by midnight October 31, UTC. Entries will be judged shortly after, and prizes handed out as soon as possible. As new entries are posted, they will be added to the main bodies blogs on each wiki, along with links to the original entries. This will be the means by which the wikis have a chance to connect with one another over the course of the contest. Please feel free to visit the other wikis and comment on their entries, so long as you remain respectful.

One final note for this particular contest is that, although we want some genuinely eerie and spooky entries, participants should limit how graphic or frightening their entries are to roughly match the limits LEGO would go to. This is a LEGO contest, after all!

Building/Photography
LEGO is no stranger to scariness. Just look at the Monster Fighters theme, the Skeleton army of Castle (2007), or Cruncher's Driver. Now, it'll be your turn to express the essence of fear in LEGO bricks. Build an eerie, spooky scene in LEGO bricks, and then bring it to life through photography!
 * 1) Build a spooky scene in LEGO bricks, or (not as recommended for this particular contest) using a program like LDD or LDraw.
 * 2) Take at least two pictures or screenshots of it: take one of the entire build itself, so that the MOC can be assessed, and one "creative" picture displaying the scene in spooky manner.
 * 3) Post these pictures in the comment section of the respective contest blog on any of the participating wikis, and be sure to write a short description!

Entries in this category will be judged based on the following:
 * Theme (how well your picture conveys the theme it was meant to) - 25%
 * Build - 25%
 * Photograph - 25%
 * Creativity - 25%

Writing
Sometimes, there's just nothing like a good, spooky Halloween story. Now's your chance to write one! One important requirement to keep in mind, though, is keeping it LEGO. For example, if you write a story on LEGO Indiana Jones, it may turn out just to be a plain Indiana Jones story, with readers not being able to make any connections to LEGO itself. As such, licensed themes and CITY are generally discouraged unless they use storyline elements developed by LEGO at some point, like with the Yoda Chronicles.
 * 1) Choose a theme using the guidelines above.
 * 2) Write your story. Keep it moderate in length - at least 500 words is recommended.
 * 3) Either submit it in the comments section of this blog (or a respective blog on another participating wiki), or post a link to a page where your story is located instead.

Entries in this category will be judged based on the following:
 * Effectiveness in Conveying the Theme - 40%
 * Content - 20 %
 * Coherence/Unity - 20%
 * Mechanics - 20%

Prizes
Each category will have one first prize winner, one second prize winner, and one third prize winner. Each winner will receive a congratulatory template, and the first prize winners will be added to a "Inter-Wiki Contest Hall of Fame"! In addition to these prizes, though, there are some secret prizes that may be handed out at some point, so watch out for these!

Judges

 * BFN
 * BobaFett2
 * Jeyo
 * Cdmpants

Rules and Guidelines
In addition to the instructions above, the inter-wiki contests have some general rules and guidelines:
 * 1) No plagiarism is tolerated whatsoever. Those who commit plagiarism will be disqualified and banned from all future contests.
 * 2) All entries should be built for this contest - no entering previous creations
 * 3) Do not attack or provoke other users. Be civil.
 * 4) Abide by LEGO's spirit and policies.
 * 5) Give criticism and feedback to other entries!
 * 6) However, keep criticism constructive, and always let your intent be to help others.
 * 7) Be Creative!
 * 8) You may use any software, merchandise, or anything else distributed by The LEGO Group at one point in time to create your entry.
 * 9) You may use custom elements or designs in your building, so long as it looks reasonably like something LEGO would realistically produce. Use common sense when assessing this.
 * 10) If you have any complaints or suggestions, please be sure to contact BFN or BobaFett2.

Entries
None as of yet.

Closing Note
Phew, thanks for reading all of this! We hope you all have a fun time entering; the judges will certainly have a lot of fun seeing what all is produced! Once again, thanks for participating. Let's hope that these contests connect users and create as much fan as hoped!