General diorama contest discussion

[Brocc21]

Has anyone thought of doing a thread for unused entries or a showing of the behind the scenes process? Seems like it'd be a fun idea.

[ceratopsian]

Some contestants have done that in previous years once the results had been announced. It was fascinating, especially where people had for instance made their own animals and scenery!

Has anyone thought of doing a thread for unused entries or a showing of the behind the scenes process? Seems like it'd be a fun idea.

[Halichoeres]

Yes indeed, poke around the "dioramas" section and you'll see some members' past entries.

[Federreptil]

Has anyone thought of doing a thread for unused entries or a showing of the behind the scenes process? Seems like it'd be a fun idea.

I do this for my entries since the first participation. It's in the diorama section "Not used for contest 2013". The making-of for this year will come soon.

[DefinitelyNOTDilo]

Are there any plans for a contest again this year?

[DefinitelyNOTDilo]

Why do I always forget to ping? @DinoToyForum

[DinoToyForum]

Why do I always forget to ping? @DinoToyForum

You know you can edit posts rather than create a new one.

But, yes, I'm planning a contest for 2024.

Last year, for the first time, I introduced an optional 'entry fee' to support the contest and go towards a prize fund. However, of the 34 participants only 13 (38%) donated. I entered myself so technically I paid but didn't count it (you can't really donate to yourself!), so 13/33 is more accurate (39.4%). I have to admit I was disappointed with the outcome as it wasn't enough for the contest to pay for itself. If everyone had donated it would have been enough. I made the 'fee' optional in the spirit of inclusion – I didn't want to exclude anyone who simply didn't have the means to pay. But I didn't expect that to be the majority. It ended up feeling unfair on the organiser but also unfair on the other entrants who did pay. I was also surprised by how much Paypal took out of each donation. So, it was a failed experiment. On the other hand, it was simpler and more efficient than organising a sponsor and prizes.

So, I'm thinking of running the contest with no prizes at all this year. A contest just for the fun of it. It's simpler and less time consuming to organise that way anyway.

[DefinitelyNOTDilo]

I am curious, I'm currently in the planning phase of my diorama and the thing is, it won't be all that big, so I'm wondering what the rules are on extending backgrounds using photoshop, or should I find a practical solution?

[Halichoeres]

The rules for 2023 are here and are similar to previous years. Photoshop augmentation is permitted. https://dinotoyblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=10625.0

[DinoToyForum]

The rules for 2023 are here and are similar to previous years. Photoshop augmentation is permitted. https://dinotoyblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=10625.0

This is a good opportunity for me to give advance notice that there will be at least one additional specific rule in the 2024 contest. I haven't decided on the exact wording yet but it will be something along the lines of: "The use of AI is not allowed". This is to stop people using AI to generate backgrounds. It may end up being an extension to the existing rule about photographs and backgrounds being allowed but only if they are the person's own work.

[DefinitelyNOTDilo]

The rules for 2023 are here and are similar to previous years. Photoshop augmentation is permitted. https://dinotoyblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=10625.0

This is a good opportunity for me to give advance notice that there will be at least one additional specific rule in the 2024 contest. I haven't decided on the exact wording yet but it will be something along the lines of: "The use of AI is not allowed". This is to stop people using AI to generate backgrounds. It may end up being an extension to the existing rule about photographs and backgrounds being allowed but only if they are the person's own work.

Understandable.

[Halichoeres]

The rules for 2023 are here and are similar to previous years. Photoshop augmentation is permitted. https://dinotoyblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=10625.0

This is a good opportunity for me to give advance notice that there will be at least one additional specific rule in the 2024 contest. I haven't decided on the exact wording yet but it will be something along the lines of: "The use of AI is not allowed". This is to stop people using AI to generate backgrounds. It may end up being an extension to the existing rule about photographs and backgrounds being allowed but only if they are the person's own work.

That's a smart addition! Would have been a real bummer to see that.

[DinoToyForum]

The rules for 2023 are here and are similar to previous years. Photoshop augmentation is permitted. https://dinotoyblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=10625.0

This is a good opportunity for me to give advance notice that there will be at least one additional specific rule in the 2024 contest. I haven't decided on the exact wording yet but it will be something along the lines of: "The use of AI is not allowed". This is to stop people using AI to generate backgrounds. It may end up being an extension to the existing rule about photographs and backgrounds being allowed but only if they are the person's own work.

That's a smart addition! Would have been a real bummer to see that.

How do you know you haven't already?

[triceratops83]

I'm already working on my entry for this year. Always a highlight of the year for me.

[triceratops83]

Just like last year, my entry's all done and ready to go months ahead of time. And I've already come up with an idea for next year. I'm an eager beaver.