Sackboy or Sackgirl to the rescue!
The LittleBigPlanet games are a wonder to behold as gamers solve mind-bending puzzles and perform death defying leaps, jumps, and aerobatics. Sackboy and Sackgirl are the heroes of the game.

One of the most popular features of this game franchise is the ability to make and design your own game levels and share them with others.

The LittleBigPlanet 2  Game Level Creation Contest wants to see the best original level design ideas from gamers, artists, and anyone who loves the LittleBigPlanet series.

What the contest is about
DeviantART.com provides the needed graphic assets you’ll need to create your best game level concepts. You can incorporate these assets or use them as a springboard for inspiration.

Entries may originate in digital form, clay sculpture, a collage of various graphics and any medium you feel best represents your new game level concept. However, all submissions must be a digital file.

Contest submissions will be judged according to the following criteria:

* Creative Use of Assets Provided
* Sense of Fun
* Technical Skill

Contest prizes
Because this contest is for game level design, it only makes sense to gear the awards and prizes to gamers. According to the contest sponsors the following will be issued to the winners of this contest:

First Place:

* A Sony PlayStation 3 (320GB)
* A copy of LittleBigPlanet 2 Collector’s Edition
* $600 USD
* 12,000 deviantART Points
* A deviantART shirt of winner’s choice (depending on ….availability)
* A one year Premium Membership to deviantART

Second Place:

* A Sony PlayStation 3 (120GB)
* A copy of LittleBigPlanet 2
* $400 USD
* 8,000 deviantART Points
* A deviantART shirt of winner’s choice (depending on ….availability)
* A one year Premium Membership to deviantART

Third Place:

* A Sony PlayStation 3 (120GB)
* A copy of LittleBigPlanet 2
* $200 USD
* 4,000 deviantART Points
* A deviantART shirt of winner’s choice (depending on ….availability)
* A one year Premium Membership to deviantART

General contest guidelines
For complete rules, see the links below. The general contest guidelines are:

* You must be 13 years old or older to participate in this contest
* Submit digital entries as a PNG or JPG file
* Do not include any signatures or identifying marks on your artwork
* You may submit more than one entry
* Only digital images will be accepted for this contest, not hard copies
* You must have a registered (free) account with deviantART.com to enter

Contest links and other information
This contest is free to enter and ends on February 18, 2011. Winners will be announced on March 1, 2011. Follow these links for more contest details:

Official contest site
Complete contest rules
Contest asset packs for contest
Contest art gallery
Registration site for contest

What would your personal world look like?
What sort of things would be in your ideal world? Would it have magical animals or would it be a world void of technology and clutter?

Whatever your vision of the world is, the GFK International T-shirt Design Contest 2011 offers you the chance to create something that will communicate the idea of “World 2.0 Globalization with a Click.”

The sponsors of this contest state that the contest theme isn’t about a crisis but about:
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“…a global change. Update your life, imagine and design a T-shirt with your new version of the world.

“Your design does not have to necessarily bear images of the world. We are talking about a dream world of fantasy as you see it and how you would like it to be.

“Do not set limits to your imagination, but do not forget to think as a common client, since the winner’s drawings will be printed on T-shirts…”
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General contest rules
Anyone may enter that is 18 years or older. To be eligible for this competition you must register at the official website and download the program Disegna-Applica-Invia in order to send in low-resolution versions of your designs.

Other rules are:

* Designs should be in JPG format and sent via email to:
….participantes@grafikconcert.com
* Include the title of the design and a brief explanation of the ….concept/idea
* Winners will be required to submit their full resolution images ….for reproduction
* Selected winners must send their full resolution images in A3 ….size, 300 dpi on a CD for t-shirt reproduction
* Entries should be designed on Photoshop, Freehand, or .…Illustrator

Awards
The winners of this contest will be presented cash prizes:

First Place: €3,000 ($4,038 USD)
Second Place: €2,000 ($2,692 USD)
Third Place: €1,000 ($1,346 USD)

Contest links and other information
This contest has no entry fees. The deadline for submissions is February 28, 2011.

The following links provide important contest details and information:

Official contest website
Contest rules and guidelines (pdf file)
Registration form
T-shirt templates and submission guidelines (pdf file)

Create a beautiful piece in gold or silver
Virtually every culture and society has a particular art form called jewelry. These pieces can be used in their purist forms for decoration or as a means of self-expression.

The Friedrich Becker Prize celebrates  jewelry making and flatware by presenting an open call to all artisans of this unique avenue of craft and creativity.

The contest details
According to the sponsors of the annual Becker prize, they are seeking entries from artists whose work embodies the following objective:

“A piece of jewelery or a small utensil, either one-of-a-kind or a prototype for serial production, may be submitted. The theme is open. Your latest work or an older object are equally welcome.
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“As [for] materials, gold, silver, platinum, and stainless steel will be accepted. Diamonds, other precious stones, pearls, glass and synthetic stones may be used as supplementary materials.”

General contest rules

* All gold and silversmiths, metal artists, and designers are eligible to enter this competition
* This is an international contest and anyone from any country may enter
* Only one entry per person is allowed
* All entries must include a digital photograph of the piece in .tiff or .jpeg file format
* The minimum image size is 1900-by-1900 pixels
* Entrants must provide shipping and insurance costs if they wish their submissions to be returned

Prizes
There will be 1 (one) cash award of €5,000 ($6,722 USD) to the winner. This award will be presented to the winner at the Goethe Museum, Schloss Jägerhof, in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Contest links and other information
All entries should be sent to:

Deutsches Goldschmiedehaus Hanau
Altstädter Markt 6
D-63450 Hanau
Germany

The contest deadline is March 14, 2011. There are no entry fees to participate in this contest. Please be certain to include the proper postage if you want your entry returned. See official rules.

Follow these links for more contest details:

The Association for Goldsmiths’ Art website
Official contest rules and entry form

Build an amazing building or room in 3D
Have you ever seen a particularly striking house design or building? Undoubtedly you marveled and admired the structure and its beauty.

As a graphic artist or student of architecture, you’ve probably doodled a few landscapes or buildings for fun.

In the YafaRay Amazing Architecture Contest you can give your design talents a go at creating an architectural design that will grab the contest judge’s attention and a possible chance at winning the competition.

What is YafaRay?
We know that it isn’t a science fiction weapon that destroys Yafas. YafaRay is an open-source raytracing engine that allows users to create realistic 3D scenes and images.

YafaRay interacts with other host programs such as Blender 3D, a free 3D graphics suite.

What the contest is about
The YafaRay Amazing Architecture Contest wants entries that are imaginative, outside the box, and visually appealing. Your creations do not have to be viable architectural structures. The main idea of this contest is to be creative.

The sponsor of this contest states:

“…your architectural work does not need to be driven by practical considerations or architectural conventions, nor it needs to be structurally viable; the contest is about form for form’s sake.

“Your work might be intended for this planet and age, or for another planet, time and culture. It can be as well inspired by a novel or comic.”

Rendered images may be either of indoor or outdoor scenes. Several perspectives or treatments of an idea are allowed. Special emphasis should be centered on how light interacts with your architectural forms and the materials used.

The winner will be offered up to $150 in CG training material at any online retailer and, of course, bragging rights.

General rules for submissions
To enter your submissions you must open a progress thread in the contest forum. Your image progress should be posted on your forum thread. The final image in all submitted threads will be considered the final one for judging.

* All images must be rendered with YafaRay.
* Final rendered images may consist of a single render or a composite of ….different rendered layers.
* Photographs may be used as the image’s background as long ….as.the.main subject is rendered in YafaRay.
* Final images must be a minimum of 2000-by-2000 pixels.
* All images must be saved as a PNG file or any other lossless format.

Contest links and information
The deadline for this contest is February 28, 2011. This competition is free and has no entry fees.

The following links provide more details about the contest:

YafaRay official website
Frequently asked questions
Contest rules
Contest forum registration
YafaRay login site (You must be registered to login.)
YafaRay free download
Blender 3D graphic suite (Free Download)

Free Studio Space in New York City
Have you ever dreamed about working in a studio of your very own in a metropolitan setting where you could create, develop, and hone your artistic and design ideas?

The Triangle Artist’s International Residency Program 2011 offers you an opportunity to do this.

What the Residency Program is About
The Triangle Arts Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and support of emerging international and national visual artists. TAA states:

“The International and National Residency Program was created in 2003 to fulfill the need for more studio programs in New York City.

“Artists are provided with a free spacious studio ranging from 400-800 square feet.

“Each residency session includes Open Studio weekends with mailings and publicity and the possibility of a temporary exhibition.

“In addition, Triangle organizes visits from critics, curators and other art professionals.”

Artists selected for this residency will have access to the studios 24/7 for a period of 6 months.

General Rules and Guidelines
Triangle Arts is seeking visual artists that are emerging and underrepresented. The following are some of the rules and information regarding this residency program:

* You must NOT be currently enrolled in a degree program.
* You must be 18 years or older to be eligible for this residency.
* You may work in any medium of the visual arts.
* This residency is open to all national and international artists.
* Only studio space is offered for this residency program.
* Participants must arrange for their own housing, food, transportation, etc.
* You must utilize the studios at least 15 hours per week.

Submission Guidelines
For specific details about submission rules, visit the official contest website. The following are general rules for entries:

* Work must be submitted in jpeg format.
* Maximum size of digital work must be no more than 1200X1200 pixels.
* Resolution of your images should be 72dpi.
* You may submit up to 8 pieces of art for review.

Residency Benefits
In addition to a six month expenses paid studio, accepted artists will also benefit from an Open Studio exhibition of their pieces where the general public will be invited.

Resident artists will also be visited by critics, art curators and writers. This gives aspiring visual artists the opportunity to create social networks with those who are connected to the world of art.

Contest Links and Other Information
The deadline for application is February 28, 2011. Follow these links for further information regarding this residency program.

Triangle Arts Residency Webpage
Triangle Arts Mission Statement and Purpose
Submission Page / Entry Form for Artists
History of Triangle Arts Association
Contact Information
Triangle Arts Workshop Schedule

Cutting Edge Digital Art
Are you a graphic designer, illustrator or photographer who always strives to produce digital media that is above rest of the pack? Does your artwork and creative ideas push others to be more creative?

If you are this type of designer the PrixArs Electronica Competition for Cyber Arts is for you.

The contest sponsor states:

“Since 1987, the Prix Ars Electronica has served as an interdisciplinary platform for everyone who uses the computer as a universal medium for implementing and designing their creative projects at the interface of art, technology and society.”
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Now Is Your Chance
The PrixArs Electronica contest has seven categories to choose from. Awards and prizes will be given to each category’s respective winner:

There is a total of €117,500 ($152,149.68 USD ) in cash prizes for this competition. The awards ceremony for the Ars Electronica Festival will take place in Linz, Austria.

The prize breakdown for each respective category is as follows:

* Computer Animation / Film / VFX: €20,000 ($26,009 USD)
* Interactive Art: €20,000 ($26,009 USD)
* Digital Music & Sound Art: €20,000 ($26,009 USD)
* Hybrid Art: €20,000 ($26,009 USD)
* Digital Communities: €20,000 ($26,009 USD)
* u19 - freestyle computing: €9,000 ($26,009 USD)
* “The Next Idea” — Voestalpine Art and Technology Grant: €7,500 ($9,753 USD)

Contest Rules
Please see the complete rules and guidelines for more information. The general rules are:

* This contest is an international contest and anyone from any country may enter.
* Do not submit pieces that are irreplaceable originals. Entries cannot be returned.
* Be sure to see the specific rules for each category.
* An entry may only be submitted to one contest category.
* You may submit more than one work as long as each submission is for a different category.
* You must be registered on the Arts Electronica website to participate in this contest.

Other Contest Information and Links
This contest is open until March 18, 2011. There is no entry fee in order to participate in this contest.

For important details about this contest follow these links:

Official Contest Website
Prize List and Details
Rights of the Contestants
Contest Checklist
Contest Category Listing
Registration Site
Past Winner’s