Hello everyone and welcome to the 9th annual Art-Inspired Music Contest! This thread marks the official start of the compo, and you’ll find all the details on how to enter, the rules and more below!
Please note: this thread is for SUBMISSIONS only. DO NOT post in this thread to ask questions or make comments. A separate discussions thread will be designated for any non-submission related posts.
Timeframe
You have from Friday, April 15 (when this submissions thread is posted) until Monday, June 20 at 11:59 pm PDT to submit your entry or entries.
One week and 24 hour warnings will be posted in this thread when the time comes.
After the submissions period closes, the judging period begins. This typically runs for about 2-3 weeks before the results thread is posted.
How the contest works:
1) You pick a single piece of artwork in the Art Portal from a Newgrounds artist you really appreciate (make sure to give them credit, message them when you're done).
2) Create a song inspired by that art and submit it by posting the link on this thread before the deadline! Be sure to post the link to the picture that inspired it as well as giving the name of the picture and artist!
RULES:
As with any contest, please review the rules before participating, even if you’re a returning participant, as some rules may have changed.
1) Make sure you're familiar with the Audio Portal rules in the FAQ. Read here: http://www.newgrounds.com/wiki/help-information/terms-of-use/audio-guidelines
2) ONLY post song submissions here (unless it's one of the judges with an update). Casual chatting and questions go in the Discussion Thread, which will be linked in a subsequent post.
3) You must be at least 13 or over to enter.
4) Explicit content IS allowed music-wise, but the artwork that inspired you can't be A-rated (E, T, and M rated art is allowed).
5) No covers or remixes, only new original entries are accepted. No pre-recorded lyrics from vocal packs either.
6) Don't start writing your song until the beginning of the contest (ie. the day this was posted). Songs that were started or submitted before the start date will not be accepted. We do encourage you to PLEASE take your time and don't hurry your song, this is a challenge after all! :)
7) You can enter up to 2 songs.
8) Your song must be between 3-6 minutes. Generally, anything up to 15 seconds outside the limit will be accepted, but your best bet is to be within the 3-6 minute range or as close to it as possible. The contest organizer will have the final say in whether an entry is too long or short to be accepted.
9) In the front of the song title, write AIM (example: AIM - Strawberries), it helps speed up the judging process. Also, tag your song with AIM2022 in the tags!
10) Submit your song(s) on Newgrounds (uploaded to an NG account here only) and post them to this thread by the official deadline: June 20, 2022. Only entries posted on this thread will be considered.
11) You can work with anyone, whether it be a singer, producer, etc. Bands are allowed, too! If they have an NG account, tag them in the project system, or if not, credit them in the description of your song(s)! Keep in mind, only one person gets the prize (unless it can be split equally).
12) You must be a scouted artist. This is for anti-fraud purposes.
13) If you're unsure of ANYTHING not listed (or have questions about what has been stated) in the rules, feel free to ask us questions in the discussion thread!
Addenda
For the purposes of this contest, music with a “melodic structure” is preferred. I realize this is quite open to interpretation, but you generally want to think about melodies, chords and structure/form. Soundscape pieces, while I won’t completely disallow them, tend to not be what this contest is for. You are free to incorporate soundscapes into a melodic work, but a soundscape piece alone is generally discouraged.
Once you submit an entry, it will be checked over and added to an approved entries playlist if it satisfies the requirements. If your entry does not meet the requirements, you will receive a message explaining why it wasn’t approved up until the 24 hour warning is posted, of which you may or may not receive a message. This will give you a chance to update your entry or work on a new one that does follow the rules up until the submissions period closes.
Note that entries go through a manual approval process, so it may take 24-48 hours before your submission is reviewed and put into the approved entries playlist.
You may update your entry or entries until the submissions period ends. If you do make changes to a current entry, it would be appreciated if you mentioned this in the discussions thread, as some judges may choose to listen and write notes on entries once they are submitted.
Judges
@Random-storykeeper (yes that’s me)
Winners
The judges will determine a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winner, along with 17 runner-ups for a total of 20 winners (21 including the fan favourite - see following section). The winners’ entries will be compiled into an AIM compilation album. See past AIM albums here!
Prizes are TBA and will be posted in this thread when they are confirmed.
Fan Favourite:
During the judging phase, all non-judges (both participants and non-participants) can vote for their favourite submission. The winning song with the most votes will end up on the contest album (and get to pick out a game from the Prize Pool)! Voting will be done through an additional “Fan Favourite” thread, which will be linked in this thread shortly after the submissions period ends.
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I would like to give a big shoutout to @Phaox05 for creating this year’s promo art! Thank you for the wonderful creation below.
With that, I wish all participants the best and I cannot wait to hear what you all have in store for this year’s compo.
