Modern Art is one of my favorite games, so I'm sponsoring a contest for the best design for the blank player screen which comes with the Mayfair Games edition. First prize is 50 GG (enough for a Geek or Uber Geek badge), second prize is 30 GG (enough for an avatar) and third prize is 15 GG (enough for a microbadge). In addition, one "honorable mention" prize of 10 GG (start your own guild) will be awarded for each 10 GG of tips to the original post.

Here are the rules:

1) All entries must be pictures of an actual art museum. Art musuems used on the Mayfair Games edition screens are ineligible.

2) All entries must use the overlay template file available in the download section for Modern Art.

3) Unaltered photographs of musuems are not accepable entries, no matter how well-executed. This is an art contest, so please be creative.

4) All entries should be the submitter's original work.

5) All entries must be posted to this thread with a time stamp no later than 11:59 PM US Central Time, Saturday, April 19, 2008. Late entries will not be considered.

6) All entries must be accompanied with a brief paragraph explaining the reason the museum portrayed and the style of execution of the image was chosen. See the sample entry below for an example.

7) Images may be posted from personal galleries, and etc., but images which get accepted to the Modern Art Image Gallery (Creative category, of course), will get extra consideration.

8) Entries will be judged by an esteemed panel of judges including myself, microbadge and graphics designer RecklessJester, game retailer and podcaster Ron Blessing, and game photographer extroidinaire gamephotos. Thumbs awarded to entries in this thread will act as a fifth "virtual" judge. Decision of the judges are final and will not be reconsidered.

9) Multiple entries are awarded per person, but no entrant will be awarded more than one prize.

10) If any of the above is deemed unclear, contradictory or incomplete, I reserve the rights to change the rules of this contest at any time prior to the submission deadline. ("He who has the GG makes the rules.")

The winners of the contest will be announced on The Game's The Thing podcast.

Sample Entry


I grew up in Southern New Jersey just across the Deleware river from Philadelphia and attended college just across Fairmount Park from the classically inspired Philadelphia Art Museum. The image of the Rocky Balboa statue in front of the museum is certainly iconic. I chose to execute it in an impressionistic style to soften the "tough guy" image associated with the Philadelphia and New Jersey region.