February FanWork Fest 2005

July 16th.  A day that will live in infamy, for it is the day canon as we know it will be detonated beyond recovery.  HBP will have arrived, bringing with it a truckload of new information, and changing the HP universe forever.  So, wouldn't it be nice to write some OotP-era fanart and fanfiction before that happens?  Well, we thought it would, anyway.    

So, we're holding a joint fic and art contest over the month of February, looking for just that sort of thing.  The contest requirements are deliberately quite vague, in order to allow you as much freedom as possible with making your entry.  We have, however, set some voluntary challenges for anyone who needs inspiration, and if you have any plot bunnies you wish to offer for the same purpose, you can do so at the Contest Thread.  Any questions, comments, appeals for help or general discussion about the contest can also be taken there.  Obviously, being February, there's a few suggestions for basing your entries around Valentine's Day, but this isn't a requirement.  There are also a few suggestions for those of you looking to write a more humourous take on Mr Riddle.

As usual, the contest is open to anyone who is a member on the TBC Forums, and if you wish to Register in order to take part, you are more than welcome.  Judging will take place through an open poll on the forums, so registering will also allow you to have your say in who the eventual winner will be.  Multi-chaptered fics and Artwork series are acceptable, but we would prefer it if they were complete by the contest deadline.  (A feeling that will probably be shared by voters and reviewers alike, incidentally...)  Entries should be sent to TBC's usual Submissions address, with 'FanWork Contest Entry' as the subject. They must be received before midnight (Board Time/Central US) on Monday 28th February.  We look forward to seeing your entries, and good luck to everybody!

CONTEST GUIDELINES

Your story or picture must contain Tom Riddle/Voldemort as a main character.  It can be set in any era, and feature any other characters you wish.  AU submissions are allowed, although please follow canon wherever possible.  As well as the guidelines above, your picture/story must also contain one or more the following, or be set during the month of February:

        A never-before-seen magical item or spell
        A Hit Basilisk
        Valentine's Hearts
        An Unforgivable Curse
        The death of a canon character
        Any of the cocktails sold at the Basilisk Bar
        A Dementor wearing a party hat, carrying a glass of punch
        A Romantic Interest for Tom (Any character is fine)
        Gilderoy Lockhart in full Cupid regalia
        The quote from the forum front page - "You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life." (Sir Winston Churchill)

We have also created the following challenges, to help anyone who is in need of inspiration.  More challenges may be available at the Contest Thread, as our ever-helpful members offer their plot bunnies for your perusal.

CONTEST RULES

1. The closing date for the contest is Monday 28th February, 2005. Entries must be received before midnight on that day. (Board time/Central US)
2. Entry is open to anyone who is a registered member of the TBC forums, and you may register in order to enter the contest if you are not currently a member. 
3. Judging will commence shortly after the content deadline has passed, and will be decided by an open vote of TBC members.
4. You may enter the contest as many times as you like, but remember we are looking for quality, not quantity.
5. Your entry must adhere to the basic guidelines above, and the usual TBC Guidelines for Fiction/Art to be accepted. (These are reproduced below.)
6. All entries will be placed in the appropriate TBC Archive after the contest is over.
7. For obvious reasons, all entries must be entirely your own work.