Voting for the visual category will be split into 2 different groups in order of submission - Group A and Group B.  Two separate polls will be going on, and the top 6 of those two will be the finalists for the Visual category! Since there were quite a few visual entries, I'll be extending the final voting period to the 3rd of January, 2013.  The final voting for the Visual Entries will begin on the 31st.  

I hope that's not too confusing. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

WRITTEN CATEGORY VOTING:

Written Category Group -- CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

VISUAL CATEGORY VOTING:

Group A Poll -- CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

Group B Poll -- CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

Be sure to vote on all THREE of these polls!

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It's that time of year again, the Winter Solstice (Summer, for us down under!).  The dark half of the year is being relinquished to the light half.  After the solstice, the days will become longer, and that is plenty of reason to celebrate! So, in the spirit of Yule, dA-pagans is throwing a quick contest!  Here's what you need to know!

COUNTDOWN TIMER TIL CONTEST END  

Hope your Solstice was wonderful!

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What is Yuletide spirit?

What is it about this time of year that makes it so special? That feeling we share regardless of which path we take?  Is it generosity? Love? Good towards your fellow person? Explore and interpret this feeling of the Yuletide spirit through visual or written artwork.  

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Due Date

All entries must be submitted by December 26th.  [Sydney, Australia time].

Here's a Countdown Timer (Hopefully that link works, if not, sorry about that!).  

Yes, I do realize that this leaves you with not very much time.  This is meant to be a fun and quick contest, and deviations that have already been submitted by you in the past are more than welcome if you think they fit the purpose of the contest!

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Submissions

There are 2 categories for this contest: Written and Visual.  
You may submit up to 3 entries for this contest as a whole -- that is 3 per person, not 3 per category.  

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Written Category

Written category can be anything from poetry to prose, fiction, nonfiction, whatever you like, so long as it is made up of words.  

You may add visual aides to your poetry/prose and still have it in the "Written" category.  Here is an example from a previous contest:

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Visual Category

Visual category can be anything that is visual - photography, paintings, drawings, sculptures, artisan craftsmanship, etc.

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Rules

All submissions must be put in the Contest gallery - Contest Folder.  Please don't put non-contest entries into this folder!

Only members of the group may enter. (Note: You don't HAVE to be Pagan to be a member of this group, by the way! So long as you're respectful to those who are in this group, you are welcome to join in! If you celebrate the Solstice, or revel in that Yuletide spirit yourself, you're free to enter!)

You may submit art of yours that is already uploaded onto your account. There's very little time left for this contest, but if you have something you think illustrates the spirit of this time of year, you're more than welcome to submit it!

Let the admins here know if/when you enter the contest and if it needs to be moved into the Contest Folder (if you mis-click, or if it's already in our gallery, etc).  We won't know to update this journal with your entry if you don't tell us you're entering!

For this contest only, you may submit up to 3 entries.  That's 3 entries per person.

Entries must be PG-13 rated - no excessive obscenities, gore, excessive nudity, in general think of movie ratings.

All general group rules must apply (Artwork must be your own, no hate speech, etc)

No flaming/trolling/hating on other people's entries, let's keep it positive please!

Absolutely no bribing other deviants to vote for your entry!  You can ask people to support you, but bribing them with points, llamas, views, favorites, etc, is not acceptable.  Failure to heed this warning will result with your entries being stripped from the contest with no opportunity to re-enter.

Absolutely NO multiple accounts for entry/voting.  Making multiple accounts (or asking others to) for the purpose of having more than one vote per person in the voting sessions of a contest is unacceptable and will result in the removal of your entries from the contest with no opportunity to re-enter.

Sorry to be so harsh on this, but it's happened in the past, and of course we all want this to be fair for all involved!

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Voting and Prizes

Voting

Will be done via a poll on the group founder's main account (Nekromanda), as the other contests have been in the past.

Will commence on Friday 26 December 2012 after the polls have closed, and will run until the 31st.  EDIT: Voting has been slightly extended due to the number of entries for the Visual Category - read the top of the journal for more details!


Prizes

WRITTEN CATEGORY

1st - 300, Feature in Journal and on group's page, Llama badge, faves from NeptuniaSulphur and Nekromanda, llama from SpeakThroughFingers

2nd - 200, Feature in Journal and on group's page, Llama badge, faves from NeptuniaSulphur and Nekromanda, llama from SpeakThroughFingers



VISUAL CATEGORY

1st - 300, Feature in Journal and on group's page, Llama badge, faves from NeptuniaSulphur and Nekromanda, llama from SpeakThroughFingers

2nd - 200, Feature in Journal and on group's page,  Llama badge, faves from NeptuniaSulphur and Nekromanda, llama from SpeakThroughFingers


IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DONATE PRIZES (points, commissions, faves, llamas, anything), note the group or leave a comment, and your prize offering will be added!

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If there are any questions, please feel free to ask by leaving a note for the group or a comment down below.  If there's any clarification that needs to be made for the contest, please let us know so we can do so!

Thanks, and blessed Yule to you!

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Entries

Visual Category

:thumb341179690: :thumb344369055:

:thumb344464006: :thumb338905039: :thumb165994612: :thumb343662634: :thumb165840393:

Written Category
Equinoxbeyond shadows of
tall desert yucca stalks  
from pine-pitch torches,
a moon-rising of whey
besets the constellation
of scorpion over
the old priestess-
about her face, the
mangled hair of woven
arachnid lace floats,
around her neck,
diamondback rattles
hiss with ev'ry move-
eldest sister to the Jaguar,
only she remains
from the
heresy of her wisdom,
with memories intact
for those gone
generations before...
when grandfather
was chief elder, and
blessed his granddaughter
holding her in offering
to the sky riders of
the autumn equinox
returning on this night-
spirit voices of
the seven caves are faded
in the walls of pueblo mesa,
just as the onyx from
the youth of her eyes
is long faded, glazed
with a milky pall
amid sweet cedar smoke,
of mesquite sap
and rendered fat-
her bronzed hands from
red ocher filled with
indigo berries of woodbine,
touching the four corners,
the green pain
of flint and flesh,
of what she will consume
and what she may destroy-
yellow woman and black mot