Update:  Deadline Extension

New deadline:  February 10th at 11:59 PM EST!

I could use an extra week before judging, and my poll suggested people could use a little more time than that. I've decided to extend the deadline by 10 days.

Don't forget you must note me your entry to be eligible for prizes. I know I saw some floating around. I do need an official entry note! You may find these other reminders helpful:  fav.me/d4mk8a6

If your entry is not in this folder, you are not confirmed and should contact me:  thorns.deviantart.com/favourit…

If you have questions, or needed help, and I haven't fully helped yet, NOTE ME ASAP. If I haven't responded I misplaced your messages. (I know there is definitely one I cannot find.) I apologize and would be appreciate a reminder.


thorns

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We got our complaints out in 2011. Now, 2012 is about doing something productive with them. I am not going to sit and grumble about my pet peeves. Neither should you!

Anyone who knows me should have been suspicious from the start of Phase 1 because complaining is one of my own complaints. That's right. I complain about people complaining. Silly, yes? Well I decided to do something about it with this challenge.

I hope everyone enjoyed sharing their gripes in Phase 1 because it is time for Phase 2! And Phase 2 is open to everyone, even if you didn't participate in Phase 1, or decided to change what complaint you'd like to address!

Complaint Challenge – Phase 2

The challenge in a nutshell: Pick one of your dA complaints and do something proactive about it. Work toward a solution or improvement in a positive way.

Now a few of you are probably thinking things like, "I can't!" "I don't have the ability to make those changes!" "It's impossible!"

Wrong, wrong, and WRONG! You can. You do. It is possible.

We are a community and a community is what the members make of it. It's not the massive changes, but the little ones all stacking up that make the community wonderful. Positivity and improvement start with you. Yes, you, the deviant reading this right now. You CAN improve the deviantART community and site.

It will take positive effort, and some complaints require more work than others, but it's worth it. You'll be happier and other community members will be happier.

It's not only about making deviantART better in 2012. It's a new year. New years are always great times to work on improving yourself and how you respond to obstacles. At some point we're all guilty of grumbling complaints instead of being proactive about the issue. This is the perfect opportunity to look at your every day grumblings and kick them in the face! (Kick them in the face figuratively and in a positive way though. )

Challenge Details

This is an open ended challenge and so the requirements aren't going to be too specific. What I am looking for is this:

Positivity - This is about addressing obstacles and taking charge, but it's a moot point if you drag it down with negativity. If you're happy and excited about your entry, I'm going to feel happy and excited about your entry. That means I'm more likely to want to make the change or support the issue. It's a good thing to aim for.

Community - This site is built on the community and I'd like to see entries involve the community in some form. That means if you are trying to spread awareness, promote your entry to deviants, ask for input, or start a project others can participate in. If you're pushing for a site suggestion, ask for community input and support.

Effort - I suggest picking a topic you're passionate about because I'd really like to see deviants be persistent with entries. Don't create a two sentence dA suggestion and then leave it sitting in your gallery or journal. TRY! Make it the best you can, promote it the best you can, and then improve it, drag others with you, and promote it some more.

Creativity - We're an art community. Sure a letter or news article can be effective, but wouldn't it be fun to tie it into an amusing activity? Creativity makes an impact. People will remember it. People will be inspired. Turn your entry into a game, activity, or draw witty stick figures to illustrate your point. Have FUN with it because it really is open to interpretation.

Practicality - Sure, I'd love it too if deviantART delivered a cake to my door every time I logged in. Not realistic by any stretch of the imagination though.

Take a serious approach and realize that broader issues (like trolling) aren't addressed overnight or completely solvable. In those cases you can help people "see the light" and spread awareness. The Complaint Challenge project is a good example of practical response. My complaint is complaining without taking a proactive role in the issue. I can't make people stop complaining, but I can trick people with prizes encourage people to be proactive.

Things to Avoid:

Negativity - No whining. No complaining. No insults. No negativity. Stuff all the bad mojo in your trash can where it belongs.

Lazy Entries - Writing a paragraph at the end of one of your meme journals just won't cut it. Obviously not everyone has the same skill set or resources, but that's no excuse to not try your best. I can tell the difference.

Meanness - Be nice. (This is covered under negativity, but I think it's worth another iteration.) I mean it. Be nice.

Can we work in teams?

Absolutely allowed and encouraged! Work with a friend, or five, if you'd like. But, if you do work in a team of 3+ deviants I expect a serious business entry. I would expect that you're running a community project, contest, or starting a group. I'll also be asking who did what in the entry.

Can I ask for help from others?

Get all the help you need from friends, family, the community, etc. If you can't figure out a way to improve on your chosen issue, or maybe you're not sure how to make it fun, ask others. You can even ask me! I am happy to brainstorm with you and throw ideas your way. [Please credit those who help you!]

I'm still not sure what you want me to do, thorny coconut.

A proactive activity is the base requirement.

Think about your complaint. Consider what drives the issue, and what would inspire a positive change. Brainstorm ideas. Make sketches. Outline a plan. Approach it as you would your art.

If you desire a feature change to the site or dA policy, it's a little more straight forward. You'd create a suggestion deviation, put it in the proper Suggestions gallery, and make a Suggestions forum thread. To involve the community you can ask for input, start a discussion, and promote your suggestion. Feel free to get creative with the deviation or process though!

For community gripes, it's more open ended. The key is to spread awareness and involve the community.

Start a community awareness campaign. Make an article, make stamps to promote the positive. Create a challenge, project or activity for other deviants to join your campaign.

Quick examples:
These are loose ideas off the top of my head. You can go in so many directions! Make anything you want as long as it promotes the positive and is proactive. Be creative and have fun with it.

Complaint: You don't like the DD's featured.

Proactive activity: Challenge yourself to submit 1 quality DD suggestion every day for two weeks. Ask others to join in the challenge with you! Make it a quarterly challenge!


Complaint: You're tired of deviants complaining about lack of exposure.

Proactive activity: Write and promote a tutorial teaching deviants how to network and gain the exposure they want in a positive way. Promote it to underexposed deviants.

Need more help?

Note me! As I said earlier, I am happy to brainstorm and offer tips or suggestions. If you're creating a contest for your entry, I'm usually passing out prizes like candy and it can't hurt to ask.

How to Enter

Create your entry and submit to deviantART. Then follow these requirements!

Include a link to this contest in your artist's comment.

Send a note to thorns by 11:59 PM EST, January 31st, 2012.

Include this information:

A thumbcode to your entry submission. (Even if it's a journal or news article.)

Link or tell me to where you're promoting your entry.

Anything else relevant about your entry. (Credit, partner roles, etc.)

Prizes

I am accepting prize donations, and prize donors are eligible to participate! If you'd like to support this contest, note me with your donation and I'll add it to the list. Prize donors will receive a special feature once the contest ends.

Spotlight Prizes
There will be no first, second, or third place because I'm terrible at that type of judging. I always want everyone to win first place. Instead I'm going to spotlight entries that are super amazing. It will be 2-4 entries (depending on the awesomeness of the entries) and they will each win:

A 3 month premium membership!
100 points

Participation Prizes
If you tried, I think you deserve a shot at a prize because it's about the intention and community effort. Anyone who sends in an eligible entry will be entered into a drawing to win a prize. They will be selected at random.

A three month premium membership!
150 points x 2
100 points x 2
50 points x 4

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I hope you're able to take part. Please favorite the article and spread the word!

thorns