Me pausing for a moment at the Patch Thibaud Auditorium in Casablanca Boulevard, home of this year's Miss Virtual World Pageant. You cannot really tell the scale of this theater from this photo, as it is seriously large, with a quite large backstage as well.
The announcements of nominees came out this morning for the 84th Academy Awards. My preferences, just to let you know, are no preferences; I haven’t seen a one of these, not even the Best Picture category, which is nine films long this year. So why am I talking about the Oscars? Because it’s time for the the 2012 Oscar Fashion Photo Contest at Around the Grid!
The contest groups will open for submissions once this article is published, and the prize pool is in escrow (so to speak). Time to talk to your stylists, find your hairdresser and book a time, call in favors at the jewelry stores, and decide what you would wear if you became a nominee for the little gold man. For those considered outstanding in their evening couture and artistic portrayal, there shall be (15 minutes) of fame, (a tiny bit of) fortune (for Second Life Residents only), and hopefully fun in playing the game.
The rules follow the break —
Please read these rules carefully, as it will prevent many misunderstandings, letters and headaches.
- Eligible photos must be submitted by addition to the SL Oscar Fashion group on Flickr or the Oscar Fashion group on Koinup. The Flickr group is for Second Life material only; the Koinup group is open to works from any virtual world found in Koinup. Please read the group rules before submitting photos to the groups!! Exception to the submission rule: leave a comment to this or future messages concerning the contest, containing a link to the photo. All accepted submissions to the groups from publication time of this article until 12:01 a.m. SLT on February 27, 2012 will be considered for judging.
- As noted, photos must follow the submission guidelines for the groups, which in this case should be pretty easy. Both groups are moderated, and any submissions not meeting the group rules will be rejected and considered ineligible for entry. The same applies for comment submissions.
- Multiple entries are not allowed. If you enter, then change your mind and want to do a different dress, you must delete your photo from the group and submit a new one. You should also notify me by E-mail to harper.ganesvoort@gmail.com, to inform me of your change.
- Photos taken prior to December 1, 2011 are not eligible.
- (Added February 3) Vintage fashion is acceptable, as a tribute to the long history of Oscar red carpets and ceremonies.
- Still photos only, please; no machinima or storyboards.
- Post-production is allowed.
- Vendor cards will not be allowed; neither will photos with advertising text in the owner notes or comments. You will, however, be welcome to submit a “stripped” photo for contest purposes; “stripped” here means no text, either in the photo or in the description below, aside from the normal list of who designed what. As implied, a simple list of designers for what you are wearing is allowed, and, indeed, encouraged!
- I will review the entries following close of the contest, and announce the winners by March 12, 2012 (tentative, subject to change backward or forward). Judging will be based on the appropriateness of the entry to the theme, and the artistic merit. In case of a tie, prizes will be split. All decisions will be final.
- By entering, you agree to allow me the right to republish your photo in a future article in Around the Grid. This will be the only use of the photograph beyond your own publication and other grants of permission to other venues of publication. Your copyright will be noted in a caption to your reproduced photo. I strongly encourage all submissions to be signed in a corner! All photos will be linked to their respective pages in the article, so it will be possible for readers to jump to the photo page and leave comments, faves, retweets and likes, etc.
- Prizes will be awarded in Linden dollars only; therefore, only Residents of Second Life will be eligible for virtual cash prizes. However, the best submissions from other worlds will be recognized in the article, as well as my comments on the picture at time of announcement.
- If there are any tweaks needed to these rules, they will be announced in a future article here on the blog, and this article amended, with notes.
- Needless to say, I’m not eligible (grin).
Once again, the prize pool for Second Life will be L$6,500, split as follows (unless there is a tie):
- 1st Place — L$2,500
- 2nd Place — L$2,000
- 3rd Place — L$1,000
- Honorable mention (4) — L$250 each
This prize pool is guaranteed, and will not be reduced.
Let’s see what you have, fellow fashionistas!! Get your photos in. You only have some 30 days to do it.
Photo taken at the Patch Thibaut Auditorium, Casablanca Boulevard.
Around the Grid 