McLeodGaming 2011 Art Contest

The McLeodGaming 2011 Art Contest was an art competition and the second annual contest held by McLeodGaming, following the orchestration contest from the previous year. Starting on February 1, 2011, contestants were tasked with creating pencil-and-paper drawings of video game protagonists themed around Valentine's Day.

Rules
For this contest, contestants were to submit a drawing of a video game protagonist portrayed with some sort of Valentine's Day theme. The protagonist in particular must be a main protagonist in the game and the main focus of the image, and secondary characters were also allowed to appear, but all characters in the drawing must come from the same franchise. Characters from other kinds of media such as television shows were also allowed as long as they have appeared in an official video game before.

Drawings entered were to be judged based on various factors, including originality, creativity, and skill. As voted in a poll on January 12, 2011, these drawings were required to use a pencil and paper exclusively, with colored or lined paper and colored pencils also being acceptable. Drawings done with other tools, such as pens or markers, and digital drawings were not accepted. Additionally, drawings were limited to one piece of paper and one image, and comics with multiple panels were disqualified as well.

From the starting date, entries were to be submitted by February 28, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. (GMT-5). Entries were to be scans or photographs of the drawings, which could not be digitally edited unless it was required to make the drawing appear properly and had the permission of Gregory McLeod. The files could then be sent to him through email, or they could be posted on the McLeodGaming Forums. Only one drawing could be submitted per person.

Prizes
The contestant placing in 1st would receive a Wacom Bamboo Pen and Touch Tablet, and they would also get the option to submit an updated version of their winning artwork using any medium they wish for Gregory McLeod to showcase on the home page of the McLeodGaming website. Additionally, the contestant placing in 2nd would receive a $50 gift card to the McLeodGaming Zazzle Store, and the contestant placing in 3rd would receive a $25 gift card to the store.

Results
Ultimately, more than 60 contestants entered and judging began on March 1, 2011, with Gregory McLeod and several of his friends acting as the judges. The winners were announced on March 20, 2011, with only the top three placements being specifically listed; the remaining top 55 contestants were simply listed on the art contest's website in alphabetical order of the file names. The 1st place winner, bathurst, had her artwork shown on the home page of the McLeodGaming website, but she never submitted an updated version.

Trivia

 * Currently, this is the only art contest to be held by McLeodGaming, as well as the company's most recent contest to not be directly related to a game.