Sliding in at the end of the year, MetaZoo’s annual Fan Art Contest for 2023 has finally arrived – and with it, a surprise twist! The finalists of this year’s contest will have the opportunity to join MetaZoo Games as members of their art team. With the traditional art restriction lifted, this is a great chance for artists of all styles to further their careers in an exciting industry.
First Off; What is the Fan Art Contest?
For those who missed previous contests, I’ll briefly explain. MetaZoo announced they would run a a fan art contest for the first time in March 2021, a couple of months before MetaZoo’s inaugural set Cryptid Nation initially released. In April 2021, 20 winners were selected to have their traditionally drawn/painted artwork turned into a mini set of official cards featuring Aura Pages, a Bookmark reprint promo and cryptids that weren’t a part of the existing MetaZoo universe. That set shipped in early 2022, and one of the finalists, Isaac Sky Lee, went on to be hired as an official artist for the company.
The second fan art contest began May 15th, 2022 and ran until June 15th, 2022. Like the previous year, the set followed a similar format of non-MetaZoo cryptids and the Bookmark promo, and the rule of traditionally drawn or painted artwork only. This time, however, it took until November 2022 for the submissions to be processed, and results were not announced until a year later, in June 2023, after which the blisters went on sale immediately. Production issues delayed the set further, and the 2022 set only began to ship in early November of 2023, after which they announced the third Fan Art Contest.
2023’s Fan Art Contest Announced
Michael Waddell, MetaZoo Games’ founder, announced the third annual Fan Art Contest on November 8th, 2023, a day or two after the blisters for last year’s contest had begun to ship. This announcement came on the heels of some sad news; three – later five – of MetaZoo’s current artists would be departing. (More on this below!) The announcement was as followed;
@everyone As many of you know, several of our artists who have been with us are leaving to pursue new things! We wish them the best of luck! This includes the incredible Kris, PONCHO, and Seb! Please join me in wishing them the best of luck on their new journeys – I’m sure we will continue to fall in love with their new work as we have over the years with their contributions to MetaZoo.
With that being said, with the 2022 Fan Art blisters officially beginning to ship… and the fact that we are in November of 2023 (!!) we are proud to announce the Fan Art 2023 Competition.
The Beasties for this year’s competition will be… ANY BEASTIE YOU LOVE!
This year’s competition will be a bit different. With MetaZoo’s new artistic direction, we are opening submissions for this contest to any and all art types. If you want to create a clay version of your favorite Beastie, go for it! Want to make it digital, or made out of blocks, or burned into wood? Have at it!
20 semifinalist arts will be selected to be created into cards that will make their way into a special collector’s box, with each card represented as a non-holo and reverse holo card. Of these 20 semifinalists, 5 finalists will be selected to become full holo cards.
These finalists will also be selected as new, full-fledged METAZOO ARTISTS to work full-time on our 2024 flagship sets and products.
The competition will run from November 10th, 2023, to December 10th, 2023, with semifinalists selected on December 25th, and finalists selected December 31st.
To submit your work for consideration, all you need to do is upload your work to instagram with the tags #metazoo and #metazoofanart2023 before December 10th!
This announcement covers most of the upfront info you need if you want to enter the competition, but there are obviously some questions left unanswered – and fortunately for you, they have been answered, if not as accessibly. Let’s have a look at what Waddell and Andy Mourat, the president of MetaZoo, have clarified about the contest so far.
What Are the Contest Rules?
So, what can you make art of? And how many pieces may you submit? Do you have to take the job? These questions were not answered in the announcement, but much has been clarified since then.
What Beasties can you use?
What cryptids can you make art of? It has been clarified that only existing Beasties from MetaZoo sets can be used; this means no unreleased Beasties, and no cryptids that have yet to appear in MetaZoo’s world. It is truly a fan art competition in this manner!
NEW: Are Casters considered Beasties?
[Added Nov. 16th] Do the Beastie Caster characters, such as Sam Sinclair, count as Beasties that can be drawn for the competition? According to Waddell, yes, they do! The Casters are perfectly acceptable entries.
Can you change a Beastie’s design or outfit?
Can you change a Beastie’s design? Waddell has clarified that you should keep as close to MetaZoo’s original design as you can. This is likely due to copyright and the hiring aspect; MetaZoo’s cryptid designs are what they own the rights to, and it’s what they want to keep selling, so they would want to hire artists who can replicate their own designs more than anything.
You are, however, allowed to change outfits for Beasties or characters that have outfits. Love, or Loveland Frogman, is the Beastie mentioned as a possibility for costume changes, but there are several other Caster options; M, Sarah Good, Morgana, and the trio of Sam, Adam and Rose, to name a few. There are a few, like Indrid Cold or the Rainbow Wizard, that may need to keep their signature outfits, but you can still try!
How gory can artwork be?
How mature or horror-like can your pieces be? Waddell has clarified that he would like artists to consider making the art as approachable to a wide audience as they can. Some cryptids’ themes or designs are inherently gory, and MetaZoo understands that, but it is recommended to not go too mature for this contest.
Can AI art generators be used?
Can you use an AI art generator to create a piece? Absolutely not; AI-generated art has been banned from this contest and is very unlikely to ever be seen on cards. Sadly, due to the high prevalence of AI generators, I recommend you keep in-progress screenshots if you are making digital art in order to prove you made it.
How many pieces can you submit?
How many art piece submissions can you enter into the competition? According to the Waddell, you can submit as many as you would like. All of them will be considered! However, all must be submitted via the tags on Instagram, so keep that in mind.
Is there an age limit on the competition?
Is there an age limit on the competition? Previously, Waddell indicated that future fan art contests may have an upper age limit, to showcase younger fans’ art, but this has since changed; there is no age limit on the competition, though it is assumed that participants must be 18 years or older to be hired by MetaZoo Games.
Can artists collaborate together on pieces?
Can you work together with another artist to make a single piece of art? Andy Mourat, the president and CCE of MetaZoo, has clarified that this makes it very difficult to distribute credit and prizing, so it is recommended that each submission only contain your own work.
Can winners of previous contests enter?
If you were a finalist or semi-finalist of a previous Fan Art Contest, can you also submit something to this competition? Yes! In fact, Mourat welcomes you to do just that; previous winners are encouraged to submit pieces.
Do you have to take the job?
If you end up being one of the possible finalists, do you have to take the job? It may seem obvious, but Mourat has clarified all the same; finalists do not have to end up working for MetaZoo. They can’t force anyone to work for them! If you don’t take the job, Mourat has said they will try and work out some type of alternate prizing.
It is possible that finalists may be selected based on their willingness to take the job, but this is pure speculation on my part, and I would not take it as gospel.
Bonus: How much does MetaZoo pay for art?
As a bonus question; if you end up taking the job, how much does MetaZoo Games pay per art piece? It has been stated that MetaZoo pays over $300 per art piece for each card, though further pay details are not known. Fan Art Contest winners may or may be not paid directly for their art, to the best of my knowledge, but they are usually given free blisters from the Fan Art Contest mini set as compensation.
How to Enter the Competition
So now that everything’s been clarified – how do you enter the Fan Art Contest 2023?
You have until December 10th, 2023 to submit your art, which must be posted on Instagram with the tags #MetaZoo and #MetaZooFanArt2023. Remember to follow all the rules above, and you should be good to go!
Are you submitting anything to the competition? Let me know below, and I may end up showcasing people’s submissions on the blog as well! Best of luck to all the artists taking their shot.
