As part of our festival, "Blufest 413: Cyrene Celebrates Culture", we
will be hosting a world-wide art contest which all artists are invited
to participate in.

There will be two categories for the event.
1. In the first, the paintings will be done in the traditional genre of
paintings and portraits seen throughout time in Sapience, such as one
might commission in Caer Witrim. However, you will not need to purchase
a canvas, a letter will suffice for the purposes of the contest. Example
of Category 1, which happens to be of one of Cyrene's beloved Celani:

"This painting seems to capture the spirit of Kedawen in quiet repose.
She wears a dark, stygian coloured gown that creates a striking contrast
to her porcelain skin. Her chestnut coloured hair is parted down the
middle and rare, snow-white blossoms adorn her like a crown. Stray
strands of honey highlights float idly about her oval face and create
the illusion of an otherworldly glow. A soft smile touches her pink
lips, seemingly slightly amused. Her multihued eyes, ever shifting and
swirling, are painted with brilliant hues of deep red, bright green,
dark blue and pale yellow. Those mysterious eyes seem to shift even on
the painted canvas. It bears the distinctive mark of Frida, a painter (a
denizen)."



2. In the second category, the paintings will be created in a style that
might be described best as modernism or visualism. In this category,
paintings and portraits nearly jump off the page, they are so vivid.
Example of Category 2, with the preface that this is not my work:




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The theme is the same for both categories - Images of Cyrene. If the
contest is a success, we hope to host more with different themes in the
future.

Subcategories in each category will be:
1. Cyrenian Landmarks (i.e., buildings, sculptures, etc)
2. Cyrenian Landscapes (i.e., scenic overviews of the city and area)
3. People of Cyrene (i.e., denizens, adventurers)
4. Cyrene's Guardians and Creatures (i.e., Blu, Balaia, Baltas)


Additional criteria include:
1. Must be representative of and appropriate to this realm
2. Must be of a respectful and non-obsene content befitting the city,
contest and realm.
3. Must be fully original works

Failure to meet these criteria will result in disqualification from the
contest.

Artists are not limited in the amount of pieces they can enter. However,
do keep in mind that if you enter numerous pieces in the same category,
you may end up competing against yourself, in a sense.



The grand winners of each category will receive:

First Place - 25 credits
Second Place - 15 credits
Third Place - 10 credits


If there are enough entries to warrant it, smaller prizes will be
provided in the subcategories as well. All of the pictures, paintings
and portraits will be binded into a collection of paintings to be
showcased in the Cyrenian library.

Judging will be done by a panel of judges, including Cyrene's esteemed
and divine Divine Patron, Lord Prospero.


Entries should be mailed to Beneficia via dove or gremlin delivered
letter. The letters must be signed with your name and indicate the
category/subcategory each piece represents.

The deadline for entering is the end of Valnuary 414.


Please direct any questions about this contest to myself or to Cyrene's
Minister of Cultural Affairs, Saidie Lighthawk.


Good luck to all artists and Happy Blufest!


In the Name of Respect and the Arts,
Beneficia, Imperiate of Cyrene




Penned by my hand on the 14th of Lupar, in the year 413 AF.