Welcome, one and all, to the First Annual Steemit Silent Comic Competition!

From the first time I set eyes on Steemit (don't let my profile fool you - I started my old account back in 2016), I saw Steemit as a site that had great potential to help people make some money from their comics, which, as anybody who knows anything about the comics industry knows, it's really difficult to make anything resembling a living off of comics, regardless of how much work you put into those pretty little pages.

I have actually made several attempts at jumping back into doing comics like the good old days, but, alas, although I know have more than enough skill and a good understanding of how to make them, I just don't have the passion for it anymore.

Frustrated and not wanting that potential to go to waste, I decided I'd kick off the new year with an annual contest!

The idea is simple enough - get people to come try their hand to win some nice cash prizes, and even if they don't win, the post itself can potentially make them a pretty penny. It's basically like a proof-of-concept turned into a contest.

Speaking of wonderful prizes though, what could you win if you enter?

Well, one of 7 prizes!

At the time of this writing, the value of all the prizes together is worth just over $500 USD.

That's $538.46 to be exact!
(You can use steemdollar.com to get the current value of STEEM or SBD.)
(And yes, it can be turned into normal money, you can transfer it as soon as you get it.)

However, since the value of these digital currencies can fluctuate, which may be good or bad for the prize pool, depending on how things go in the markets, I'll be increasing the reward pool as the year goes on.

Specifically, posts like this one, where I'm announcing things about this contest, the liquid rewards will be added to the reward pool, and divided evenly among the prizes.
_{If the rewards aren't a whole number amount that is divisible by 7 (for the 7 prizes), I will do my best to make up the difference - If I am unable to, the extra left over simply won't be added until I am able to.}

*If you've come here from a different site and don't really know anything about Steemit and liquid rewards, here's the TL;DR -

_{If this post gets lots of upvotes, it makes money. Half of that money is immediately accessible after 7 days (this is the liquid rewards), while the other half takes 3 months to get to. It's kind of a pain to do though, which is why contests that offer post rewards typically only offer the liquid rewards.}

Moving on, here's how the contest will work: The contestants will have until December 31st 2018, 11:59PM UTC to submit their entry.

If you don't know what time that is where you live, here's a handy guide: [link]
Or just go to Google and search, "What time is it in UTC".

Once all the entries are submitted, I'll make a new post with links to all the entries, and everyone will vote on which they like the best. The winner of those votes will receive the Fan Favorite prize.

Please note:
You are not allowed to vote for your own comic.

Unless I find more judges, then Judge's Favorite will just be the one that I like the best.

However, if you win one prize, you're disqualified from winning all other prizes.

So if the Judge's Favorite and the Fan Favorite wind up being the same one, Judge's Favorite will be given to the one that the judge(s) ranked second place.

Best Composition will be awarded to the comic that balances the panel layouts, speech bubbles, and everything in the comic, in the way that gives it good visual impact, and makes it straightforward to read.

Most Stylish will be awarded to the comic that has the most visual impact, the most oomph, even if that style comes at the cost of an easy reading experience.

Best Fits Theme is straightforward. Sometimes it's not easy to make something to a specific theme, but those that really embrace it will have a good chance at this prize.

Best Storytelling is for those that really pull you into the world, and make you really invested in the comic. Maybe it doesn't have the best art, but you really care about the characters, and for reader retention, that is truly, very important.

And finally, Best Character Designs goes to just that - the comic that has the most visually compelling characters. After all, when someone picks up your comic, the first thing they see should be your characters on the cover. Will they look interesting enough to compel the reader to turn the page?

Alright, alright, so you know about prizes. What about the rules?

Ah yeah, that last rule's kinda weird, huh?

See, this is a silent comic competition.

If a comic can read well without the use of text, it doesn't matter if you speak the same language as the author or not - it can still be understood and enjoyed.

If there's a language barrier in the comic, that hurts the entry, but I want this contest to be open to people from all over. The more, the merrier!

But, before I forget, we still need a theme, don't we?

This year, the theme is New Companion!

Imagine, if you will, meeting a new friend, maybe living with them or going off on an adventure!

Or maybe it's not a friend, but an unlikely new ally?! Someone you have no choice but to cooperate with!

Have fun, and be creative with it!

And with that, I believe that's all I really have to say on the matter. If you have any questions or concerns, be sure to let me know in the comments below.

Until later

Happy Comic-ing, Everybody!

By the way, if you think an art contest sounds fun, but this one seems a bit too big and daunting for you, be sure to check out @opheliafu and @topkpop's pages - they do art contests every week that are a lot simpler than this, and are great for people of any skill level.