For more than thirty years, Shadowrun has produced some of the coolest cyberpunk art around, inspiring fans across the globe to create their own characters and campaigns within the game universe. Many Shadowrun artists and writers started off as fans, so we thought there was no better way to encourage the creativity of the next wave of artists than with a friendly contest.
Catalyst Game Labs is seeking submissions for the 2022 Shadowrun Fan Art Competition. Multiple kinds of art are allowed, from illustration to cosplay!
To support your efforts, we’re releasing our Shadowrun Artist Handbook, which offers an overview of typical image contents, as well as tips and tricks for making a piece of art look more like Shadowrun. You can download the handbook and sample images here.
Sounds like fun—right, chummer? So get ready to bust out your pencils, paints, cameras, or Photoshop, and show us your stuff!
Contest Timeline
The contest will be open to submissions from August 1 to September 1, 2022. Late submissions will still be viewed and enjoyed, but please get them to us before the deadline if you want to be considered for the prizes.
Catalyst reserves the right to alter the deadline without notice and for any reason.
Submission Requirements
All submissions should be sent via e-mail to ian@catalystgamelabs.com with the subject line “Shadowrun Art Competition.”
- All submissions should include the following:
- The artist or photographer’s legal name and primary e-mail address.
- The artist’s handle or studio name (only if you prefer not to use your real name in the public gallery).
- A link to your online portfolio if you’d like that displayed with your submission.
- Image submission proofs at 100 DPI/PPI. (We highly recommend keeping your full-res version at 300+!)
- Indicate whether you are under the age of 18.
- Anything else you think we should know about you or the art!
Terms and Conditions
By submitting work to this contest, you accept the terms and conditions outlined below.
- For purposes of this competition, “art” refers not only to grayscale or color illustrations but also to photography or sculpture. Cosplay photography is allowed and encouraged. Multimedia presentations, such as video, will not be considered as submissions, but feel free to share them with us anyway!
- Submitted images must feature a Shadowrun scene, character, or setting. Please avoid including anything outside of Shadowrun canon, such as characters or logos from other franchises. Despite our love for them, character mashups, like Qui-Gon Harlequin or Darth Dunkelzahn, are heavily discouraged and may not be included in public materials.
- Artists of all ages are welcome to submit, but applicants below the age of 18 should notify us when submitting. This is so we can make special arrangements if age-sensitive prizes are awarded.
- All submitted artwork must be original works to which you own clear legal rights. This goes not only for the overall image, but also for any recognizable references or photobashed elements in it.
- Artists who have worked for Shadowrun in the past are eligible to submit, but with a few caveats: (1) When submitting, you must let us know where you were previously published. (2) You cannot submit previous commissioned work for the contest. (3) Be aware that your submission may be isolated into its own separate category, which may or may not be eligible for a prize.
- Images reflecting real-world racist, sexist, or otherwise bigoted attitudes will be disqualified. This does not apply to depictions of in-universe bigotry, as long as said depictions are tastefully handled. Catalyst reserves the right to determine what’s inappropriate.
- Taboo topics, such as violence and sexuality, may be present in your submissions, but we reserve the right to reject any image we view as going too far.
- We may approach some artists with an offer to buy the rights to their artwork for future publications. Artists should understand that certain images will not be published in the game line without modifications to make the content compatible with our standard print guidelines. Determination of editorial needs—and execution of such edits—will be made by Catalyst and the Shadowrun Development Team.
- By submitting, you grant Catalyst Game Labs permission to display your work in promotional materials relating to current and future art contests or fan-appreciation posts. Promotional materials may include mailing lists, social media, printed fliers, or an online publication featuring contest submissions. This does not transfer full copyright to Catalyst or extend usage rights beyond the aforementioned purposes.
- Artists may withdraw their submissions up to 15 days after the contest deadline ends. Withdrawal requests must be submitted in writing to ian@catalystgamelabs.com and clearly identify the work being removed from consideration.
Judging
After the competition deadline, the Art Director will compile all the submissions and present them to the Development Team for review.
Final winners will be chosen and announced within 60 days of the contest deadline.
Prizes
Categories will be established based on submissions received, in order to best represent the images and their place in the Sixth World. This means the number of categories and prizes awarded may vary.
Winners of each category will receive a $200 gift certificate for the Catalyst online store.