News: Official NARUTO SHIPPUDEN Design Contest (WeLoveFine)

Great news for Naruto fans who can draw :D

Manga Creator Masashi Kishimoto, Along With Manga Editor And Director Of The Smash Hit Anime, Invite Artists And Fans To Tap Their Inner Ninja For A Chance To Win Trip To Anime Expo 2013 And Other Prizes

Contest: NARUTO SHIPPUDEN Design Contest

Deadline to submit: 26 April 2013 11:59 PM PST
Rating period: 8 May 2013 ~ 8 June 2013
Winners will be announced on 25 June 2013

Complete contest details: http://www.welovefine.com/contest/39-naruto-shippuden-design-contest.
Sponsored by: NARUTO and NARUTO SHIPPUDEN licensee WeLoveFine (WeLoveFine.com)

I don’t think it is limited to only the US but the free airfare is limited only to US domestic flights. Good luck to those who like to take part!

Prizes:
1) 1 Grand Prize winner – a paid 3-days 2-nights trip to attend Anime Expo 2013 at Los Angeles, CA, July 4-7 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Prize package includes a 4-day Anime Expo membership badge, 1 round trip airfare (limited to U.S. domestic flights only) and lodging near the convention center.

2) 3 “Judges Pick” winners – US$300 in cash each

3) 1 Runner-up winner – US$150 gift certificate for WeLoveFine.com

4) 5 Honorable Mention winners – US$50 gift certificate for WeLoveFine.com each

How to take part:
1) Create an original “stylized” or “super deformed” (Chibi-style) rendering of a prominent NARUTO SHIPPUDEN character.
2) All designs MUST incorporate characters and themes from NARUTO SHIPPUDEN and not from any previous episodes or manga volumes of the NARUTO series.
3) Art pieces should be scanned and submitted to WeLoveFine.
4) Submittals must be 100% original; exact copies of NARUTO manga or anime will not be accepted; do not trace any original NARUTO manga or anime artwork.
5) Submit up to 5 entries per person.
6) All entries must be in one of the following file formats: GIF/PNG/JPG.

Judging criteria:
Contest submissions will be judged and winners personally selected by WeLoveFine, along with esteemed Guest Judges Kishimoto Masashi, the creator of NARUTO and NARUTO SHIPPUDEN, Otsuki Joe, Editor of the NARUTO manga, and Date Hayato, Director of the NARUTO SHIPPUDEN anime series.

For those not familiar with Naruto, here is some background information:
Created by Masashi Kishimoto, NARUTO was first introduced in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in Japan in 1999 and quickly became that country’s most popular ninja manga targeting tweens and teens. The manga series (rated ‘T’ for Teens, in print and digital editions) and animated counterpart (NARUTO rated ‘T’ for teens, and NARUTO Shippuden rated ‘T+’ for older teens) are some of VIZ Media’s most successful properties and have captivated millions of fans across North America, Europe and South America. NARUTO is a co-production of TV TOKYO, VIZ Media parent company Shueisha Inc., and Pierrot Co., Ltd.

Author/artist Masashi Kishimoto was born in 1974 in the rural Okayama Prefecture of Japan. After spending time in Art College, he won the prestigious Hop Step Award for new manga artists with Karakuri (Mechanism). Kishimoto decided to base his next story on traditional Japanese culture. His first version of NARUTO, created in 1997, was a one-shot story about fox spirits; his final version, which debuted in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1999, quickly became the most popular ninja manga in Japan.

In the NARUTO manga and animated series, Naruto Uzumaki wants to be the best ninja in the land. He’s done well so far, but Naruto knows he must train harder than ever and leaves his village for intense exercises that will push him to his limits. NARUTO SHIPPUDEN begins two and a half years later, when Naruto returns to find that everyone has been promoted up the ninja ranks – except him. Sakura’s a medic ninja, Gaara’s advanced to Kazekage, and Kakashi… well he remains the same. But pride isn’t necessarily becoming of a ninja, especially when Naruto realizes that Sasuke never returned from his search for Orochimaru. Plus, the mysterious Akatsuki organization is still an ever-present danger. As Naruto finds out more about the Akatsuki’s goals, he realizes that nothing in his universe is as it seems. Naruto is finding that he’s older, but will he also prove wiser and stronger?