"Alberto, the contest" is over, and it was a glorious event! Over sixty stunning entries have made this humble contest an exciting success! First of all, I would like to thank everyone who participated and shared this project. I have to say that every time I scroll through the photos of the entries and see the dedication and creativity you have devoted to this chubby cat, I am moved like a child!
I asked you to have fun and be creative, and I must say that you have gone far beyond my wildest expectations. It will be a truly difficult and painful task to choose the winners; you all deserve a prize! Some entries stand out for their technique, others for storytelling, and some made me laugh out loud. I'm really proud of how my idea managed to engage so many people: it was a fully successful experiment that will definitely be repeated, not only with this format, which I find accessible and fun but also with some variations that I believe could make it even more enjoyable for you!
From the beginning, my goal was to give you an excuse to pick up colors and brushes and spend some hours in pure hobby, and the many splendid messages you sent me are a sign that we are on the right path.
"Alberto, the contest" saw the participation of famous artists, enthusiastic hobbyists, and even two very young recruits, aged two (!!) and seven, making their absolute debut. I couldn't ask for more!
It was fun and stimulating to see how many different interpretations you were able to create starting from such a simple model. I also noticed how some themes were quite recurring: it's clear that Alberto has inspired in you a sense of power and majestic authority, as it should be (he's very pleased with this vision you have of him!).
How will this first edition evolve? First of all, I am still browsing Instagram in search of entries; some of you forgot to send me the photos by email but I noticed that they posted the entries on Instagram. I will try to retrieve as many as possible to add them to the gallery.
Fun fact: in my naivety, I got a one-day suspension from Instagram for reminding a participant to send me the photos via email by commenting on their post. For the algorithm, my reminder was deemed as spam, and for 24 hours, I couldn't comment on Instagram posts. Coincidentally, my suspension day overlapped with the first 24 hours of the Kickstarter campaign!
Once all the entries are gathered, I will proceed with the actual judging, which you can be sure will be more painful for me than for you. After the judging phase, torn apart by guilt, I plan to announce the contest results this weekend, probably this Sunday.
The winners will receive various prizes based on categories, but every one of them will receive a commemorative medal that I will personally print and paint, and a special version of Alberto specially sculpted to celebrate your success. Prizes will be distributed in the form of store coupons, products offered by the two very kind sponsors (Kimera Colors and Army Painter), products I have directly purchased and made available as prizes, and, finally, the prize that I know everyone aspires to win: 5kg of top-quality pasta, made in Italy.
Prizes will be delivered between December and January.
I thank all the participants and hope you had fun, I hope this is just the first of many events we will do together!