The top three winners will get a free art table and a weekend pass to Ai-Kon 2011. The grand prize winner will also get an Ai-Kon t-shirt and their art will be used for Ai-kon 2011 pormotional materials and merchandise.

Here are the rules and requirements:

Entries must be full-body images, with no background.

Images should contain the subtle integration of the number 10 (It should be noticeable but not have any predominance over the image, as Aiko should be the focus of the piece).

Images featuring poses, outfits and/or hair styles of copyrighted characters, or copyrighted characters themselves, will not be accepted.

No adult-themed images will be accepted. This will be at the discretion of Ai-Kon executives. Please ensure entries are suitable for all ages.

A maximum limit of three entries per person will be accepted. Please note; all entries should be individual and not adjustments to an earlier entry.

Entries must be full-colour, 300 dpi resolution and submitted electronically in JPEG or PSD format. A smaller version of your entry may by submitted for judging as long as a higher resolution version is available.

You may also post artwork to your own web site, DeviantART account, or other hosting service and e-mail us the URL.

Do not use a watermark on your submission.

When submitting entries, please use the following naming format for your file: firstname_lastname_01.jpg (or PDF). If you are submitting more than one entry, please number them appropriately (i.e: firstname_lastname_02.jpg, firstname_lastname_03.jpg, etc.).

How to enter:

E-mail entries to art@ai-kon.org. The following information must be included with your entry:
In the subject line of your submission e-mail please list and “Ai-kon Mascot”. (Ex Jane Doe- Ai-Kon Mascot)
-In subject, please list your real name, and Ai-Kon Mascot
-Your real first and last name
-Your artist nickname (if you use one)
-Your e-mail address (the one you use)
-Your telephone number

Participants will receive a confirmation e-mail within a week of submission. Entries must be received no later than Saturday, January 22, 2011 at 11:59pm and will be judged by Ai-Kon executives. The winning entry will be announced on or before Sunday, January 29, 2011.

All entries and rights to the images become property of Ai-Kon.

Ai-Kon 2011 will be taking place from July 15th to the 17th next year, at the Winnipeg Convention Centre. For more information visit http://www.ai-kon.org

His appearance was followed by several other people. Cosplay Burlesque will be putting on fandom burlesque show that Saturday. They have also added Insane Ian to the FuMP concert to be part of the Flick track. Finally Shawn Handyside from Halolz will be appearing at the convention.

The convention will be taking place on September 10th through the 12th at the Hilton Washington DC/Rockville. For more information visit interventioncon.com.

In my “grand” effort to plug fledgling people and companies in the industry, I have decided to plug a young artist from Canada nicknamed oshiakeuchi (a.k.a Ocean).

oshiakeuchi has been using copics for the almost two years and seems to have a knack for it. A denizen of Anime North’s artist alley, she has competed to do their mascot (*cough* May 28 to the 30th at the Toronto Congress Center*cough*). She is also working on her first manga called covers; the video above features the cover art. Her manga will be available there.

For more information about her work visit youtube.com/user/oshaikeuchi or oceanchan.deviantart.com/.

Name:  The Donut Lounge
Specialty:  Small Accessories and Stationary
Brownie Points for:  High Quality Greeting Cards
Website:  http://thedonutlounge.com
Created by Donna Buenaventura in her last semester of college, she now hopes to expand her online shop.  What I think drew me in was the appearance of her Greeting Cards.  Having a mother who works in a Beauty Salon in Toluca Lake, they have a classy look that would almost fit right in with the other merchandise sold in the locale.  Her products are slowly increasing, and availability of specific products may vary, so be sure to check back often.

Name:  RhysMyth
Specialty:  The Manga by the Same Name
Brownie Points for:  Professional Debut into the Manga Industry
Website:  http://RhysMyth.com
While both author (Anthony Andora) and artist (Lincy Chan) have many of their own separate works, the two of them came to artist alley to promote their newest release RhysMyth volume 2.  Released back in May by Tokyo Pop, RhysMyth is a tale of a clumsy young sophomore named Elena whom, after takes a nasty spill down the stairs becomes involved in the competitive dance that’s sweeping America.

Name:  Chrissy Delk
Specialty:  Sequential Artist
Brownie Points:  Upcoming Ghostbusters Manga
Website:  http://chrissydelk.com
I was originally pulled her skills in black and white art, but what really closed the deal was when she showed me her picture of four guys with unlicensed nuclear accelerators on his back.  As it turns out she is currently working on the upcoming manga for Ghost Busters.  Set to be released around the same time as the video game, you can check out the artwork by going here.

Name: Zeiva Inc.
Specialty:  Manga, Illustration, and Game Design
Brownie Points:  Exceptional Color Artwork in Photoshop and Pen
Website:  http://zeiva.net
There are times where I wish I could come across a J-Pop theme painting classy enough that I could put it on a wall in my home, and no one would be the wiser.  It really doesn’t get much closer than these two without having to shell out the big bucks. While Mirage has skills using Pilot G-Tech Pen, Nitarou’s specialty is Photoshop.  Either way I highly recommend you stop by their online store.

Name:  Kaze-Hime (Wind-Princess)
Specialty:  Cute and Melancholic Artwork
Brownie Points:  The Shading in her Artwork… Duuuuude…
Website:  http://Kaze-Hime.com
At first I admired this table’s collection of cute yet somber drawings, but when I saw her “I wonder…” post cards, my mouth just dropped.  They looked like screenshots taken straight out of an anime series – I kid you not.