News from the University of Western Australia:
The University of Western Australia (UWA) is happy to announce the launch of MachinimUWA VII and the 5th UWA Grand Art Challenge, with a starting prize pool of L$505,000 each. The theme is ‘TRANSCENDING BORDERS.’ Sponsored by Tom Papas & SciFi Film Festival, LaPiscean Liberty & SL Artist, AviewTV, Taralyn Gravois and Arts Castle Gallery, TheDoveRhode and Peace is a Choice and S&S Gallery of Fine SL Art, Jon Stubbs & UWA Student Services, as well as The UWA Virtual Worlds Project. The prize pool sits at L$1,030,000 (approx USD 4,000). We hope you are inspired by this to create many wondrous works of art and film as you have been through the years! (Please note the major rule & special prize guidelines as well as the Audience Participation Prizes for watching the machinima.)
WHAT:
MachinimUWA VI Film Challenge & 5th UWA Grand Art Challenge. You may enter either the art challenge, the film challenge or both.
WHEN:
Entries Close at Midnight SLT 31st October 2014. Winner will be announced in December 2014
THEME:
The theme is ‘TRANSCENDING BORDERS.’ Artists & filmmakers can interpret the theme as they see fit. Whether transcending borders between time and space, past and present, one nation and another, one language and another, a culture or civilisation or any other of the innumerable borders that present themselves as we navigate our lives. You the artist… You the machinimatogrpher…You decide.
WHY THIS THEME?
This theme was selected by Professor Ted Snell, Chairman Director of the Cultural Precinct, UWA and who inspired the very first of the UWA art challenges in 2009. This theme is in honour of the ‘Transcending Borders’ exhibition at UWA’s Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery in 2014. This exhibition gave visual form to the developing cross-cultural relationship between South Korea and Western Australia using The Berndt Museum‘s collection of historical objects from Korea as a catalyst for cultural exchanges and collaboration.
MAJOR RULES FOR ART:
Artwork entered should be able to be interpreted by the casual viewer as being representative of the theme. Where the link to the theme is difficult to ascertain, this should be referenced in a notecard accompanying the work.
There is a 150 LI (land impact) limit with a limit of 1 entry per artist.
Copy/Mod/Transfer permissions are not a requirement, however COPY perms are appreciated.
MAJOR RULES FOR MACHINIMA:
There is no limit to the number of entries you may choose to send in.
The theme is ‘Transcending Borders’ and you may interpret this theme as you see fit, however the average viewer would need to be able to appreciate how you fit this theme (alternatively, please indicate in the notes how it fits in the film notes on the web).
Your machinima must be made specifically for this challenge, and this should be indicated in the opening credits ‘For The University of Western Australia’s MachinimUWA VII: Transcending Borders’
You do not have to film on the UWA sims, however this of course will be appreciated, and there is a Special UWA Prize which will be made available to a film which includes either Winthrop Clock Tower, The Somerville Auditorium or The Sunken Gardens.
4 mins 30 seconds is the strongly recommended maximum length, but this is not a hard rule.
PRIZES:
There is a prize pool of L$1.03 Million, with a L$500,000 each for art and machinima and at least 10 prizes in each. For Machinima, there will be a Special UWA Prize for the best machinima that includes Winthrop Clock Tower, The Sunken Gardens or the Sommerville Theatre in the Machinima. There will also be 2 Curators Prizes, one each for art and film. For the Curators machinima prize, this will go to the best film that features one of the artworks from either the current challenge or one of the winning works from previous UWA art challenges.
There are also audience participation awards for just watching the machinimas and submitting a top 10 list.
Prim Perfect 
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