The Shape of Things to Come...

The Next Great Blank Toy Contest

The Next Great Blank Toy Contest is a design competition held by Martian Toys with the intent of finding a great sculptural designer toy, one that people will covet in both unpainted or painted forms. And the best part is that you don’t have to be a working professional in the scene to submit, anyone with a great idea is welcome!


The Prize:

Not only will the winning design be produced by Martian Toys as a production vinyl piece, but the winner receiving 25 unpainted vinyl copies of their design and even receive royalties on sales! Royalties will be paid biannually (June 30 & December 30), with the winner receiving 10% of net sales on the first 500 copies overall and 5% of all net sales thereafter.

The Rules:

• All submissions must take the form of scans of turnaround drawings, 3D rendered output images (JPG or PNG), or photographs of physical sculpts. Submission must show the front view, both side views, and backside view, but may include up to two additional angles or detail closeups.

• Submissions must emailed to info@martiantoys.com before the deadline date of October 30, 2017.
• The person submitting (hereon called submitter) can be a single individual or team of people, though all members must be specified by their legal name in the submission.

• The submitter may partner with or employee other individuals or companies in the making of their design(s). Any outside persons responsible for contributions have been contractually employed by you and in case of winning design, Martian Toys will have no legal obligations to individuals beyond the submitter.

• Each submitter is allowed a maximum of 3 entries, regardless of them being individual designs or variants on one concept.

• By submitting, the submitter is certifying that the included work is their own original design and absolve Martian Toys of any future copyright disputes that might arise from it.

• Any submission derived from copyrighted or trademarked image, character, and/or mascot must be accompanied by a copyright release waiver by the owning legal entity or individual.

• Submissions can not have been previously mass produced, which is defined herein as anything that has been produced in injected or rotocast molded vinyl, soft vinyl (sofubi), or that has been released in resin with stated quantities amounting to 75 or greater copies.

• Submitted designs may be publicly exhibited on social media but must include, where appropriate, the hashtags #TheNextGreatBlankContest #MartianToys

• Submission into this contest grants Martian Toys right of first refusal on all submissions through January 31, 2018.

• Martian Toys is granted the exclusive rights to the winning design in exchange for a one-time delivery of 25 unpainted vinyl copies of the design and royalties on sales to be paid biannually (June 30 & December 30) in the amount of 10% of net sales on the first 500 copies overall and 5% of all net sales thereafter.

• The production run size, release date, and all marketing (including advertising and promotional materials associated with the release) will be at the sole discretion of Martian Toys.

• Martian Toys reserves the right to alter, change, or edit the winning design for production, including but not limited to physical size and shape. When possible, the winner will be consulted on changes before they are made. 
• The winner will be chosen at the sole discretion of Martian Toys and/or any judges they wish to employee.

• The winning design announced on December 1, 2017.
 

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FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions):

• I’m not an professional artist. Can I still enter this contest? Absolutely. It’s open to everyone, regardless of previous designer toy experience level. 

• I have had more than 20 toys produced and I have won industry awards such as Designer Toy Awards. Can I still enter this contest? Once again, absolutely! Open to everyone means just that: it’s open to everyone! (Aside from the judges, of course.)

• What does “blank toy” mean?
For the purposes of this contest, it means a toy that can be sold unpainted and may be displayed as is, or custom painted by an artist or the owner. At their discretion, Martian Toys may opt to produce factory painted versions of the winning blank toy, featuring designs by the creator or other artists.

• Does my blank toy design have to have a blank face and lots of smooth surface? Not necessarily, though it if it is too specific in design then it may not be desirable for others to customize it.

• What if I can’t draw, sculpt, or use any 3D modeling programs, but I do have a really amazing idea for this contest… Can I still enter?
Yes, though you will need to find someone to handle the illustration, sculpting, or 3D designing part of the contest. You are allowed to partner with them, in which case you will split the winnings between you, or you may hire the services of someone. Unfortunately, Martian Toys can not arrange this for you or help you in locating someone to fill these duties.

• Since it's a Martian Toys contest, does my submission have to be alien related?
Not at all. It can be alien related, but there is no thematic limitations on your submission’s design as long as it isn’t derived from a copyrighted or trademarked source without a written waiver of permission.

• I’ve submitted my design, posted images on Facebook and/or Instagram, and a toy company has offered me the chance to make it in vinyl. Can I cancel my submission and accept their offer? Once you’ve submitted your design, you have given Martian Toys right of first refusal until January 31st, 2018. This means that until that date, Martian Toys reserves the right to make that toy with you, whether you win the contest or not, under the same compensation as the winner receives. After this date, if you have not won or been contacted individually by Martian Toys about obtaining your submission, then it defaults back to your full ownership and control. 

• What criteria will the judges will use to determine a winner?
While each judge will bring their individual perspective and experience into the process, Martian Toys has requested that they consider the following in selecting a winner: Overall Concept, Versatility, Scaleability, and Presentation. Here’s how Martian Toys has specifically outlined these aspects to the judges: 

1. Overall Concept = Is it a great idea, shape, and design?
2. Versatility = Would this design work in unpainted white vinyl? What about black? Or red? Or pink? Or other colors? Would it work with a metallic finish? A mirror finish? Would it work as a transparent cast? A Glow-in-the-Dark? Glitter? Customized? Not customized? So on and so forth….
3. Scaleability = Would this design work at 2-inches tall? 5-inches tall? 10-inches tall? 30-inches tall?
4. Presentation = Is the design easy to understand? Is the artist’s vision clearly expressed?

• Who will be judging the winner?
The winner will be selected by an equal voting panel consisting of CoART Magazine editor Nick Curtis, The Toy Chronicle's Andy Hung, Strange Cat Toys' Cory Rutter, DexDexign's Dexter Black, Toy Blogger / Collector, Maria Kaner, Martian Toys' Aaron Hulsizer and Kawaiivinyl.com's Kristina Anderson