Basic Summary

Finalists Jam accepted Skins from participants.
Accepts only standard resolution skins.

Read the about for more information.

Judging

Ranked by Judges - Only members of the jam assigned with judging permission can vote.
Entries can't be updated during the judge phase.
14 day entry period.

Rating Criteria

1. Creativity & Uniqueness
   Rate how original and creative the entry is in its conception.
   Rated 1 to 5
2. Technique & Execution
   Rate the level of skill demonstrated with the creation of the entry.
   Rated 1 to 10

Skin Contest Theme : "Childhood Heroes"

Contest themes are generally voted for by the community, you can see the result of this months poll here. Be sure to vote for the next contest theme when it is announced!

All of the normal rules of the site still apply in this contest. We encourage you to read the full submission rules here before submitting your entry. You can find our submission rules here.

1. Create a "Childhood hero" Skin.

Imagine, teddy bears in a knight's armor, defending you from the monsters under your bed, or maybe even just your parent, coming to turn on your night light and defeating the evil beings in the closet. Your job is to create a hero, through the means of a skin, that would defend a sleeping child, from attacks by the evil things that goes bump in the night. 

Just be sure it fits the theme and add a description of who/what the skin is and how it relates to the theme of Childhood Heroes.

Please try to remember to be creative with your submissions, we take creativity as well as technique into account when scoring the finalists. So if you make something common and well known you may end up with a lower score compared to someone who made a much lesser known character or made up the idea for their skin.

2. Skins must be new and made for this contest.

We do not and have never accepted any copies or re-posts in our contests, nor do we accept skins created before the contest's announcement date.

Do not submit copies, or paint-overs, of default textures from the minecraft.jar - This means no Steve skins, zombie skins, pigman skins, Creeper skins, or Enderman skins are permitted!

Do not submit copies, or paint-overs, of skins found in any existing texture packs or mods, even if you are the original author.

Do not submit existing member submissions, from this site or others. This includes your own galleries.

Give us something new and fresh, please!

3. Skins must be valid, use-able character skins.

This is a contest for player skins only.

Please do not submit mob skins, villager skins, or anything but the format expected for the player model. Note that skins with transparent portions have not worked in-game since minecraft Alpha, so make sure that your skins are COMPLETELY filled out. No skins with transparent portions will be accepted.

Do not use the light blue skin preview background color to fake large areas of transparency. These are not considered valid skins.

4. Submit something you made, entirely by yourself.

Skins that are obvious remixes, recolors, or blatant copies of other people's work are not acceptable. Your entry will be deleted, and you will be disqualified from the contest if you are found to be submitting stolen work.

Using skin-making tools or apps such is not the same as making a skin yourself. Keep in mind also that, when using those applications, you are copying from a library of 'parts'. Several of those 'parts' were taken from talented skinners without their consent, and as such, skins containing those parts are considered stolen art. Those entries will be disqualified, and deleted from your account.

Our global ban list of apps and websites includes, but is not limited to:
MinersNeedCoolShoes Armory
SkinCraft Skin Creator
NovaSkin Skin Creator
Skins Pro Creator (iPod)

Skins created with any of these services will be disqualified with no option for appeal. Continue reading for a list of suggested skinning programs to use.

5. One entry per person.

Each user will only be permitted to submit one skin for this contest.

You may edit your entry for as long as the contest submission period is open. If you decide to change your submission at any point, you are free to do so. However, be warned that deleting your original entry may cause errors and make it impossible for you to re-enter the contest. Instead, you should use the "update submission" button on your active submission, then save the new file over your old one. Remember to change the submission title and description if necessary!

6. The contest will run for two weeks.

Post dates must be made after today's date,  Febuary 7th. The contest will end about two weeks from today, on Febuary 21st.  Skins submitted after this date will not be accepted.

7. Take your time, and make it fun!

Give your skin some character! Give them some defining characteristics. Make it unique and awesome!

We've always scored higher for submissions that include more thought and creativity. Write a bit about the history behind your character and we'll all learn more. Remember, you have two weeks to do this. You don't have to put something up right away. Take your time!

If you're unsure if your idea will fit with the theme or have any other concerns feel free to contact our list of judges below they should be able to help you, as well as many of the site moderators.

Do not rush yourself to get something in immediately. This contest is not a random drawing - the submissions are judged by a panel of long-standing members with a great deal of experience in making Minecraft skins. It will not help your chances at winning if you submit anything less than fantastic, so take your time.

Should you chose to rush, remember that you are able to update your submission as many times as you want before the final close date of Febuary 21st.



Submit a skin as you would normally, but check the box indicating that your skin is for the contest. 

1st Place

• (1) Minecraft T-Shirt of your Choice! - Jinx.com
  

         

• A Contest Themed, Gold, Pixel Art Trophy for Member's Profile Trophy Case.
  
• Profile Featured on PMC - 1 Week.
  

2nd Place

• A Contest Themed, Silver, Pixel Art Trophy for Member's Profile Trophy Case.
  
• Profile Featured on PMC - 1 Week.
  

3rd Place

• Contest Themed, Bronze, Pixel Art Trophy for Member's Profile Trophy Case.
  
• Profile Featured on PMC - 1 Week.
  

All Participants

• A Contest Themed, Pixel Art Badge/Medal for Member's Profile Trophy Case.
  

If you do not know how to make skins, or have an idea but have never attempted it before, here are a few things you should know.

1. Skins must be saved as a .PNG file. No other file format will function properly.

2. Even though .PNG files support transparency, Minecraft does not. Any portions that are even partially transparent will show up as pitch-black when used in-game.

3. The most popular tools for editing Minecraft Skins are:

MCSkin3D, an application developed by Paril. You can download it from its PMC page.

MCSkinEdit, an application developed by a user named Swedman. You can download it from the official forums post, here. You will also need the previewer, which you can download
here or here.

You may wish to use a more advanced editor for certain effects. GIMP and Paint.net are free applications that will give you access to better tools for editing.

4. If you need help or want some tips for making nice skins, many of our top skinners have made tutorials outlining the processes and techniques they use for skinning. Check out these ones by Roobus and Leostereo



Here is a list of the current submissions.



Judges will be encouraged to participate, but will be disqualified from winning prizes.