Scroll down for Full List of Winners and PhotosJosina Burgess & Miso Susanowa, strong supporters of UWA events past, have finally broken through to claim the top two spots in the first round of the new UWA 3D Open Art Challenge! Josina's work, 'Fly With the Wind' which mesmerised the judging panel, took the L$10,000 first prize, in a very very close decision over Miso's belly splitting work, 'For your Viewing Pleasure', which is frighteningly accurate of some in the art scene! To quote fellow artist Thoth Jantzen in admiring Miso's work, "I'd never seen sarcasm and cynicism in sculpted form before". Miso, who has won numerous Honourable Mention prizes in the first year of the competition, had never previously finished in the top three, which comes with automatic qualification to the Grand Finale Round.
Commenting on the win, Josina said, "I am totally surprised and really really very honoured and happy for this recoqnition of my work, it makes me feel very proud and its another push for me to continue working on sl and experiment with all the knowledge and what I learned. I also thank Velazquez Bonetto who was and is my mentor and took me along in the world of science that is oh so important to ART in SEcond Life. Thank you very very much! "
Another veteran of the UWA Challenges, Betty Tureaud as well broke through in claiming joint 3rd prize with 'Lazer Balls' in a dead heat with Gingered Alsop's 'Glowing Serpent', whose other entry 'Loss' won another joint award, taking the Best Non-Scripted Entry in a tie with soror Nishi's 'Copper Beech'.
"I'm speechless ... that both submissions were recognized ... I do not know what to say ... this is only the beginning of the ideas I have for this year :) Quite an honour to be recognized along with so many accomplished artists and works of art :)"
Betty was also a double winner as she took the Show & Tell @ Avaria Prize.
New to UWA, Typote Beck's thoughtful work 'Dream of the Cold Sleeper' won both the BOSL Prize and the SL Art Prize to also book a direct spot in the Grand Finale Round, as more than one Group selected this piece as their top choice.
"I am very glad to have these prizes. The SL Art prize and the BOSL prize are a good encouragment for me to create other pieces inspired by Pop Art and popular arts. I am glad to participate to in this very open challenge where anyone can propose their own vision of art."
71 entries were received for the first round of this new Challenge which represents a grand collaboration between major art houses and groups in Second Life. These include The University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA) led by Dr Carmen Fies, SL Art, led by Gleman Jun & Sunset Quinnel, CARP led by Josina Burgess & Velazquez Bonetto, Pirats Art Network led by Merlina Rokocoko & Newbab Zsigmond, Odyssey led by Fau Ferdinand & Lizsolo Mathilde, Show & Tell @ Avaria led by Florenze Kerensky & Barney Boomslang, BOSL led by Frolic Mills & Giela Delpaso & UWA with Professor Ted Snell, Chair of the Visual Arts Board of the Australia Council as Chair of the UWA judging panel.
The first month of this year long L$1,000,000 challenge, saw an expansion of the countries represented in the various UWA events, spanning 6 of the 7 continents of the world. Artists, Builders & Machinimatographers from across the globe are represented including Russia, Venezuela, Belgium, Mexico, Wales, Canada, the USA, the UK, Uruguay, Scotland,England, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, France, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Denmark, Holland, Ireland, Portugal, Austria, Cuba, Serbia, Tunisia, Germany, Japan, New Zealand and Australia.
A closely fought People's choice vote saw the top 10 pieces finish within 4 votes of each other, with FLAGSHIP maestro, Nyx Breen's 'Romance' winning out over Tani Thor's homage to Aloisio Congrejo (which also won the UTSA Prize). The works of Anley Piers, Cherry Manga, SaveMe Oh, Aloisio Congrejo, Kyra Roxan, Theo Republic and Theoretical Afterthought were all in the reckoning until the final minutes.
Other winners include 'All Sinners Have a Past', by Theoretical Afterthought (Odyssey Prize), 'The Crows Electro', by Anley Piers (Pirats Prize), 'Talk to Us', by Wolk Writer (CARP Prize), and 'Cold, Desolate & Alone' by Nebulosus Severine (Curator's Choice Prize).
FreeWee Ling, in describing the establishment of the Curator's Choice Award explained, "As the curator of the UWA challenge I live and work with all of these works in a very intimate way over a period of time that is qualitatively different from the casual gallery visitor. The Curator's Choice award is not necessarily what I consider to be the best piece in the competition. Rather it is a piece or an artist that is not a prize winner, but that I think deserves a deeper look. "
Yesikita Coppola, the new official machinimatographer of the challenge was excited by the choices, and was confident a wonder work could be weaved with them (stay tuned ... for a machinima of the winners).
Artists are encouraged to start submitting works for the December round, and machinimatographers, please do consider any of the artworks as early possible subject matter for MachinimUWA IV: The 2nd Art of the Artists!
WINNERS OF THE NOVEMBER ROUND OF THE UWA 3D OPEN ART CHALLENGE
1st Prize: ($L10,000)
FLY WITH THE WIND by Josina Burgess
2nd Prize: (L$7,500)FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE by Miso Susanowa
3rd Prize: (L$5,000) - Joint (L$2,500 each)THE GLOWING SERPENT by Gingered Alsop
LAZER BALLS by Betty Tureaud
Best Non-Scripted Entry: (L$5,000) - Joint (L$2,500 each)THE COPPER BEECH by soror Nishi
LOSS by Gingered Alsop
UTSA Prize: (L$5,000)
OMMAGIO A ALOISIO CONGREJO by Tani Thor
SL Art Prize: (L$5,000)DREAM OF THE COLD SLEEPER by Typote Beck
Odyssey Prize: (L$5,000)ALL SINNERS HAVE A PAST by Theoretical Afterthought
Pirats Prize: (L$5,000)THE CROWS ELECTRO by Anley Piers
Show & Tell @ Avaia Prize: (L$5,000)LAZER BALLS by Betty Tureaud
CARP Prize: (L$5,000)TALK TO US by Wolk Writer
BOSL Prize: (L$5,000)DREAM OF THE COLD SLEEPER by Typote Beck
People's Choice Award - First Place: (L$2,500)ROMANCE by Nyx Breen
People's Choice Award - Second Place: (L$1,000)OMMAGIO A ALOISIO CONGREJO by Tani Thor
Curator's Choice Award (L$2,500):COLD, DESOLATE & ALONE by Nebulosus Severine
Nebulosus does complex work that is disturbing and dark. While Gothic subjects tend to be sensational and unappealing to me -- blood and gore for its own sake-- I find myself really engaged by the quality of both her imaginative vision and her renderings in virtual space that combine elements of her real and virtual work. This piece is an imaginative and courageous emotional statement. Nebulosus is an intelligent and deeply thoughtful artist.
More photos of the November round
Congratulations to everyone, winners and entrants. I am sorry I missed this inaugural round of the new Challenge; I plead exhaustion from moving in RL for 5 days. I am very honored to be awarded for my work and even more so to be part of the UWA's tireless and gratifying efforts in the promotion and exposure of the arts in Second Life.
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