We’ve seen how Death can turn anything into a weapon. So I’m making a fun little contest. Email me the LEAST LIKELY thing to be a weapon(address at bottom of this post), along with how it can be used as one, and your idea will be made into a desktop wallpaper. The winner will get attribution for the idea, including a link to their website if they have one. In addition, I’ll send the winner a copy of the .psd file to play with. If the winner does something particularly cool with the file, I might even share it here!

If this contest becomes successful, I hope to have it more often, and prizes could possibly get bigger, especially if I get sponsors(Apple, are you reading this?).

RULES:

• Legal foreword: No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited or used as lasagna seasoning. Some restrictions apply. It’s not like the prizes have a dollar value anyway.
• Entries will be judged by Garrett Williams based on the following factors, in order of importance starting with most important:
  • The surprise factor. Who woulda thunk a teddy bear could be a weapon?
  • Deadliness. A mild distraction can win, but mass destruction stands a much better chance(without hurting any innocent bystanders).
  • How common the item is(more common=better). A teddy bear is common, but a teddy bear that happens to have a pistol in it is not. If you have to modify a common item, it no longer becomes common. Don’t worry too much about the “117 years in the future” thing, but there are a few things that obviously won’t be around, like CD’s or newspapers(Oh snap!).
  • Creativity. Basically the top 3 points, summed up. In addition, if I recently used a similar idea in a comic, I probably won’t chose your idea. For example, no poking badgers with spoons, because Death already used a spork.
  • Quick setup. There are suddenly some attackers. What does Death have handy?
  • Humor. Does your idea make me laugh? It’s not necessary, but it can help.
  • Time-appropriateness. The winning idea will be revealed on December 1st, so summertime items won’t be winning first place. It doesn’t have to be a Christmas or winter theme, but I’d rather not put up a beach-side beheading in December. I acknowledge that it’s summer for some readers, but for most of my readers(and especially for me) it’s winter.
• Deadline: November 15th at 11:59pm PST. Winners will be announced December 1st along with the finished wallpaper. I reserve the right to move or cancel the deadline & announcement date if I deem it necessary(I’m sure I’ll get enough entries by then)
• Multiple entries are okay, but only one entry per person can win. I’m sure some people will get a better idea just minutes after submitting their idea, because that’s what I’d do as well! The goal here is to get the best ideas. Keep in mind, though, that in the likely occurrence of future contests, past entries can’t be re-used(without substantial modifications). You limit yourself by flooding me with entries. (if the prize is ever an iPod, I may make some exceptions, yet to be determined)
• Content limitations:
  • First prize winning entry must be safe for work, not including gore(I might draw it cartoony if I feel like it, but I have no problem with blood). If something is visually not-safe-for-work, it’s still eligible for 2nd or 3rd place, but remember that this site IS rated for ages 13+.
  • Death(Kenny’s girlfriend) must be the wielder of the weapon. The victim can be anybody in the comic, or nobody in particular. I reserve the right to change the victim at my discretion.
  • Winning entries will not be considered canon unless they’re used in the actual comic strip.
• Prizes:
  • First prize winner will have their entry digitally drawn and/or rendered by Garrett Williams in any style he chooses, and the picture will be made publicly-available as a desktop wallpaper, with credit for the idea given to the winner on the web page. A link to the winner’s website will be included if they have one. Website must be safe for work, unless it’s a comic, which in such case there will be a content warning with it. I reserve the right to refuse a link for any reason, including(but not limited to) anything defamatory to a person or a group of people.
    The original .psd file will also be sent to the winner to play with and use for non-commercial purposes(tweak it, resize it, draw mustaches, add Alice Cooper in the background, whatever). I reserve the right to use it for commercial purposes(full-resolution would be available for free anyway), and the copyright for the original art stays with me.
    Basically, the winner gets the joy of their idea being drawn, credit for the idea with link to their website, and the Photoshop file to make derivative non-commercial images with if they feel like it.
  • Second & third prize winners will get their idea mentioned in the winner announcement, along with a link to their website if they have one. The rules for the first prize winner’s link apply to the second & third prize winners’ links, too.
• In the event of multiple people submitting the same idea: the first submission of the idea or the best version of the idea(if different enough) gets credit, although it’ll also lose some consideration for originality. Multiple entries is one reason why I require all submissions to be sent the same way.
• Method of entry: EMAIL me your idea to armory @ kennychronicles.com (remove the spaces) along with a description of at least one way it can be used as a weapon(versatile weapons are a plus). By emailing the idea, you agree to the terms in this document.
• By submitting an entry to this contest, you acknowledge that I may have already thought up the idea and therefore give me permission to use the idea without attribution. (I’ve thought up plenty already, including one scheduled for over a year from now)
  LEGALLY, all submissions become the property of Garrett Williams. FRANKLY, you can still use the idea in something else if you want. Submitted an idea and want to use it in your own comic? Sure, I’m fine with that. I’m just protecting myself in the likely case of somebody coming up with a similar idea to one I already had. It happens occasionally in comics. Don’t be surprised if I do thank a person for an idea used in a comic.
• Privacy: I will not share or sell your information to others. I will not add your email address to a mailing list. Your email will stay in my Gmail inbox for the contest’s purposes only. It’s unlikely that I’ll feel the need to delete the email, but if you do want it deleted after the contest, just mention that in the email and I’ll comply, no questions asked.
• I prefer submissions in English. If you don’t trust your English skills, you can submit your idea in your native language(if Google Translations supports it), but don’t be surprised if I can’t understand it. I’m only offering this contest in English because this is a lot of text to translate.

Remember: contest entries MUST be emailed to armory @ kennychronicles.com (remove the spaces). By submitting, you agree to the above terms. Have fun thinking like Death! Need help thinking like Death? Apparently Randall Munroe has already read her mind…