If you have seen the news post, you will know that we are hosting a very special contest for this year's MSAs, but if you skipped the front page, here's the idea:

This year, we have a special request for those of you who feel artistically inclined. You will recall that every year we have a banner to head up the Awards page. We would like one of you to design the banner for the 2021 Metal Storm Awards. Before you get too excited, the only prize for winning is being featured on the Awards page (that's right, we're paying you in exposure); Metal Storm is now nonprofit, currently consisting on staff donations, and part of the reason we went this route is because we wanted to build a stronger, more inclusive sense of community. That's why we thought it would be fun to open this up to our users and see what kind of cool things you all come up with. If you win, you'll see your banner adorn the 2021 MSAs page for all eternity, and we'll thank you in the opening and closing text. The alternative is that our editor-in-chief draws up some stick figures on a white background in MS Paint.

This thread is where you may post your submissions directly. It will remain open until January 7, at which time we will lock it and make a decision. Everyone is free to use the thumbs-up function to indicate their approval of the various entries - but keep in mind that this is not entirely a popularity contest. The ultimate decision will be made by the staff based on our own preferences, so having the most thumbs up does not guarantee victory; it just looks nice.

There are some rules:

- Obviously, this should be your very own work. Please refrain from using copyrighted images; only original works and works in the public domain are acceptable.

- Metal Storm's normal content standards apply. We will not accept images that are graphically violent, explicitly sexual, or discriminatory, and we will delete outright submissions that violate these standards.

- In addition to the banner, we also need a button, so make sure you can easily convert or crop your banner into something appropriate.

- Dimensions for the banner: 300 x >2000; cropped version: 728x90; button: 300x300

- The banner should contain the words "Metal Storm Awards 2021" in some roughly central position. You can find the font used in our logo here.

Beyond these stipulations, we don't really have any requirements as far as the theme or content of the banner go; let your imaginations run wild. Use the images from previous editions of the MSAs as reference, and feel free to contact a member of staff if you have any questions.