In celebration of Final Fantasy XI's 8th Vana'versary, Square Enix announced the return of the popular Fan Art Contest, with this year's theme reflecting the aformentioned anniversary which will take place on May the 16th. With such in-game prizes as the Nomad Moogle Rod and Chocobo Beret, not to mention the fame you could obtain, the potential rewards are astounding. So dust off your pencils and pens, choose your brushes and paints, and show off your artistic abilities and prowess to your fellow adventurers!

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From Playonline.com:

FINAL FANTASY XI is set to enter its eighth year of service on May 16th, and what better way to celebrate the occasion than with the latest installment of the ever-popular Fan Art Contest?

In the past, this contest has proven to be a spectacular showcase for our most artistically-inclined players, and we expect this year to be no different. Be it a scene from one of your most memorable adventures, a montage of your travels throughout the years, or a joyous anniversary celebration among fast friends, we welcome any and all submissions paying tribute to the 8th Vana'versary theme.

FINAL FANTASY XI is set to enter its eighth year of service on May 16th, and what better way to celebrate the occasion than with the latest installment of the ever-popular Fan Art Contest? Be it a scene from one of your most memorable adventures, a montage of your travels throughout the years, or a joyous anniversary celebration among fast friends, we welcome any and all submissions paying tribute to the 8th Vana'versary theme!

All entries will be judged by an all-star panel consisting of development, operations, community and localization team members who will review the artwork and select the prize-winning masterpieces.

The winning pieces will be featured here in the Topics section after the contest has drawn to a close, and their artists will be rewarded with a very special prize—the Nomad Moogle Rod in-game item!

What's more, as a special 8th Anniversary bonus, the Crystal and Mythril Prize awardees will also receive a Chocobo Beret, the in-game item presented to attendees of VanaFest 2010 in Tokyo.

Best of luck to all entrants, and we look forward to seeing your inspired works!

How to Enter

Requirements:
- Contestants must possess an active FINAL FANTASY XI account.
- All contestants must agree to the defined terms and conditions.
* Contestants under the age of 18 must obtain the permission of a legal guardian before submitting entries.

Submission period: Sunday, May 16, 2010 until Wednesday, June 16, 2010 at 7:59 a.m. (PDT).

Theme: 8th Anniversary

How to Submit Your Art: Submissions may be sent via email. The body of the mail should contain all of the required information listed below, with the illustration attached (see below for file format/size information). Emails should be sent to the following address.

Email Subject: 8th Anniversary Fan Art Contest Submission

Required Information:
- Your PlayOnline email address.
- Your FINAL FANTASY XI World name, as well as your character's name.
- Your nickname or handle. (max. 40 characters)
- A title for your artwork. (max. 50 characters)
- A personal comment or caption for your artwork. (max. 100 characters)

*Should your illustration be chosen for display, the above nickname (and your real name, if submitted), artwork title, and personal comment will appear along with your artwork.

Submission Format:
Resolution: 1024x768 or 768x1024 pixels
File Format: .JPG or .GIF
File Size: Up to 750KB
*Entries that do not fulfill the above size requirements may be excluded from judging.
As a general guideline, files should conform to either the 4:3 or 3:4 aspect ratio.

* Illustrations must be original pieces of art.
* Please attach only one illustration per email. Contestants will be limited to only one submission.
* Contestants will not be notified directly of the contest results. Winners will be announced publicly in a Topics posting.
* For sculpted artwork, please take a photograph and submit it via e-mail.

Warning

To avoid any complications concerning submissions, please read the following terms thoroughly. We ask that all contestants understand and agree to these terms prior to submitting their artwork. Square Enix will regard all submissions to the Fan Art Contest as implicit acceptance to these terms, without exception.

Regarding prizes:
Winning contestants may not transfer their claim to a prize to another individual/character.

Regarding personal information:
The personal information accompanying contest entries will be utilized in sending prizes to contest winners. In all regards, personal information will be handled with the utmost security in the same manner as laid forth in the guidelines of the PlayOnline User Agreement.

Regarding inappropriate submissions:
Entries falling under either of the below categories will not be considered by the judges:
- artwork containing obscenity, vulgarity, discrimination, or any other offensive subject matter
- artwork containing any plagiarized or copyrighted material
The following factors may also result in disqualification:
- infringements upon copyright/intellectual property, personal credit, privacy, etc.
- counter to public order and/or morals
- submissions with content judged to be grossly deviant from the established theme
- depiction of characters not related to FINAL FANTASY XI
- entries not containing all of the required information, or containing erroneous information
Square Enix reserves the right to judge whether or not material is appropriate for public display

Regarding copyrights:
All submitted entries will become the sole property of Square Enix (in accordance with all rights stipulated by International Copyright Law, Articles 21~26, Article 27, and Article 28, together with all rights provisioned by future amendments to said Articles).

*SQUARE ENIX OWNERSHIP OF ENTRIES
All entries and other materials (the "Entry Materials") (including all copyright, trademark, and other proprietary rights associated therewith) submitted by you become the property of Square Enix upon submission, and Entry Materials will not be returned to any contestant. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, you acknowledge that Square Enix will own all rights to use, modify, and make derivative works of the Entry Materials, without separate compensation to you or any other person or entity. You agree to take, at Square Enix's expense, any further action (including, without limitation, execution of affidavits and other documents) reasonably requested by Square Enix to effect, perfect, or confirm Square Enix's ownership rights as set forth above in this paragraph. Entry Materials may be used by contestants only for purposes of the Contest or for private, personal, non-public viewing. Entry materials received by Square Enix may be destroyed by Square Enix at any time following the Contest.