In addition to working with renowned illustrators, securing licensing agreements to utilize images from Marvel and Disney characters, along with visuals from such franchises as Barbie, Hello Kitty, Dr. Seuss, Star Wars, Spongebob, Muppets, and GI Joe, leading graphic T-shirt company Mighty Fine is nurturing new talent via a series of contests encouraging up-and-coming artists to submit their work for the chance to win cash prizes and have their T-shirt designs mass produced by Mighty Fine.
Mighty Fine’s latest contest invites artists to create designs celebrating the ’80s cartoon Jem and the Holograms, whether they choose to focus on Jem’s pre-Nicki Minaj pink hair and her starburst-shaped earrings (with their holographic powers), the three other members of the Holograms (Aja, Kimber and Shana), the Holograms’ rival band The Misfits, or Jem’s relationship with her beau Rio Pacheco.
The Mighty Fine Jem and the Holograms Design Contest is open to legal United States residents who are 18 years or older. Each contestant can submit up to 5 entries (in GIF, PNG, of JPG format), and he/she has until March 23rd at 11:59 p.m. PST to complete the process. All of the submissions will then be reviewed by the Mighty Fine team along with guest judges Samantha Newark, the voice of Jem in the original Jem and the Holograms series, and Bethany Fong (aka Betty Felon), a journalist and blogger who specializes in exploring the relationship between fashion and comic book art.
The grand prize winner will automatically receive $1,000, plus a copy of the JEM and the Holograms: Season One DVD, but the cash prize figure can go all the way up to $2,500 depending on the level of social media involvement. Here’s how it works: the Mighty Fine team will track the number of T-shirt design ratings submitted by friends, family, and online users. Once the total number of contest ratings surpasses 100,000, the dollar value of the grand prize will increase by $1 per ever 100 new ratings. The more people log on to vote for their favorite designs, then, the higher the stakes become.
And that’s not all. The guest judges will each select their favorite design and these two contestants will each receive a $400 cash prize, plus the JEM and the Holograms: Season One DVD. Two runner-ups will receive a $150 gift certificate for WeLoveFine.com and the Jem DVD, while five “Honorable Mentions” will each receive $50 gift certificates for WeLoveFine.com so they can stock up on some rockin’ tees.
As a Mischiefs fanatic (what can I say? I was a rebel since an early age!), I’m already smitten with the “Making Mischief” tee designed by Narciso Sanchez, pictured above at top, which captures the fearless attitude of these rocker gals (not to mention their dramatic eye makeup and penchant for face painting). Other standout designs so far include: the “JemAjaKimberShana” tee designed by Paige Cicione, shown second from top, which features close-ups of all four Holograms members in a grid-like box; and the “Glamour and Glitter” design by Joshua David McKenney, shown third from top, a unique interpretation of Jem that lends the character softer, child-like features and infuses her with an elusive, fantastical, almost fairy-like quality while maintaining her signature pink hair and trademark earrings.
Also worth noting: the “World Tour ’87″ design by Grant Paplauskas, which resembles a ’80s-era concert flyer and features an image of Jem against a backdrop reminiscent of Miami Beach in the 1980s, with its lush palm trees and Art Deco-influenced, pastel-colored buildings; and the “Wannabe Clash” design by Pete Bottiglieri, a reference to Misfits groupie Clash, who often went undercover for the scheming rockers.
To rate your favorite designs or submit your own work, visit WeLoveFine.com
