Prompt: The dark and cold make for fearful mindsets. Figures and monsters lurk out of the corner of the eye, in every shadow, between flashes of white in a storm. Is it just the imagination? Or something real?

Through any available traditional or digital means, create a depiction of a creature seen during the blackouts across Selen or on Zainab's ice cap. This could be anything from a nightmarish thing living in the closet of a frightened child, an actual caxqette attacking in the snow, or a beautiful phantom made of ice imagined while freezing to death. You have a great deal of freedom in depiction, but the creation should be identifiably organic in some way, even if twisted; that is, you are making your own creature/demon/ghost/thing, or you are making up one from the available resources and suggestions, such as a caxqette or even native wildlife on Selen's northernmost continent.

Stick figures alone are not accepted, but simple shapes — such as using square or circle tools in Paint — are allowed. This is to encourage a slightly more effortful minimum entry. Any additional elements such as background etc are allowed. However, if using any resources not your own such as stock photos, photomanipulations, screenshots, character builders from games, etc, the sources must be included and cited in the text box. Uncredited elements will result in disqualification.

Grading

Grading will be completed using the Herald Graphics Rubric. All image types are allowed, including but not limited to .jpeg, .png, etc.

All participants will earn points for participation in the comp as well as Clusters of Graphite. Top three placements will earn additional points towards the overall competition. Points earned will be as follows:

• 1st place will receive 3 points
• 2nd place will receive 2 points
• 3rd place will receive 1 point
• Participation will earn 1 point.