So, it’s been very hard as all the entrants had something unique that I liked. I was especially impressed with the skill that went into drawing faces and hair.

If you haven’t seen all the entries yet, you can check them out here

The entries were seen by lots of people via the website. My tweet about it reached over 3,000 people with a little help from Hollywood actresses Madchen Amick and Amy Shiels.

There were lots of people on various science-fiction Facebook groups who chipped in with their opinions. All the people who commented were very complimentary about the artwork which I thought was lovely.

Unfortunately for me, this couldn’t come down to a popular vote. The decision was mine. I said I was going to pick two entries to go through to the second and final round where they complete a final version of their piece of artwork.  These would be the two that excited me and spoke to me the most. Before this goes live, I will be emailing all the five contestants to let them know what I thought of their work.

But, without further ado, here are the two that I have chosen.

Aleks Dedejeva

I absolutely love the background of this and the way it evokes a real feeling of deep space. There’s a randomness to it and yet also detail and precision. The blue-ish clouds in the foreground hide the inky blackness and stars beyond.

Aimee Cox

The sweep of the ship as it dissolves from being whole into nothingness really blew me away when I saw this for the first time.  Something about that notion resonated with me in terms of the story and how the barest idea of the journey grows into a very real thing.

There you have it.  Well done to Aimee and Aleks who I will be in contact with very shortly about the next stage. Well done and sincere thanks to all the contestants who took the time to enter. I could see the skill and passion in your work and I wish you all the luck in the world for the future. Prizes will be coming your way very shortly.

Thanks,

Richard