Dear Friends,
We sincerely thank everyone who has responded to our request to participate in voting and has cast their votes for the nominees. Once again, we’d like to emphasize the importance of voting. Remember, each voter has the right to cast three votes, not just one. This means you can vote for three different artworks in each contest—the weekly, monthly, and annual competitions.
As the contest approaches its conclusion, it’s exciting to see the feedback from colleagues, whether in the comments or via the many emails we receive.
Transparency and Recent Updates
Since we strive to be as transparent as possible, we’ve decided to keep you informed about all updates related to the contest. Perhaps we should have started this earlier, but here we are—better late than never. Please bear with us!
Today, the artwork that had received numerous complaints for allegedly being a reproduction or a paint-by-numbers piece has been withdrawn from the contest. To be fair, the artist made this decision independently, deleting their artwork and, in a moment of frustration, leaving our creative community. We regret their decision but want to note that we had been in communication with the artist and gave them the opportunity to respond to all complaints. Nevertheless, the artist made their choice, and we wish them all the best on their creative journey!
If you previously voted for the withdrawn artwork, we kindly ask you to vote again for the remaining nominees. Your earlier vote is now available to be cast again.
Clarifications About the Contest
The artworks featured in the "Best Painting of the Year" contest are those that were voted for by our esteemed creative community throughout the past year—from "Best Painting of the Week," to "Best Painting of the Month," and finally, "Best Painting of the Year." Almost all of you had the opportunity to participate in voting and support specific nominees.
It is rather strange that some members of our community are now creating conspiracy theories about alleged favoritism toward certain participants or making unfounded complaints about contest rules and the preliminary selection process. We have always aimed—and continue to aim—for maximum transparency and fairness in all stages of the contest.
Now, as the fate of the annual contest is being decided, we urge everyone to exercise their right to vote and support the nominee they believe deserves to win. Please base your decision solely on your appreciation for the artworks, after carefully reviewing all nominees and selecting the one you feel is the best among them.
Why Supporting Nominees Matters
Only a few days remain. You can use our internal chat to communicate with other members of our creative community and encourage them to support particular nominees. While this might not be the ideal way to attract votes, it’s a common feature of contests worldwide, and we’re no exception. If you have ideas for improving the process, we’re open to hearing them.
Supporting nominees is important for several reasons. First and foremost, participation and victory are significant milestones for any artist. Secondly, we plan to widely showcase the contest results after the winners are announced. Of course, winning such a contest and having it publicly highlighted will, in our view, greatly contribute to the popularization of the winner’s creativity.
Please cast your votes!
To be continued...