This is all you need to know about the Character Design Challenge (also known as CDChallenge). You don't have to read this entire page, just keep the five basic rules in mind (see below). You can come back here if you have any doubts; in 99% of cases, you'll be able to find your answer without waiting for a private response from us.

Artworks for the Character Design Challenge community can be submitted on our social media platforms, such as Facebook, and Instagram (see details below). Each monthly contest has specific guidelines, so always double-check the current Theme of the Month page.

Remember that you can also win the Challenge Rewards, the prizes for the Character Design Challenge. Simply post your design on our Patreon page (you can post it there exclusively or crosspost it on our other social media platforms where we accept submissions) to qualify for the Challenge Rewards. By joining our Patreon page, you’ll also unlock exclusive perks, such as casting your vote in our monthly secret surveys to choose future themes. Additionally, with exclusive theme previews, you’ll have almost an EXTRA WEEK to prepare and submit your entry for the monthly contests.

Here’s an overview of the content you’ll find on this page:

HOW TO SUBMIT

• Things to Remember Before Submitting

• Uploading vs. Sharing (Facebook)

• Submitting your design via Facebook

• Submitting your design via Instagram

• Submitting your design via Patreon

• Withdrawing an Entry

• Missing the Deadline

BEHAVIOUR

• Critiques

• Group Jumpers (Facebook)

• Spammers

• Failing to Follow the Rules

• Abusive Behaviour & Art Hecklers

• Winner's Posts Etiquette

• You Are Human, and So Are We

• Community spirit

• Legal Notes

The 5 Basic Rules

Here are the 5 basic rules for the Character Design Challenge:

1 )  STICK TO THE THEME

This is our number one rule! Please remember that your design MUST match the theme.

Originality and “thinking outside the box” are always encouraged, and we love creativity. However, if your interpretation is too eccentric or you twist the concept until the theme becomes unrecognizable, it will not interest us or the other artists in the community, and your work will not be relevant to the challenge.

You can submit your artwork via Facebook, Instagram, and Patreon. If you're uploading your design to our Facebook group and doesn’t pass the moderators’ review, please don't attempt to resubmit it, as this could lead to a temporary or permanent ban from the group. Instead, return to this page, review the rules, and refine your submission accordingly.

2) NO OVERLY DISTRACTING (OR EXCEPTIONALLY COMPLICATED) ENVIRONMENTS / BACKGROUNDS

This is our second rule. It could be summarized as "avoid backgrounds", but since they are allowed in our contests if you decide to include one, please read the following carefully, because there are several important details to consider. First and foremost, remember that the golden rule is that the artworks submitted to the CDChallenge must focus on the characters, not on what’s happening around them or behind them.

Your design can be created in any style and for many hypothetical purposes. For example, your artwork could be a character study for an animated 2D, 3D, stop-motion, or live-action movie, or perhaps for a mobile app or video game (these are "model sheet entries", which are considered proper character design in the animation, game, and movie industries). Your artwork can also be a character illustration for the cover of a novel, a pen-and-paper role-playing game, a tabletop game, an art book, a comic book, or a children’s book (these are "illustrative entries", which are welcome in the group even if they are not strict character design). It can also be a design for a t-shirt, a brand, or a sports team (these are "mascot entries", which are also acceptable). Whatever the type of artwork you submit (model sheet, illustrative, or mascot entry), make sure to avoid drawing or painting overly complicated and distracting backgrounds.

Designing a character with a monochrome, flat, and plain background is by far the BEST (and easiest, most effective, and recommended) way to submit an entry for the CDChallenge without encountering potential issues. However, this solution is not mandatory. Minor objects or elements next to your character (barrels, rocks, bushes, tree branches, furniture, etc.), simple backgrounds/environments (minimal, low-detailed, blurred, out of focus, etc.), or even more complex ones (a detailed pattern, etc.) can be included in your design, but keep in mind that the main focus should always be on the character you are portraying—particularly the visual and narrative elements that define its look and presence (outfit, silhouette, shapes, gestures, attitude, mood, etc.). The character in your artwork should be the focal point, and that’s why it needs to be clearly visible.

Keep in mind that we will also evaluate the quality of the background in relation to the character: if we think the character design is strong but the background is not well crafted, we may ask you to remove it (or replace it with something more minimalistic). The same goes if the character is not properly framed or appears too small—in that case, you may be asked to crop the frame closer to the character.

So remember: if you choose to include background elements in your artwork, you risk potentially not having your entry approved in the CDChallenge Facebook group. It will also significantly reduce your chances of being chosen as a winner, so please be extra careful. If you want to avoid these issues altogether, make your life easier and avoid backgrounds completely.

3) DESIGN A FULL FIGURE

Rule number three is probably the most common mistake made by new members. Your design must include the full figure of a character. Not just the head, not just the head and torso—we want to see the entire character. There are only four exceptions to this rule:

• If minor elements* (such as tall grass, dust, fog, snow, water, sand, a long vest, part of a sidekick, etc.) cut off or cover a small portion of your character, your entry might still be acceptable.

• If your character is riding or inside the cockpit of a vehicle: in this case, the head, torso, and arms could potentially be acceptable (see the ‘Vehicles & Mounts’ paragraph below).

• If part of the lower half of your character fades into the background due to a high-speed motion trail effect.

• If only one single limb is out of frame (a hand, a foot, etc.).

*Examples of minor elements: A knight standing with his feet in a puddle, a giant with a crowd of smaller characters covering his feet, a Victorian lady wearing a long dress that hides her shoes, or a magician with a long vest that touches or fades into the border of your artwork's frame.

It’s also important to keep in mind that if you’re using perspective or foreshortening in your design, you might be heading in the wrong direction, as these techniques can be used to bypass the full figure rule. While avoiding perspective or foreshortening isn’t mandatory, a design that uses these techniques may not be approved if we feel it doesn’t show enough of the character. So, please be extra careful if you choose to use them.

4)  FOCUS ON ONE SINGLE CHARACTER (BASED ON THE THEME)

Rule number four is also very important: Create only ONE SINGLE MAIN CHARACTER based on the theme. If you think it’s necessary to communicate your idea, you can include additional characters or creatures* (like a sidekick, minion, or pet), but please make sure it’s clear who the main character for the challenge is. Keep in mind that if your design includes more than one character based on the theme, it will be difficult for us to determine the true focus of your work. In such cases, your entry will be considered a "line-up" of characters, which is against the rules.

Infants and children can be considered sidekicks only when your main character is an adult. Ideally, these child characters should act as ‘sidekicks’ and not as an opposing force (e.g., a mother carrying her infant child is acceptable, but an adult thief confronting a child vigilante may not be). Be careful not to depict multiple characters confronting each other, as in a fighting game. If it’s unclear who the main character is, your submission will not be approved. However, if your character (based on the theme) is clearly identifiable as the main character, it’s okay if they appear alongside a sidekick (or even squashing a minion underfoot). A character with multiple heads and one body (like Siamese twins or hydras) also counts as a single character.

Additionally, depicting multiple identical characters in an illustrative fashion may be treated as a model sheet (different poses of the same character on one sheet) and will be accepted, but this type of entry is tricky and could be rejected. To avoid issues, it’s better to refrain from this approach when possible.

If you’re unsure about any of these rules, it’s safest to include just one clearly identifiable character (based on the theme) in your artwork. You can avoid these grey areas by submitting a so-called "perfect entry" (see the ‘Perfect Entries’ paragraph below).

Lastly, we suggest that you avoid making any additional character or creature overshadow your main character in size (see the ‘Vehicles & Mounts’ paragraph below).

*Examples of additional characters/creatures: a pirate with his parrot, a mother with her child, a knight with his squire, a witch with her cat, a troll with insects flying around him, etc.

5)  ONE DESIGN (AND ONE SINGLE IMAGE) FOR EACH CHALLENGE

Rule number five: You can post only one single design** for each monthly contest, so make it count! You have (roughly) 25 days to work on your character design, so be sure you’re completely satisfied with your creation before submitting it. Failure to follow this rule may result in disciplinary action by our moderators, such as being banned or suspended from submitting your work to our Facebook group.

When submitting your work via Facebook, you are allowed to post only one image, so please refrain from posting submissions with multiple images. Close-ups, alternative versions, prop designs (gadgets, weapons, alternative outfits), WIPs (work-in-progress videos, GIFs, or sheets), and any further exploratory designs for your character can still be shared on our Facebook group, but only in the comment section of your own post (see the ‘WIPs, props, and GIFs’ paragraph below).

**Posting more than one artwork per challenge, or the same one twice, can result in a permanent ban. However, in rare cases, we allow posts uploaded on our Facebook group with significant technical issues to be replaced. Please refer to the ‘How to Submit’ section (paragraph: ‘Withdrawing an Entry’) below to learn when this can be done.

WHAT IS OK and what is not ok

The five basic rules for the CDChallenge are essentially all you need to know for posting a design correctly, but you may still have some doubts. That's why we have created this helpful list for you: the first part contains examples of what is acceptable (OK) to post in the group, while the second part outlines what is not acceptable (NOT OK).

Here’s a list of what is OK to submit:

• OK A full figure of a character with no background

• OK A full figure of a character with a minimal, or not distracting background

• OK A turn-around sheet with a full figure

• OK A full figure + expressions (in a single image)

• OK A pose sheet (in a single image)

• OK Multiple characters that look perfectly identical (very borderline, avoid this if possible!)

• OK Any kind of model sheet that includes a full figure is basically a good entry

• OK A character with multiple heads and one body (counts as one)

• OK Redesigning an already existing character in your own style is usually a good entry

• OK Using digital or traditional media

• OK Coloured or black-and-white artwork

• OK Your character drives a vehicle or rides a creature (see ‘Vehicles & Mounts’ paragraph below)

• OK Tasteful Nudity (see the ‘Nudity’ paragraph below)

Now, let’s see a list of what is actually NOT OK to post in the group:

• NOT OK Only the head of a character

• NOT OK Only the head and torso of a character

• NOT OK A full figure of a character with a very distracting background

• NOT OK Line up of multiple characters based on the same theme

• NOT OK Pornography in your design (definitely out of place here)

• NOT OK Caricatures and portraits

• NOT OK An old artwork already submitted to the contest in the past

• NOT OK Tracing or copying characters from another artist (leads to a permanent ban)

• NOT OK Submitting AI-generated images (leads to a permanent ban)

• NOT OK Extreme gore and violence in your design

• NOT OK Racist, political, or religious messages in your design (definitely out of place here)

• NOT OK Explicit/Graphic Nudity (see the ‘Nudity’ paragraph below)

Theme of the Month

The Character Design Challenge offers monthly prompts, which are posted on the Theme of the Month page on our website. A new theme is typically announced around the 7th or 8th of each month, with the submission deadline set for the 2nd of the following month. These themes are shared across all our social media platforms, and you can receive direct notifications by subscribing to our email newsletter or by enabling browser alerts (just click the red bell icon in the lower right corner of the desktop version of this page).

Patreon supporters (Pro Membership) gain early access to the theme on the 5th of each month and benefit from an extended deadline, also on the 5th, giving them almost an EXTRA WEEK to work on their submission.

To summarize:

• Themes are posted on the Theme of the Month page on our website.

• Patreon supporters get a private announcement on the 5th day of the month.

• The public announcement follows on the 7th or 8th day of the month.

• The public submission deadline is the 2nd day of the next month.

• The private deadline for Patreon supporters is the 5th day of the month.

To stay informed, you can:

• Follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, etc.).

• Subscribe to desktop browser notifications (click the red bell in the lower corner).

• Sign up for our monthly email newsletter HERE

• Join us on Patreon page for early access and an extended deadline

All members are welcome to submit a single artwork that complies with the challenge rules listed on this page. Additionally, please review the specific guidelines for each challenge on our Theme of the Month page. These guidelines may include special rules that apply to the current contest and must be followed before creating and submitting your design for the Character Design Challenge. You can find them HERE.

If you'd like to revisit or create personal artwork based on any of the past Theme of the Month prompts, you can explore them in the Past Themes section of our website, available HERE

Types of Entries

All the entries for the CDChallenge follow the same rules but are created by artists with very different styles and from diverse backgrounds and industries. A mangaka will create a design that looks radically dissimilar from that of a 2D animator or a children's book illustrator. Artists can explore more illustrative solutions in their work if they wish, and their designs don't need to be religiously functional as if they were submitted as actual model sheets for the video game or animation industry, intended to be used as blueprints for constructing a 3D character or a 2D animated one (model sheet entry).

As mentioned in the second rule of the CDChallenge, an entry can be created in any style and for many hypothetical purposes: it could be a character study for an animated 2D, 3D, stop-motion, or live-action movie, or for a mobile app and video game (these are "model sheet entries", which are, by definition, what is considered proper character design in the animation, game, and movie industries). It can also be an illustration of a character for the cover of a novel, a pen-and-paper role-playing game, a tabletop game, an art book, a comic book, or a children's book (these are "illustrative entries", which are welcomed in the group even if they are not traditional character designs), and it can be a design for a t-shirt, a brand, or a sports team (these are "mascot entries", which are also acceptable submissions in the group).

A model sheet entry obviously makes a great submission for the CDChallenge, but it is by no means the only choice you have, nor does submitting a model sheet entry automatically make your design stand out from the rest. This is a welcoming community open to artists from different creative backgrounds. As a general rule, as long as your artwork portrays a character and respects the rules listed on this page, any type of artwork you decide to submit to the group (model sheet entry, illustrative entry, or mascot entry) will be considered a perfectly legitimate submission for the Character Design Challenge.

Challenge Rewards

The Challenge Rewards are the official prizes of the Character Design Challenge. These rewards are exclusively available to the supporters of our community on our Patreon page (Pro Membership). Please visit the Challenge Rewards section of our website HERE to discover each individual prize included in the rewards.

*Note: Simply post your design on our Patreon page to qualify for the monthly rewards. If you don’t have (and don’t want to create) a Facebook or Instagram account, you can simply post your design on Patreon, and your entry will be automatically approved (read more details below in the paragraph ‘Submitting your design via Patreon’).

OCs, FCs, Fas, RDs, and Pastiches

OCs (Original Characters: designs of characters based on an artist's original idea), FCs (Fan Characters: designs of original characters created for an existing intellectual property not originally conceived by the artist), FAs (Fan Arts: designs of characters based on those from an existing intellectual property, executed in the artist's personal style with no major changes), RDs (Redesigns: designs of characters based on those from an existing intellectual property in which the original concept/idea has been radically changed), and Pastiches (designs of original characters that imitate the style of a pivotal artist) can all be posted in the group.

Here are some examples of the different types of character design mentioned above:

• OC | Your original character, designed & rendered in your style.

• FC | Mr. JoeBreaker, your imaginary Batman villain, designed & rendered in your style.

• FA | Arale, a character created by Akira Toriyama, simply rendered in your style.

• RD | Tetsuo, a character created by Katsuhiro Otomo, radically redesigned & rendered in your style.

• Pastiche | Your original character, designed in Matt Groening’s signature character design style.

Remember that for our classic contests, OCs have a far greater chance of winning, while FCs, FAs, and RDs may not be as notable to us, even though they are allowed. The only exception to this rule is during our Special Fan-Art/Redesign contests, where OCs and FCs are, for obvious reasons, not allowed. Please keep this in mind before submitting your design to the Character Design Challenge.

To summarize, for the classic Character Design Challenge contests:

• OK to submit | OCs (Original Characters)

• OK to submit | FCs (Fan Characters)

• OK to submit | RDs (Redesigns)

• OK to submit | Pastiches

For the Special Fan-Art/Redesign Character Design Challenges contests:

• NOT OK to submit | OCs (Original Characters)

• NOT OK to submit | FCs (Fan Characters)

• OK to submit | RDs (Redesigns)

• OK to submit | Pastiches

Note: Artwork traced from another artist's design is strictly forbidden in the group. Members found guilty of tracing will be banned (see the ‘Failing to Follow the Rules’ paragraph below).

OLD DESIGNS

Old designs that perfectly match the current theme are still relevant to us and the community and can be posted in the group. When you upload your work, you need to let us know that your entry is an old design and wasn't created specifically for the challenge; therefore, your work won't be considered for review as a possible Winner of the Challenge (or as a possible Special Guest Juror's Choice).

Note: Old designs will be approved in the group exclusively if their execution complies with the rules and if they portray exactly what the Theme of the Month asks for.

Alternative media (3D model, maquettes..)

Please remember that the CDChallenge is a community/contest open exclusively to 2D artists. You can only submit a 3d model, a picture of a sculpture or a maquette, an animation pencil test of a character (both as a GIF or as a video), or a comic strip ONLY as an additional entry based on an original "static" design (uploaded as a JPG, JPEG, or PNG file). The same goes for photo manipulation, photo-bashing, and collage. You need to draw or paint an original 2D artwork* first, and only then post your additional artwork in an alternative medium in the comment section of your original character design entry. You can also team up with another artist who is already a member of the group to create additional artwork. Collaborations do not make your work stand out from other entries, but if you are here to challenge yourself, this can be an amazing exercise.

*Note: Flat paper cutting is considered an exception to this rule since it's basically a normal 2D artwork.

A.I. Art Generators (Artificial Intelligence)

Artworks created with AI art generators are not allowed. The goal of the Character Design Challenge is to test your personal drawing and painting skills. Therefore, submitting an artificially manufactured image generated by AI would be pointless, would not fall within the established scope of the contest, and ultimately would be at odds with the deontological ethics of our community due to the questionable ways in which the art models for such AI technology were trained (including the often concealed sources of their data).

Please refrain from using AI art generators at any stage of the creation process for your work, including non-character-related elements such as the background.

Fan-Art/Re-Design Challenges

The Fan-Art/Re-Design Challenges are special CDChallenges dedicated to existing works of fiction. They can be based on any chosen animation, book, or movie franchise and, just like the normal themes, are selected by the supporters of our community on Patreon.

The Fan-Art/Re-Design Challenges have more limitations: OCs (Original Characters: designs of characters based on an artist's original idea), FCs (Fan Characters: designs of original characters created for an already existing universe), and MUs (Mash-Ups: designs of characters based on two or more other characters from existing works of fiction) will not be accepted as entries. Only v (Fan-Arts: designs of characters based on one from an existing work of fiction, but executed in the artist's personal style with no major changes), RDs (Re-designs: designs of characters based on one from an existing work of fiction in which the original concept or idea has been dramatically changed), and Pastiches (designs of characters that imitate the style of a famous artist) can be posted in the group for these special challenges.

Fan-Art/Re-Design Challenges constitute a healthy and fun exercise for every character designer. If you wish to expand on this subject, please feel free to check out the following video from character designer and comic book artist Jake Parker, creator of Inktober.

Social Media “Likes” Don’t Matter

Social media 'likes' (or reactions) do not increase your chances of becoming one of the winners of the CDChallenge and are not a good predictor of how good an artwork actually is. The winning artworks are selected by us for their creativity, aesthetics, and storytelling. A design that has gained only a few 'likes' has the same chance of becoming a winner as one with hundreds or thousands of 'likes'. Social media 'likes' are also not taken into consideration when we create the queue for the daily reposts on the social media pages of the Character Design Challenge on Instagram, Tumblr, and Twitter.

Regarding this subject, we believe it’s important to remind any artist that caring about how well your art performs on social media platforms (and constantly seeking the approval of others on platforms that are notoriously engineered to keep people addicted to it) is quite detrimental to your creative well-being. We firmly believe that an unhealthy relationship with social media can negatively impact your personal growth and overall self-esteem as an artist, so we recommend you try your best to ignore 'likes' when submitting your work for the CDChallenge.

If you seek honest feedback to grow as an artist, we suggest you ask your art teachers, talk to your peers inside or outside our community, or look up to a professional artist you admire (online or in real life) who provides constructive criticism as a service.

CREDITS AND WATERMARKS

We highly recommend crediting the work you submit for the Character Design Challenge. This is important because we invite thousands of followers from our social media pages to discover new talents in our community every day. Be sure to include links to your website, blog, social media pages, online store, or portfolio in the caption or comment section of your post. If you don’t have any of these, you can also share your email address or let people know they can contact you directly via direct messages on your social media profile.

Another useful tip is to sign or apply a small watermark directly on your design, including your name or the URL of your website. Ensure it’s not too large, and avoid placing it in the center of your design. Instead, add something small to the side. This way, your work will always be traceable, and your credit won’t be missed. We highly recommend developing these habits in general, not just for this contest.

To summarize, we recommend:

• Crediting your work and including links to your art pages.

• Adding a small watermark or signature, placed discreetly on the side.

WIPS, Props, and GIFs

Remember that a single image with a full-figure of a character based on the current theme is the only type of entry you can submit for the Character Design Challenge each month.

W.I.P.s (work-in-progress) and any other material related to the character you’ve created for the challenge (such as minor updates to your original entry, additional characters based on the current theme, animated GIFs, close-ups, prop designs, alternative outfits, etc.) can only be posted as supplementary material, separate from the main artwork. If you wish to share this additional content in our Facebook group, you can do so by redirecting other members to it via a link in the caption of your original post, or by posting this material directly in the comment section of your post.

When submitting your work on Instagram, this additional material can be added in the secondary slides of your post, while keeping the main entry in the first slide.

Nudity

Nudity is a tricky subject for the community. While we personally have no issue with it, some members may be sensitive and flag the image, or social media algorithms might mistake a painting for a photograph and accidentally remove it. Since we primarily operate publicly on large social media platforms, with most entries submitted on Meta-owned platforms (such as Facebook and Instagram which are known for being restrictive about such content due to their general public audience), we recommend avoiding explicit nudity (such as accurately depicted genitals, exaggerated nipples, etc.) in your design. While avoiding nudity is not mandatory*, if you choose to include it, you risk having your artwork removed by an algorithm or not approved by us if it's considered too explicit or against the platform’s terms of use.

To summarize:

• Tasteful nudity will likely be approved by us (but may still be taken down by Meta).

• Explicit/graphic nudity will most likely NOT be approved by us.

*Note: Please do not confuse nudity with pornography. The latter will never be approved. The same applies to exaggerated or gory depictions of bodily fluids (such as urine, semen, blood, saliva, vomit, etc.). Remember, you're posting on platforms used by a general audience, so keep it classy.

Vehicles & Mounts

If your character rides or drives a vehicle or mounts a creature, that's fine, but we strongly suggest considering the size of the vehicle or mount. The main focus should always remain on the character. If part of the character, such as their legs, is obscured by the cockpit of a vehicle, ensure that the rest of the body (torso, head, arms) is clearly visible. The same rule applies if your character is riding a creature: the character should still be portrayed as a full figure, with the exception of a single limb, which can be out of frame or covered (e.g., by a long coat).

While not mandatory, we recommend including the entire vehicle or creature in your artwork so we can better appreciate its silhouette, as it becomes, in a way, an extension of the character. Artworks that don't display the complete vehicle or creature may be declined at our discretion, particularly if it seems like the artist is trying to bypass the full-figure rule.

Note: Occasionally, some monthly themes specifically involve characters driving or riding creatures (e.g., past themes like Dragonriders, Bikers, etc.). In such cases, more specific or lenient rules will apply, and they will be detailed in the current Theme of the Month guidelines

PERFECT ENTRIES

A so-called "Perfect Entry" is an artwork submitted to the Character Design Challenge by an artist who has strategically adhered to all contest rules without bending them. Ideally, this artwork will clearly align with the Theme of the Month and feature a single, recognizable character (with no sidekicks, mounts, or pets). The character’s full figure will be visible (from head to feet, when applicable), with clear and well-defined anatomy. The artwork will avoid nudity, and it will not contain any explicit or ambiguous ideological, political, or religious messages. Additionally, the background will be completely absent, leaving the character surrounded by blank space (with no external elements or even a cast shadow).

These entries are considered "perfect" because they minimize the risk of falling into grey areas regarding the rules, which increases their chances of passing the screening process in the Character Design Challenge Facebook group and being selected as winners. While these entries are not necessarily superior in terms of artistic quality, they offer a smarter approach to participating in the contest by avoiding potential issues.

However, it’s essential to remember that even a "Perfect Entry" must still go through the screening process when submitted via our Facebook group (see more details below in the paragraph ‘Standard of Draftsmanship’).

To summarize, the ideal entry:

• Aligns with the Theme of the Month.

• Features a single, recognizable character (no sidekicks, mounts, or pets).

• Shows the character's full figure (from head to feet).

• Avoids nudity, ideological, political, or religious messages.

• Has no background or external elements, just blank space.

Standard of Draftsmanship (Facebook)

Due to Facebook's algorithmic limitations and multiple requests from senior community members, artwork submitted to the Character Design Challenge group will be screened to reduce the number of posts displayed on the platform each day. Artworks that meet a certain standard of draftsmanship and presentation will be given priority, while those that don’t meet this threshold may not be approved. As a result, designs from beginner artists, as well as those that do not "push the envelope", are too abstract or overly minimalistic, or lack proper research into the subject matter, may unfortunately be declined. The same applies to blurred, low-quality, or out-of-focus photographs of artworks.

We understand that this community self-imposed rule may seem harsh, but it is necessary due to Facebook’s algorithm, which limits the group’s collective reach when too many artworks are approved each day and receive little or negative interaction (such as being ignored or hidden by users). Senior members of the Character Design Challenge community have also advocated for this rule to uphold a consistent standard of quality, particularly as the community continues to grow with an influx of new members each month. Moreover, the rule helps mitigate the occasional “meme” effect, which can occur when beginner-level artworks (such as stick figures or children's drawings) gain disproportionate attention due to the humor (intentional or unintentional) of the artwork, sympathy from other members, or, in the worst cases, deliberate attempts to bait engagement.

If you suspect your artwork hasn’t been approved for this reason, please remember that approximately 40% of submissions to the Facebook group are declined each month. However, the Facebook group is just one way to participate in the contest, and it’s the only platform where this strict but necessary limitation exists. You can still register your participation by tagging our Instagram page in your post or submitting your work on Patreon.

The community is a place for artists of various skill levels to grow and engage, and everyone is welcome to participate, but unfortunately, we cannot ignore the limitations imposed by certain platforms, especially when disregarding them could negatively impact the community as a whole.

Note: If you are an art teacher or a parent who has invited students or their children to join the challenge, please strongly encourage them to submit their work via Instagram, as younger artists are more likely to be affected by this threshold and may feel discouraged by rejection.

BLOCK ON COMMENTS (Facebook)

Please note that at the start of a new challenge in our Facebook group, we typically block comments on many posts featuring designs from the previous challenge. This is not meant to punish anyone but to ensure that new designs for the current challenge stay visible at the top of the group wall. If you'd like to get in touch with an artist whose post has comments disabled, please follow the link to their online portfolio or social media pages provided in the comment section of the post, or contact them directly via the associated Facebook profile.

Things to remember Before submitting

• You can submit your work via Facebook, Instagram, and Patreon.

• Review the rules one more time to make sure your work complies with them.

• Post only 1 entry (a single image) for each monthly challenge.

• Do not create an album in the Facebook group (albums will be deleted).

• Do not include open questions or quizzes with your entry on Facebook (they are considered spam/bait).

• You can ask for feedback on Facebook (or specify if you prefer not to receive feedback).

• Do not upload a file to the Facebook group (members and visitors won’t be able to view it).

• Post your monthly entry on our Patreon page if you want to qualify for the Challenge Rewards.

• You can crosspost the same artwork on Facebook, Instagram, and our Patreon page.

UPLOADing VS SHARING (FACEBOOK)

When submitting your entry via Facebook, please DO NOT SHARE it as a post or image from your Facebook or Instagram page. Instead, UPLOAD THE IMAGE directly to the group.

We encourage you to promote your work in the group, and you can share as many links as you like (to your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X page, portfolio on ArtStation/Cara, online store, Patreon page, etc.). However, be sure to share those links as text in the caption or comment section of the image you have uploaded directly to the group. If you share a post or image from your Facebook or Instagram page, your design will not be saved in the group's media folder and will soon be lost in the group feed due to the volume of daily entries. Our team (and the Special Guest Jurors) select the winning artwork from the media folder, so please ensure your artwork is uploaded there.

If you'd like your Facebook followers to support your entry in the Character Design Challenge, you can share the design from the group to your personal Facebook page.

Again, this is simply a request to upload the image directly to the group. Self-promotion across other outlets on the Internet is always welcome. If you’re unsure how to do this, please refer to the guide on how to post your work in our Facebook group (see the ‘Submitting your design via Facebook’ paragraph below).

Submitting your design via Facebook

Now that you have familiarized yourself with all the tedious but necessary rules for the Character Design Challenge, and you have created your character for the theme, you can finally submit it.

Please follow this step-by-step guide if you wish to submit your artwork via Facebook:

• Go to the Facebook group of the Character Design Challenge

• Press the ”add photo/video” button and then proceed to ”upload photos/videos”

• Upload your artwork from your device

• Write any text and share any link you want in the caption of your post

• Wait for us to approve your post in the group

• Within 72hrs your design will appear on the group wall, and you will receive a notification.

If your post is still “pending” after you’ve submitted it to our Facebook group, don’t worry. Most days, especially toward the end of the challenge, we receive a high volume of submissions and approve them in smaller batches. This approach helps the Facebook algorithm distribute posts more evenly across group members' feeds, increasing their chances of receiving the visibility they deserve. Therefore, while your post is pending, please refrain from reposting it, as doing so goes against the rules. The submission date is always visible on our end, as recorded by Facebook. So even if the deadline for the current theme has passed, your work will still be properly registered for the contest, even if it hasn’t been approved in the group right away.

Submitting your design via INSTAGRAM

Our Facebook group is not the only way to participate in the Character Design Challenge. In fact, submitting your entry on Instagram can be much easier (and perhaps preferable). There is no waiting time, screening process, or withdrawal limits (see the paragraphs on ‘Standard of Draftsmanship’ above and ‘Withdrawing an Entry’ below) when you submit your artwork on Instagram. This makes it an ideal platform for beginners, art students, impatient or indecisive artists who frequently change their minds, and those who simply do not use Facebook.

Groups’ posts on Facebook often encounter an unkind algorithm that sometimes hides even the most outstanding artwork from talented artists, let alone that of beginners—a frustrating experience that many artists who use Facebook are all too familiar with. In contrast, submitting your work on Instagram helps you avoid this potential headache and allows you to share it with your audience, and many artists find this option more comfortable when participating in art contests. Additionally, you can crosspost the same artwork across different platforms, so there’s nothing stopping you from testing your entry with your Instagram followers first, gathering their feedback, and then sharing the final version of your work also on our Facebook group and Patreon page.

Entries submitted via Instagram must be posted before the deadline (just like those on Facebook; we will check the date on the IG post) and must adhere to the same rules (artworks that disregard the rules will be ignored).

Please follow this step-by-step guide if you wish to submit your artwork via Instagram:

• Open your Instagram app.

• Upload your artwork from your device.

• Write any text in the caption of your post.

• Include the #CDChallenge hashtag and the hashtag for the current challenge.

• Tag our Instagram page page in your artwork ( @characterdesignchallenge ).

After the official deadline for the current theme (typically around the 5th day of the following month), your design will appear in the Tagged section of our Instagram page alongside others. Therefore, it’s perfectly normal not to see it there right away, as all submissions are approved at once at the end of each challenge. If you miss the deadline, you can still tag our page in your work, and it will appear in the Tagged section of our Instagram page the following month.

Submitting your design via Patreon

Submitting your entry via Patreon is not only the most straightforward and fast way to participate in the Character Design Challenge, but it's also a great way to support our community while gaining useful perks. These include:

• Discovering new themes 5/6 DAYS in advance, giving you almost an EXTRA WEEK to participate.

• Voting in secret surveys to choose upcoming themes, and suggesting your own ideas for future ones.

• Access the Challenge Rewards, the monthly prizes of the Character Design Challenge.

To qualify for Challenge Rewards, simply upgrade your free membership (Pro Membership), then post the artwork you would normally submit via social media on our Patreon page. If you're not a social media user or don't wish to participate on Facebook or Instagram, you can also exclusively post your design on our Patreon page.

Also, if you miss the deadline for the current theme (typically the 2nd day of each month at 11:59 p.m. GMT + 0:00, Dublin time) but still want to register your entry, you can submit via Patreon, as the deadline for our supporters (Pro Membership) is extended by three days. Entries posted on Patreon are automatically validated, with no waiting time, screening process, or withdrawal limits (see ‘Standard of Draftsmanship’ paragraphs above and ‘Withdrawing an Entry’ below).

If you have a Pro Membership, submit your artwork for the Character Design Challenge on our Patreon page first (this allows us to notify you in advance if any edits are needed), then you can crosspost it also on Facebook and/or Instagram.

Please follow this step-by-step guide to submit your artwork via Patreon:

• Upgrade your membership on Patreon (Pro Membership)

• Visit the Character Design Challenge Patreon page.

• Click the "Message" button.

• Include your name and the URL of your preferred portfolio or social media account.

• Provide a direct link to your submission (live link only; uploads are not permitted).

• Click the "Send" button to submit.

withdrawing AN entry

Withdrawing an entry from the Character Design Challenge is generally not permitted when submitted on our Facebook group, but there are a few rare exceptions.

If you have uploaded your design to our Facebook group and wish to withdraw or replace it with a new one, you must first contact us and explain the issue with your previous submission. Requests based on having “a new idea,” “not being satisfied with the previous submission,” or concerns about how it was received are not considered acceptable. Entries can only be replaced if there is a significant technical issue. Please do not replace your post without our permission, and refrain from posting more than one entry per month in the Facebook group, as doing so may result in a permanent ban. To submit a request to withdraw your entry, please contact us HERE. For organizational purposes, we will only respond if your request is deemed acceptable.

If your post in the Facebook group is still pending, the process is much simpler: you can withdraw it yourself by selecting the option in the drop-down menu in the upper right corner of your post. Once removed, you can upload a new version for our review.

In contrast, entries posted on Instagram or Patreon can be updated or replaced (the final version will be considered your official entry). However, if you have cross-posted the same entry on Facebook, you must keep the original post (though you can update the attached image or add to the comment section of your own post).

Missing the deadline

Please remember that the Character Design Challenge deadline for each contest is always the 2nd day of each month (at 11:59 p.m. GMT +0:00, Dublin time). A live countdown meter is always visible on the Theme of the Month page, providing real-time information on the submission deadline. The number indicates the time you still have left to submit your work, while a minus sign (-) preceding the number indicates that the deadline has passed, and the displayed time represents the duration since then.

If you miss this deadline, you lose the opportunity to qualify your artwork for that month's challenge. However, if you miss the deadline for the current theme but still wish to submit your entry, you can do so via Patreon, as the deadline for our supporters (Pro Membership) is extended by three days. Entries posted on Patreon are automatically validated, with no waiting time, screening process, or withdrawal limits (see ‘Standard of Draftsmanship’ and ‘Withdrawing an Entry’ paragraphs above).

To summarize, the official deadlines for our contests are:

• Facebook | 2nd day of each month at 11:59 p.m. GMT +0:00, Dublin time

• Instagram | 2nd day of each month at 11:59 p.m. GMT +0:00, Dublin time

• Patreon | 5th day of each month at 11:59 p.m. GMT +0:00, Dublin time

Finally, late submissions posted only on Facebook after the deadline may still be approved in the group, but for organisational purposes, they will only be reviewed a day after the winners and the new theme are announced on all our social media pages.

Passion for a common cause and selflessness are the glue that holds a good community together. Another essential component is having deep respect for others and following the rules.

The Character Design Challenge is a positive, easy-going online art community. Proper and polite behavior is a key requirement if you want to be part of it, so please play nice.

Critiques

We strongly encourage all artists to be open to critiques. The Character Design Challenge can be a valuable training ground for those willing to improve their skills, especially for those who are taking their first steps toward an art career. Critiques make us better artists.

At the same time, it's important to remember that, to maintain a peaceful atmosphere in our Facebook group, we need to be extra careful when commenting on the designs of other artists. Sharing a design with a large group of people to be judged by others takes a lot of courage, especially for younger members. The last thing anyone needs is a harsh and insensitive comment that appears out of the blue in the comment section of their work.

This doesn’t mean you can only like or congratulate another artist. Just remember that before writing a critique, it is important to learn how to deliver a constructive one. To do so, we highly recommend watching this video by the talented art teacher Matt Kohr, creator of Ctrl+Paint, who introduces the useful concept of the "Critique Sandwich."

Group Jumpers (Facebook)

A "Group Jumper" is a member of our Facebook group who writes fake or irrelevant comments (often with the help of a friend) on their own post in an attempt to make their artwork "jump" to the top of the group wall. They mistakenly believe this will boost visibility, without understanding how the Facebook algorithm actually works. Posts appear in the group subscribers' Facebook feed based on factors like the number of friends they have in the group, past interactions with posts, and other reasons that Facebook does not publicly share.

Nevertheless, posts should rise to the top of the group wall only through genuine interaction. Since the group has thousands of members, it’s important to maintain proper behavior to remain part of the community. The members of the CDChallenge community are particularly vigilant about this issue and have the ability to flag anyone who engages in this behavior.

"Group Jumpers" are considered spammers. If your post is flagged by members and we catch you engaging in this behavior, the consequences may include:

• We will block comments* on your post and publicly notify you about your behavior.

• You will be banned from the Facebook group for one month.

• You will be permanently banned from the Facebook group.

• You and the friends assisting you may be permanently banned from the Facebook group.

*Note: Please remember that comments are often blocked on older posts at the beginning of each challenge to keep new designs at the top of the group wall. If you don’t receive a notification about your post, don’t worry—you haven’t done anything wrong.

SPAMMERS

Please make sure to upload only your artwork for the challenge in the group—nothing else.

Do not post any other kind of artwork, even if it’s “character design related.” Avoid posting questions, requests, videos, or unrelated external links, even if they are loosely connected to the Character Design Challenge. Members who attempt to spam the group feed with third-party ads, inappropriate material, or content unrelated to the Character Design Challenge will be banned immediately and permanently, with no exceptions.

Failing to Follow the Rules

Remember that if you fail to follow the rules or behave rudely towards us or other members, you risk being disciplined. We don’t want to be harsh or mistreat anyone for making a mistake, but due to the large number of members and daily submissions in the Character Design Challenge community, we must act swiftly and firmly. Disciplinary actions may range from temporary suspensions or blocks from the Facebook group or Instagram page to temporary bans in more serious cases.

If you’ve been suspended from the community, don’t worry! Please review all the rules of the Character Design Challenge (found on this page) and the specific guidelines for the Theme of the Month (available HERE), then reapply to join the group (or wait for the suspension period to be over). Note that new membership approvals can take up to 4 weeks, so please be patient.

Repeated attempts to post artwork that doesn’t comply with the rules will be considered spam, and the member may be permanently banned or blocked, so please be extremely careful.

Abusive Behaviour and "Art Hecklers"

Any member who is callously abusive will be banned from our Facebook group or blocked from our Instagram and Patreon pages. The same applies to any other kind of negative attitude or behavior, such as:

• Questioning the very nature of the rules (we ask you to read them before joining the community).

• Behaving as an "art heckler" and rudely attacking artists for their creative choices.

• Any form of "recreational outrage" toward us or the artworks posted in the Facebook group or any of our other social media platforms (everything is racist, everything is sexist, everything I don’t like is fascist/communist, and so on). You are free to go get offended or outraged elsewhere.

• Bullying other members or the moderators of our Facebook group with insults or violent threats.

• Joining other members in a "virtual mob" to single out and attack a fellow artist.

All the cases listed above can potentially lead to permanent disciplinary action. We don't take these decisions lightly, but if negative, careless, or outright nonsensical behavior forces us to act, we will do so. If you have been banned from the group and wish to rejoin, the only way to have your account accepted again is through a portfolio application (you can send the link to us using the contact form HERE), along with a note explaining your behavior. We will evaluate your request, which, if accepted, will grant you full access to the group again.

In the most egregious cases, you may also be asked to formally apologize to one or more members of the community with a public post in the group, although this happens very rarely.

If instead, you believe it’s acceptable to force your opinion on us and fellow artists, and that you have the right to be senselessly unpleasant in the process, thereby completely disagreeing with the spirit of our community, you can let us know you want us to change this rule by filing an official complaint HERE.

WINNER'S POSTS ETIQUeTTE

At the end of each challenge, the four winners of the Character Design Challenge (plus another one occasionally chosen when a Special Guest Juror is invited by us), a selection of Special Mentions, and the Reward Picks (the three artworks awarded the Challenge Rewards) are announced on our website and social pages. This is intended to be a moment to celebrate the wonderful craftsmanship of the art created by the talented artists of our community and to congratulate them, not an occasion for taking advantage of the high visibility of these posts to make them your personal outlet for frustration or disagreement with the rules and selection of the featured artworks.

We ask you to read the rules of the Character Design Challenge before joining the community, and one essential rule is to be respectful of others' work and the decisions made by the Special Guest Jurors and the CDR Team.

It is, therefore, considered unacceptable to:

• Write offensive remarks of any kind in the comment section of the winners’ post.

• Complain to the winners and us solely because "your favorite entry was another one" and, in your opinion, "other designs submitted in the group deserved to win."

• Post your own design in the comment section of a winner’s post because, in your opinion, "your design was much better" or because it wasn't approved in the group, and you don't agree with the decision.

• Question the very nature of the rules of the CDChallenge, the criteria for choosing the winners, the Special Guest Juror’s choice, the Special Mentions, and the artworks awarded the Challenge Rewards.

• Express any form of "recreational outrage" toward the winning artworks (e.g., "this is racist, sexist, fascist, communist, immoral" and other such nonsense).

All the cases listed above can potentially lead to a permanent ban from our social media pages, so please be extremely cautious. While we strive to maintain a respectful and polite environment within the community, we welcome your feedback privately through the appropriate channels. If you have an official complaint about the winning artwork, you can contact us HERE.

YOU ARE HUMAN, AND SO ARE WE

It’s important to remember that the people behind the Character Design Challenge are human, just like you. This means that, like everyone else, we have our own tastes, and despite our best efforts, some level of personal bias is inevitable. While the rules aim to cover as much as possible, we can still make mistakes and may occasionally interpret certain rules differently than you do.

A good example is the selection of winners: are they truly the very best designs submitted to the contest? Is there even such a thing? Probably not. Each month, many of you might disagree with our choices—your favorite character might be different from ours, and that’s perfectly reasonable. The winners could perhaps be better described as our editorial choices (but that wouldn’t sound quite as exciting, would it?). Another example is when one piece of artwork gets rejected while another similar one is approved in our Facebook group. Why was one design with a background refused while a similar one was allowed? Why was one artwork featuring side characters approved, but another wasn’t? Most of the time, it’s simply because you missed one of the clear-cut rules.

Occasionally, though, it’s because some rules are open to interpretation, creating grey areas where we may reach different conclusions. Even we, as judges, sometimes disagree with one another, and with hundreds of entries to evaluate each month, some inconsistencies are inevitable. The best approach is to understand the essence of the Character Design Challenge (see the ‘Community Spirit’ paragraph below) and to accept that individual judgment isn’t flawless. Working together, we can avoid as many grey areas as possible. When posting in our Facebook group, aim to create artwork that clearly fits the rules (see ‘Perfect Entries’ a few paragraphs above). For example, if there’s no background, no one will ask you to remove it. If there’s only one character, there’s no need to worry about side characters. This approach will help you (and us) avoid issues during the judging process. Also, remember that even with the best intentions, there’s always a screening process when you submit your work via our Facebook group (see the ‘Standard of Draftsmanship’ paragraph above), so keep that in mind.

If you’ve encountered issues uploading your artwork via Facebook in the past, don’t push the boundaries by trying again. Instead, use one of the other available platforms to submit your entry, like Instagram or Patreon. There's no reason to be frustrated; Facebook is just one method of participation, and it’s the only platform with a slower screening and approval process. You can easily join the Character Design Challenge by tagging our Instagram page in your post or submitting your work directly on Patreon.

COMMUNITY SPIRIT

In conclusion, please remember that the Character Design Challenge is just a game we all play together for fun, regardless of our different artistic choices, skill levels, styles, tastes, and influences. Having winners is part of the game—a small incentive to keep the community motivated and to add some excitement at the end of each challenge.

The artwork we feature on our website at the end of each contest as Winners, Special Mentions, and Reward Picks is our way of making a small selection from the many hundreds of artworks submitted each month, highlighting the wonderful variety of styles and ideas the community showcases. Each entry brings something unique to the table, and while it’s impossible to spotlight every single submission in a single article and give each artist full recognition, we do our best to reshare hundreds of fully credited artworks each month across all our social media pages, which are followed by thousands of artists, art enthusiasts, potential clients, and studio art directors seeking new talent, and by fostering a constructive environment that encourages creativity,

Therefore, the real goal of the Character Design Challenge community isn’t to win a contest but to learn together, build our portfolios alongside artists from all over the world, promote our work, make new friends who share the same passion, and contribute our unique touch to a fun, collective character design exercise.

Feel free to invite your friends and fellow artists to join the challenge today!

And now, sharpen your pencils… LET'S DRAW!

LEGAL NOTES

Character Design References is not responsible for any copyright infringement by individual artists. Our intent is solely to inspire others to create original works based on a common theme. For questions about specific pieces of artwork, please follow the links to the website, portfolio, or social media pages provided by the artist in the caption of their post, or contact the associated profile directly. Artists participating in the Character Design Challenge can submit their work for the monthly contests by becoming members of the Character Design Challenge group on Facebook, tagging the Character Design Challenge page on Instagram, or submitting a direct link via Patreon. Ensure that you have read and fully understood the rules of the competition, the Character Design Challenge Terms of Use, the Meta Terms of Use, and the Patreon Terms of Use before entering an artwork for the contest. The Challenge Rewards are limited and exclusively available to the supporters of Character Design References on Patreon.

Note: The Character Design Challenge is organized and managed by Character Design References. The Character Design Challenge is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Meta or Patreon. By entering this contest, you agree to a complete release of Meta and Patreon from any and all liability in connection with this contest. The project partners and sponsors are listed at characterdesignreferences.com The Character Design Challenge Terms of Use can be read HERE