Hello, everyone! This is my first time hosting one of these, so bear with me, haha, ^^. I may add a few things to likes/dislikes since I may have forgotten something, :)

Important:

All artists are allowed to auction off pieces not chosen. Furthermore, I plan on keeping the first place piece of art for myself (hence the contest). If I like the 2nd place piece enough, I may reach out and ask if I am able to keep it as well; the same applies to 3rd and 4th place. Prizes might increase as time progresses. Maximum of two entries and collabs allowed; bring collabs to my attention!

Theme:

I am looking for a mysterious, spooky swamp for the background. Furthermore, I want the horse to be a kelpie or similar to one. What does this entail? Long story short, lots of moss and twigs scattered across the horse; it is basically an aquatic equine. This will be an all-cuts, but an additional desktop background would be awesome! Confused or want specifics? PM me, I don`t bite, :D

All-cuts refers to Bio Image, Stable Avi, Stable Banner, Horse Avi, and maybe a Pallet Header. These can be made after winners are chosen.

Likes:

Dislikes:

Half-body (This means no part of the horse should be hidden, unless the horse is emerging from the swamp itself)

Too many muted/similar colors

Solid coat colors

A basic (standing, mostly) pose

Roans (Blame my roan curse)

Chimeras

I am not looking for a horse that is half fish

Placings (Official Prizes/In My Possession)

1st Place: 1,200,000 Ebs + 2 Alekai Straws (Debuting 187) + 2 SD WBLB Straws + Embryo to EWW+ Brood of choice

2nd Place: 1,150,000 Ebs + 2 Alekai Straws (Debuting 187) + Embryo to EWW+ Brood of choice

3rd Place (Active!): 1,050,000 Ebs + 1 Alekai Straw (Debuting 187) or LC to EWW+ Brood of choice

4th Place (Activates at 10 Entries): 1,000,000 Ebs + 1 Alekai Straw (Debuting 187)

Non-Placers: 1k Ebs or 1 SD Gelding

Alekai & Broods Barn Link

Alekai is sitting on multiple WBLBs and the Freshman LB!

Entry Deadline:

April 19th at 8:00 PM game time.

Winners Announced:

April 20th at 12:00 PM game time.

Important Edit (3/2):

Artists can get multiple placings for each entry.

Meant to add this earlier today, but had lots of college courses, >3<

What's a Kelpie?

"A kelpie, or water kelpie, is a mythical shape-shifting spirit inhabiting lochs in Scottish Folklore. It is usually described as a grey or white horse-like creature, able to adopt human form. Some accounts state that the kelpie retains its hooves when appearing as a human, leading to its association with the Christian idea of Satan as alluded to by Robert Burns in his 1786 poem "Address to the Devil." - Wikipedia

Poem

When thowes dissolve the snawy hoord,
An' float the jinglan icy boord,
Then, Water-kelpies haunt the foord,
By your direction,
An' nighted Trav'llers are allur'd
To their destruction.

Additional Information

(This mythology is a little morbid!)

"When in horse form the kelpie will often stand near the edge of rivers waiting for their prey which is often young children. Their bodies are magically adhesive which allows them to drag people into the water to drown them. It is said that kelpies can stretch the length of their backs to carry several people to their doom together. One particular tale involved some children who met a kelpie, all but one climb on to it’s back while the last child stays on the shore. He pets the neck of the kelpie to find his hand is attached to it. He frees himself by [removing] his hand and survives the encounter with the malicious creature only to helplessly watch his friends being dragged down into the depths of the water where they were devoured." - Timberbrush Tours

Adding this due to popular inquiry, Palettes are optional due to all of the changes going on. If you make one, expect me to request changes as the layout for HEE changes. To reiterate, pallettes are optional. And yes, collabs are allowed for these; I know some artists work with palette makers.

I am also halfway to getting the 400k for 4th place.

Increased 4th place Prizes to 800k since I calculated my show geldings/mares earnings. Every week, I`m putting 100k into a Savings Account for this place; as of today, it is 200k.