Today, we’re going to run down the five finalists we chose to send to our judges in the contest.  Furthermore, you’ll find some of the judges quotes along with multiple pictures of the entries.  There were many entries that deserved to be in the finalist group (see the last three days of posts in this blog), but we knew that the winner was indeed the best when we compiled the results.  The finalists were ranked by nine independent judges, and we scored their results in two ways: a simple sum where the lowest score wins, and a Fibonacci sum where the lowest score wins.  Because of the fact that the winner got six first place votes and two second place votes, there would have been no fair scoring system that returned a different result.  The finalists are posted here in reverse order of their place-score by the judges.

“Mirth“, from Ramey D., using sculpted clay and paint:

Actual judges quotes about Mirth:

Not bad, but it’s a filthy alliance toon.

Made me think of Cold Miser from RankinBass.

“This is Line of Death! Cross it and you die!”

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“Thayolin”, from Johanna J., who knitted over embroidery and stuffing:

Actual judges quotes:

This one got points from me because knitting is really hard.

I’ve tried to knit a few times and all I was able to do was a long string.

Yarn as a weapon!

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“Theo“, by Randil J., made from foam, felt and pipe cleaners:

I just love Tauren, I just can’t help it. He’s so furry and cute, plus I love his gear.  My favorite.

On effort alone, this is pretty innovative

Happymoo!

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Our runner-up got two first place votes and three second-place votes.  Arguably the most visually surprising entry of the contest, she is

“Amelinda” by Amy P., using Super Sculpy clay,  fabrics for the dress, and gold jewelry.

Our celebrity judges had the following to say about Amelinda:

It’s cute, the clothing is beautiful and the hair bun and earrings are a nice touch.  Is this is what all elves will look like after their faces are melted in the Cataclysm?

Reminds me of Edward Gorey and I love Gorey.

The perfectly stitched gown and ear-rings made this simple sculpture especially special.

Where oh where has my Ding Pong gone…? Oh where, oh where can he be?

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And finally, we have our winner.  The judges simply gushed about

“Gonz” by Joe Z. Joe made Gonz from Super Sculpy, acrylic gel medium, watercolor paint, Etac medium paint, fixative, super glue, suger and spice and everything the Horde hates.

Here are your final quotes from the judges -

I love the scenery on this one!

Beautiful sculpture. I love the facial expression and spell effect. I would love an official action figure like this.

Hands down the best!  The details, the paint, and the sparklies!  Not only did this person craft a fairly accurate reproduction of the character, they also took the time to create an environment with excellent detail.  Now, when can I slice him in half?

This one hit me in the gut and made me think “Tree! Run!”

The detail in this is amazing. Great work on sculpting.

That Snow White trollop got away. I won’t make the same mistake with YOU!

Many gracious thanks from The Instance to FigurePrints and Ed Fries for providing Joe Z. with a code for an official FigurePrint.  You can get yours here. Furthermore, thanks to our crack team of nearly-celebrity judges that included Veronica Belmont, Tom Merritt, Len Peralta, Nicole Spagnuolo, Marc Spagnuolo and Brian Ibbott.  They were responsive and helpful beyond our expectations!