GUI Olympics 2004 Details

from WinCustomize Forums

This Monday, the GUI Olympics 2004 will begin. It's a contest to see who can create the world's best visual styles, icons, and Winamp 5 skins.  Sponsors include Stardock, Nullsoft, ATI, nVidia, and others.  Microsoft is also providing prizes to the contest.  In total, over $10,000 (closer to $15,000) in cash and prizes will be given out including ATI video cards, an Xbox, tons of software and probably some surprises.

You will be able to enter skins individually or as part of a team.  The top teams will get a big bonus prize.  Anyone can form a team and there are no restrictions on the size of team (though obviously the bigger the team, the bigger the split in the prize money). You could have a Team MyfavoriteWebsite or a Team "l33t". It's up to whoever starts the team (on Monday there will be a mechanism on www.guiolympics.com to create your own team).

The rules are fairly straight forward. You have to enter submissions that are NEW. They can't be things that already exist.  They also have to be in WindowBlinds visual style format. But if you've ever made a .msstyles visual style, it's pretty easy to make a WindowBlinds one and SkinStudio can convert a .msstyles file to WindowBlinds visual style format. And then from there add the missing features to make it competitive.

The contest begins on March 1 but JUDGING won't begin until April 5 so you'll have over a month to actually put together your stuff. And judging goes on during the entire month so you may potentially have nearly 2 months depending on what events you're concentrating on.

Here is the schedule of events:

April 5: Most minimalist visual style, Most creative Winamp skin, Most original icon package
April 8: Best Power user visual style, Most useable Winamp skin
April 12: Most usable visual style, Best power user Winamp skin, Best "themed" (icons go together the best) icon package
April 15: Most creative visual style
April 19: Best themed* visual style*, Best themed* Winamp skin, Best pseudo-OS icon package
April 22: Best Pseudo-OS visual style
April 26: Best overall visual style, Best overall Winamp skin, Best overall icon package
April 27: Top Team/Individual: WindowBlinds, Top Team/Individual: Winamp, Top Team/Individual: Icons
April 29: User's Choice: Best visual style, User's Choice: Best Winamp skin: User's Choice: Best icon package

*themed skin as in the whole skin keeps to a particular theme.

16 Events. Over $10,000 in cash and prizes. Anyone can enter.

The judges will be admins/employees from Stardock, Neowin, deviantART, and Nullsoft.

So there you have it.  WB visual styles, icon packages, and Winamp 5. For $10k to $15k in cash and prizes spread among 16 main events.

Regarding entries:

Submissions will begin mid Monday afternoon.  Most submissions probably won't come in until April so don't feel rushed. But remember, youc an update your stuff as often as you want.

When you do enter in a submission, you will first which contest (WindowBlinds, Winamp, Icons). Then you can pick up to 2 events.  All skins will automatically contend for the various "Overall" contests (i.e. "best overall skin" for instance).

Example, to use MetalX (top skin from GUI Olympis 2002) as an example, I would probably do:

[X] Best Power User Visual Style
[X] Most Usable Visual Style
[ ] Most Creative Visual Style
[ ] Best Pseudo-OS Visual Style
[ ] Best Minimalistic Visual Style
[ ] Best Themed Visual Style

We learned, the hard way, how problematic it was to judge 140 skins for every contest. That's just not doable.

11,577 views 39 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Thanks for putting the contest on Brad. Most skinners are truly appreciative.
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I think I've seen it mentioned before, but whats the web address for the Olympics?
Curtains - Customize Windows with additional styles
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
This is really exciting... there will be so many great new skins this month.
Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top

DavidK, you had some of the best skins in the last one. I'm really excited to imagine what you might come up with!

Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Thanks Treetog
Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Hmmm... exactly what is a Psuedo OS, is it some kind of: "That would be a nice OS"?
Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top

'Power User'.....complex - using all the features available.

'Pseudo OS'.....styled to give the impression of a 'theoretical' or imaginary Operating System.....like Windows 2010, BeOS 12, or Linux v3127 revision b 0.5 alpha edition 2c.....

Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top
'Pseudo OS'......MS Windows Longhorn
Oh Wait Jafo already mentioned that one....Windows 2010
Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Could an entrant submit a port from WMP to WB if more than 75% of the art was new? I ask because the only way we would have time would be if we entered a wb skin roman and i are working on. The only thing the same would be the titlebars and some of the buttons. Rest is being redone by roman.
Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Further to TSF's question, does every single part of the skin have to be new? I ask this because one of my skins is designed to accompany an existing icon set, and as such would include some images from those icons to create the shell backgrounds, file copy/move animations, etc.
Reply #13 from WinCustomize Forums Top
(The summer GUI Olympics will focus on icons, themes, MP3 skins, and skin suites.)
This is from the front page of the GUIO's page.

I hope I'm reading this right. That the skin suites can look the same, because that's what I'm doing. Windowblinds and icons to match and possibly a player.
I was wondering about that, also.

I'm just hoping people don't just use mac icons like most of the MSStyle ports are for the shell style. I would think that it would have to be (all origanal) works from top to bottom.
[Message Edited]
Reply #15 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Perhaps a good idea would be to give examples of each category from the current library. Last time there was a huge amount of disagreement about what should and shouldn't have been considered for each category, and as we're only limited to two this time it would be useful to know what we should be aiming for.
Reply #16 from WinCustomize Forums Top
#9 by Admin Jafo - 2/29/2004 8:18:21 AM

'Power User'.....complex - using all the features available.


I think that would mean that the skin uses all available options
Reply #17 from WinCustomize Forums Top
My understanding of a Power User, is someone who pushes his/her machine........... several programs running at all times. That would be why he/she needs the fastest and most powerful computer available..



Powered by SkinBrowser!
Reply #18 from WinCustomize Forums Top
My impression of a power user skin is one that allows the user to push there computer to its limits. this means the skin is light, fast, easy to use, and unobtrusive. Basically one that looks good, but after a while blends in so well that you forget its there and helps improve productivity.
[Message Edited]
Reply #19 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I think both Koasati and kongit are right......also a skin that allows the user full flexibility of available options such as compact start menus, smart buttons, etc.
Reply #20 from WinCustomize Forums Top
kongit, look at # 9 above. )



Powered by SkinBrowser!
Reply #21 from WinCustomize Forums Top
well my impression is wrong, sort of.
Reply #22 from WinCustomize Forums Top
not necessarily.....i think a poweruser would want a skin that is light, fast, easy to use, and unobtrusive
Reply #23 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Wouldn't that be a minimalistic skin then? I think it makes more sense for Power-User to mean "all the features"...but that could just be me.
Reply #24 from WinCustomize Forums Top
for my experience in the first GUI Olympics, power of use is the skins that uses the most complete of wb features available.
Reply #25 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Your right about "all the features"....substyles, smart buttons, compact start menus, etc., but I also think Travis had it partly right in that a power user would also want an interface that was fast, easy to use, and unobtrusive. Really, would anyone call a WB, that may use "all the features", but had garish, ornate fluff and was screamin' orange and hot pink a poweruser WB?

/me hopes that if anyone decides to make a garish, ornate fluff WB with screamin' orange and hot pink colours that they don't put an inspired by credit to him