Do you sometimes struggle to stamp due to lack of creative inspiration? Try joining some papercraft challenges! You'll get the creative 'nudge' you need, and maybe even win a prize!
What Are Papercraft Challenges?
Lack of creative inspiration is something every stamper suffers from sometimes. So to help combat this, many stamp companies as well as various independent 'design teams' hold regular papercraft challenges on their websites. Papercraft challenges are online, audience-participation 'events' in which creative prompts are offered, and participants make projects to fit those prompts. A papercraft challenge prompt might include:
- A color or color combination
- A card or scrapbook page sketch
- A theme
- A technique
- An inspirational photo
- A specific product or group of products to use in your project
Each papercraft challenge is a little different, but every one will give you the inspiration you need to make something fun. Plus, many papercraft challenges offer prize drawings for popular crafting supplies!
How Papercraft Challenges Work
Every papercraft challenge runs for a limited period of time -- typically a week or so. On the first day of that period, the challenge is posted on the challenge blog. In this post, you'll find:
- What the current challenge theme / creative prompt is
- Photos of sample projects that the designers who run the challenge blog made
- The deadline for participating in the challenge
- Any challenge rules you need to follow
- A 'linking gadget' for adding the web address where your finished project can be found
- Info about what prize (if one is offered) you could win for participating
How to Participate in Papercraft Challenges
You participate in a papercraft challenge by:
- Locating a challenge that interests you
- Reading the rules of that challenge
- Making a project that fits the current creative prompt
- Taking a photo of your project
- Sharing that photo to your blog or other online photo gallery
- Linking that photo before the entry deadline via the 'linking gadget' of that specific papercraft challenge at the website that offered it
That last step is very important! Linking your project via the offered 'linking gadget' shows that challenge's 'design team' and other challenge participants where to go to view and leave positive feedback about your creation. If there's a prize being offered, this also enters you into the drawing for it.
Winning Prizes
Once the entries for a particular challenge close, the challenge team usually picks at least one 'winner'. For physical prizes like stamping supplies, this is normally done by random draw. The team simply counts the number of entries, and picks a number. Then, the person whose entry coordinates to that number wins.
Sometimes a challenge prize is something non-physical, like a month-long guest designer spot on the challenge blog, or a special 'badge' image that you can add to your website to show that you won that challenge. In these cases, the challenge team usually judges the challenge entries, and then chooses the one(s) they liked best.
The best way to find out if you've won the prize for a particular challenge is to check back when the next challenge starts. Winners are usually posted at the top of each new challenge post, along with info on how to claim your prize.
A Fun Benefit of Participating in Papercraft Challenges
A fun benefit of participating in papercraft challenges is that it invites traffic to your blog or photo gallery, and interaction with other papercrafters. Anyone who sees your linked project photo at the challenge website can -- and often will -- visit your blog or gallery to comment on or ask questions about your project. Over the years, I've made some wonderfully crafty friends simply by participating in papercraft challenges and leaving a few kind words on fellow participants' blogs about their entries.
How to Find Papercraft Challenges
Papercraft challenges are so popular that there are literally hundreds of different ones to choose from! So finding them by Google search is pretty easy. That said, an even easier way to find current papercraft challenges is by visiting Paper Playful. Their fabulous team of volunteers post regular updates about current papercraft challenges, including links to and basic details about each challenge.
Another great way to find papercraft challenges is by visiting the blogs of your favorite stamp or stamping supply companies. Just keep in mind that those challenges may require you to use a specific brand of stamps in your challenge entries.
Final Thoughts
Do papercraft challenges sound like fun to you? As someone who's been playing in them for years, I can tell you they are! Not only are papercraft challenges a great source of creative inspiration, but also a fun way to interact with other stampers. Playing in them regularly also helps you keep up-to-date on stamping trends, and aware of new products you might enjoy trying. Of course, winning the occasional prize just for doing what you love -- stamping -- isn't too shabby either!
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