For every category, we challenge each entrant to test themselves with working on a deadline - those seeds must needs be planted 'fore the shoots can grow!
1x Philosopher’s Stone per entry submitted
This must be a non-perishable, physical object that can be displayed, hung, framed, or otherwise admired and enjoyed for it’s mystery and creativity. This item MUST be crafted by your own hand*, and this stone must show what the “Philosophers Stone” means to you. Medium and materials are not limited - BE CREATIVE! Documentation is not required, but is appreciated.
All stones submitted will be awarded as prizes, at random drawing, amongst all entrants for each week’s events, to be drawn and awarded at the Bardic Zoom Party on May 29th! PLEASE NOTE: YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE THE SAME PHILOSOPHERS STONE THAT YOU SUBMIT AS PAYMENT FOR YOUR ENTRY.
THEY ARE BEING DISTRIBUTED TO ALL PARTICIPANTS RANDOMLY AS PRIZES. HAVE FUN! :D
For the sake of mailability, we suggest considering the size of the USPS small flat rate box if you wish to make a stone that might be heavy. All philosophers' stones must be received no later than May 25th, 2021. To submit your stone, please direct your ravens to:
Ariesian Eldclaw
c/o Andrea Brooks
243 Mashburn Branch Rd
Old Fort, NC 28762
*Please note, if you collaborate with another artisian, we do ask that you include documentation showing what parts of the stone each of you created. Your Philosopher's Stone submission must be at minimum 75% work by your own hand.
Spring is a time for tonics, potions, concoctions, and brews, and for dusting off your best recipes! Contestants may produce a written, annotated, and illustrated recipe, or craft your own mysterious concoction, or both! You may be an alchemist and illustrator, or team up with a scribe or the like, and shall be judged accordingly. This category is for those that love to experiment, investigate, explore, and potentially explode (do NOT try that at home!)! Will you create the perfect mixture of herbs to soothe aching muscles, a tonic to cure the lonely heart, salve to ease blistered hands, a curative batch of chicken soup, a beautifully illustrated love potion, or... something else...?
What specialty items might you use to mix and store medicine, herbs, salves, and more? Create a vessel of any sort that would be used to prepare, transport, or store an "Alchemical Concoction", and document how it would have been used in "our time".
Our brave Fighters must work hard in the Spring, preparing their gear for the upcoming summer raids, wars, and other whims of their Crown. How would your persona have done this? What gear would you have been repairing at this time of year, and what would your methods be? Inquiring Squires want to know! We will accept video, photos, illustrations, and any original research you would like to share that shows how your kit would have been cared for.
Sing a song of Spring! The bounty of the season of renewal is upon us. The planting season is here and it’s time to gather in the fields and rouse the populace to throw open the shutters, dig in the dirt, and maybe dance a little in the meantime. We want to hear songs of people that are the ‘dirt of the earth’, songs of love and flowers, sunshine and rain, hope and plenty - SPRING! Submissions must be either a video or MP3 recording of your performance to alchemyofspring@gmail.com.
Any plant - old or new world, can be displayed in this open-entry category. Some folks keep gardens of flowers and green, and some make their blossoms, fruit, and leaves with pen and ink, or needle and thread, glass, and so on. Display your proud work here, what you’ve “grown”, and tell us about it! Prizes will be awarded in this category, so don’t forget to include documentation about how (if applicable) your art/items would have been used in period. Come show off your best plants and flowers, and delight in the Garden of Hawkwood.
It is very important to us to be transparent about how we judge submissions. For that reason, we are providing the ruberic that we will use to score every entry. This form can be viewed at this link: Alchemy Of May Judging Forms. (will open a PDF from Dropbox)
Submission due dates for ALL CATEGORIES are as follows:
Expert Due Date: May 8st
Intermediate Due Date: May 15th
Newcomer Due Date: May 22nd
Prizes Awarded & Bardic via live Zoom Party!: May 29th
ALL SUBMISSIONS ARE TO BE E-MAILED TO alchemyofspring@gmail.com NO LATER THAN 2PM ON THE DATE DUE FOR EACH CATEGORY. Entrants will have their work posted to the appropriate section of this page as they are received.
If you are an expert, we expect you shall be quicker than the novice, and therefore we are allocating less time for more advanced entrants. We ask that each entrant judge their own acuity, but a guideline that we suggest is:
1-2 years of experience: Novice
3-5 years of experience: Intermediate
5+ years: Expert