Excited for this, feels like the good old days are back. One question, are we limited to just one character? Or can we make entries for more than one?
EDIT: Also, what are the rules on illegal connections?
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I’m guessing the answer to this is probably no, but I still want to ask to be sure:
Is there a limit of one entry per character per person? For example, could a person submit two different mocs (as separate entries) for Artahka?
Winning one character does not disqualify you from winning another.
For right now, we’ll say that illegal connections must not visually damage the piece, otherwise it’s up to the discretion of the builder/voter. This could change.
One entry per character per person. The only current exception being the Toa Hagah, in which you can submit all four.
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An excuse to draw golden armor-muscles? Sign me up.
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I’m excited for more contests, and I appreciate the steps you have taken to level the playing field in terms of custom parts. I think these contests can be good for the community if they’re handled with care and if you listen to people’s input. Some of the contest rules were directly informed by community input, so it’s clear you agree. Because we’re on the same page, I hope you understand why I’m concerned.
As I understand it, you sent this list of characters to Greg a while before the community feedback period ended. That is, you had already decided where you were taking these contests before the community got to weigh in. Soon after Greg approved the list, you posted this announcement without asking the community for more input. Those two actions seem at odds with your previous messaging that you want these contests to be a careful, communal effort.
The sheer number of contests also concerns me. In one fell swoop, you announced more canon art/building contests than all Bionicle fansites combined have ever held before! That’s not inherently an issue, but it should make people pause and consider the balance between contest quality and quantity. Unfortunately, the character list seems skewed toward quantity at the moment, because some of the characters are not feasible to build. Take Artakha: he has gray-green armor, and Zaktan is the only Bionicle set with that color. As a result, either (1) builds would need to be largely painted, or (2) during the art contest artists would have to take significant liberties with the winning build’s color scheme. Either way, the lack of useable parts seems like a pretty clear issue with an Artakha contest. Since the character list is still subject to change, I’m hopeful kinks like that will get worked out. Regardless, announcing so many contests with so many details up in the air makes me question how much thought has gone into each contest.
Again, you have stated that you want to approach contests thoughtfully with community input. Announcing 15 contests at once–contests which it seems like you decided upon before the response period ended, and some of which seem infeasible–leaves me worried.
This isn’t coming from a place of antagonism. I really want you guys to knock it out of the park with these contests, and I’m excited to participate! And I think, since you’ve already worked with community feedback, that you can knock it out of the park. But frankly your actions have raised some valid concerns, so I–and, I’m sure, other community members–would appreciate your thoughtful response.
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True, but he is not the only constraction set to have that color, and far from the only Lego set with that color. Using system details for color on constraction mocs is viable – look at Sohcahtoa’s self-moc, for example.
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Also, are the rules strict on what Kanohi are used? Can G2 masks be used? And for characters like Zaria or Chiara who we don’t know what Kanohi they had, do we just choose one?
I have an important question to ask, are gifs allowed for entries that have a gear function? The reasons im asking is mainly that 1) it would bring to life a particular characteristic of the character or ability and 2) Its one of the main things i do in the community.
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The OP requires at least 4 photos from different angles and with an action shot. It doesn’t say you can’t include more files to show off what it does if you feel the need to do so.
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okay thank you, just making sure
I have a question regarding rule 8b/8c
How does this apply to a piece like G2 Onua’s chest piece? It of course has a Lego sticker on it so I’d assume that’s fine to use on that specific piece, but can I take it off, and/or put other Lego stickers on it?
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Is artwork explicitly meant for after the MOC contest, or no? I’m asking on behalf of some friends, and I’d like to give them a clear answer, even though I’m certain what the answer will be. I presume artwork will only be allowed as supplements to MOCs that are entered, and will not be allowed by themselves as a sole entry.
Will MOCs based on designs or drawings by someone else be allowed, or will they be prohibited? For example, if X were to make a MOC heavily based on one of BionicleChicken’s drawings, and have obtained his permission, would be it allowed for the moc contest?
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Mask rules are not strict at all. The art contests overriding any mask used in the MoC, but only when it comes to Artakha, Helryx, and Tuyet. For all other characters, you just use whatever mask you like. If you want to build Bomonga with a G2 Onua mask, you can, and if it wins then that will become his canon mask. Hero Factory helmets are also fine per Greg’s approval.
That is totally cool!
Thanks for the prelude; I totally hear you! For what it’s worth, I appreciate your cadence and attitude. 
I see why you would think that, but for clarity’s sake, Greg’s review and approval of the character list came in tandem with his review and approval of the contest as a whole based on the completed poll results. In regards to feedback, the 400+ posts in the poll topic, dozens of comments on our YouTube videos, plethora of conversations across BIONICLE community discord servers, feedback on Reddit and other social media sites, and our own personal dialogue with community heads across the spectrum of BIONICLE’s internet presence provided more than enough feedback to digest and discuss. In regards to characters who would be selected for contests, that isn’t really something that we ever intended to hold a community-wide poll on, so I do apologize if we ever implied that would be the route things would go.
When this whole thing started and the idea of canon contests cropped up, there’s a very immediate pool of characters who first jump into your minds. The big-ticket, significant characters who played a role in BIONICLE’s later years. Tuyet, Helryx, Artakha. The Hagah. The story serial characters. Those were, to us, no-brainers, as we are not interested in adding to BIONICLE’s canon with new story or characters “approved by Greg” or any such notions like that. The whole idea behind these contests begins and ends with getting visualizations for important, story only characters with speaking lines. That limits the pool to a significant degree, so in our minds, the only thing worth doing was asking Greg if he would be okay with having these characters be given appearances, hence us pitching the list. Community feedback regarding rules, part allowances, and methods were what we sought (and what we are still seeking, reading, observing, and acting on even now; these rules aren’t necessarily finite, they can be added to or expanded on); community opinions on which characters should or should not receive appearances was never really on our radar.
I do understand the list of contests being somewhat daunting when viewed in bulk, but rest assured, these are intended to be held over long stretches of time. We don’t want to overwhelm or burn out the community; the only reason we publicly posted the list at all is to serve as a “heads-up” notice for builders looking to begin constructing their creations early so as to deliver the best possible product. Characters such as Artakha, which you are right in saying will be difficult to build, are at the height of priority in our minds; the challenge inherent in his construction, coupled with his extreme importance in the story, made him one of the three centerpieces for this entire concept, so the thought of discounting him based on a limited number of pieces never once crossed our minds. The allowance of CCBS and system pieces and the lack of a “G1 to alternative LEGO” ratio should help serve to make him more viable to be constructed, as there’s a plethora of other sand green pieces out there to augment Zaktan’s, including size 3 CCBS shells, which are among the most versatile pieces possible for shaping. There’s also nothing that says he must be ONLY gray-green. Only that he has gray-green armor. Limitations such as these only increase the challenge and therefore the interest in holding a contest for him.
Basically, in summary; the conversation with these contests has not closed down. We welcome feedback, critique, and concerns, and we’ll do our part to continue having that conversation with you. That being said, we have spent the last month discussing with the community and absorbing the mountain of conflicting opinions and ideals represented in the aforementioned places, and have worked hard to craft this contest infrastructure as a framework for compromise. In simpler terms… it won’t please everybody, but we want to make as many people happy as we can.
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Honestly, I’m just really happy this is a thing. The flame hasn’t died yet!
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Well, I voted against this and tbh I’m still kinda apprehensive for various reasons but hey, it’s happening regardless so might as well get excited!
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My Body is Ready.
I totally agree with this. Can’t wait to start building. 
I have to say, most of these rules sound quite reasonable, and I can tell a decent amount of thought and community input went into them. However, that is a lot of contests to commit to at this point. I’m interested to see where this goes and hope to participate if I have time (which sadly is unlikely).
Yeah, I strongly echo these concerns. Did you consider my idea of having a separate poll to evaluate the quality of the winning entry and determine whether it was good enough to submit to Greg? I think the contest format is still sorely lacking in quality control, which would be a substantial improvement over the canon contests that were held in the past and would really alleviate my concerns about holding these new contests.
Another question (forgive me if it’s been asked and answered, as I didn’t have time to read the whole thread) – will entrants be allowed to submit prose with their entries explaining their design choices and how they relate to the lore? For example, could I submit a Toa Helryx MOC that uses a Toa Mata build, accompanied by a piece of text that justifies that design by saying that she was designed at the same time as the Toa Mata? Or, could I submit Toa Hagah MOCs with descriptions identifying which heroes their masks are honoring? And would those descriptions themselves then be considered canon lore?
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I’m really excited for these contests. I’ve followed Bionicle from the start but was never really active in the fan community (I actually think this is my first post on ttv) so the opportunity to participate and just maybe contribute something to canon is really exiting. If the goal here is primarily to engage the community than for me you have already succeeded.
While I don’t entirely agree with all the rules laid out it’s clear you’ve put a lot of thought into reaching as fair a compromise as possible in regards to custom pieces and I love the idea of secondary art contests. If I were to suggest an amendment it would be that Varian, the Hahga and Mangai be Metru scale Mocs instead of Inika/Glatorian size.
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I’m really Excited!
My only problem is that I think the Toa Hagah shouldn’t be included Because We already know that they look like the Toa Norik and iruni Sets but in different colors!
I think the only necessary Thing to do with the hagah is to do kanohi Contests sense thats the only thing we don’t know!
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