1st Place! Illustration by Naters Calderone.

Wow, you guys really channeled your inner Jedis for our Star Wars art contest! You redesigned the characters in so many fun ways, from members of a mariachi band to the cast of Seinfeld. Thanks to everyone who took part!!

Per Jake Parker, who judged the contest this time, "You creative people have done some amazing work! Made it really hard to pick a winner."

He selected the winning picks based on the following criteria:

Concept - Is the idea creative or unexpected in an intriguing way?
Design - How has the artist used proportion, repetition, balance, and contrast to create something unique, compelling, or beautiful?
Structure - Are the shapes and forms solidly built?
Rendering - Whether it's in color, black & white, or just line-work, what is the quality of the craftsmanship in the execution of the artists vision?

Hats off to Naters Calderone, who reimagined the crew as old-timey cartoon characters. Per Jake: "I felt like it was a brilliant move to place something edgy and sci-fi within the context of something as gushy and approachable as the rubber hose animation style from the 20s and 30s. (Example here) So points awarded for concept. The design, structure and rendering on this is all solid as well. You got the style down, but you also brought a little something of your own to it. So great job!"

Second place went to Hannah England, who turned the characters into pooches. Here's Jake again: "Hannah wasn't the only one to turn star wars characters into animals, or dogs for that matter. But I like her concept the best. She stuck with droids, and since droids are mostly companions to humanoids in Star Wars she likened them to dogs. Nice move. Not only that, she picked dogs that best matched each droids personality or temperament. Lastly, it's just executed so darn well. Nice rendering, structure, and design. Good job Hannah!"