Yoobees LIGHT & DARK Character Design Competition

Light & Dark is back! Over the last 7 years, budding artists across Aotearoa have entered into Yoobee's Light & Dark character design competition. Light & Dark focuses on the art of emotion. Contestants create a character that embodies two contrasting emotions; one light emotion, and one dark emotion.

Design

CREATE a character and WIN incredible prizes!

Illustration: Science fiction character floats above a blue circle of light. — Emotion: Serenity. Character created by Yoobee Rotorua Campus Tutor, Lee Tawhai.

Light & Dark started in October 2020 and ended in January 2021, with winners announced in March. Scroll down to meet our winners and see their wicked skills! What is a Light & Dark character? Light & Dark focuses on the art of emotion. Contestants create a character by hand, or animation, that embodies two contrasting emotions; one light emotion, and one dark emotion. We accept any type of style, so long as it meets the design brief. We had two categories in 2020, one for secondary school students and one for anyone over 18yrs.

2020 Light & Dark prize winners!

THE PRIZES FOR 2020

Worth over $10,000.00

First prize winners receive: - A One Year Scholarship to Yoobee's Bachelor of Animation Degree, or Bachelor of Software Engineering Degree (One Year of Bachelor study at Yoobee is valued at approx. $9,900+) - A Wacom Cintiq 16" (Valued at $1,099.00) - Adobe Creative Suite - One year subscription. (Valued at $943.82) - $350.00 Gordon Harris gift-vouchers

Worth over $5,000.00

Second prize winners receive: - A free spot on Yoobee's online Level 4 Certificate Creative Media programme (Valued at $3,600+), or a free spot on an alternative programme. See full list of alternative programme options when entering into the competition according to category. (Each alternative programme option is valued between $180.00-$1,000.00+) - A Wacom Intuos Pro Medium (Valued at $579.00) - Adobe Creative Suite - One year subscription. (Valued at $943.82) - $350.00 Gordon Harris gift-vouchers

Worth over $2,000.00

Third prize winners receive: - A free spot on Yoobee's STAR course, or Holiday Programme, or Short-course, or Micro-credential course depending on the category you enter. (Depending on selection; valued at approx. $180.00- $1,000.00+) - Adobe Creative Suite - One year subscription. (Valued at $943.82) - $350.00 Gordon Harris gift-vouchers Both categories have their own prize-pools; over $17k worth of prizes for each category.

Plus, our Light & Dark weekly giveaway's!

Entrants also get the chance to win one of our $50.00 BONFIRE gift-card giveaway's throughout the competition.

Our winners' artwork!

Top 20 finalists (open category)

Rage

Alex Bannwarth, open category, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Serenity

Illustration: A character with blue lines on their skin holds a staff with two faces. A head hangs from their belt. The character looks at a butterfly on their finger. Text reads: 'Serenity'.

Alex Bannwarth, open category, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Rage

Illustration: Purple haired girl contorts backwards in anger, a red sky and dead tree in the background.

Beka Smyth, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Serenity

Beka Smyth, open category, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Despair

Illustration: A man-goat hybrid weeps in a cave.

Bianca Dar Juan, open category, emotion-set: Love & Despair

Love

Illustration of a goat-human hybrid playing a banjo for a water nymph.

Bianca Dar Juan, open category, emotion-set: Love & Despair

Rage

Illustration: A man wrapped in blue snakes punches a skeleton, his fist glows blue.

Chloe Stephenson, open category, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Serenity

Illustration: A man floats above the ground in a forest, an ethereal, blue snake wraps around his body. A blue light leads from his chest into the sky, and reappears in the background, snaking down a tree and into the scarf an elderly person.

Chloe Stephenson, open category, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Rage

Illustration of a cheetah-woman hybrid shaking her fist in anger. Floating metal pihrana's with red eyes surround her.

Julius Hunt, open category, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Serenity

Illustration of a cheetah-woman hybrid holding a bomb with a face drawn on it.

Julius Hunt, open category, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Despair

Illustration of a tearful girl, hand outstretched towards the viewer, surrounded by blue and purple clouds.

Kenji Goyon, open category, emotion-set: Love & Despair

Love

Illustration of a girl glowing gold in space cuddling a blue cat.

Kenji Goyon, open category, emotion-set: Love & Despair

Rage

Illustration of an angry centaur woman in a burning forest.

Kua Benne, open category, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Serenity

Illustration of a female centaur walking through a forest.

Kua Benne, open category, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Despair

Digital illustration: Female warrior weeps while holding the hand of a dead person.

Lily Orsman, open category, emotion-set: Love & Despair

Love

Digital illustration: Fantasy setting, man kisses woman's hand on the balcony of a palace.

Lily Orsman, open category, emotion-set: Love & Despair

Rage

Digital illustration: Man with control over fire shouts in anger in a throne room.

Tara Garing, open category, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Serenity

Digital illustration: King sits in a throne.

Tara Garing, open category, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Love

Digital illustration: Fantasy non-human woman embraces human man.

CJ Armstrong, open category, emotion-set: Love & Despair

Despair

Digital illustration: Fantasy creature woman tearfully cradles injured man.

CJ Armstrong, open category, emotion-set: Love & Despair

Rage

Digital painting: Anthropomorphized ape and tiger prepare to fight in the rain. Cinematically styled image with filmic letterboxing.

Daniel Giles, open category, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Serenity

Digital painting: A monkey practicing martial arts in a field.

Daniel Giles, open category, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Rage

Illustration of a woman with her hand on the hilt of her sword, surrounded by assailants.

Daniel Ido, open category, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Serenity

Illustration of a woman holding a sword with a peaceful expression.

Daniel Ido, open category, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Excitement

Digital painting: A woman interacts with her dog in front of a truck. Post-apocalyptic setting.

Jefferson Sage, open category, emotion-set: Excitement & Fear

Fear

Digital painting: Panicked woman and a dog in a car, shadowy figures visible through the windshield.

Jefferson Sage, open category, emotion-set: Excitement & Fear

Despair

Digital painting: Young man cries, standing in the ocean, clutching a hat.

Kiana Maroney, open category, emotion-set: Love & Despair

Love

Digital painting: A child and an old man standing in the ocean with fishing rods.

Kiana Maroney, open category, emotion-set: Love & Despair

Rage

Nathaniel Nathan, open category, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Serenity

Nathaniel Nathan, open category, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Rage

Oonagh Graham, open category, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Serenity

Digital painting of a man who has been absorbed by a tree.

Oonagh Graham, open category, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Despair

Drawing of a woman weeping at an empty birdcage.

Kayley Urquhart, open category, emotion-set: Love & Despair

Love

Drawing of a woman with a bird on her finger

Kayley Urquhart, open category, emotion-set: Love & Despair

Despair

Illustration: Fantasy setting, a woman cries as she clutches the body of a bird riddled with arrows. — 1st Prize (open category) Alice Mok entered our open category with her emotion-set: Love & Despair. The characters' emotion displayed here is 'Despair'.

Alice Mok, open category, emotion-set: Love & Despair

Love

Digital painting: Girl plays with a bird surrounded by cherry blossoms.

Alice Mok, open category, emotion-set: Love & Despair

Rage

Digital Painting: Woman with a beast arm in a battle stance.

Hallie Grupo, open category, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Serenity

Illustration: A woman lies in golden grass. — 2nd Prize (open category) Hallie Grupo entered our open category with her emotion-set: Serenity & Rage. The characters' emotion displayed here is 'Serenity'.

Hallie Grupo, open category, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Despair

Digital Painting: Woman drowning at sea.

Maia Kaa, open category, emotion-set: Love & Despair

Love

Illustration: A Maori woman clutches her baby by a river under a pastel sky. — 3rd Prize (open category) Maia Kaa entered our open category with her emotion-set: Love & Despair. The characters' emotion displayed here is 'Love'.

Maia Kaa, open category, emotion-set: Love & Despair

Top 20 finalists (secondary school category)

Despair

Digital painting: Man weeps in frustration at a piano.

Ashton Dalziell-Froude, secondary school: Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu, emotion-set: Love & Despair

Love

Ashton Dalziell-Froude, secondary school: Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu, emotion-set: Love & Despair

Despair

Bella Xiao, secondary school: Albany Senior High School, emotion-set: Love & Despair

Love

Watercolour painting: Girl plays in a pond.

Bella Xiao, secondary school: Albany Senior High School, emotion-set: Love & Despair

Serenity

Digital Painting: Merman relaxing underwater.

Brianna Dalziell-Froude, secondary school: Papamoa College, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Rage

Digital Painting: A person-angler fish hybrid.

Brianna Dalziell-Froude, secondary school: Papamoa College, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Despair

Digital Painting: Anime-styled witch looks with dismay at a dead rose.

Cici Li, secondary school: Epsom Girls Grammar, emotion-set: Love & Despair

Love

Digital Painting: Anime-styled witch smells a rose.

Cici Li, secondary school: Epsom Girls Grammar, emotion-set: Love & Despair

Rage

Digital Painting: Angry elf woman in modern clothing surrounded by steam.

Emily Chin, secondary school: Macleans College, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Serenity

Digital Painting: Elf woman in modern clothing stands in the snow.

Emily Chin, secondary school: Macleans College, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Rage

Digital Painting: Man with mask shouts, surrounded by fire.

Jasmine Zhang, secondary school: Rangitoto College, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Serenity

Digital painting: Woman stands amidst a swirl of flower petals, smelling a dandelion.

Jasmine Zhang, secondary school: Rangitoto College, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Excitement

Digital Painting: Woman wearing a large skirt jumps over a body of water.

Maggie Ben, secondary school: Wellington Girls College, emotion-set: Excitement & Fear

Fear

Digital Painting: Woman weeps as she is burned at the stake.

Maggie Ben, secondary school: Wellington Girls College, emotion-set: Excitement & Fear

Rage

Maggie Chen, secondary school: Macleans College, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Excitement

Digital painting: Man in forest reads a book.

Michelle Ngan, secondary school: Epsom Girls Grammar, emotion-set: Excitement & Fear

Fear

Digital painting: Anxious person looks at book while hands reach for them from off-frame.

Michelle Ngan, secondary school: Epsom Girls Grammar, emotion-set: Excitement & Fear

Excitement

Digital painting: Ecstatic looking man spray paints towards the viewer.

Nathan Cusi, secondary school: Liston College, emotion-set: Excitement & Fear

Fear

Digital painting: Man runs to left of frame, illuminated by the blue and red of police lights.

Nathan Cusi, secondary school: Liston College, emotion-set: Excitement & Fear

Rage

Digital painting: Mystical girl yells in anger as the environment burns around her.

Oliver Doole, secondary school: Spotswood College, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Serenity

Digital painting: Girl reclines on a tree branch.

Oliver Doole, secondary school: Spotswood College, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Despair

Rata Jamieson, secondary school: Lytton High School, emotion-set: Love & Despair

Love

Rata Jamieson, secondary school: Lytton High School, emotion-set: Love & Despair

Rage

Digital painting: A girl fires a minigun off frame.

Anastasija Vlatkovic, secondary school: Selwyn College, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Serenity

Illustration: A girl stands in front of a minigun lying in a pool of blood. She looks up into sun rays with a look of reverence. — 3rd Prize (secondary school category) Anastasija Vlatkovic from Selwyn College entered our secondary school category with her emotion-set: Serenity & Rage. The characters' emotion displayed here is 'Serenity'.

Anastasija Vlatkovic, secondary school: Selwyn College, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Rage

Digital Painting: Humanoid fantasy creature falls from sky into frame, glowing orange with a look of anger.

Charmaine Paton, secondary school: Epsom Girls Grammar, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Serenity

Digital painting: A smiling humanoid fantasy creature surrounded by ghosts.

Charmaine Paton, secondary school: Epsom Girls Grammar, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Despair

Eva Hu, secondary school: Epsom Girls Grammar, emotion-set: Love & Despair

Love

Eva Hu, secondary school: Epsom Girls Grammar, emotion-set: Love & Despair

Rage

Digital painting: Woman with mushroom head glares angrily while crushing aluminum cans.

Hope Ryu, secondary school: Epsom Girls Grammar, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Serenity

Digital painting: A woman with a mushroom head sleeps in a forest, surrounded by forest creatures.

Hope Ryu, secondary school: Epsom Girls Grammar, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Rage

Digital painting: A woman screams, eyes white, surrounded by a chaotic swirl of colours.

Grace (Jun) Li, secondary school: St Cuthberts College, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Serenity

A fantasy creature holds a ball of light to their chest.

Grace (Jun) Li, secondary school: St Cuthberts College, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Rage

Digital painting of a demon-esque woman in a burning forest.

Kaishee Sharma, secondary school: Cromwell College, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Serenity

A digital painting of a druid woman sitting in a tree.

Kaishee Sharma, secondary school: Cromwell College, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Despair

Kyai March, secondary school: Kaipara College, emotion-set: Love & Despair

Love

Kyai March, secondary school: Kaipara College, emotion-set: Love & Despair

Rage

A digital painting of a man with horns, black eyes, and elongated ears standing in a warped room, fist outstretched towards the camera.

Lily Goodwin, secondary school category, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Serenity

Digital painting of a man with horns, black eyes, and elongated ears playing guitar.

Lily Goodwin, secondary school category, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Rage

Sol Van Helden, secondary school: Wellington College, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Serenity

Sol Van Helden, secondary school: Wellington College, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Rage

A mer-person in swirling waves, wearing an expression of anger.

Tamon Smith, secondary school: Wellington Girls College, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Serenity

Illustration: A mermaid lying in water surrounded by lily pads. — 2nd Prize (secondary school category)Tamon Smith from Wellington Girls College entered into our secondary school category with her emotion-set: Serenity & Rage. The characters' emotion displayed here is 'Serenity'.

Tamon Smith, secondary school: Wellington Girls College, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Embrace the Light & Dark experience

We're big on support, and community for all contestants.

It's important to us that you enjoy the Light & Dark experience throughout the competition.

Join our Facebook page, private Facebook feed-back group, and Instagram account to keep in the loop. For those who are too young to join the competition this year - continue developing your drawing skills, and keep across each competition we run until you are old enough to join in. This will have you fully prepared to enter Light & Dark at Year 11.

List of all Light and Dark 2020 winners

Main competition prize winners

Open 18yr+ Category

1st: Alice Mok

2nd: Hallie Grupo

3rd: Maia Kaa

Secondary School Category

1st: Eva Hu

2nd: Tamon Smith

3rd: Anastasija Vlatkovic

The Light & Dark weekly giftcard* give-aways.

During the main Light & Dark competition we ran mini comps each week so that all Light & Dark contestants get a chance to WIN $50* while they worked on their Light & Dark character. See details of the mini comps below.

Week 1: The kick-off

We placed entrants names onto a list and used a digital generator to select our first two winners at random.

Winners

Vlada Vaseneva (Auckland), and Joel Graham (Christchurch)

Week 2: Creative space

Draw or take a photo of your creative space, post it to IG, and tag us!

Winners

Casey Gilbert (Manawatu-Wanganui), and Amber Corble (Northland).

Week 3: 4-styles

Create drawings of your favourite Classical Christmas Character in four different styles, 1) Your own style, 2) Anime, 3) Simpsons, & 4) Abstract. post it to FB, and tag us in it!

Winners

Catherine Pelt (Bay of Plenty), and Vlada Vaseneva (Auckland).

Week 4: Mood-board/ Inspo folders

Show us your Light & Dark characters mood-board, or where you're getting inspiration from, post it to your IG, and tag us in it!

Winners

Julius Yoneda (Canterbury), and Justine Hailey (Hamilton).

Week 5: Illustrate your future

What are you hoping to achieve in 2021? Do you want to sign up for a new hobby, travel around New Zealand, start a side hustle, or maybe you just simply want to stop watching too much TV? Draw your goals for 2021, post to IG and tag us in it!

Winners

Poppy Wilkins (Wellington), and Vlada Vaseneva (Auckland).

Draw a person who you look up to and tell us why. This could be an artist, author, social influencer, or even your grandma. Whoever inspires you to keep looking ahead, draw them in your favourite style, and let us know why you choose them. Create your drawing, post to IG and tag us in it!

Winners

Nina (Invercargill), and Vlada Vaseneva (Auckland).

Week 7: Random draw

Winners

Beka Smyth (Caterbury), and Kyai March (Auckland).

Congratulations to all our winners this year! If you missed out on the 2020 competition, Light & Dark is an annual competition - keep an eye out for the next one!

Winners from previous years

Rage

Alex Bannwarth, open category, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Serenity

Alex Bannwarth, open category, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Rage

Beka Smyth, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Serenity

Beka Smyth, open category, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Despair

Bianca Dar Juan, open category, emotion-set: Love & Despair

Love

Bianca Dar Juan, open category, emotion-set: Love & Despair

Rage

Chloe Stephenson, open category, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Serenity

Chloe Stephenson, open category, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Rage

Julius Hunt, open category, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Serenity

Julius Hunt, open category, emotion-set: Serenity & Rage

Despair

Kenji Goyon, open category, emotion-set: Love & Despair

Love

Kenji Goyon, open category, emotion-set: Love & Despair

Published 2 November 2020

Yoobees LIGHT & DARK Character Design Competition

Sponsored by

CREATE a character and WIN incredible prizes!

2020 Light & Dark prize winners!

THE PRIZES FOR 2020

Our winners' artwork!

Top 20 finalists (open category)

Rage

Serenity

Rage

Serenity

Despair

Love

Rage

Serenity

Rage

Serenity

Despair

Love

Rage

Serenity

Despair

Love

Rage

Serenity

Love

Despair

Rage

Serenity

Rage

Serenity

Excitement

Fear

Despair

Love

Rage

Serenity

Rage

Serenity

Despair

Love

Despair

Love

Rage

Serenity

Despair

Love

Top 20 finalists (secondary school category)

Despair

Love

Despair

Love

Serenity

Rage

Despair

Love

Rage

Serenity

Rage

Serenity

Excitement

Fear

Rage

Excitement

Fear

Excitement

Fear

Rage

Serenity

Despair

Love

Rage

Serenity

Rage

Serenity

Despair

Love

Rage

Serenity

Rage