Blizzplanet took video of the UDON Panel during our New York Comic Con 2012 Coverage. As we reported then, UDON announced the WORLD OF WARCRAFT® TRIBUTE contest has begun. All artists from around the world are invited to submit their original, World of Warcraft-inspired artwork for inclusion in 2013’s most prestigious collection of original art and illustration: WORLD OF WARCRAFT® TRIBUTE.

This collection will offer a chance for hundreds of professional and fan artists to show off their artistic skills and pay homage to their favorite characters, settings and moments from the phenomenally popular, worldwide sensation, World of Warcraft.

All styles of art are welcome – digital painting, traditional media, anime, western comics, cartoon, pixel-based, even sculptures – whatever best expresses the artist’s love for WARCRAFT! Submissions will be accepted until January 15th, 2013.

WINNERS

Selected artists for the World of Warcraft Tribute collection will have their illustration included and credited in the World of Warcraft Tribute art book being published by UDON and will receive their own free hard cover edition copy of the book once it is released. Selected artists will also be given the option to create a limited set of high-quality art prints from their image. The guidelines for these prints is noted in section 7 (Artist Prints) of the official World of Warcraft Tribute Book rules. Selected artists will be notified no later than May 1st 2013.

Press Release

UDON Entertainment & Blizzard Entertainment Announce WORLD OF WARCRAFT® TRIBUTE ART BOOK

Artists from around the world are invited to share their unique visions of Azeroth with the World of Warcraft community

OCTOBER 12, 2012:At the UDON Entertainment panel at New York Comic Con, UDON today announced that it has teamed up with Blizzard Entertainment to produce the next epic installment in their ‘Tribute’ series of deluxe art books: WORLD OF WARCRAFT® TRIBUTE! This massive collection will offer hundreds of professional and hobby artists the opportunity to show off their artistic chops and pay homage to their favorite characters, settings, and moments from Blizzard’s popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG).

Beginning November 1, artists from around the world are invited to submit their original, World of Warcraft–inspired artwork for consideration to be included in this collection. UDON’s previous ‘Tribute’ books have served as a “Who’s Who” of international comic, concept, game, and fan artists, and WORLD OF WARCRAFT TRIBUTE will continue that tradition by collecting imaginative takes on Blizzard’s game world — from anime and western comic styles to cartoons, pixel-based art, sculptures, and more — whatever medium the artist chooses to express their unique vision of the Warcraft universe.

Blizzard and UDON will select the most epic and impressive submissions to be included in WORLD OF WARCRAFT TRIBUTE, which will premiere as a special limited-edition hardcover book at San Diego Comic-Con 2013. With thousands of entries expected, submitting artists are encouraged to bring their ‘A’ game if they aspire to have their work included in the collection.

“We couldn’t be more excited about this project,” said Erik Ko, Editor In Chief of UDON. “We really respect the amazing universe Blizzard has created with the Warcraft series, and the games have been a major source of inspiration to the artistic community for years. This book will be our biggest Tribute undertaking ever, and we’re already anticipating all of the amazing illustrations that will soon be headed our way.”

“We’ve always been humbled by the fact that some amazing artists out there have drawn inspiration from our games over the years,” said Paul Sams, chief operating officer of Blizzard Entertainment. “Deciding which pieces to include in this book will be a huge challenge, but we’re looking forward to working with UDON to select the best of the best and put together an epic collection. And who knows – maybe in the process, we’ll discover some great new artists to invite to work with us on future Blizzard games.”

Since its launch in 2004, World of Warcraft has become the most popular subscription-based MMORPG in the world. The original game and its four expansions, including the recently released Mists of Pandaria™, have earned critical acclaim and captured the imaginations of millions of players around the globe.

For full WORLD OF WARCRAFT® TRIBUTE artwork submission details, head to WarcraftTribute.com. Contest entries will be accepted beginning November 1, 2012 through noon PST on January 15, 2013.

Blizzplanet’s Video of New York Comic Con 2012: UDON Panel