No Magnets required – Contest.ZenMagnets.com

62.5: Gallery Revue – Results, sorta

Anthony — Thu, 03 Jan 2019 22:18:11 +0000

This last contest was Shihan’s idea, and it was a terrible idea. Blame him.

We had only 12 participants. Though, even if we did have more nominations, that would have just made the voting even more impossible. Plus the requirements were too unavoidably subjective, the incentives were badly aligned, and the results were riddled with conflicts of interest. So consider Contest 62 cancelled. We’ve ditched the judging round and are splitting the $300 prize pool evenly to all 12 participants. If you filled out that form, you get $25. Happy 2019.

Shihan says “Sorry, that was dumb.”

Keep in mind that contests held here are independent of the Zen Gallery. Magnet sculptors can always submit photos to gallery.zenmagnets.com to win magnets as well. Spectators, keep your eyes peeled for the next contest, because you choose the winners. Contest 62 ~~winners~~ participants, we’ll email you your prizes soon.

If you’re curious what the nominations were, you can find the voting form – that we’ll keep open forever and never look at the results of – right here: https://goo.gl/forms/wilCUa5bjMQ81ShS2

62: Gallery Revue 1000

Zen Magnets — Tue, 11 Dec 2018 23:13:46 +0000

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.

-Albert Einstien

Spotlight on the Origins.

The December 2019 contest is to nominate 3 photos out of the first 1000 Zen Gallery photos, that best represent Zen Magnets. This is our annual no-magnets-required contest. $300 total prize pool, plus $100 bonus to the respective content creators. For taking the time to review Zen Gallery of 2010, you can potentially win $75.

There are more contests we want to try than there are months in the year. We want to run contests with: different props, many distinct subunits, impressionism themes, specific photography styles, engineering contests, and bountiful sequels to previous contests that we would love to re-run. But this month, take a look at passions of the past.

Step 1. Look at the first 1000 accepted submissions in the Zen Magnets Gallery by starting on page 61: https://www.flickr.com/groups/zengallery/pool/page61. If there aren’t 100 photos per page, or you see recent photos, try a different browser.

Step 2. Copy the links to your favorites for each category. The categories are:

Best Medium-Small Build Photo – One or two sets of magnets, maybe less. Imagery that would go well on the page for a Triumph set or Focus set. Make sure the quality is good at full size.

Best Large Build Photo – This is a photo you would want to see on the Mandala page, or in the Mandala guide. Keep in mind that some of the packaging has changed since 8 years ago.

Best Wallpaper – Something that looks good full screen. We may rotate it with Mathnetism’s current parallax background on zenmagnets.com.

Step 3. Enter the contest by nominating those 3 photos in this google form, along with brief comments:

[button link=”https://goo.gl/forms/WrxvhFHIKj3aKfE53″ type=”big”] Submit Here[/button]

Since the barrier to entry is low, and judging is especially subjective, the prizes will be distributed among more winners. Winners for each category will be decided independently. Similarly, prizes for each category will be awarded separately. Think of it as three mini contests in one, each with $100 on the line.

Contestants who nominate a top 5 photo, per category, will be awarded according to this schedule:

Category Placement	Prize
1st	$25
2nd	$22
3rd	$20
4th	$18
5th	$15

One form submission per person. Only photos past page 61 of the Zen Gallery qualify for nomination. Deadline is Dec 31st 2018. If more than one person nominates a photo, the prize will be split evenly. For example, if two people nominate the same 2nd place photo, $22 will be split between them for that category. Compared to most Zen Contests, this contest is hand-out.

The creators photos that win will also get a 33% kickback just for their past contributions to the Zen Magnets Gallery. If you’re interested in participating in the Zen Gallery yourself, one set of Zen Magnets is awarded weekdaily to adept imagineers and the photographically proficient.

Have questions? Ask us.

55: Contests Reawaken [Correct Guess Found]

Zen Magnets — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 13:46:51 +0000

[Edit: The correct guess of 4740 was found on 7/2/2018 via Facebook.com/Neoballs]

Geometry Guesswork

Holy guacamole, this place has gotten dusty. Untouched since April 2015. We’ll work on sprucing up the whole contest ship while we’re in the air. For now, the Zen Contest revival launches with two simultaneous challenges: One low-ish effort, and one high effort. This will be the easier one that requires no magnets.

Contests.zenmagnets.com was born November 2010, with a magnet count guessing challenge. Now that we’ve lifted our legal burdens, Zen Contests will be reborn alike with Contest 55. This is part geometric math, and part intelligent guessing.

For a prize of $50 in magnets, the mission is to guess how many magnets are shown in the following photo:

Click for full size

To Enter, submit your guess via

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Maximum 1 guess per day, per channel. The contest will continue until there is a winner, who will be contacted directly. We’ll check all three social media venues daily until a winner is found.

Now check out Contest 56: Cubic Figure-eight knot

20: Essay Contest – Don’t Ban Magnet Spheres

Zen Magnets — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 05:00:14 +0000

Click Here to Sign the SaveMagnets.com Petition

Submissions Closed

If you sent an essay, expect a response by mid September.

A lot of prizes this time. And a lot at stake.

If you haven’t already heard, the US Federal Government is trying to ban all sales of magnet spheres. All companies have received voluntary stop-sale requests, and both Zen Magnets and Bucky have been issued an administrative CPSC complaint. There may only be one last Christmas season of Zen Magnets. This contest will be like none that we’ve done before, and will directly impact the future of magnet sphere art. Everyone who submits a good letter will earn a free Zen Gift Set. And submitters of the best two letters will each earn a brand new Mandala set.

The July and August contest is to write an essay arguing against the ban of magnet spheres. Use a minimum of 1000 words (About 2-3 pages). You can use images, but they aren’t necessary.

First, decide who you are writing to, and address them directly. It can be one person, multiple people, or even entire government agencies like the CPSC. Potential people listed below.

Introduce yourself. Use of full name is optional, but it’s easier to build rapport when the reader can relate.
Be Civil. Emotion is good, but avoid use of obscenities or inflammatory statements to convey your feelings.
Be Sympathetic. The best way to have another person see your perspective, is to try to see theirs. Your argument will also be more effective if you can forsee their counter argument.
Sum it up. In a letter with many examples, write a powerful conclusion paragraph by summarizing key points that support a clear call to action.

Everything — the research, the arguments, the persuasion, the passion — is up to you.

~~Proofread it, save it as a word document, or pdf file, and attach it to an email to~~ [Submissions Closed] with subject: “Don’t Ban Magnets Essay”. Also include your address in your email, so we know where to send your Zen Gift Set. Not only will we send your letter to your addressee directly, but you can also expect your letter posted on ZenMagnets.com, here. A quality rating will be publicly assigned to your letter, if it makes the cut.

We ask that you also take a few seconds to email you letter directly as well. CPSC email addresses are linked in the names below.

Potential Targets of your Letter

A few facts

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand– One of the loudest voices in the condemnation of magnet spheres.CPSC Leaders:
Inez Tenenbaum, CPSC Chairman
Robert Adler, CPSC Vice Chariman
Nancy Nord, CPSC Commisioner
Anne Northup, CPSC Commisioner
Scott Wolfson, Director of Communication
Kenneth Hinson, Executive Director CPSCSenator Sherrod Brown– Another senator that urged the CPSC to ban the sales of magnet spheres.President Obama – He has bigger fish to fry, and probably had nothing directly to do with it. But he’s the boss man that handpicked the current CPSC commissioners.

Entities and Agencies:
CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commision)
Reason.org – A Freemarket Foundation
AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics)

Zen Magnets LLC has never had an ingestion incident. Nor have we ever put our magnets on shelves next to other toys. Or ever referred to our magnets as toys.The CPSC is targeting a specific “class” as products, in this case an “aggregate” of small spheres. Presumably, individual magnets could still be sold.[8/8/12] – The CPSC estimates that about 6,100 incidents of swallowed magnets (of any type) occurred from 2009-11. They also estimate 1,700 ingestion of magnets from “magnet sets” were treated in U.S. emergency rooms. The CPSC does not know of any fatalities. This information comes from the NEISS (National Electronic Injury Survey System)The NEISS database also shows an estimated 270,000+ ER injuries from trampolines over the same 2009-2011 time period. Also an estimated 10,000+ ER injuries and 18 recorded (not estimated) deaths from balloons. You can search through the NEISS database here.According to pediatrician data, about 70% of injuries are to those 5 and under, due to young children exploring their environments with their mouths. 20% are from teens and preteens mimicking tongue piercings.The argument specifically against magnets, is that they are more dangerous than other small or hazardous objects because magnets don’t inherently look dangerous, and many people don’t know they are dangerous.

Some Companies such as Nanodots who have sold in a retail environment also have not had ingestion incidents.

Nancy Nord has the most experience, and is the voice of reason among the CPSC Commissioners. In the Aug 9 CPSC Webcast, she noted “If we accept the basic premise [that warnings don’t work] … it really calls into question the underlying regulatory adequacy of what this agency does.” She also noted that according to neiss data for 2010, there were 3200 injuries and 5 deaths involving balloons, which is a much more dangerous product compared to magnets. And similarly, balloons don’t have warnings that stay with the product, are easily passed around, and the mechanism for injury “that a balloon could block your windpipe” was also not obvious until she was told this.

In the same Aug 9 CPSC Webcast, it was noted that the CPSC staff determined the appropriate age grade was 9 years. That magnet spheres were “Well within their cognitive and fine motor capabilities.” Also, federal regulation ASTM-F963 notes that hazardous magnets are permitted to be labelled 8+ for “science kit” and “hobby” items. Both ASTM regulation and the CPSC agree that children under the age of 14 can handle magnets properly.

Submitted essays are posted here.

This page last updated 8/16/2012

6.5: Art contest voting at r/openart

Zen Magnets — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 17:04:40 +0000

There are a hundred entries! Quite impressive goodies inside, and since it’s all public domain, feel free to decorate your walls. ~~We’ve setup voting on good ol’ reddit at /r/openart.~~ Unfortunately the thumbnails aren’t working, so you’ll actually have to click links to browse the entries. Click up on the grey arrow to upvote, and you can upvote as many as you like. Better to upvote everybody and exclude those you don’t like, than just upvote few.

If you don’t have a reddit account, they are easy to make and require no email address. In your preferences, we recommend displaying 100 links at once.

V~~oting will end when the numbers settle. Not before 4/10, and not after 4/30.~~

Voting is over. Will be contacting the top 50 in upcoming days.

6: The Zen Open Art Contest.

Zen Magnets — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 21:46:26 +0000

This is by far the most we’ve ever put into a contest, because the range of possible participants is wider than ever before. No magnets are required, but a haiku is. Excellently lavish prize odds.

Light art, digital work, photo manipulation, ink, oil, crayon, magnet related or not. You and your artistic friends are welcome to submit anything. All entries go to the public domain, and judging will be public.

Last day for entry is March 31st. Judging will be public.

* * *

Restrictions? There are no artistic restrictions. This is a celebration of deviant creativity. Any digital or traditional: Vector art, paintings, illustrations, drawings, etc., are ok. Your piece will need a short title, and an alluring accompanying haiku.Imagination needs no excuse, but passion may need a catalyst. Over $600 in cash incentive for the top few, and over $1500 worth of magnets for the top many. The deadline is the last day of March, and all entries will be up for public voting soon after.By submitting your image, you agree to free your piece from all copyrights. Your image will be released into the wild open [source] domain. We’ll let you know where we are able to promote your art, but like a graffiti wall, anybody will have the right to modify and apply your contribution however they wish.

It seems the world has a surplus of surfaces, but a deficit of beautiful ones. We’ll try to proliferate all contributions wherever we can. Cards, stickers, site, and maybe even billboards if one day we are capable.

Each entry needs an imgur.com link of the image, a title that is 3 words or less, and a supplementary haiku. Deadline is 3/31/11. $300 for first place, $200 for second, $100 for third. A gift packaged set of Zen Magnets for the top 50.

1: Introducing Contests. ZenMagnets.Com

Zen Magnets — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 15:28:01 +0000

The zen gallery community has been scoring free magnets for as long as we’ve been in business, but let’s be honest, it’s difficult to jump in the ranks of such seasoned experts. Those guys are incredible photographers and magneteers. From now on, contests.zenmagnets.com is where we’ll bring spice to the rumble, and will be updated… hmmm dunno how often; guess we’ll do it live.

The first contest is to guess exactly how many magnets are used in the abstract sculpture shown below:

Click the pictures for full size. Post your answer to twitter, and mark it #contest.zenmagnets.com. One guess per person per day. First person to guess correctly will win a free zen set. So Easy. [Congrats to Tronn349 for correctly guessing 864. Please contact us for a free set.]

These won’t all be so easy. Expect future contests to require at least a set of zen magnets to work with. Some may require more. And maybe some will be completely unrelated to magnet spheres.