Welcome to the GUI Championships 2006!

We're excited to have you here!

from Stardock Forums

Welcome to the third bi-annual GUI Championship contest.  The previous two times we were called the GUI Olympics but for trademark purposes we have renamed it to GUI Championships.  For the past 6 years, leading graphics designers from around the world have come to this specially created site to compete for thousands of dollars in cash and prizes and to show off their skills.  Many past winners have gone on to create user interface designs that have been used by such companies as Alienware, Warner Brothers, Nintendo, Microsoft, Blizzard, and countless others.

When the first contest began, it was put together by a handful of relatively new sites that were emerging as leaders of their particular niche.  Those sites included deviantART.com, Neowin.net, Betanews.com, WinCustomize.com, and Lockergnome.com.  Today, those sites have grown to receive millions of visitors per day and have become highly influential not just in a niche but for the entire technology industry in their own way.  Despite their success, they come together once again to help bring to you this inter-website contest.

This year's GUI Championship will have 3 categories that will provide a challenge to graphics designers of all kind. The first category is the WindowBlinds skinning competition. WindowBlinds is a program that can apply user interface designs created by anyone. It is flexible enough that users can move buttons, change border sizes, etc.  This gives designers the opportunity to present their own visions on how the desktop user interface might look like.  The second category is icon packages.  Icon designers will compete to put together their own alternative set of icons for Windows. Using the icon design tools of their choice and packaged together with IconPackager, designers can display how they think the OS icons could look. The last event is a bit more light hearted -- wallpapers. What makes a good wallpaper? Almost anyone can create one but it takes true skill to create an image that one would use as their background. 

A panel of 5 judges will then select the top, second, and third in areas of most original, most usable, and best overall.  Users of this site will be able to vote on skins themselves to help us narrow down the most promising entries.  The winners will receive a share of the over $12,000 in cash and prizes including Xbox 360s, software, and some special high end prizes that we will be announcing in the coming days.

Good luck to all and if you have any questions, please comment here.

13,859 views 24 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
grrrreat! but..., when?
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
This is my first GUI Championship. I'm not participating, but would like to vote on the skins. Will there be a specific date to vote, or is it vote as they're uploaded?
Elemental: Reforged
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
frogboy, i have a doubt.., time ago i work as a team with Darkfussion (KkONne & Drakma) and creat Silver Glass suite., we submit our work on our own accounts, at that time we didn't add a permission on each skin., the question is: can that be done again?
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
Looks like its just about time. Can't wait.  
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
Looks like the 12th!

Can't wait!  
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
Tycus - I am not understanding your question.  Could you rephrase it?
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
Im Pumped!! , Always see Great Stuff from the GUI Championship.
Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top
This is going to be sweet.
Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top
Great news  
Reply #10 from Stardock Forums Top
I'd suggest everyone take a look around the site.  We've posted the rules, and the schedule of events for the competiton already    I'll have a post up tomorrow going over some of the finer points to this years' competition.
Reply #11 from Stardock Forums Top
Frogboy, if i work with lgp85 as a team and submit some stuff (WB, Wall.., etc.), do we need to specify that we made it in team or not?
Reply #12 from Stardock Forums Top
Looking forward to the entries in this. It's a great way to get newer people into the skinning scene.

I wish every participant the very best of luck.
Reply #13 from Stardock Forums Top
"Many past winners have gone on to create user interface designs that have been used by such companies as Alienware, Warner Brothers, Nintendo, Microsoft, Blizzard, and countless others."

... hmph... I need to get in on some of that...
Reply #14 from Stardock Forums Top
In the Schedule page theres two "Begin public voting on Most Original WindowBlinds Visual Style" I bet one of them should be "Most Usable"
Reply #16 from Stardock Forums Top
This is really great news...looking forward to all the great entries that will be upcoming and I'd like to extend the best of luck to all participants...
Reply #17 from Stardock Forums Top
when do we need to submit our work to be able to compete

Robbie..  
Reply #18 from WinCustomize Forums Top
hey butch! nice to see you here! are you gonna participate?
Reply #19 from Stardock Forums Top
Hi Tycus...Well I have been thinking about it, thought I might make a Vista skin if thats acceptable here in the contest, not sure. Would be nice to participate one way or another anyways. anyways I am gonna find out if they are gonna accept it, if hot, I will try something else, a windowblind of course....nice seeing ya ....
Reply #20 from Stardock Forums Top
Hello Brad...congratulations on the contest, looks like its going to be really great. One question I wouild like to ask you is the following....
As you may or may not know I do a lot of work with Vista and was actually thinking of teaming up with other people from D.A. who also do a lot of work with Vista and maybe trying to put together a full suite although everything is not in the contest we could still release it here as accessories such as icons, wallpaper, logon, windowblind etc. So my question is are you accepting Vista in the contest? If not, maybe we can try something else....thank you in advance.....
Reply #21 from Stardock Forums Top
I think the basic rule of thumb for everyone who wants to do Vista skins is this:

Don't do a point-for-point clone.  It shows technical capability, but not originality.  However, there are a lot of Vista-style skins and suites that I've seen that absolutely rock.  So if you want to make a suite in that glass/Vista overall style, that's fine.

Reply #22 from Stardock Forums Top
Zoomba much appreciated for your fast and courteous response....Thank You !
Reply #24 from Stardock Forums Top
sally lee, I'm not sure I understand your question.  Could you rephrase it?