In September 2008 (two months ago, at the time that I’m writing this), I began experimenting with contests on my site. The response was great, but it my opinion, not perfect. Why?

Because it seems that the more complex the contest, the more confused people get.

So from now on, I’m going to make things very, very simple.

B2B Monthly Caption Contest Instructions:

Every month, at the beginning of each month, I will post one picture in the guest comics section of my site. The picture could be a drawing, or it could be a photograph, and the content of the picture will be pretty much anything; nature, politics, random people, you name it.

In order to enter, all you have to do is this: Write a caption for the picture. For example, if you see a picture of two people looking at each other weird, write what they’re saying (or thinking, for that matter). Your caption doesn’t even have to be dialogue; you could simple right a few words which describe the situation. That’s it!

Once you’ve decided on a caption, simply send me an email with your name (or nickname), where you’re from (optional), and the caption. My email appears as follows, and will also appear in the text box under each picture: matt.zalen@b2bcomic.com

How you win:

After two weeks, on the 15th of each month, the top three funny entries will be posted in the text box underneath the picture. At that point, you have ONE WEEK to vote on which one you think is most funny. In order to vote, all you have to do is send me an email again with which caption you think is the best. Don’t worry, I’ll number them to make it easy.

At the end of the week, on the 22nd of each month, I’ll post the winning entry, as well as all of the other entries so you can check out the competition.

What you win:

Aside from eternal fame on the Back 2 Basics website, you’ll get your choice of Back 2 Basics merchandise, FREE. Starting in November, I plan to up the selection by at least one new item every month. So you’ll have plenty of options to choose from.

Questions?

If you have any questions, or if you’d like to submit a picture or photograph which you think would be good for the contest, just write me at: matt.zalen@b2bcomic.com

One more thing:

When you go into the guest comic section, don’t be confused by the other guest comics which may appear. The photograph/picture for the caption contest will always be the FIRST “comic” of the month. So if you don’t see it right away, just look under the comic where it says: Quick Search, and click on the first one for the month.

Every-so-often I come up with a comic which seems like it will be perfect, except for one, tiny issue: I just can’t figure out how to finish it. Which is where this contest comes in.

Below you will find a link to one of my older comics which is one frame away from being complete. To enter this contest, all you need to do is finish the comic. All entries will be collected over a period of two weeks, at which point the top three will go up for a vote. And who gets to vote? ALL OF YOU! Yes, you all get to choose who wins. After one of week of voting, whoever receives the most votes wins!

What you win:

1. As usual, world fame. The comic will be printed in every paper which prints Back 2 Basics, and right there in the title frame I will include a special thanks to YOU. If you have a website, I’ll write out the url in the title frame, as well.
   
2. A beautiful, new “Yummy B2B Ceramic Travel Mug” (See http://www.cafepress.com/b2bcomic.310992324)

Rules:

1. Ignore how badly I drew the comic. IT’S A ROUGH DRAFT!
   
2. Finish the comic and send it to me.

Guidelines:

1. You can finish the comic any way you want, but it’s preferable that you end it using just one frame. But if you insist that multiple frames on necessary, by all means send them in.
   
2. You don’t need to know how to draw to enter. Feel free to send me an email describing what happens. If you choose to send me text, just make sure to clearly describe who is doing the talking, and anything else that is important
   
3. If you’re drawing the last frame, you can send it as a rough draft or sketch. It really doesn’t need to be drawn very well at all, as I’ll be redrawing the whole comic anyway.
   
4. You can enter as many times as you bloody well feel like.
   
5. Email your entry to: matt.zalen@b2bcomic.com
   
6. If you don’t have email, find someone who does.
   

Ready to get started? Then click HERE to see the unfinished comic.

Questions? If you have any questions, just email me at matt.zalen@b2bcomic.com.

Want an example to work from? I? I’ve come up with my own ending, but I don’t think it’s that great. However, if you’re stuck on how to begin your entry and you want to see what I’ve done, just email me at matt.zalen@b2bcomic.comand I’ll send you the whole comic with my bad ending.

Ever dreamed of being a published cartoonist? Well now's your chance! On September 20, 2008, Back 2 Basics will be choosing one lucky reader-submitted cartoon to appear in the Jerusalem Post, in place of “Back 2 Basics” for that week. So if you’ve been looking for your big break, you’ve got it. Now all you have to do is abide by the following guidelines.

Guidelines:

1. The width and height of the comic must be proportional to 13 in. x 4 in. (33 cm x 10 cm). You can draw your comic in any size, so long as it can be shrunk (or expanded) to fit those proportions. I would recommend drawing it using the following size: 13 in. x 4 in. It's what I do.
   
   
2. Comics must be drawn in ink or created on the computer. No entries drawn only in pencil will be accepted.
   
   
3. Comics need not be in color.
   
   
4. Your comic can be about anything you want, just so long as it's not obscene
   

How to submit your comic:

To submit your entry, simply send it as an attachment to matt.zalen@b2bcomic.com. Please also include in the email your name, your email (if it's different from the one you used to submit your comic), a short paragraph about yourself or your comic (or both), and the url address to your website (if you have one). If you don't want to send your comic electronically, please contact me at matt.zalen@b2bcomic.com and I'll give you a mailing address you can send it to. Once your submission is received and reviewed, you will be sent a confirmation email.

What you get when you win:

On September 21, 2008 , I will announce the winner of the contest on the Back 2 Basics website. The winner will then have his/her comic printed the In Jerusalem and Metro magazines in the Jerusalem Post on Friday, September 26, 2008, as well as posted on www.jpost.com, which is read by millions of people per month. The title frame above your comic will offer a brief explanation of the contest, you, and your comic.

Aside from the priceless benefit of getting your work published, the winner will also be sent either a free Back 2 Basics tee-shirt! or a free Back 2 Basics hat!

Finally, the winner of the contest will have his/her comic featured in the guest comic section on the Back 2 Basics website for that week.

IF YOU DON’T WIN, DON’T WORRY...

Although only one entry will be chosen for publication in the paper, runner-up entries will be featured in the guest comic section of the Back 2 Basics website.

Do you have any questions?

If you have any questions regarding the contest, you can contact me at matt.zalen@b2bcomic.com.