Winter's well and truly here, and so are the results of the Winter 2021 Fanart Contest! Check out the finalists by reading on, or simply opening your game and gawking at the main menu!
Having endured the agony of having to pick through 117 entries with only 12 votes to pass around, you've all earned the right to sit back and enjoy some quality Seasonal backgrounds to usher in the end of the year.
Without any further waffling, let's get straight into this year's finalists:
As usual, you can click on any of the banner images to be taken to a high-resolution version of the entry without the osu! cookie!
Fanart contest regular Dem4eg- won over 4836 voters with a timid pippi offering a festive tithe of osu!supporter and a pen tablet all neatly adorned with a ribbon.
Simple, clean, and a frontrunner in the voting from the very start of the contest, Dem4eg- joins the lineup of hallowed fanart finalists for the first time with a real stonker of an entry, no less. Congratulations!
4685 approved of lutfi_anims's depiction of pippi and Mocha catching a moment in the snow beneath a bare winter tree. Facial expression takes front and center in this one, showing you what the community's really looking for when they vote!
eulorie's winter wonderland enchanted 4500 voters with promises of smores and adorable outfits in equal measure, toting a festively handsome pippi and a most adorable Chirou with a Mocha backpack to boot!
The overall vibes of this artwork are really something else, and hearken back to the days of old MMORPG festive loading screens like Ragnarok Online, if anybody reading these newsposts is even of the age to remember these games any more. What a piece!
Tin Can's take on a smiling pippi warming herself up with an osu!-brand hot drink earned the approval of 4497 voters, all while Mocha and a don take to ice skating off elsewhere in shot.
Dreamxiety is back at it again with 3982 voters thoroughly impressed by a doge-toting pippi enjoying a moment whilst Aiko and Chirou build a snowman in a rather scenic wintry vista. Simply superb, as always!
handakote's undeniable style snared 3839 voters with Mocha and pippi both toting very stylish winter outfits with a splash of floral accent. It's all in the eyes, baby!
3765 voters were impressed to see ShovelKun delve into a festive urban style with an aloof pippi and unmistakably cute Mocha posing for the camera before a muted cityscape.
Excellent use of colour and contrast in this one really makes the whole thing pop, and the votes are the proof!
3454 voters could not resist the warmth of DGen's most festive entry, showcasing a snug pippi and dozing Chirou enjoying season-appropriate treats before a raging campfire. The tree's decorated with 1-2 patterns and slider baubles, too. Very fitting considering most of them come from a farm.
Frigid elegance presides with SvenJing's depiction of an ice-wielding pippi in a frozen landscape. 3341 voters were impressed by this artistic twist on the contest theme, and so should you!
Always a pleasure to see artists pushing the envelope beyond the normal!
RedcXca's take on three camping mascots (mostly) enjoying some campfire warmth earned 3335 votes. If you saw pippi, Chirou, Aiko and a don all sitting around a fire, what would you do?
157 introduces some new years flair to 3321 votes of approval with a yukata-clad Mocha set before a firework-lit cityscape. Beautiful use of colour and reflection really brings out the details in this piece, which multiply the longer you look.
...is that a pencil dog?
3178 could not resist the allure of ZunK's simmering winter stew, complete with crying fish. There's also an absurdly cute drooling Mocha and inquisitive pippi all rugged up in winterwear, too!
Creating a shot for the ages, 3106 cheered on McFriedFries's piece depicting a lounging pippi before a sea of flying candlelit lanterns. What a scene!
TJ_25's Alisa and pippi distributed 2979 gifts and got as many votes in return from excited viewers eager to see a few of their favourite references, such as the venerable 1-2 and the Funny Number.
Something else is going on in this one, you say? No idea what you're talking about.
Kwms024 passed out 2594 leaflets for an osu! ramen shop with oodles of New Year's flair (and toppings), showcasing a very unique take on the boundaries of the contest theme.
osu!supporters even enjoy a special 50% discount! Classic ramen soup for only $3.635, what a bargain!
7thDeath impressed 2328 snowflakes with a simple but undeniably cute rendition of both pippi and Chirou taking a wintry stroll in festive attire. Very nice!
2114 could not resist the charm of JoakiKun's winter-clad pippi and Mocha, especially when the former is sporting very fashionable cat-don earmuffs.
1939 raised a toast to lilylmao's beautifully concise rendition of an upbeat pippi welcoming in 2022 to fireworks with a beverage in hand. Cheers!
araran and 1868 voters summoned forth the hidden kitsune shrine-maiden pippi, spoken about only in the ancient tomes of deep osu! lore.
Ztalx took off into the skies to 1809 votes, with all the mainline mascots and some crowd favourites in tow to deliver the world's supplies of festive presents.
Download an archive containing all the winning entries in high quality here!
All of the finalist entries listed above are now available in-game as our Winter 2021 Seasonal backgrounds, accompanied by our very special osu!-themed winter tunes. They'll stick around until a little bit into the new year, so make sure to enjoy them while you can!
A huge thanks goes out to everyone who took the leap to put their work out there and enter the contest — the legacy of osu!'s fanart contests is a really encouraging and wonderful one, and it has only ended up that way thanks to everyone who's participated over the years!
Make sure to check out the contest listing for the full rundown on the voting, if you're curious as to how things went down.
And with that, we're officially done with all the scheduled contests for the year! See you next year, and we all wish you a very festive holiday season from everyone on the osu!team!
—Ephemeral
Congrats it looks great
That is why I voted for your art
Comments80