Winter cheer is finally here, and you're to thank for it!
After setting the tables with a most precarious challenge, the artists of the osu! community got straight to work and conjured forth a veritable feast of entries for us to salivate over.
A week of anticipation later, we've arrived with some of the closest voting we've seen yet! Divert your eyes below for all the juicy details — or just head in game to see them on the main menu! The choice is yours.
Seizing victory by the teeth, ZunK's marvellous mascots unwrapping presents before a clear winter's day earned the stars of 1779 voters, edging over second place by a mere five votes — coincidentally also the number of beloved characters to feature in their piece.
ZunK has been a long-time veteran in many of our fanart contests spanning back as far as 2020, and we're absolutely delighted to see them rise to the top spot. Well done, and well earned!
Hot on first place's heels was JlNN's depiction of a delightfully demure pippi holding a present whilst a tuckered-out Chirou gets some rest. 1774 voters couldn't resist that smile, and frankly, neither could we. That damned smile...
Sjao returns with a ferociously wonderful Santa-pippi enjoying a plate of iced cherry blossom cookies and a mug of marshmallow cocoa out in the winter chill. 1763 voters couldn't hit the star button fast enough, and we fully understand why.
1723 voters decided to peel oranges with Scissors_Mori's absurdly cute take on a santa-pippi enjoying a citrusy snack before the warmth of a crackling fireplace. We've clearly opened our presents ahead of the big day, at this rate.
1715 voters couldn't help but feel kindred with tehfire's portrayal of a lounging Mocha chomping on a drumstick, with a presumably passed-out pippi by her side. Food coma is so real.
1621 voters warmed their heckles with MyAngelNeptune's positively radiant rendition of pippi enjoying a hot drink before a blazing fireplace and a vast assortment of festive feasting fixtures. Warm smiles all around!
Arehandotsu summoned forth The Gang, and 1414 voters answered! pippi, Mocha, Chirou and a Don are all ready to go for the new year even if we're still a couple of weeks out.
An explosion of colour blew 1376 voters sky-high alongside Amplui's take on Chirou lounging amidst the clouds in a sea of festive balloons. A feast for our eyes indeed!
Speaking of colour, 1312 voters beheld the festive marvel of Triantafyllia's fabulous creation, showcasing pippi, Chirou, Mocha and Tama all enjoying a feast to end all feasts. There's also more than a few referential tidbits hiding in this one, so why not see if you can find them all?
1260 voters stood among the ruins with Mintzs's portrayal of a wintered-up pippi. You might be noticing a trend of us being a bit lax about the whole "feast" thing that was supposed to be the theme of the contest, but with art like this, we figured we may as well just roll with it!
1244 voters threw their lot in with Rainikiru when they saw it. Saw what, you ask? Why, the snow-lit horizon and a sea of presents beside a festively dressed pippi and Mocha, what else?
1218 voters decided to watch kittens_' take on a kimono-clad pippi enjoying some dango in the snow, and really, who could blame them? There's a joke to be made here about mochi and Mocha, but we don't have the heart to make it.
To the victor go the spoils. And so 1125 voters witnessed with Bayki's pippi boldly proclaiming her ownership of the last festive dinner drumstick. You snooze, you lose!
Partyu conjured forth a veritable party of osu! mascots to the acclaim of 1014 voters! A motherly pippi with some osu!-themed cookies presents her creations to practically the entire popular osu!taiko mascot ensemble, with Mocha, Aiko, Tama and the venerable Don making an appearance. Mari is off in the background er... having a moment, as she is wont to do. We suspect she may have beaten Mani over the head with whatever she's holding... as she is wont to do.
980 voters had hearts in their eyes for ase4an's rendition of a festive pippi, Chirou and Mocha set before a dazzling array of fireworks. Someone's got a present she's eager to pass along, by the looks of things.
It is said that in the hallowed halls of the osu! office (creative deficiencies in its name notwithstanding) that if one presses their ear to the wall adjacent to the Dean "peppy" Herbert's room during working hours around the advent of a fanart contest, they will hear one of three things: an Otographic Arts mix from several months ago, furious keyboard chattering, or irate mumbling about some of the amazing artwork not having enough votes to make the cut.
To address one of these issues, the Picks were born. And so it is that every fanart contest since, the man himself declares a selection of his personal favourites shall make it to the main menu, for they are beloved in his eyes, and so too shall they be beloved in ours. Also, they're just generally awesome and we get more art to look at. Everybody wins!
A big thank you to everyone who took the time out of their day to enter or vote (or perhaps both)! It's the buy-in from the community that helps make these contests so great, and we hope you had fun participating in whatever way you could.
As always, the top 3 finalists have received a special bespoke profile badge to acknowledge their victory, and every finalist (including the Picks!) has taken a toasty sum of 3 months of osu!supporter home with them over the holidays.
You can download a zip file containing all the finalist Winter 2023 Fanart Contest entries here! If you like something you see and it's not on this post, why not try reaching out to the artist or checking their socials? You can check out the full skewer of voting results over at the contest listing, if you like.
From all of us here at the osu! team, we wish you the happiest of holidays, and we look forward to sharing 2024 with you as well!
—Ephemeral
good one about peppy lol
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