Our first diorama theme—Looking In, Looking Out—is a window theme from which artists imagined North of North horses visiting Earth. The inspiration came from Bella Sara lore that states horses on Earth that pass away can find themselves in North of North.

Of all six entries received, at least five artists have not attempted a diorama before. To know this fact, as the host, made the chances of each artist winning the contest feel fairer to me. This commentary is in reference to previous art contests from which entries received came from artists with a diversity of experience with creating art. I am acknowledging general concerns of fairness that have been brought up in the past. Since it was nearly everyone's first time making a diorama, it felt, to me,  like everyone had a fair shot. As host, I was ecstatic that I felt we had an "even" playing field. I am even more thrilled to hear from some artists that they enjoyed the challenge of trying something new.

It felt magical to see what artists started with and to compare what they created. From the horses they chose to represent, to the stories they created to explain their inspiration and the scenery displayed and to the variety of "things" used to create the display--all I can say is: astounding craftsmanship. It's clear each and every artist is talented.

One memorable detail seen across entries was seeing characters that seem to be forgotten. At least four characters only have one card: Maplewind, Unicorn, Cherub, and Serilda.

Another memorable detail is the sheer creativity.  The inclusion of a video helped illustrate Flame's dumpster fire rave. One could assume that the model used to represent Cherub already had wings; the truth is that the artist skillfully attached those wings herself. Similarly, Serilda's armor, feathering and even tail were manually sculpted alongside incorporation of natural scenery from the artist's backyard (acorns and twigs). Every entry seemed to be crafted from a variety of materials such as paper, wood, stone, grass, and so on. 

As it is with every single art contest ever hosted, the process of "judging" is exceptionally difficult. Every entry was unique for a plethora of reasons. For this theme, it took a three hour conversation about each entry before final placement results were agreed upon. As for the title awards, it was slightly easier to determine who claims what as we largely considered the community's votes alongside our own opinions. Thank you, everyone for voting!