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Policy · Studio Action

Official Contest Rules

Last updated: 2026-08-31

This is a plain-language policy; contact contest@studioaction.io with questions.

Contests reopen October 1, 2026. These Official Rules govern every Studio Action contest together with its posted brief (Section 11): the window, how to enter, the criteria, the judges and the prizes for that contest. Where a brief differs from a default in these Rules, the brief controls for that contest.

The sponsor and operator of every Studio Action contest is EgoPanda Creative (operator of studioaction.io, one operation with Aktion Film Ai, a registered business name of Ego Panda, LLC). Contact for anything contest-related: contest@studioaction.io.

2. Nature of the Contest — Skill, Not Chance

Every Studio Action contest is a contest of skill. Entries are creative works — films, stills, and other pieces made to a posted monthly brief — and winners are chosen by judging entries on merit against the criteria in Section 5. There is no drawing, no raffle, no lottery, and no element of chance anywhere in how winners are determined. The entry fee is a fee for judged participation in a skill contest; it is not a wager or a ticket in a game of chance.

3. Eligibility

  • You must be 18 years of age or older (or the age of majority in your jurisdiction, if higher) at the time of entry.
  • Void where prohibited by law. You are responsible for confirming that entering a paid skill contest is lawful where you live.
  • Employees and contractors of EgoPanda Creative, contest judges, and members of their immediate households may not enter.
  • You must comply with the Terms of Service and Community Guidelines.

4. How to Enter; Entry Fees

To enter, submit your piece as the posted brief directs during the contest window — through the contest page, or, where the brief says so, by posting it publicly on your own social account with the contest tag and submitting the link — following the format and length requirements in the brief. If the brief carries an entry fee, it is paid at checkout.

Entry fee structure: a brief may state that a contest is free to enter, in which case no fee applies and nothing in this section about fees does. Otherwise, $5 for each piece you enter in the same monthly contest, as many pieces as you like. Pricing is subject to change; the fees in effect for a contest are the ones posted on that contest's page when it opens, shown again at checkout. Entry fees are non-refundable once an entry is submitted (see the Refund & Cancellation Policy); if we cancel a contest before judging, entry fees for that contest are refunded.

Each entry must be your own original work and must satisfy the representations in Terms §6. One person may submit multiple entries; each is judged independently.

5. Judging — How Winners Are Selected

A judging panel selected by the sponsor reviews every eligible entry after the contest window closes. Entries are scored on the posted criteria, which are, unless the contest page for a given month states otherwise:

  • Craft — the technical and artistic quality of the piece;
  • Adherence to the brief — how well the piece answers the posted monthly brief;
  • Community standing — the entrant's standing in the Studio Action community, per the criteria posted for that contest.

Shortlist and community vote. Where a brief says so, the panel first publishes a shortlist (for example a top 10) on the date posted; then subscribed members cast one vote each during the posted voting window; the community vote decides the winner and the panel names the honorable mentions. Voting is by members only, one vote per member, and is a judgment of merit, not a drawing. Assisted review. The panel may use automated reviewers to help score image criteria (composition, readability, consistency); every decision is made by the human panel and the community vote.

The highest-scoring entries win. Judging decisions are made on merit alone and are final, subject only to Section 9 (Disputes). If the posted criteria for a specific contest add to or reweight the above, the posted criteria for that contest control.

6. Winners and Announcement

Winners are announced on studioaction.io and through the sponsor's official channels (Discord, mailing list, socials) within the timeframe posted on the contest page. Winners are also notified at the email used at entry. If a winner cannot be reached within 14 days of first notice, or is found ineligible, the prize passes to the next highest-scoring eligible entry.

7. Prizes

The prizes for each contest are those posted in its brief before the contest opens — for example credits, merchandise, a feature on the Trix Comic Shop shelf, or a month of the winner's choosing on the AktionFilm calendar. Prizes are not transferable and have no cash alternative unless the brief says otherwise. Winners are solely responsible for any taxes on prizes. Where the posted prize includes placement in the story or canon, that placement is subject to the sponsor's creative discretion as described in the Terms of Service.

8. Rights in Entries

You keep ownership of your entry. By entering, you grant the sponsor the display and promotion license described in Terms §6 — the right to host, display, stream, excerpt, and promote your entry on the Service and in contest-related marketing, with attribution to the name you entered under. Entries that win or place may remain displayed in the contest's historical record.

9. Disqualification and Disputes

Disqualification. The sponsor may disqualify, without refund of the entry fee, any entry that: violates the Community Guidelines; infringes third-party rights; misrepresents authorship; was submitted through fraud or tampering; or breaks the posted brief's stated requirements. Attempting to influence judges outside the posted process is grounds for disqualification.

Disputes. Any dispute about a contest — eligibility, scoring, disqualification, prizes — must first be raised by email to contest@studioaction.io within 14 days of the winners' announcement. We will review and respond in writing. Unresolved disputes are governed by the dispute resolution terms in Terms §12 (Oregon law; informal resolution, then arbitration with a small-claims option and a 30-day opt-out).

10. General

These Official Rules are incorporated into the Terms of Service. If a specific contest's posted page conflicts with these Rules on brief, fees, criteria weighting, prizes, or dates, the posted page controls for that contest; on everything else, these Rules control. The sponsor may amend these Rules prospectively — amendments never change a contest already underway except where required by law.

11. Posted Briefs — Q4 2026

How judges score — the Fist scale. Every criterion in every brief is marked on the same five-step scale from the Quantum Drift lore, worst to best: Pea Soup · Capris · Head Butt · Chop · Fist. Fists add up. In the Quantum Short season (eight judging criteria): five Fists earn a Silver Fist, six or seven a Gold Fist, and a Fist on every criterion the Platinum Fist. In the five-criterion contests (Comic Cover, Best Comic): three Fists Silver, four Gold, all five Platinum. Judges mark; the marks are published with the shortlist.

Each brief below is the posted contest page for that contest under Section 10. Items marked announced at launch are set by the sponsor and published on studioaction.io and the official channels before the window opens.

A. Comic Book Cover — October 2026 (daily image contest)

  • Window: October 1, 2026 00:00 PT to October 25, 2026 23:59 PT. Shortlist (top 10) published October 28; community vote October 28–30; winners announced October 31.
  • How to enter: one comic-cover image per day, posted publicly on your own social account with the contest tag (announced at launch), with the post link submitted to the contest page the same day. One counted entry per person per day. Free to enter.
  • Format: a comic cover with a title and one clear character; at least 1080 px on the short side; made with the Service's tools or by hand; state how much AI you used.
  • Criteria (each marked on the Fist scale): reads at thumbnail size · the character in one look · title and lettering integrated with the art · colour and light with intent · consistency across your month's posts.
  • Judges: a panel named by the sponsor including guest judges from the film and comics industries, revealed by October 25; the community vote decides the winner; the panel names three honorable mentions.
  • Prizes: winner — credits (amount announced at launch), Studio Action apparel, and a month of the winner's choosing on the AktionFilm calendar; winner and honorable mentions featured on the Trix Comic Shop shelf for November.

B. Best Comic — monthly (first: October 2026)

  • Window: the 1st to the 25th of each month; shortlist the 28th; community vote 28th–30th; announced the 31st.
  • How to enter: shelve your comic on the Trix Comic Shop (/shop/comics/publish) during the window. Free to enter.
  • Criteria (Fist scale): a stranger can follow the story · panel flow and pacing · character consistency across panels · dialogue economy · one panel you would screenshot.
  • Judges and prizes: as A; one featured comic and three beneath it on the shelf for the following month.

C. The Best Action Hero Contest — Director Character Short (the 2026 season)

One short film with one action hero at its centre. Make it with the Service's tools, by hand, or both; say how much AI you used. Entries page: /contest/action-hero.

  • Window: November 1, 2026 00:00 PT through December 23, 2026 23:59 PT. Early entries are open now and count the same as entries made in the window. Winners are announced February 8, 2027 on the sponsor's live stream, where the prizes are presented.
  • Entry fee: $5 per entry, paid through the sponsor's payment hub before the entry form opens. One payment is one entry; a further short is a further $5. The fee is a fee for consideration of the entry, not a wager; it is refunded only if the sponsor cancels the contest.
  • How to enter: post the short publicly on your own social account with one of the season tags — #QuantumDrift, #StudioAction or #AktionFilm — then submit the film link and the post link on the entries page under the email you paid with. An entry whose post does not carry a season tag is not an entry. Every entry is also placed in the community feed.
  • Categories: Best Short · Best Action Hero · Best Comic (a comic made of the same story) · Best Cover (the Ahnuld Stallone — one image that sells the film) · Most Original · Best Acting (hybrid and prompted performances) · Best Performance (a human performance; motion capture and similar are fine). Name one category when you enter; the panel may also consider an entry for any other.
  • Judging criteria (every entry marked on the Fist scale): Cinematography · Dialogue · Acting · Action · Originality · Writing · Directing · Pace. Dialogue is a criterion in its own right. The marks make the entry's scorecard (Silver, Gold and Platinum Fist as above) and decide the category shortlists; a community vote follows the shortlist where the brief says so.
  • Judges: as A.
  • Prizes: every category winner receives a gift package and the bragging rights. Best Short and Best Performance may carry a cash prize, posted on the entries page before the window closes. Winning work is featured across both sites and may be shown on the live stream.

D. The AktionFilm calendar

Submissions for calendar art open October 1, 2026 and are selected privately by the sponsor. Accepted artists receive a gift bag; participation is voluntary and carries no royalty. Contest winners whose brief includes a calendar month may claim the month of their choosing, subject to availability.