Official Contest Rules

Step 1 — Purchase Your Entry: Pay the $5 entry fee using the official payment link. Your entry fee helps support contest prize funding, printing and production costs, contest administration, and future Creative Gang community events and projects.

Each paid entry includes: one digital copy of Samurai Security Guard: System One, your Contestant ID, the Official Contest Rules, and a private artwork submission link delivered via confirmation email.

Multiple entries are welcome. Each artwork submitted requires its own $5 entry fee. A single contestant may enter as many times as they like.

Step 2 — Read the Manga: We encourage every artist to read Samurai Security Guard before creating their artwork. Learning the characters, world, storytelling, and visual style will help you create artwork that feels like it belongs within the SSG universe.

Step 3 — Create Your Variant Cover: Create an original variant cover inspired by Samurai Security Guard. Artists may draw existing SSG characters, work in the official SSG style, use their own artistic style, or introduce original characters that naturally fit within the Space Mall universe.

Step 4 — Submit Your Artwork: Use the private submission link from your confirmation email to submit your artwork before the deadline. The submission link is not publicly available — it is sent only to registered contestants.

$5 Per Submission. A single contestant may enter as many times as they like — each artwork submitted requires its own $5 entry fee. Entry fees are non-refundable.

The Contest is open to artists worldwide who are 18 years of age or older at the time of entry, or who have obtained written parental or legal guardian consent.

Employees, officers, directors, and agents of Creative Gang LLC, and members of their immediate families or households, are not eligible to enter.

Void where prohibited by law. Entrants are responsible for compliance with all applicable local, state, national, and international laws and regulations.

Artwork must depict the Samurai Security Guard character or universe in a style suitable for use as a variant cover for Samurai Security Guard: System One.

Accepted mediums: digital art, traditional ink, traditional pencil, and mixed media. All traditional entries must be submitted as high-resolution scans or photographs.

File format: JPEG, PNG, or TIFF. Minimum resolution: 300 DPI at final print size (approximately 6.625" x 10.25" with 0.125" bleed on all sides).

Artwork must be original and created solely by the entrant. Artwork must not contain any third-party copyrighted material, trademarks, logos, or likenesses of real persons without documented written consent.

Artwork must not contain obscene, offensive, defamatory, or otherwise inappropriate content as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion.

All eligible entries will be judged by a panel selected by Creative Gang based on the following weighted criteria:

Originality & Creativity (30%): Uniqueness of concept and artistic vision.

Composition & Design (25%): Effective use of space, balance, and visual flow.

Storytelling & Character Representation (20%): Accuracy and depth in portraying the SSG character and universe.

Technical Skill (15%): Execution quality, line work, shading, and overall craftsmanship.

Print Readiness (10%): Suitability for professional print reproduction at the required specifications.

Grand Prize (1 winner): $1,000 USD cash prize; official publication of the winning artwork as a variant cover for Samurai Security Guard: System One; featured artist spotlight in Creative Gang media; interview feature on Pop Couch; recognition across Creative Gang social media channels.

All prize winners are solely responsible for all applicable federal, state, and local taxes. Prizes are non-transferable and no substitution or cash equivalent is permitted, except at Sponsor's sole discretion.

Entrants retain copyright ownership of their submitted artwork. By entering, each entrant grants Creative Gang LLC a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual license to reproduce, publish, display, and distribute the submitted artwork in connection with the Contest and related promotional materials.

The Grand Prize winner grants Creative Gang LLC an exclusive license to publish the winning artwork as a variant cover for Samurai Security Guard: System One, including all print and digital editions, in perpetuity. Winner will receive attribution credit in all publications featuring the winning artwork.

Entrants warrant that their submissions are original works and do not infringe upon any third-party intellectual property rights. Entrants agree to indemnify and hold harmless Creative Gang LLC from any claims arising from their submissions.

Judging is scheduled to be completed by November 18, 2026. Official contest results are scheduled to be announced on November 25, 2026. The potential winner will be notified via the email address provided at registration.

The potential winner must respond to the notification within seven (7) days or an alternate winner may be selected. Sponsor is not responsible for undeliverable notifications.

The winner may be required to execute an Affidavit of Eligibility, Liability Release, and where lawful, a Publicity Release, within fourteen (14) days of notification.

Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, suspend, or modify the Contest if fraud, technical failures, or any other factor beyond Sponsor's reasonable control impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the Contest, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion.

Sponsor's decisions regarding all aspects of the Contest are final and binding.

By entering, entrants agree to release and hold harmless Creative Gang LLC and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any and all liability for any injuries, losses, or damages of any kind arising from participation in the Contest or acceptance of any prize.

This Contest is governed by the laws of the United States and the state in which Sponsor is incorporated, without regard to conflict of law principles.

Personal information collected in connection with this Contest will be used solely for Contest administration and prize fulfillment, and will not be sold or shared with third parties except as necessary to administer the Contest or as required by law.