The 25th Anniversary Neo Blythe Beauty Contest Begins!
The Blythe community is jam-packed with talented creatives! Let's look at some of the doll entries!
What a week to be a Blythe doll fan! Not only was it Neo Blythe’s 25th birthday, but some of the entries for the Neo Blythe Beauty contest started showing up online!
To celebrate 25 years of Neo Blythe, the return of the Neo Blythe International Beauty Contest was announced back in February. This is a wonderful opportunity for Blythe doll creators, designers, artists, and collectors worldwide to showcase their creativity and skills to be seen by Junko Wong. Not only that, but there is a grand prize of a Neo Blythe doll inspired by the winning doll design to be manufactured and sold on Junie Moon!
I wanted to make a post about the Neo Blythe Beauty contest to share some of the entries and discuss a little more about the contest.
Note: The registration and submission for the 25th Neo Blythe Beauty Contest period is now over.
WHAT IS THE NEO BLYTHE BEAUTY CONTEST?
The 25th anniversary Neo Blythe Beauty contest is an opportunity to show off your creativity and love for the big-eyed dolls by creating their version of a Neo Blythe doll release. Contestants submit a Neo Blythe using their artistic talents to create a one-of-a-kind Blythe! Blythe artists and lovers from around the world are allowed to enter.
There will be 25 semi-finalists, but only 5 winners, 4 winners selected by judges, and 1 winner will be chosen by the (online) public. The winners will receive an artisanal glass trophy, a Neo Blythe, and be featured in the 4th Collection Guide Book! However, the grand prize, the winning doll design, will be produced by Junko Wong and manufactured by Good Smile Company, to be an official Neo Blyth doll!
The judging panel of the Neo Blythe Beauty Contest includes
Junko Wong - Neo Blythe Producer
Wakamatsu Tadaaki - QPOT Designer and Creator
Momolita - Doll Fashion Designer and Instructor
Ranran - Doll Make Up Artist and Detail Carver
The Neo Blythe Production Team: Cross World Connections (CWC)
All the winners will be announced on the official Contest Website, Junie Moon social media, and the Blythe Doll website.
ENTRIES (SO FAR)
Here are just some of the entries I’ve seen on Blythestagram so far. None of these dolls has been selected by any of the judges. I’ll tag each creator respectfully and encourage you all to check out each entry to read their story and more information on each doll, and make sure to check out the creator(s) Instagram account for more doll love!
Mima Futura (@Blythe_fever)
Whisper Rukboon (@littlewhimsywhisper)
Fashion Student Fifi (@esoteric.dolls)
Amy (@marketplaceminis)
Starlight (@bonerita)
Dewdrop Bloom (@sequin.20)
Indigo Darling (@normalnormande)
Hana Harmony (@dream.girl.things)
Nina Neonique (@tinique_treasures)
Paige’s Pen Pal (@prettynostalgic.au)
LOVE & PEACE (@blue8marine8)
Bitsu (@ang3l.wip)
Bijou Douce Mémoire (@blytherunway)
Lottie Letter (@rangsboutique & @off.museofsol)
Dorothy Once Upon a Dream (@shu.kuwasawa)
Fayola the starsalor (@threadworks_doll)
Lumina Celestia (@myo_onda)
Pixel (@pamdollshouse & puppelina_)
All that’s all, for now! There are probably more doll entries from people who aren’t active on social media or who I’ve just missed. I might share more doll entries in the note section, but if they’re a lot more, then I might just update this post. I’ll make another post once they’ve narrowed down to the 25 finalists.
BLYTHE BEAUTY CONTEST SCHEDULE
July 1 ~ Details about the exhibition will be announced on the Neo Blythe website.
July 23 ~ The 50 semi-finalists will be selected and announced online. Judges will select the 25 finalists based on the submitted photos and essays.
August 23 ~ The 25 finalists will be exhibited at the 25th Anniversary Neo Blythe International Beauty Contest Exhibition in Tokyo, Japan. The finalists will be announced on the Beauty Contest website for popular voting to begin.
October 15 ~ Private reception & award ceremony for select audience (invite only). All twenty-five finalists will automatically receive an invitation.
October 16–18 ~ The 25th Anniversary Neo Blythe International Beauty Contest in Harajuku, Tokyo, Japan. The finalists and winning dolls will be exhibited. This event is free and open to the public.
October 18 ~ Popular vote ends. Public voting for a favorite doll can be done online via the Neo Blythe Beauty Contest Website and in person during the Neo Blythe Beauty Contest exhibition in Tokyo. The winner of the popular vote will be announced on the last day of the exhibition event.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Everyone is soooooo talented! I’m so happy and proud of all of my doll friends who entered the 25th Blythe Beauty Contest. I’m rooting for all of you and hope you all make it to the finals! I can’t wait to see who the top 5 picks are!
Not going to lie, I did think about entering, but then my dog suddenly passed away at the end of February, and mourning her has been a really difficult process. However, I did come up with a cute concept and ideal sketch, so if there ever is another Blythe Beauty Contest, I already have a general idea of a doll I want to create. Maybe next time.
Fashion Student Fifi has so much swag!!!! I actually would buy that jacket for myself. I kinda reminds me of something from a Baby Phat collection.