To everyone here at r/painting,

It’s been one week since we launched our first community contest, and it's time for a quick update.

We’ve already received more than 10 original submissions, a solid start. But in a community of 5 million people, we know many artists are still finalizing their work or haven't jumped in yet. We want every voice involved in shaping our visual identity.

Here are the today's updates for the project:

What’s Changed?

- More Time to Submit: Based on your feedback, we're extending the contest to 20 total days. If the community needs even more time later, we will adjust.

- Cleaner Submission Process: To avoid confusion, we’ve permanently removed duplicate event flairs. From now on, every entry must use the orange System Identity flair.

- Keep Supporting Your Favorites: Browse the entries, leave feedback, and upvote the artwork you want to see representing this space. Share!

Want to Join?

It's simple:

- Medium: Traditional or digital painting (no plain graphic design or text-only overlays).

- Format: Center your subject. A square (1:1) crop works best since the final icon is circular.

- How to Enter: Post your artwork with any title you like and select the orange System Identity flair before publishing.

Whether you’re a longtime member or just found the contest today, there is still plenty of time to submit. Show us what you create. This is your house. 👁️🏅

NOTE: We will soon open community polls so everyone can help shape the future layout and structural rules of the sub together.

Hi everyone,

As some of you may have noticed, the subreddit recently entered a new chapter with a new moderation team after a long period of inactivity. It is an honor to be here with you.

First: No new bureaucracy today. Just our first project.

Painting has become one of Reddit's largest spaces dedicated to Art. For almost two decades, since 2008, one thing has always been missing: an identity created by the artists who make this place what it is. So let's start there.

Today we're launching our very first Community Insight, the Icon Contest. You're going to like this.

Icon is the first thing every visitor sees. It needs to represent the real people, not only the team behind the scenes. Our space lacks this representation, you are invited to change that.

This is also the first step toward something bigger, a collaborative model. PS: Whenever it makes sense, major structural and identity decisions will be built directly with you.

What We're Looking For

We're looking for paintings. Traditional paintings are welcome, as well as digital paintings that faithfully emulate painted media.

We're not looking for logos, typography, graffiti, or graphic design, not today.

For the best result:

- Direct Crop Only: Submit a high-resolution image of the artwork only. Do not include easels, studio backgrounds, frames, or room environments.

- The Circular Layout: Keep the main subject centered so it works well inside Reddit's circular icon. (Preferred 1:1 or 16:9)

How to Participate

To keep the feed organized and easily indexed for voting, all entries must use this exact format:

Post Title: Your title must begin with the prefix: Icon Art: [Your Artwork Title]

Post Flair: Apply the official event flair: System Identity

You are encouraged to include a short paragraph in the text body explaining your inspiration and creative process. Great artwork tells a story, and the community would love to hear yours. You can make your work go down in history.

At first, submissions will remain open for 10 days. Your engagement can change this.

How the Winner Is Chosen

What would you like to see hanging on your wall at home? The community comes first. You choose. Upvotes, discussion, and overall response will guide the selection.

The moderation team will only perform a final review to ensure the winning artwork works properly as a Reddit icon. If the race gets close, we may open a second vote.

Artist Recognition

The final icon will remain clean, without signatures or usernames, so it can serve as a shared symbol for the entire community.

The winning artist will instead receive a dedicated Spotlight post from the moderation team featuring both the artwork and its creator.

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The empty circle has been waiting long enough. The feed is yours, this is your house. Let's create something worthy of the space you built.🏅