Few of our past contests have been easy to judge, but judging the iLounge Wallpaper Contest was one of the most difficult in memory. Of the roughly 750 entries we received, around 100 were at least “good,” and we felt that 62 were great enough to be serious contenders for our three top prizes. Since there were so many fantastic submissions, we wanted to award a few runners up with prizes, too, so we’ll be sending out iLounge t-shirts to several entries that were just outside our top three.
Congratulations to all of the winners, and thanks to everyone for submitting such superb wallpaper.
You can download full-sized versions of these entries (and nearly 1,200 other images) from our Desktop/Wallpaper Art Gallery, and enjoy them as desktop art on your own computer.
iPodopolis, by Curtis Whaley
Editors’ Notes: “iPodopolis” was an early entry, and quickly established itself as the submission to beat. iLounge’s editors unanimously liked the image and agreed that it deserved to be one of our winners; it was strong on theme, and artistically interesting.
iLounge, by Mark Kempken
Editors’ Notes: Simply titled “iLounge,” Mark Kempken’s latest submission is a 3-D rendered but understated masterpiece. The required iPod sits subtly on a chair in a modern room, with an Apple TV – not required for the competition, but still eye-catching – and a modern widescreen television on a modern table system.
As Larry Angell put it, “it just ‘feels good’ to me… I like how it’s not in your face.” It’s a subtle alternative to the heavily iPod-focused winner, and coincidentally fits its Second Place prize.
Happy Little Center (Versions 1-3), by Brian Joseph
Editors’ Notes: If “iPodopolis” is filled with iPods, and “iLounge” is more subtle, “Happy Little Center” is the fun, abstract take on the contest’s theme. As the artist explains, “I designed this wallpaper to describe what iLounge is to so many of us: a community that lives around the happy little center we call the iPod.” The blue version – our favorite – has a paper-like texture, while the green and orange versions are smooth.
We considered each of these entries – and some of the ones below – as top ten options to win the contest. The six entries above each win an iLounge t-shirt for their efforts. Below, we’ve highlighted just some of our other favorites.
