Aromantics Create Pride 2022

Written by the AUREA team
Art by Ramen

Word count: 1100 words
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

WHAT IS AROMANTICS CREATE PRIDE?

Aromantics Create Pride is a celebration of the creativity of the aromantic community. Works submitted to Aromantics Create Pride will be shared and provided with positive feedback by our artists and creators. Your creation can be written, visual, audio, video, or any other medium that can be viewed online. The submitted works do not have to be aro-themed and can absolutely be works you have created before this month.

This event is not limited to any platform, though updates can be found on our twitter, tumblr, and facebook. The submission form will be posted HERE on the 4th of June.

HOW DOES THIS EVENT WORK?

First, you will submit your own work. Then, you’ll be assigned three pieces of work to enjoy. Finally, you’ll provide positive feedback on each of your three pieces, and in return, you’ll receive three responses of your own.

In order to submit your work, you will need to post it on any free, publicly-accessible online platform, and provide a link in the submission form. The form will ask the medium of your work (i.e. art, prose, music, etc.), an applicable content warnings (CW), and the best contact information for you. It will also ask your preferences for what content you would like to receive.

You will have two weeks to submit your work. Once submissions close, you will receive from us your three pieces of work to enjoy! You will have two weeks to provide feedback on the works that you receive. We ask that the comments you give prioritise positivity and friendliness. The responses you leave must be at least three lines long. This event is meant to inspire collaboration, visibility, and connection.

In order to receive comments on your work, please make sure that the platform used to host your work allows anonymous comments, or provide a method for a viewer to contact you with their feedback (e.g. email).

At the end of the event, we will post the full list of works publicly on our website so that you can enjoy the rest of the content created. If you have any further questions or comments, contact us at contact@aromanticism.org.

GUIDELINES

We ask that you limit your submission to one piece (for example, a short story as opposed to multi-chapter work) and one entry. Although not a requirement, we would also like to state a preference for original works over fanworks. This is due to a preference shown by commenters in previous years, and will make matching creatives to creations easier.

The piece should be:

  • Art: 1 complete visual piece, or a 1-5 piece collection

  • Comic: 1 comic of 3 to 10 pages

  • Everyday creations: 1 item, taking at least 1 hour to make, photographed, with a description

  • Handmade items: 1 item, taking at least 2 hours to make, photographed, with a short description

  • Photography: 3- to 10-piece collection

  • Poetry: 1 poem, no shorter than 70 words, to 5 poems, each no longer than 400 words

  • Prose: 1 piece of 3 thousand to 15 thousand words

  • Song: 1 recorded piece with either vocals, instrumentals, or both

  • Video: 1 video of 1 to 20 minutes

Art can include traditional or digital drawings, videography, animation, edits, etc. Prose can be fiction or nonfiction. Everyday creations can include representations of artistic skills such as baking, flower arranging, etc. Handmade items would cover such things as: clothes-making, embroidery, pin, patch or badge making, sculpture, woodwork, or any handicraft. If you aren’t sure about a piece, feel free to contact us.

If your work contains content that others may find triggering or discomforting, we ask that you disclose this content to us on the submission form so that we may be respectful of others’ wishes when assigning works. We will also provide a space on the form for you to indicate if there is content you would be uncomfortable with viewing. Depending on the number of participants, it may be difficult for AUREA to double-check all of the submissions, so we ask that participants in this event proactively identify potentially triggering content and exercise caution when viewing.

key DATES

  • June 4th: Submissions start!

  • June 18th: Submissions end 

  • June 19th to 20th: We send out e-mails with works for you to enjoy and give feedback on 

  • June 21st to July 5th: Submit links to your feedback for all three works. At the same time we’ll begin sending out rewards to those who gave feedback! 

  • July 8th: The collection of all submitted works will be posted here on the website

FAQ

So I can submit anything?

As long as it fits within the guidelines! You can create a work specifically for this event, or enter a piece that you’ve previously created.

Where can I sign-up?

The submission form will be posted on all of our social media sites and linked HERE on the 4th of June.

Can I enter a piece I created for another event?

Absolutely! Whatever you wish to share can be submitted. One of our participants in the very first year we did this submitted a piece that had previously been in the AZE Journal.

Can I ask for a specific person to receive my work?

We assign people work based on their indicated preferences. If you would like a certain person to view your work, we encourage you to put yourself out there - even if your work is not assigned to that person, they will have the opportunity to view it once all works are posted on the website at the conclusion of the event.

I’m nervous about leaving comments, can I just keysmash or use emojis?

We ask that you leave descriptive responses on the works you are assigned. What you write should be at least three lines long. Tell the author what your favourite line is, and why! Tell the artist what really drew your eye above all else! Tell the creator how they made you feel! Commentary cannot be enforced, so this is all happening in good faith.

Where do I find a free platform that allows for anonymous, public commentary?

Here are some options:

Archive of Our Own supports written and visual content.

Arocalypse supports written and visual content, and does allow for guest responses. If you are not concerned with remaining anonymous, you can create a forum account and use Private Messaging features.

Tapas supports written and visual content.

Webtoon supports visual content.

If you do not use a platform that allows for public access, we suggest you provide an email address so that you are able to receive comments.

What’s the reward?!

Beyond the comments you receive, any and all submitted work will be posted in a public collection on the AUREA website that is boosted during Pride.

Additionally, you will receive a digital token of our pride upon submitting links or screenshots of your commentary.

Can I comment on more than three works?

We hope you do! All works will be posted before they are submitted, so keep an eye out! You just might stumble across them in the wild. Otherwise, we will be posting the complete collection on the 8th of July, where you can view them at your leisure.

I have further questions?

Email us at contact@aromanticism.org or leave a comment below.

Papo Aromantic