Hello ladies and gentlemen.

While this was originally decided to take place on every 15th SOTW, mods got in the way, and so I have decided to create a new competition.
SIMBA will run only once for every 2 months, and as such the winner of such a competition will be noticeably more prestigious. Flaunting winning pictures in art shops, and even in your own signature will be a way to certify that your standard of art is higher than most others on the forums.
There is a major difference in SIMBA, and that is that there is no restriction in the method of expressing yourself. As long as it relates to the theme and is art, it is fine.

Eligible formats would include: Pictures that are smaller than 500x500 pixels (we allow a 20 word subtitle, if edited please also post original), short stories (300 words maximum), poems (100 words maximum), songs (cannot be lyric adaption, original music), and compositions. Each piece of art must relate in some way to the theme.

Entries will be judged in the three following categories:
Aesthetic Appeal
Emotional Impact/Meaning
Relation to theme

Fairly straightforward. The aesthetic appeal of the art should be evident. Where literature is concerned, the proficiency and command of powerful language is substituted here.
Emotional Impact and Meaning. This means that pieces of art should strive to share an thoughtful, moving insight on life and have a central message. For example, if the theme is war, a simple picture of a gun will not do it. Instead, a good entry would be one that demonstrates the horrors of human nature, moves the hearts of people who read it.
Relation to theme: If the art does not relate to the theme, it will be discarded. However, the art is also judged on how closely they relate to the theme, especially where the message of the piece is concerned.

Judges will be of a panel of 3. The first panel will be chosen by myself, and all subsequent ones will consist of: one person who has served on the previous panel to guide the process, one new volunteer (approved by the previous panel), and the winner of that month, if s/he so wishes (if s/he declines, this spot will be taken by someone else). After the proposed deadlines, the judges will have 1 week to deliberate on a winner and a runner-up. The winner will then be announced, and the next round of SIMBA will start in one month. Criticism will be given to all pieces of art.

Submission can take place in one of two forms. It can be done through a private message to one of the current judges, or can be posted in this thread. Please, no unrelated chatting in this thread. Feel free to critique on submitted artwork. People have up to 10 submissions.

Winners of SIMBA and their art goes here:

SIMBA is now in Season 1. We are open for entries.

Good luck everyone.

So this can be songs, poems images, etc?

As stated in OP,
Songs: original music and lyrics
Stories: 300 word cap
Pictures: 500x500 pixels or less

If there is a form of art not listed in OP, please contact myself about it.

Interesting. I have tons of this, I'll post when I get home

Could I submit something written in Chinese?

Translatenub

Well too bad you people will hafta use google translate or something of the sort

...unless I feel like it sometime later today to translate for you guys

Uh.. this was a song... I censored some bits no one needs to know...

I'm still in the process of editing it so forgive me if its kinda disconnected in places...

这里 已经没有了我的地位 This place, no longer has my place
没有人理睬我 没有人为我着想 Nobody pays attention to me, nobody thinks of me

我走到了尽头 我不想回头 I've walked to the end, I don't want to turn back
我已经 不属于 这个世界 I no longer, belong to, this world
我只是 另一张嘴要喂 I'm just, another one to feed
另一个 负担要背 Another, burden to carry

关心我的人已经离去 The one that cared about me has left
走入了 死神的王国 Walked into, the Kingdom of Death
5年前那痛苦的回忆 5 years ago that painful memory
我的从前伤痕累累 My past is is scarred
你不知道 You don't know
你是这世上 唯一关心过我的人 You were the only one, in this world, that cared about me


我走到了尽头 我无法回头 I've walked to the end, I don't want to turn back
你不要来劝我 我已经选择 I no longer, belong to, this world
如今的世界 我生不如死 This world today, I'm better off dead than alive
我已经选择 我不要再活 I've already chosen, I no longer want to live

我要放弃生命 放弃了你 给我的一切 I want to give up on life, give up on, everything you gave me
请你原谅我 我已经走投无路 Please forgive me, I have nowhere else to go
没有其他的选择 No other choice
也许这世上 还有最后一丝希望 Maybe on this world, there's still one last shred of hope
也许你 还在世界的某一个角落 默默的等着我 Maybe you, are still in a corner of this world, quietly waiting for me
可是我已经等够 But I have already waited enough
我等你回来等的太久 I've waited too long for you to come back
我已经无法再忍耐 一个缺乏你的世界 I can no longer stand, a world lacking you
没有了你 我活在这世上 还有什么意义 Without you, me living in this world, what is the point
你不要来管我 我不需要你帮助 Don't care about me, I don't need your help
我有权利 放弃我的生命 I have the power, to give up my life

我走到了尽头 我不会回头 I've walked to the end, I don't want to turn back
忘掉你 忘掉那一切 Forget you, forget everything
忘掉了 生活还有美好的一面 Forget, life still has a beautiful side
忘掉我是谁 Forget who I am
*CENSORED* 我对不起你 *censored*, I let you down

我走到了尽头 我不会回头 I've walked to the end, I don't want to turn back
忘掉你 忘掉那一切 Forget you, forget everything
忘掉了 生活还有美好的一面 Forget, life still has a beautiful side
忘掉我是谁 Forget who I am
*CENSORED* 我对不起你 *censored*, I let you down

Panel of judges is 3. Meaning that possibly two of them won't get that at all.

But good effort, first submission too. Feel free to shoot us more.

No, I manually censored them
No one needs to know what they are.

Oh and could I submit more than one piece? I have tons