On Your Mark, Get Set… GIF!
GIF IT UP 2016 officially kicks off tomorrow, October 1!
We are thrilled to be hosting our third annual GIF IT UP contest and are already eager to see your great submissions. To get the ball rolling, here’s your one-stop guide to everything you need to get started:
WHAT:
GIF IT UP is DPLA’s annual international gif-making competition. A GIF (or Graphics Interchange Format) is an image format that supports using multiple frames to create motion graphics in a continuous loop, allowing us to seemingly bring still images and other cultural heritage materials to life. To get up to speed on what gifs are and how to make them, watch our recent workshops presented by a fantastic team of talented gif-makers.
To get the scoop on this year’s contest, continue reading this post or visit the GIF IT UP page of our website.
WHO:
You! All are invited to participate – from pro gif-makers, creatives, history nuts, and animators to first-time gif-ers, students, and lovers of internet fun. Spread the word and tell your friends.
Even if you’re not quite ready to try your hand at gif-making, participate by following the submissions on the GIF IT UP Tumblr and casting votes for the People’s Choice Award (most likes on Tumblr).
WHEN:
October 1 – 31, 2016. People’s Choice Award voting on Tumblr will continue until mid-November, when the winners will be announced.
WHERE:
Choose public domain and openly-licensed materials from DPLA, Europeana, DigitalNZ, or Trove. Submit your gifs using the form on the submission page.
WHY:
GIF IT UP was created to promote appreciation of the public domain and creative engagement with digitized cultural heritage materials. The most important part is to have fun and to share cool stuff in awesome ways.
If you’re in it for the prizes, entries will be judged at the end of the competition to determine the winners, but all submissions will be winners of internet glory.
HOW:
- Find material you would like to work with on DPLA, Europeana, DigitalNZ, or Trove.
- If you’re wondering where to start, check out our list of selected open collections, visit our blog post for ideas for gif-friendly materials to look for, or look at last year’s GIF IT UP gallery for inspiration.
- Make sure it’s copyright free. It must be:
- in the public domain;
- have a ‘no known copyright restrictions’ statement;
- or have a Creative Commons license which allows for reuse.
- Create your gif.
- See our recent workshops for tips and tools.
- Send it our way using the submission form.
- Keep an eye out for your gif on the GIF IT UP 2016 Tumblr.
The above gifs were made using this 1917 poster from the collections of North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources via North Carolina Digital Heritage Center and this calendar poster from the collections of New York Public Library.