Korn have once again announced a fan art contest, this one in celebration of the 30th anniversary of their 1994 debut record. The grand prize winners, selected by the band, will have their artwork featured at all shows on Korn's North American tour (sick), have their art signed by the band (sure?), and receive two VIP tickets to a KoRn concert of their choice (let's go). The guidelines, according to the band's Instagram post, are to take inspiration from "30 years of our music, art, energy, message and meaning in visual form. You can draw inspiration from a lyric, album, show memory, video, or anything KoRn that is meaningful to you."
The specific mention of "grand prize" winners implies some lower-tier prizes, although the band has yet to share further details. It all brings to mind a similar contest for the very aesthetic-driven nu metal pioneers. Back in the year of our lord 1999, Korn were at the absolute peak of their popularity. Fully aware of their top dog status, the Bakersfield band created an opportunity for their ever growing nation of freaks to contribute directly to the band’s artistic process. In collaboration with MTV, Korn launched a contest that invited fans to design the album cover for Issues. This experiment in fan engagement was quite groundbreaking at the time, even for Korn, who had already solidified their status as forward-thinking musicians and internet pioneers through KornTV.
The boys gave their fans carte blanche to create the cover for their fourth album, but there was a catch. Whatever it was, it needed to reflect the themes and aesthetic of Korn’s music: gritty, tortured, yet childlike. Some may have taken the tortured element too seriously, resulting in DeviantArt-like creations before DeviantArt was even a thing.
Out of thousands of submissions, four finalists were chosen by the band. These four designs were then displayed on MTV, and fans were invited to vote for their favorite cover. The official cover was created by Alfredo Carlos, who’s iconic ragdoll figure remains an instantly recognizable part of Korn’s legacy almost a quarter of a century later. He also won like 10,000 bucks.
The three other finalists' designs were included in the album's booklet as alternate covers, giving them equally deserved exposure and recognition.
That contest represented an early-internet moment when the lines between artists and fans were beginning to blur in new and exciting ways, something that has only grown with the rise of social media.
Korn had previously revived the fanart contest just last year, when Follow The Leader blew out 25 candles. Many submissions were posted all over the web, but apparently, the winner has yet to be announced. Perhaps that is because the band has already moved on to a brand new fan project to celebrate 30 years of music that, to quote Jonathan Davis, “made us all feel not so alone”. Anyway, if you missed out on Korn’s previous fan fueled art events, here’s another chance to become part of the band’s history once and for all.
