Iron Wig 2024 Round 1: Freestyle
Hello contestants and spectators, and welcome to the start of Iron Wig 2024!
For our first round, our contestants each received a one Malinda in Peach plus a Black Ponytail Wrap.
--Vote in our Audience Poll--
Contestants: This is a freestyle round which means you have free reign for the ideas, themes, and styling techniques used. Show us your stuff and give that wig a fabulous new look! You can use accessories, support materials such as foam/wiring/etc., and coloring such as dyes or sprays, but you may not use any additional hair besides the provided Malinda and Ponytail Wrap.
Progress photos are not required, though they do help! Take photos of several angles of the finished wig. You may have assistance with the photography, makeup, modeling, etc (just not the styling).
These are the categories we’ll be judging you on for a total of 50 points possible:
- Presentation (10 points)
- Cleanliness (10 points)
- Complexity (10 points)
- Creativity/Design (10 points)
- Efficiency of Materials (10 points)
Here’s a rundown on how each category works:
OVERALL PRESENTATION (20% of your final score)
Presentation is how the wigs are showcased. Photos of each wig from different angles are required and showcasing on a person rather than a mannequin is preferred. Creating a look with makeup and/or fashion could also improve your score. You don’t need a professional photographer or model; if you make an effort to show your wig off on a real person, get photos under good lighting, and in front of a non-distracting background, you will do well in this category. Please note: While normal lighting touch-ups are fine, overly photo-shopped images may result in a point penalty or disqualification.
OVERALL CLEANLINESS (20% of your final score)
We’ll be looking at imperfections within the techniques applied. Here are some but not all examples to consider:
- If the hair is intended to be smooth, are there gaps or bumps?
- If the hair is curled or textured, is it consistent in the applied area?
- Do cut areas look unintentionally choppy or uneven?
- Is there a distracting amount of glue visible?
If something looks out of place from the intended styling, points could be deducted.
COMPLEXITY (20% of your final score)
For this category, we look at the types of techniques used in each entry and the level of difficulty for the overall style to determine a score. Impress us by trying new techniques rather than relying on the same ones every round. We recommend writing up a list of techniques used if those techniques are not shown in progress images.
CREATIVITY/DESIGN (20% of your final score)
This category is all about what makes your entry unique and artistic! What was the inspiration behind it? Did you use a unique technique? Is the style like nothing we’ve seen before? Did you do something interesting with the fibers besides just the wig? Does it have a good silhouette, or do the elements come together to create a unified whole? This category can be tricky because we don’t know what to expect every time. The wig that has the biggest WOW factor is usually going to get the most points here, but there are other things you can do to help your score. Document your process and materials; if you’re using something that we don’t usually see, it will make it stand out! Tell us the inspiration for your work and why you made the decisions that you did. We like seeing wigs that have a meaning behind them.
EFFICIENCY OF MATERIALS (20% of your final score)
How well were you able to take advantage of the materials provided? If your wig has a special feature, did you utilize it in your design? If you use most or all of the hair provided, you will do well in this category.
There will be a panel of 3 Arda judges; scores will be added up and divided by 3 to give each contestant an average score for each category. Contestants are welcome to reach out to the Arda team for a private critique after scores have been published. The contestant with the top score will receive immunity in round 2! The contestant with the lowest score will be eliminated from Iron Wig, but they’ll go home with a $50 gift certificate! There will also be an audience favorite poll once the results are in; the top favorite will receive a $25 gift certificate to our website!
Late entry policy: Entries submitted within 12 hours after the deadline can be accepted as a late entry. Late entries will not be qualified to enter the audience poll and will receive a 25% point deduction from their total score. This will likely result in being eliminated from the competition, but the contestant can still receive their $50 certificate. Entries submitted past the 12-hour late entry period will be disqualified, and will not qualify for their $50 certificate.
Your deadline will be: Tuesday, May 28th at 12:00 A.M. CST (UTC -6:00)/7:00 A.M. (UTC+2/German Time)/12:00 P.M. (UTC+7/WIB Western Indonesian Time)
If you are unsure of what time zone this correlates to in your area, please feel free to ask us via email!
Have fun and best of luck! We can’t wait to see what you come up with.