What are these UF challenges?
How do challenges work and how can I participate?
Can I help promoting the challenges in some way?
What if I have an idea for a future challenge?

You can find all this information and more in the Ultra Fractal challenges FAQ, which is also part of our very first UF challenge, the one for February 2011.
If you already know the rules, then you're good to go - read on for this month's challenge!



Previous editions:

Challenge #01 - February 2011 - Theme challenge; title: "Flower Power"
Challenge #02 - March 2011 - Formula challenge; title: "Sine-Mod_III"
Challenge #03 - April 2011 - Other challenge; title: "High Hopes for Japan"
Challenge #04 - May 2011 - Style challenge; title: "Aces High"
Challenge #05 - June 2011 - Formula challenge; title: "Obsolete"
Challenge #06 - July 2011 - Style challenge; title: "Gnarled Grunge"
Challenge #07 - August 2011 - Theme challenge; title: "Escher Reminiscence"
Challenge #08 - September 2011 - Other challenge; title: "My Name is Fractal"
Challenge #09 - October 2011 - Theme challenge; title: "Haunted Halloween"
Challenge #10 - November 2011 - Style challenge; title: "Oil on Canvas"
Challenge #11 - December 2011 - Theme challenge; title: "Holiday Bash"
Challenge #12 - January 2012 - Formula challenge; title: "Pearly Perlin"
Challenge #13 - February 2012 - Other challenge; title: "Happy Birthday to Us"
Challenge #14 - March 2012 - Style challenge; title: "Black and White"
Challenge #15 - April 2012 - Other challenge; title: "Threefold"



Now we can go on with the last challenge's results, and then I will introduce this month's challenge to you all.

Here is the April 2012 challenge, themed "Threefold", and the deviations I've picked as the winners!
(Please note: do not feel offended if you're not in the top three. Winners are chosen basing on their way of representing the challenge theme, and I always try to be as impartial as possible while judging.)


First place goes to =NorwegianAngel with:



A perfectly fit title for an excellent reproduction of the aquatic organisms. Being able to reproduce algae abstractly with just three layers in Ultra Fractal, together with the marine outlook and the perfect tone balance of this fractal, make up for great artistic skill!


Second place goes to *theaver with:



Soft, smooth, almost silky, these springtime flowers deliver a feeling of unspoilt quiet which is really pleasing to the eye. The composition is overall balanced and the use of contrast is also worth of mention - simplicity really worked well for the artist in this case.


Third place goes to *beautifulchaos1 with:



The fact there was a good number of ducky entries clearly shows how apt the fractal formula is to give good outcomes even with a low number of layers. This fractal in particular has it all: a dynamic up-and-down flow, accompanied by the wise colour distribution and a nice play of light and shadow. Well done!



Those out of the top three still deserve a feature for their great artistic effort: working with such a little number of layers is something to be proud of. Please take your time to look at their beautiful works!





We're done for April. On to May!

Ultra Fractal monthly challenges Redux

Challenge #16: May 2012

May's challenge will be a Formula challenge - its title being Colour Me Not!

Don't let yourself be deceived by the title: this challenge isn't about black and white and colour is far from banished in composition. The deal is as such: each fractal entering this challenge must NOT use colouring algorithms of any kind, neither Inside nor Outside. In other words, all fractals must use the "None" colouring algorithm found in Standard.ucl on every single layer, both for Inside and Outside colouring!
Our aim is, therefore, to create beautiful fractal works by exploring fractal shapes, pure gradient colouring and merge modes, instead of focusing on colouring algorithms - which usually play a major part in the outward appearance of the artwork. It IS possible to get wonderful outcomes without them; how to do it is up to you to discover!
A tip: where all else fails, mappings may help you. They're actually a great source of fractal inspiration, especially when aiming for unconventional, out-of-the-ordinary works: they are very likely to give outcomes one could possibly not even imagine.
So have much fun and start exploring right now!

Remember: to enter the challenge, post your deviation's link and thumb in a comment of this journal. ALSO: PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU LINK THIS NEWS ARTICLE IN THE DEVIATION. (Sorry for stating it so strongly, but I've had lots of people saying they'd enter the challenge without even stating it in their deviation comments, so I figured I'd better add this specification somewhere!)

Please spread the word by advertising this news article - we definitely want more participants. The more, the merrier!

This challenge's deadline is May 31st, 2012. Ready, set, GO!!!