Netflix Calls on ‘Shadow and Bone’ Fans for Special Project

On Monday, Netflix announced a special contest for Shadow and Bone fans in anticipation of the series premiere next month. They may now submit fan art from the series which may be featured in upcoming promotions, and perhaps even on the show itself. With an online fandom as active and dedicated as “the Grishaverse,” chances are that the competition will be fierce.

“You are being called to bring your favorite characters to life with fan art,” the announcement read. “You’ll have a chance for your art to be featured in exciting upcoming Netflix promotions… Create an original design inspired by the Netflix original series Shadow and Bone that you believe worthy to hang in The Little Palace.” The post came with a form for submissions, which should be easy considering how much fan art from the books is already out there online.

Shadow and Bone premieres on Netflix on Friday, April 23, but it is based on five books by Leigh Bardugo that already have a die-hard following. Many fans responded eagerly with their existing art based on Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, Ruin and Rising, Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom.

Winners will have their art featured at an upcoming virtual event for Shadow and Bone, and will also get a year’s Netflix subscription for free. According to the fine print, the winning art pieces may also be featured on the Shadow and Bone title page in the Netflix app, while the creators would get shout-outs from Netflix on social media.

Some artists looked dubiously at the contest, feeling that it might exploit young artists who were not aware of what they were signing up for. However, hobbyists were enthusiastic about the chance to get involved in the long-awaited adaptation.

Shadow and Bone weaves together the stories from Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone trilogy and Six of Crows duology. It is a fantasy series set in a world rent by an evil fall-out called “The Unsea,” where magic and politics are inextricably linked. It follows an orphan who was conscripted into the military and trained as a mapmaker, only to learn that she has a rare and incredibly powerful magical ability that could change the world forever.

The series stars Jessie Mei Li as Alina Starkov, Ben Barnes as “The Darkling” General Kirigan, Freddy Carter as Kaz Brekker, Amita Suman as Inej Ghafa, Kit Young as Jasper Fahey and Archie Renaux as Malyen Oretsev.

Shadow and Bone premieres on Friday, April 23 on Netflix. Submissions for the fan art contest are open now.