Hey yo! E3 2016 is just a week away! If you've been around this here video game website for a while, then you know that the moderators have been running this contest since 2009. If you're new, the contest asks the community to create the banners that will be placed at the top of each press conference's discussion thread in the forums. Whether you're a Photoshop master or a can't find the color red in MS Paint, you could win! So, read the rules carefully and start making pretty, awesome, terrible, and/or funny stuff!

Each of the six winners will get a FREE MONTH OF PREMIUM MEMBERSHIP on GiantBomb.com. If you're already are a premium member, an extra month will be added to your current subscription.

As an added bonus, which we started last year, each winner will have VIP (BLUE) status in Giant Bomb chat during the press conferences and the nightly Bombcasts throughout E3. That means no cooldown for you! Just keep in mind that we will remove this privilege if you abuse it.

The Rules

• You can submit up to THREE banners for EACH press conference. So, if you've got multiple genius and/or idiotic ideas, have at it!
• Although you can submit many banners, you can only win ONCE. For example, if you win Microsoft, you can't win Sony. We gotta spread the love.
• All banners must be 650 x 150.
• In spite of @zombiepie and @Trace, animated GIFs are still legal.
• General forum rules apply (i.e. no nudity or otherwise NSFW stuff).
• Deadline is Saturday, June 11.
• While everyone is encouraged to discuss and pick their favorites, winners are chosen only by the moderators.

The Info

Here are the details about when each conference is being held. Use these as you wish. Or don't. Or use incorrect information if you want! It hasn’t stopped people from winning in the past. I've also created a link for you that will automatically translate Pacific Daylight Time into wherever you are.

EA Play 2016

• Sunday, June 12 @ 1 PM PDT - Club Nokia @ LA Live (Local Time)

The Bethesda E3 Showcase

• Sunday, June 12 @ 7:00 PM PDT - Dolby Theatre (Local Time)

Xbox E3 2016 Briefing

• Monday, June 13 @ 9:30 AM PDT - Galen Center (Local Time)

Ubisoft E3 Media Briefing 2016

• Monday, June 13 @ 1:00 PM PDT - Orpheum Theater (Local Time)

PlayStation E3 2016 Press Conference

• Monday, June 13 @ 6:00 PM PDT - Shrine Auditorium (Local Time)

Nintendo Live @ E3

• Tuesday, June 14 @ 9:00 AM PDT (Local Time)

It's a Lockdown, Baby

Now you know the rules and the basic info you should probably include. So, get to photoshopping, drawing, or even photographing! If you need some inspiration, just check out all of the past winners below.

Gallery

Gallery

<>

wtf, how did I miss what @hashy created for the pc conf. Sick job man, that is perfect!!

The Jack Tretton one from 2013 remains my all-time favorite.

Here's mine. It didn't take me very long because I am proficient in the use of paint.

Would it be uncouth to use Jack Tretton even though he doesn't work at Sony any more?

aww, no PC panel entry this year?

I'm zero good at these, but I can't wait to see what the community comes up with. E3 IS COMIN' BAYBAYYYYY

Did someone say Lockdown!?!

Jack Tretton's I WILL DESTROY YOUR FUCKING LIFE will never not be funny.

IT'S A LOCKDOWN, BABY!

I had to go through them all to know what you were talking about, but it was totally worth it. It's the best one.

Well, I spent way too much time making this dumb thing.

I love this competition so much! It’s always so great to see the community come together and create some awesome things. This year I’ve decided to try and push myself and create gifs! (Sorry @zombiepie and @Trace!)

For this one I just went for a super clean option and I’m pretty happy with it:

Ways 2 Win My Votes: J Allard

Good luck everyone!

Ways 2 Win My Votes: Bribery

The dream is real.

So it begins.

Man, I like making these. At some point I'll come back and make some more.

Good luck everyone! :D

I want to make a banner of EA running their show out of a cardboard box down the street from E3, but if somebody with actual talent wants to steal that idea, feel free.

@darknorth: That's giving EA too much credit.

these duders show some good stuff already

I couldn't help but make a Hank Scorpio banner for XBOX.

Seriously question guys: How to make a banner?

EDIT: Well did some quick and dirty ones!

A simple Legend of Zelda Wii U banner for Nintendo. I was trying out a treehouse-looking banner but couldn't make it work the way I wanted.

I knew I had Photoshop for some reason.

Wow, some of the previous winners look slick as fuck... why don't I remember seeing these? That animated ASCII Giant Bomb logo is a work of art.

Looking forward to seeing what you artistic duders come up with!

You should watch the Sony conference because Crash Bandicoot f***s a lot

@wikitoups: Save the template file (or just make a new PSD/ MSPaint file with the dimensions 650 x 150), open up a new layer and put whatever you want.

Save As: Its A Lockdown.jpg

And you're done!

Anyone else having an issue where some gifs don't play until clicked on? (mine isn't just a green box!)

The gif experitise has raised the bar. Now I have to tell some sort of a story or be funny/tell a joke over a period of time. Good luck people, have batman :D

@mjhwwbg: yeah just happened to me when I reloaded the page was fine when I was looking at it an hour ago. Also your banner is super slick!

@wikitoups: This is a pretttttty great idea haha

@cleetose: Photoshop. Has a truly greater gift ever been blessed to mankind?

@mjhwwbg: Are you on mobile?

I'm a fan of these so far:

@benmo316 said:

@cleetose said:

@alcor741 said:

@justaconspiracy: @kingyo: I'm on desktop but only happens intermittently with a few of the gifs at a time so probably nothing to worry about!

Already some great stuff. I accept bribes in the form of suitcases stuffed with Del Taco.

Last year's Ubisoft banner is just perfection.

This is some shitty work I've done

@shatteringlast: yeeeeee

My second work of "art".

I love this community!

Even though there's none for the pc show I did one anyways

@ampatent said:

FINALLY

@wikitoups said:

Even though there's none for the pc show I did one anyways

This is mad good

\m/ (-__-) \m/