Potomac Phil, the taxidermied rodent who predicts both weather and politics, has made his prognostication, and National Park Service staffers are hard at work predicting when a certain set of trees will bring a blast of pink to the Tidal Basin. Spring is on its way to D.C., and so is one more sign of the seasonal change: Washington City Paper‘s annual Peeps diorama contest. 

Yes, the time has come for you, dear reader, to once again respond to the year’s news by creating art that incorporates neon-colored marshmallow animals. 

This year’s contest will work as it has in past years. 

First, you’ll need to create your diorama. Dioramas should be no bigger than 22 by 28 inches, roughly the size of a sheet of poster board.

Then take a picture of it and upload it to the Google Form at this link. We’ll also ask you to provide some additional information, like the name of your diorama, your name, your email address, and where you live. Submissions are due Sunday, April 5, at 11:59 p.m. EDT. 

SUBMIT YOUR DIORAMAS HERE!

A panel of esteemed judges (also known as the Washington City Paper staff) will review the submissions and pick finalists, who will be invited to bring their dioramas to our office and have them photographed for publication in City Paper.

Then, as we did last year, we’re turning it over to the readers. We’ll ask you to vote for your favorite finalists online, and the diorama with the most votes will appear on the cover of a future City Paper issue to be determined once it’s safe to transport sugar animal dioramas. Its creator will receive unlimited bragging rights, as well as a City Paper prize package. Photos of the other finalist dioramas will appear inside City Paper.

If you need inspiration, take a look at our previous winners online. Good luck!

A few rules:

– Do not submit dioramas you’ve submitted to any other Peeps contest.

– People domiciled with or related to City Paper staff members are not eligible to enter this contest.

– You must be able to drop off your diorama at City Paper‘s office in downtown D.C. (once it’s safe).

Photo by Flickr user Mike Mozart, used under a CC BY 2.0 license.