New Project- CGTalk Challenge

I've decided to finally take the plunge and enter a CGTalk challenge. And I must say I'm scared. Its the first time I've done anything like this, and I'm up against true professionals who have been working in the industry for years. But I do think I may be in for a chance, and I think I have a pretty solid concept. Anyways, the competition is outlined below:

The CGSociety is home to one of the largest and rapidly growing collections of the most fantastic alien images. In Uplift Universe - Alien Relations, you are challenged to go beyond the simple creation of an alien, and show the interaction between humans and aliens.

There are many books, films and myths based on aliens that could inspire entrants. However there is perhaps one epic series that explores the interactions of aliens and humans more than any other - David Brin's multi-award winning Uplift series.

We are especially pleased to invite you to create your image in a setting within the epic backdrop of David Brin’s Uplift Universe Series. This includes the classic novel, Startide Rising which won Nebula, Hugo, and LOCUS Awards for Best Novel in 1983.

David Brin’s Uplift Universe is an epic spanning 5 Galaxies and billions of years of history. The story David tells over 6 blockbuster novels, is one of political and personal intrigue set in the near future. The epic centers on humans and their two Uplifted client races: Neo-Chimps and Neo-Dolphins. Upon contact with the galactic civilizations, the human clan and their clients are a source of trouble from the start…

We have provided a lot of reference material on the 'inspiration' page. David Brin has also selected scenes that he suggests you could focus on. We also have passages from his books and sample images from David Brin and Kevin Lenagh’s book “Contacting Aliens - An illustrated guide to David Brin’s Uplift Universe”.

I'll post my concept when I think its safe to lol.