https://steemitimages.com/0x0/https://steemitimages.com/0x0/https://steemitimages.com/DQmbFiupN1A1RTksJ4LydStqkEBzuR7Wism21oTkUuD2U9a/sndboxloop_1.gif

<center> *Animation by [contest winner](https://steemit.com/competition/@sndbox/state-of-the-sndbox-monthly-thumbnail-competition-the-winners-200-sbd-prizes) @animate* </center>

*State of the Sndbox is a weekly newsletter that provides the latest in Sndbox activities, introduces the newest members and projects, and provides the best resources in creative empowerment for the Steemit community. To get up-to-date on all of our development throughout the week, be sure to follow us @Sndbox.*


## This Week in the Sndbox
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**Welcome to the 6th State of the Sndbox newsletter!** Over the last several days, we’ve launched a few exciting initiatives to collaborate with Steemians to develop educational and creative content in diverse ways. You can see the most recent [**Upvotes of the Week** here](https://steemit.com/curation/@sndbox/upvotes-of-the-week-08-28-09-04-17) and major summaries of our latest developments below - 

https://steemitimages.com/0x0/https://steemitimages.com/DQmeJFZaM84USAuSZgbMN17o3VhZRayqQt9VUkM5Xr5Kw12/180831_Globe-01.png

## Building Sndcastles Worldwide 
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Last Thursday we launched our major international initiative to cultivate strong Steemit communities around the world. We understood the need for resources and programs, particularly in smaller foreign-language communities for the sake of trust and network building. Our solution is support Sndcastle Projects - Steemit accelerators that we would support through upvotes, publicity, programming material, and free access to use and traslate our @sndbox content. 

Our first Sndcastle communities are @tach in Turkey, led by @monomyth, and @stach in Nigeria, led my @ejemai. Learn all about the details and roadmap [here](https://steemit.com/incubator/@sndbox/announcing-sndcastle-projects-a-new-model-for-cultivating-community-growth-and-engagement-on-steemit).

https://steemitimages.com/0x0/https://i.hizliresim.com/G0qbRN.png

## Launching the Monthly Thumbnail Contest
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After our initial month of beta-testing in August, we decided to try out a monthly competition to cultivate more of Steemit’s creativity. We never expected such incredible submissions by so many new and veteran Steemians. You can read [our announcement and details](https://steemit.com/competition/@sndbox/the-first-state-of-the-sndbox-monthly-thumbnail-competition-200-sbd-in-prizes) and we’ll definitely be conducting these types of competitions every month. 

You can view all the [submission and winning entries here](https://steemit.com/competition/@sndbox/state-of-the-sndbox-monthly-thumbnail-competition-the-winners-200-sbd-prizes).

https://steemitimages.com/0x0/https://steemitimages.com/DQmV3wCY2bvAR8bWAf3yxnyLY1txeXNmvwQ5n4HRNTZ4rUY/170801_State-of-the-Sandbox-04.png

Each week we’ll introduce the newest @sndbox members and share updates on their work. **Be sure to give each of these new Steemians a warm welcome! Follow their profiles for more on their respective interests and practices.**

![170906_State-of-the-Sandbox-01.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmRVPyogeUyHRafgKZrAGpZspWiBsxoqeJ4Zy1WbP2C4mT/170906_State-of-the-Sandbox-01.png)

**@erb is an artist, designer, and writer based in LA.** He’s an original co-founder of the @hitheryon quartet and pursues an exciting range of creative projects including illustrations, short stories and art installations. Be sure to [check out his introduction post](https://steemit.com/introducemyself/@erb/artist-designer-writer-in-la-co-founder-of-hither-yon-collective-excited-to-share-my-creative-process), and follow his page for more such as [today’s post](https://steemit.com/art/@erb/hither-yon-building-005-einstein-s-birdcages-or-our-collaborative-design-process) on our collaborative @hitheryon process!

![170906_State-of-the-Sandbox-03.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmax8rxMeAr3ah2yMmQxdLSR6XN5hLHiY5wpCBVyY2fYi3/170906_State-of-the-Sandbox-03.png)

## What to Look Out For This Week
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Tomorrow, we’ll start a series of posts that analyze the real implications of blockchain technology in the creative world. As always, Sndbox is committed to empowering the way creatives make an impact in the world and these posts will help develop those strategies. 

On Friday we’ll do another Toolkit post focusing on *how payouts work* on Steemit. The post will cover payout options, payout schedules and curation rewards. 

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[![sndbox_footer.gif](https://steemitimages.com/DQmTtZa5iAivP1Pjume6i9Dmy2zztoGig5UKsxs5uB57mCr/sndbox_footer.gif)](https://steemit.com/@sndbox)