Must be nice to know how to skin, wish I could enter, so sad.
There are tutorials here, and at the WinCustomize wiki page, not to mention a whole community of skinners who, if you post a question, will try their best to help you. I encourage you to begin your first attempt today. You might not be ready for this GUIC, but there will be other contests, and there are community projects that pop up from time to time. You can do it!