We’ve finally squashed a nasty bug in our new contest system that was keeping us from announcing the winners, so without further ado, here they are!
1st place, $50 gift card to Amazon.com:
Circus’s careful attention to rhythm and meter highlights the powerful imagery that forms the core of this excellent poem.
2nd place, $25 gift card to Amazon.com:
FLAG, by Josiah Franco
Josiah takes us along on a ride with Kesey by playing with the visual layout in this piece. This is what poetry by Hunter S. Thompson might look like.
3rd place:
America the Beautiful, by Stewart Flintonlaubakersmith
Stewart’s quick and to-the-point take on the American dream is both fascinating and unnerving. The repetition in the opening and close drive the point home beautifully.
Congratulations to all of our winners, and remember, there’s still time to submit an entry to the October Writing Contest!
Winners of the August Science Fiction Writing Contests
The entries we read for this contest were all exceptional, and it was a hard decision–we were tempted to declare a tie! But alas, the laws of the contest are as immutable as the perpetual shine of Captain Picard’s pate, and we had to make a choice. Join us in congratulating the winners of the August contest!
1st place, $50 Amazon.com gift card, 10,000 Scribophile coins
Brother, Can You Spare The Time? by Ben Jacobson
Ben crafts a uniquely tense tale about a world where people live forever, but at the mercy of their jobs.
2nd place, $25 Amazon.com gift card, 5,000 Scribophile coins
Designed Intelligence, by Stefan Kaiser
Stefan’s highly readable story won us over with its imaginative structure and compelling twist.
3rd place, 5,000 Scribophile coins
Natalie’s story has all the elements of great writing–interesting premise, excellent pacing, and great execution.
The September Poetry Contest is open!
We’ve just announced the September Poetry Contest, open to all members. Since it was delayed a little bit this month, the contest will be running until October 7. Read about it at our fancy new contests section and start writing!
New Contests section
The September contest was delayed for a good reason: we were busy putting the finishing touches on our new Contests section. Check it out… you’ll be able to see current contests, contest entrants, and all of our past contests and winners in a nicely-organized layout. We have plans to expand it to a listing of contests around the internet, so check back soon.
As always, we love hearing what you think about any new features. Let us know your thoughts in the comments or drop us a line through email!
We know, we know… we’re a little behind on the September contest. But we haven’t been lolling in our hammocks, piña coladas in one hand and cigars in the other, no; there’s a good reason for our being late. We’ve been working on a brand new contest page, and we want to get it up and running before we announce the new contest! The new page will feature an archive of past contests, winners, clearer rules and submission procedures, and that wonderful new-software smell. So hang tight–we’re hoping to get it up by tomorrow.
We’ve resolved the issues with editing chapters. Give it a try again, and if any weird things keep happening, just get in touch with us and we’ll make sure you’re up and running again. Thanks for your patience!
Some of you may be having problems editing works/chapters. We just wanted to let everyone know that we’re looking in to it, and we’ll have a fix up soon. In the meantime, hang tight, and enjoy this short interview with Douglas Adams:
We spent a long time poring over the entries for the July poetry contest. As usual, the quality of each entry was excellent–you guys manage to consistently impress us! That being said, a few of the entries really stood out, and we’re happy to announce the winners:
1st place, $50 Amazon.com gift card:
We were very impressed by Natalie’s careful attention to rhyme, meter, and form in her excellent entry. An easy-flowing beat and a consistent and well-managed rhyme scheme really drew us in; that she wrapped a complicated question and deeply personal answer into the whole package made it a clear choice for the contest. Great work!
2nd place, $25 gift card to Amazon.com
After Reading Camus, by MIchael Bourgoise
Michael’s entry tries to embody a question of absurdity and succeeds brilliantly. Quick and sharp yet approachable and easy-to-read, Michael’s verse made us chuckle just as much as it made us wonder. Our favorite line: “pointless needs enraptured by pointless contraptions”–just listen to that consonance!
3rd place, warm fuzzies
Moving Target by Laurie Paulsen
Laurie’s short piece is a great example of how word choice can make a poem. By carefully controlling her diction, Laurie creates a mood and weaves a theme through a very physical location; she describes a place we’ve all been to, but skillfully crafts an added air of both tension and mystery that transforms the physical into something more. Well done!
Join us in congratulation the winners of the July contest, and thanks to everyone who entered!
The August Science Fiction Writing Contest
If poetry isn’t your thing, you might want to check out this month’s Scribophile writing contest. We’re accepting science fiction short stories through August 31. Entry is free, so read more about the contest and start writing!