RetroDaze
Craving
Fruit Brute
Since 1983.
Fruit Brute
Since 1983.
RETRORATING: 11
RETRORATING: 16
Forum » Take Heed! - Announcements » Halloween Article Contest 2015
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Well, another Halloween Article Contest is in the books, and the entries have been emailed to our generous judge, Lesley Bannatyne. She will begin reading them this weekend. I expect the judging to take a bit longer this year, considering the amount of entries and the length of some of them. So hang tight!
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I submitted mine last night, did it make the deadline?
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And now... the winners!!!!!!! Yes, there are three runner ups this year. As there should be... there were way too many great entries!
The runner-ups will each receive a $50 Amazon Digital Gift Card that can be used to "liven up" their Halloweens! Straight from the judge herself: Hi Tony, OK - here we go. The last two entries were in a whole different category than the first bunch you sent - they were "story" stories, where many of the others were essays. They were both very good, so I picked one of those as the winner. I've also given you three runner-ups, rather than two. I really couldn't decide. "Unmasked" is in there because of its emotional truth, and "I was born in love with Halloween" because of the clear power it had - short and to the point. "Autumn people" I couldn't say no to because it was different from all the other entries, and quite evocative. There were actually many stories that I considered as good as those in the top four, and I think you could say that my final choices reflect personal taste rather than the writer's expertise. Where there were similar-themed stories (e.g. a middle-schooler's last trick or treat, or a child's memory of Halloween), I chose one, meaning several of those were good enough to have made it into the top four, but I could only pick one. I really considered one of the movie summaries because it dug a little deeper, but in the end, the fiction won. Thanks so much for asking me to be a part of this. Here you go: http://www.retro-daze.org/site/article/id/797 1st Fright Night – a Retro Narrative This well-put-together story of romantic revenge taken on the last trick-or-treating night of an eight grader’s life is full of realism and colorful detail. It has the breathless narrative speed that reminded me of the Halloween Tree, and the vivid sensory descriptors put the reader right in the cornfield, at the dance, in school with the main character. Runners-up: http://retro-daze.org/site/article/id/792: I was born in love with Halloween I did love this touching and brave piece, not just for its emotional power, but because it was crisply shaped and evocative.
http://retro-daze.org/site/article/id/759: The coming of the Autumn people A ghost tale that nudges you down Halloween-y streets and back into the shadows, I enjoyed the poetic tone intercut with literary excerpts.
http://retro-daze.org/site/article/id/737: Unmasked The dialogue and truth of this story about an old crank and a tender 12-year-old was a good slice of realism, full of both the joy and the emotional complexity that Halloween can bring. Congratulations to vkimo, NLogan, kidcoffee, and AngelOtter for their victories this year! You love this signature.
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Congrats
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Quote Disable Sigs |
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Yeah, I know. vkimo appears to be unstoppable in these contests. Even with different judges for each one. I'm pretty sure he is paying them on the side, but still making a profit with his winnings.
 And now to reveal the "mystery" Grand Prize:  Right click on the above image for a bit better view of everything. So what all is in there? Here's the list:
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Nobody can stop Stupendous Man!!! Also thank you, and congrats to everyone. This was a fun contest and has definitely put me in the Halloween spirit.
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Lesley is my aunt.. Sike!
Wow, I'm thrilled! This contest was so big I really didn't know what to expect..over 20 entries! I still remember the first Retro Daze article contest that had like 3 entries haha I hope no one feels cheated since mine was a fiction piece. I wrote so extensively on last year's Halloween contest I had to go another route. Looking forward to seeing what the winnings are! Also noticed a goofy error in my article " but with Halloween landing on a 13th of Friday.... " Oh boy haha |
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vkimo wrote :You fool! How could you!  vkimo wrote :Uhhh... look up 3 posts from this one. You love this signature.
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I noticed that error. Really made me stumble for a minute trying to figure it out, lol
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