Thursday, August 6, 2009

OMG OMG OMG I WON! Sort of.

I entered a story contest and I WON I WON I WON HOLYCRAP I WON†!!!

†Disclaimer: Don't get too excited. Read more.

Goodnites, a type of pull-ups for older kids who are still having problems staying dry at night, is currently running a contest that asks people to share special bedtime moments, routines, tips, etc. The set-up on their website is:


The few moments you share with your child at bedtime – whether reading a chapter of a favorite book, making up a fairytale or wishing your child sweet dreams with a kiss – can become moments treasured and remembered forever.

If you have a special bedtime routine, story, moment and/or tip, we want to hear from you. Your entry could be selected and featured as a weekly "Bedtime Moment of the Week," and you will be entered for a chance to win a Grand Prize bedroom makeover for your child, an inviting space to share more lasting memories together.

By sharing your special bedtime moment, you’ll help parents who may be in the dark over nighttime issues with their kids, like bedwetting, put the focus back on what really matters at night. Help us shine a light on special bedtime moments.


You can enter once per day, as many times as you like over the course of the contest. I entered three stories; my first entry apparently sucked*, as it was delegated to the sad, dusty little corner of nothingness reserved for, well, supremely sucky stories. My second entry was a bit better - it was chosen as a "featured moment" in Week 2, which means it was close but no cigar (or, in this case, no $25 Amazon gift card).

BUT.

BUT!

My last entry was chosen as the WINNER! of Week 4.

That's right people. WINNER!

As a weekly WINNER!, I am now eligible to win one of the two $2500 grand prize awards, which, according to the official rules, is a check that "may be used toward a children’s bedroom makeover."

Think about that.

10 weekly winners. 2 checks.

Nice odds, no?

Well, it would be if odds mattered. Sadly, it's not that easy. Dammit. The grand prizes will not be awarded by random drawing of weekly WINNERS! Apparently, that's too boring, too dull, too unfun for the bastards folks down at Goodnites. Instead, the weekly WINNERS! will be judged against each other, using the same criteria that made us WINNERS! in the first place: Originality (25%), Creativity (25%) and Relevance to Bedtime (50%).

So instead of a 20% chance to win $2500, I am now thrown to the sharks judges, my sweet little story up for discussion and dissection against nine other crappy not as good equally worthy WINNERS!.

The grand prize winners will be chosen "on or around" August 15th. Oh goodie. That gives me at least 10 more days of obsessing and stressing and nerves and re-reading my story over and over again and plotting to off the other WINNERS! devising a way to bribe the judges hoping against hope that my story wins. Because really, it's not about the $2500. It's not!
It's. Not.
Okay, well it is a little bit. But mostly, it's about receiving validation that my story, *my writing*, is good. Good enough to stand up to judgement and come out on top.

Huh. Do you know how hard it is to blog with all of your fingers crossed?

www.goodnites.com/na/Contest/WinnersList-Archive.aspx



*Despite the judges' judgy judgyness, I stand by my first entry. It is most definitely better than quite a few of the ones picked as featured moments, and in my completely unbiased opinion it is in all reality more than worthy of being a WINNER! Obviously, the judgy judging judges** got it all wrong that week.

**This is no way refers to the top-notch, discerning judges of Week 4.

1 comment:

Nathan said...

I hope the judge-iest of adjudicators from the jurisdiction of judging are not using their judicious powers to jealously adjourn your story.

That would just be silly.

Great job love!