We'd like to start by thanking all the 51 participants for their time, participation and effort. And as a token of appreciation, here is a portion of a beautiful poem named "Dover Beach" by Matthew Arnold
The Sea of Faith
Was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore
Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled.
But now I only hear
Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,
Retreating, to the breath
Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear
And naked shingles of the world.
Ah, love, let us be true
To one another! for the world, which seems
To lie before us like a land of dreams,
So various, so beautiful, so new,
Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,
Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;
And we are here as on a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,
Where ignorant armies clash by night.
We have successfully ended the second round of our contest with 51 total entries. The count was less than our first run but, the quality of the posts is now so better than the previous entries; its almost eye pokingly good.
As always this time too, our gracious @Azircon "Dada" managed to put aside some time for us and our contest even amidst his busy schedule. This time the shortlist reached up to 31. And some of it was too good not to be awarded. But contests are contests and only the toppers win.
For now, our plan is to hold these contests for at least a few weeks. And if you didn't win this time, participate now, and hopefully, you will have a chance at it again.
But, let us remind you of one thing. These contests aren't just about the prizes. So, if you didn't win, there must be a pretty good reason behind it, or you just fell short before the finish line.
These contests are not about giving handouts to people who need it. For that, we have an ongoing and completely voluntary donation project. This is, so we get a chance to show the world our innate rich culture and our beautiful little native stories.
Our goal is to make this as fun and entertaining as possible. Honest engagements are the basic bricks and mortars for a great community. And that is what we are trying to do here, build a great community.
If you want to know what your entry lacked in, please read the following texts carefully. @Azircon was kind enough to share with us methods he used in selecting the best contents. These are his words without anything altered at all.
What worked:
Honesty. I can usually tell what people really want to do vs. what they are saying, thinking," it will work."
Originality. If someone says I want to buy a cow with 1000 Hive and defends it with convincing writing, that's original. Because, as a city dweller I won't buy a cow personally, but I can see why someone farming in the village want to buy a cow.
Flow. From beginning to end, the post kept the reader engaged, and the writing flows.
Personality. A person's writing tells me who they are. That is the goal of this contest
True Story (or its reverse construct): Personal stories about a memorable time/space. These are often hard to make up, so the winning ones were personal stories. Remember, in original writing, the story does not necessarily have to be true. But the way you write makes it true or false.
Style or destruction of Style: I am a big fan of "lack of formal structure" in a sentence construction. However, that comes after you know how to construct a formal sentence :blush: You learn the classic sentence construction first….. then break the rules :blush: Just like Picasso
What didn't work:
Images of poverty. Especially ones taken from internet (even with source cited). I grew up from a fairly economically disadvantaged background. I have seen plenty of poverty all over the world. I strongly believe that our culture is rich, and we have many things to contribute to the world other than poverty.
"Pie in the Sky" thoughts. I should say what Miss Universes say during a reception speech. "We are very proud, excited, and thrilled to receive the prize, and we will distribute it selflessly to the poor and the needy"…. No, that didn't work.
Missing the concept: Many people tried to write on a similar topic, like travel, friendship etc. Some of these posts are quite good, but they are off topic. What we are trying to do with these contests is to invite people to understand our culture.
Trying too hard. and missing the fun altogether.
Now, if you decide to participate in all the upcoming contests, including this one, just keep in mind a basic understanding of those great suggestions, and you'll be hard to beat.
@pitboyপরিণতি! (Love And Friendship)
@nirupom.azadরোদেলা দিনগুলি (A Story About How Friendships Are Precious and Should be Cherished.)
@simplifylife (Our community Doctor XDXD)Para is a Bengali word for Neighborhood.
We all have that place we love to call our home. But in reality, it's not only bound and limited to our house or our gardens, etc. It's comprised of that special view of nature bathing in golden light you see out of your window when you wake up in the morning. Or that special swing on a tree that only you had as a child that made your peers jealous. Small details like that are what make our house not just a home but a Para, which is full of dandelions, positive memories, and affection. Write about that.
Like the last contest, there will be a 100 hive prize pool, and it will be given to authors with the best top three entry as 50 for the first position, 30 and 20 for the second and third.
All the details and conditions of the contest are as follows.
If you have any questions regarding the contest, feel free to ask ZayedSakib#0458, Linco#6742, or head over to our community Discord and drop your queries there. Somebody will always be there to answer your questions.
Photo Taken from Pixabay
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