As things settle out here at Worldbuilders HQ, I took the time to go through some more photo contest entries again.
If you don’t remember the Photo Contest… well… it’s probably not your fault given that I actually started this contest back in 2011 and am only now finally getting around to posting up the winners.
In my defense, there were over a thousand entries. But honestly, even that isn’t much of an excuse. There’s a reason why I’m thinking of getting business cards made that list my title as “King of Broken Promises.”
If you want to see the previous photo contest posts, they’re over here.
But for now, let’s move on to today’s categories.
- Heavy Book
When the hardcover of The Wise Man’s Fear came out, it was the same size as NOTW. However, it was also 330 pages longer. This led to a book that was startlingly heavy to some folks. So it makes sense that about a dozen folks made that the focus of their their photo entries.
This one’s called, “Discarding the old equipment:”
Even the hero of Canton can’t hold it up forever.
Honorable Mention
I like this one because it went for the more subtle approach…. at least in the image itself. The title was slightly more forthright: “Doctor, my spine is broken.”
Winner
This one rings the winning bell because of the implication that the heft of the book is part of its therapeutic charm. Bridget had this to say when she sent the photos:
“Reading Kvothe’s story is enjoyably therapeutic. Yours words are like the basalt stones, heavy and dark but with the deep, sigh-inducing weight of ancient warmth seeping into my tense muscles and tired bones, melting the stress of the day into a puddle of wax.”
Awwww….
- Things We Fear
This was another category with a dozen or so entries….
Dentists are a pretty obvious fear, especially if they read while drilling your teeth.
Honorable Mention
This picture might have been baffling (see our final category below) if not for the title, which was “Fear of Rabbits.”
I don’t know if they’re making a specific reference to Anya from Buffy, but I thought it was off-beat enough to warrant an honorable mention.
Winner
Yeah. Clowns. Winner.
Don’t make eye contact. Let’s move on.
- Congrats, you have baffled me.
This was a surprisingly large category, comprised entirely of pictures that… well… that just confused the hell out of me.
Don’t get me wrong. I *like* a lot of these pictures.
But I have no idea what they were meant to convey.
Is there a narrative here? An implication?
Did my book get you pregnant? Congratulations? I’m sorry?
Is this a metaphor? Does the fancy giraffe represent… strife? Man’s inhumanity to man? The uncaring chains of fate and causality that bind us all?
More importantly, is Yoda shoving something up that wooden man’s ass?
Some of these I’m sure have hidden meaning. I know if I viewed them through the proper lens, they would reveal their mysteries to me.
Like this one:
It took me ages to realize it’s about Auri.
Before you realize that, it’s utterly confusticating. But after you make the connection, the picture makes perfect sense. It tells a story. What’s more, it’s rather sweet.
But some pictures… I don’t think there’s any hidden meaning. Some pictures, I’m pretty sure y’all are just fucking with me.
Like bookface.
And the bone cake.
And… this.
But when two men ride of a horse, one must ride behind. So…
Honorable Mention
This one tugged my heartstrings for sheer enthusiasm. I don’t know why she’s wearing a swim cap and goggles, and honestly I don’t care. I’m just glad you’re happy. You keep being your awesome self.
Winner
(Click to Embiggen. It’s worth it.)
Here we have a beautiful, delightfully mysterious masterpiece. The title of the image? “Bird.”
Winners will be receiving a set of the rare gold talent pipes that I give to beta readers and other folks that have made my life better/cooler.
And you know what? Because I feel bad that it’s taken me ages to get around to awarding prizes, we’ll give out pipes to the honorable mentions too.
If your picture was a winner, keep an eye on whatever email you used in 2011, because we’ll be contacting you to make sure we have the right address for you.
* * *
Lastly, as I’ve mentioned, there are too many pictures to post up in the blog. If you’d like to check the other ones out, you can head over to the Flickr stream we made. And by “we” I mean “Amanda” because we’ve all seen what happens when you wait for me to get shit done…
More photo contest results soon,
pat