First Place
Author receives
50,000 GPS and a merit badge
Story receives a blue awardicon
Second Place
Author receives
25,000 GPS and a merit badge
Story receives a red awardicon
Third Place
Author receives
12,500 GPS and a merit badge
Story receives a Green awardicon
The judges will select the merit badge, with most winners earning the short story badge. The best stories will earn the exclusive Max Excellence badge
Judges may elect to award
Honorable Mentions, which may include up to 5000 GPS, a merit badge, and an awardicon for the story.
If there are
fewer than six entries in the contest,
only first and second place awards will be granted.
If there are
fewer than four entries in the contest,
the contest will be cancelled. Judges may opt to award Honorable Mention awards, including GPS and a merit badge.
Optional Obscure Magic Words Competition
As a special challenge, we've created a list of Obscure Magic Words. They are
APYROUS (impervious to fire),
FEBRILE (feverish),
PYROSOPHY (knowledge of fire),
ESTIVAL (pertaining to summer),
APRICATE (bask in the sun), and
CALEFACTION (the act of heating).
Contestants choosing to enter this second, optional contest will use
all of the Magic Words and
all of the Obscure Magic Words in their stories. We'll have an
additional and
separate motivation competition for the best story that that uses all of the Magic Words and all of the Obscure Magic Words. The author of the winning story in this category will earn
10,000 GPS and a
motivation merit badge. If there is only one entry in this category, it will recive the award. The winner in this category is eligible for the other awards mentioned above. Contestants wanting to enter this competition should check the appropriate box on the
entry form.
If you enter the motivation competition, please
highlight all nine of the magical words in your submission.
The
motivation competition requires a minimum of one entry that uses all of the magic words and obscure magic words and
does not depend on the total number of entries to the main contest. We will make the award for the
motivation contest even if only one contestant uses all nine magic words and the above minima are not met for the main contest.