It's time to vote, folks!
Hop on over to the BCTS Patreon and let us know which entry YOU feel deserves to take home the prize! Or prizes, as the case may be. You can vote for as many stories as you want, too, so don't feel afraid to select ALL your favorites!
Voting is open to everyone, not just Patreon subscribers, and closes on March 29, 2023 at midnight PDT.
Need to catch up on the stories first? Here's the complete list of valid entries that are available to vote for.
To Kyra and Back by Gillian Chambers
Artistry Without Motion by Set3
Transference Abduction by Rachel M. Moore
The Meaning of a Name by Cornelius Tufle
Taken by the Grey Folk by Leanna19
Abducted FOR an Alien by Ricky
876976880 Circuit Malfunction by Susan Brown
Once again, feel free to vote for as many as you want!
In addition to the above entries, we also had several stories that, for one reason or another, didn't meet "official entry" criteria. Maybe they were too short. Maybe the person entered multiple stories. Maybe, just maybe, they were too short AND I wrote it, so it's invalid anyway! Nevertheless, these entries deserve to see some love too, so once you've taken care of voting, be sure to also read these other tales.
An Ordinary Friday Night by Cornelius Tufle
And, as a final recommendation, be sure to search the site's contents for pretty much anything by Laika, from any time ever.
A huge thanks to everyone who participated in the contest! We've got Big Plans for the future, so keep your eyes peeled. And, just in case you missed it, don't forget that we announced next month's challenge: Take Your Daughter To Work Day! So whether you're a reader or a writer, let's all get hyped for even more great stories from the community!
UPDATE:
Jennifer Sue let me know that I missed adding her entry to the contest to both this blog and the poll itself.
Unfortunately, we can't update the poll, so I'll personally offer her a consolation prize for being left out.
That said, be sure to give her story a look too!
Comments
Link please
How about a link to the voting.
Hugs
Patricia
Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt
Ich bin eine Mann
Click on "The Official Poll!"
That's the link to it :)
Melanie E.
Length limit. Oh No!
D'oh. I should have read the contest rules more clearly. Still, at least one of my stories was long enough. I'll try harder next time.
If it makes you feel better
I would have wound up disqualifying your second story anyway, because you *did* have two, and only one story by any author can be up for vote :)
For the purposes of this contest I assumed the second story an author posted would be the one they wanted to enter, but part of that was time crunch: ideally, I'd rather ask authors who enter multiple stories which is their preference.
Melanie E.
*sotto voce* My timing is >so< "off"...
Anyhow, I would like to "dedicate" my most recent Hatbox contribution to whoever wins.
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A lot of really, really good stories and writing. Thanks All!!
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I glad there is not a Single Judge on this contest.
And I'm really glad I'm not the Single Judge ...
Or even a on "judging committee" (and who would pick judges?) ...
So letting us all vote is probably best. Except for making me nuts, but in a good way.
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Then I went to vote ... I'd like to vote for all ... but "a rising tide lifts all boats", and would not help decide winner(s)...
-
Then how to decide. I did the 'ten point scale' thing - and got everything from (mumble) to a 10-double plus. And I got a lot of tens ... OK, that "helped" - not much.
So I looked again, using criteria that will stay private, and got down to just (mumble) votes. And I might change one or two votes if it looks like one of my 'faves' can't win, but I can push another fave into "might win".
===
Nope. None of this grumbling. A lot of Very Good Reads (maybe not all 'to my taste, but hey), and I had a lot of fun.
Thanks All!
Did Patreon Scare Potential Voters Away?
It's an hour and a half before the close of voting, and despite the vote-for-as-many-as-you-want rules, there's no story with more than 12 votes, and 117 votes in all. (It's not a secret ballot; the vote count is on the screen.)
I'd guess that around 25 people have voted. That's not a whole lot more than the number of stories submitted -- 23, if you count the ones that weren't on the ballot.
In contrast, seven of hw 16 stories have more than 100 kudos, so it wouldn't seem that it's for lack of enthusiasm for the stories. I realize the two figures aren't completely comparable; I gave kudos to 14 of the stories and voted for four. But the difference is striking.
So it makes me wonder if people were afraid they'd have to pay for the privilege, or that they'd have to provide information that they didn't want to divulge. I know the first isn't true, and I don't think the second is.
Eric
I didn’t vote
...because I had skin in the game. I didn’t think it would be right to play any part in the voting process. A shame not to see more voting, given how many reads and thumbs up were seen on various stories, but if the other fourteen authors all declined to vote as I did, that’s a sizable chunk of the active BC community.
Congratulations to the two winners!
Sugar and Spiiice – TG Fiction by Bryony Marsh
At least it isn't a Google Poll
Where you have to have a Google account in order to vote.
To paraphrase a current UK TV advert.
I do not use Google Chrome, I do not use Gmail, I do not use Google anything and I certainly do not use a Google Pixel phone.
As for voting, I voted for one story and it wasn't my own. I don't think that is fair, voting for you own work. As for which one that is? That is between me and my maker.
Samantha
Me, too . . . .
I mean, I guess it would be fair to vote for your own piece, but I wouldn’t feel right. Still, there were several entries from other authors that I liked a lot, and the rules allowed me to vote for all of them! Yay!
That said, to Bryony’s point, if you and I both voted, Sam, I’m guessing some other authors did, too. Which means overall participation in the voting was even more anemic.
I wasn’t around when earlier contests were run, but if they didn’t use Patreon and the voting was more robust, it might be worth going back to that system at least for the next contest, just to see whether Patreon was a factor. I will say that the Patreon site’s warnings about tracking the computer you use to access it are a bit off-putting.
Still, the contest was fun and I think it pulled some good stories out of the noggins of a lot of good writers. So, a big “thanks” and kudos to Melanie for all her hard work!
— Emma
Sorry/Sad. Yes, I read 'Patreon' as PAY-treon or Patron
... either way as "one who pays or financially supports" Artists, Crafters, etc. This did delay me in voting.
I'm on fixed income (yada-yada omitted), and I had to 'poke' Patreon a few times before I believed "Yes, Poll & Voting is free".
I think I found a Big Problem with the polling 'mechanics'
Using your link from BCTS, I voted. And later checked on votes and adjusted my votes.
Later, for some reason, I went 'straight in' to Patreon (coming in through the front door by using my browser).
==> And it seems I could Vote Again. <==
Somehow I was a different 'net-izen'.
First thought was "I could >so< game (*) this by double-voting ...".
Second thought was "Erase my double vote, Get Out, use only the BCTS entry-point, and Shut Up until polling closes".
I hope I'm mistaken about what I saw ...
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(*) I live in Chicago, IL, USA - One of the most corrupt cities, in one of most corrupt states in the country. I have so many Bad Examples to learn from. {insert sad & frowny faces}
Eh
You came in a different door so you got a different identifier. Happens with the Drupal voting system if we don't limit voting to members only.
Not sure how to fix it or if it is fixable. Hmmm. Thanks for letting us know.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.