The Royal Academy of Bards
The Solstice Challenge Graphic Puzzle
and
The Annual Solstice Bard's Challenge
which is BC #18 if you are counting
The Challenge is to take any of the 25 holiday classic television shows or motion pictures listed below and make it your own. You can uber-ize it, Xena-tize it, Amazon-ize it or original-ize it; It’s up to you.
The catch?
You still must maintain the overall theme of the original.
Oh and notice that “A Christmas Carol” is not on the list. We weren’t going to make this that easy on you. <.g.>
Also be aware of these possible bonus opportunities:
- Including “known” XWP ‘verse Amazons will get you a point (up to five max) for each Amazon in your story.
- Including the title of any well-known Christmas carol in the story in any context other than as a song will get you a point each (up to ten max)
- Using “A Wish for Wings That Work” as your story base will get you undying gratitude from OZ (and an extra little prize too)…it’s my favorite.
There is only one category of competition this time: Best story (voted upon by the public)
The Christmas/Holiday Classics:
- Babes in Toyland
- Christmas in Connecticut
- Going My Way
- Holiday Inn
- Home Alone
- It Happened One Christmas
- It's a Wonderful Life
- Meet Me in St. Louis
- Miracle on 34th Street
- National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
- Prancer
- The Bells of St. Mary's
- The Bishop's Wife
- The Nutcracker
- The Santa Clause
- White Christmas
- A Charlie Brown Christmas
- A Wish for Wings That Work
- A Year Without a Santa Claus
- Frosty the Snowman
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas
- Nestor the Long-eared Christmas Donkey
- Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer
- Santa Claus is Coming to Town
- The Little Drummer Boy
The ROOLS
ROOOL #1: Participants are limited to only one entry.
ROOOL #2: All competing entries will be posted anonymously.
ROOOL #3: If you choose to participate but not compete in the voting category, your entry will be posted with your identification on it. Since it is not anonymous, you are allowed to include any characters that belong to you (from previous posted stories). Please indicate, clearly on your entry whether or not you are competing.
ROOOL #4: Competing stories must not exceed a maximum of 30 pages. They must have normal margins and use no smaller than an 11 font. (Steph “da boss” says so.) Please indicate/list at the end of your story which classic you are using and also any bonus points you are claiming.
ROOOL #5a: If you are competing, please do not reveal your participation to anyone who has the potential for being a voter…the only exception being…
ROOOL #5b: You may use a beta reader, but please keep the number of beta readers to a reasonable limit…anything more than three will be considered a violation of…
ROOOL #5c: Posting any of your entries on any other sites or lists (private or public) before the end of the contest is a BIG NO NO.
We ask that the entrants who are only participating and NOT competing to voluntarily obey this roool for the duration of the contest. Once the contest is over and the winners are announced, feel free to post EVERYWHERE,
ROOOL #6: There is no number six.
ROOOL #7: Please do not stuff the ballot box or lobby for votes...we at the Academy have gotten very good at identifying this behavior. We won't publicly embarrass you but we will quietly eliminate you from the contest.
The Academy folks are everywhere and know everything…we will find out.ROOOL #8:
The "Roools Committee" aka the Munchkins and I, reserve the final say on everything and anything concerning this challenge.
It's our sandbox <.Nyah.>DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES IS December 15th…Send it to: academy_contest@yahoogroups.com
I will acknowledge receipt of it within 24 hours, if I do not…please send it again to or contact me at PHIL728@aol.comThe WINNER (plus an honorable mention) will get a personalized framed tile, any Academy T-shirt and a gift certificate from their choice of one of several popular online retailers.