Beyond The Water's Edge Hall of Fame

MAY 2011

PROMPT
PERSUASIVE ESSAY:Pretend I'm a big-time software developer (like Microsoft), who has come up with a product that becomes so popular, it's become a worldwide standard (like Microsoft Office). I've been charging an arm and a leg for it because most people will pay it. Still, it's expensive, and you've decided to write me a letter to convince me that I should give it away for free (or at least heavily discount it) for people who can't afford it (students, educators, senior citizens, military, whatever).

NOTE: Feel free to base this letter/essay on a real software product, or make something up.

WINNERS
No Entries


APRIL 2011

PROMPT
NARRATIVE ESSAY: Pretend that you're President of the United States (or Prime Minister, or King, or Emperor... the leader of whatever country you hail from). Write a narrative essay about a real formative experience that you (the author) have actually experienced in your real life, and write about how that event shaped you into the kind of political leader that you are today (you can be either loved or hated, depending on your opinion of yourself )..

WINNERS
No Entries


MARCH 2011

PROMPT
EXPOSITORY ESSAY: Present a fair and unbiased assessment of the pros and cons of cheating/scamming the system (i.e. on a test, your taxes, etc. Not infidelity).

WINNERS
CONSOLATION PRIZE: "Cheating"   [ASR] by ~*Arpita*~


JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2011

PROMPT
PERSUASIVE ESSAY: Write an argument in favor of the recreational use of time travel.

WINNERS
CONSOLATION PRIZE: "Invalid Item"   [] by A Guest Visitor






PRE-2011

DECEMBER 2009

PROMPTS
FAMILY: Write a story about family coming together for the holidays.
TRAVEL: Write a story about being stranded in an unfamiliar place for the holidays.
FOOD/COOKING: Write a story about a memorable holiday meal that doesn't go exactly as planned.

WINNERS
1ST PLACE: "Invalid Item"   [] by A Guest Visitor
2ND PLACE: Insufficient Entries
3RD PLACE: Insufficient Entries
HONORABLE MENTION: None


JANUARY 2010

PROMPTS
MUSIC: Write a story that centers around the importance of some type of music.
ROMANCE: Write a story about a warm, cozy romance set against cold winter weather.
ANIMAL: Write a story which features an animal as a central character.

WINNERS
1ST PLACE: "Invalid Item"   [] by A Guest Visitor
2ND PLACE: "The Sacrifice of Magpies"   [ASR] by Pennataur
3RD PLACE: "Invalid Item"   [] by A Guest Visitor
HONORABLE MENTION: None


FEBRUARY 2010

PROMPTS
MYSTERY: Write a story about a Valentine's Day mystery.
WESTERN: Write a story that features either a frontier town or ghost town, a sheriff, a saloon girl, and a card game.
POLITICAL: Write a story about a prominent public servant with a personal life best kept under wraps.

WINNERS
1ST PLACE: "Aces and Eights"   [13+] by denimguy
2ND PLACE: Insufficient Entries
3RD PLACE: Insufficient Entries
HONORABLE MENTION: None


MARCH & APRIL 2010

PROMPTS
COMMUNITY: Write a story that takes place in or around a small town community.
EDUCATIONAL: Write a story featuring a professional character in the field of education (but it can't be a teacher or student!).
FANTASY: Write a story that includes some kind of traditional fantasy element (castle, dragon, knight, dungeon, magic, etc.) set in the modern world.

WINNERS
1ST PLACE: "Memories of a Mississippi Summer"   [18+] by Winnie Kay
2ND PLACE: "Invalid Item"   [] by A Guest Visitor
3RD PLACE: "The Hunting License"   [E] by Bikerider
HONORABLE MENTION: None


MAY 2010

PROMPTS
ENVIRONMENTAL: Write a story that features or centers around an environmental issue like pollution, global warming, a natural disaster, deforestation, urban sprawl, etc.
GENEALOGY: Write a story about uncovering an unexpected secret in a character's family past.
FASHION: Write a story involving a fashion show in Paris or New York.

WINNERS
1ST PLACE: None
2ND PLACE: None
3RD PLACE: None
HONORABLE MENTION: None


JUNE 2010

PROMPTS
DETECTIVE: Give me an old-fashioned, noir detective story. Hard boiled detective, femme fatale, the works.
HISTORY: Create a fictional story set against the backdrop of either the American Revolution, the Renaissance, or feudal Japan.
SPORTS: Write a story about an aging champion and an up-and-coming star (in any sport you wish).

WINNERS
1ST PLACE: None
2ND PLACE: None
3RD PLACE: None
HONORABLE MENTION: None


JULY 2010

PROMPTS
ACTION/ADVENTURE: It's the height of the summer movie season... give me a story with rip-roaring action sequences that leaves me begging to see them turn it into a big summer movie!
MEDICAL: Write a story that takes place in a hospital or medical office.
CHILDRENS: Write a story appropriate for kids (all the way up through Young Adult/Teen).


WINNERS
1ST PLACE: None
2ND PLACE: None
3RD PLACE: None
HONORABLE MENTION: None


SEPTEMBER 2010

PROMPT
ACTION/ADVENTURE & ROMANCE: An unlikely pair on the run.


WINNERS
CONSOLATION PRIZE: "The New Deal"   [18+] by TheSpirit


OCTOBER 2010

PROMPT
GOTHIC & WESTERN: A showdown in a border/frontier town.


WINNERS
CONSOLATION PRIZE: "Invalid Item"   [] by A Guest Visitor
"Mirrors Lie"   [18+] by Than Pence
"The Black Glass Window of Room 32"   [18+] by TheSpirit


NOVEMBER 2010

PROMPT
FOOD/COOKING & MUSIC: A large family reunites for the Thanksgiving holiday.


WINNERS
CONSOLATION PRIZE: "A Rinkydink Thanksgiving"   [13+] by Maulpartin