December Awesome Post Contest?

November 12, 2011 9:44 AM

Is there an interest in (or plan to have) another December awesome post contest this year?

This is one of my favorite times of the year for many reasons, but when we've done this contest in the past, it's been a bit of icing on the cake. It's a lot of fun and has encouraged a a lot of quality posts.

Last year, we received a number during December that were well received, including two of the highest "bookmarked" in the history of the site (thanks, Rhaomi!).

Here they were:

This isn't your grandfather's science fiction

The Post That Cannot Possibly Go Wrong

These are some others from that month that were quiet well received:

An overload of Mystery Science Theater musical moments

The holidays just aren't the same without old movies

The Hitchhiker's Guide to Humanity

Hoy por ti, mañana por mí.

Quiet Riot

Explorations of a Recreational Mathematician

European 14th Century Cookbooks

So I'm just throwing this out there. Maybe it's in the works, but I wanted to bring it up (and maybe stir up some support and enthusiasm for this great tradition), just in case. Even if there were no prizes, I'd find it quite a bit of fun.

posted by SpacemanStix to MetaFilter-Related at 9:44 AM (22 comments total)

I love this about December as well, and hope it's on this year, too. Reading each extra-specially epic post is like unwrapping another Christmas present!
posted by misha at 10:10 AM on November 12, 2011 [1 favorite]

Yeah I'd support another one, same sort of prize list.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 10:14 AM on November 12, 2011 [2 favorites]

As a reader, I loved the contest. I am still trying to get through last year's links!
posted by lampshade at 10:28 AM on November 12, 2011

I vote yes.
posted by rtha at 11:31 AM on November 12, 2011

Who was the winner last year?

The community.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 11:34 AM on November 12, 2011 [13 favorites]

This was my effort, though not as heavily favorited and thus probably not recognized as such.
posted by Toekneesan at 11:53 AM on November 12, 2011

This was my effort, though not as heavily favorited and thus probably not recognized as such.

Sorry if my examples implied that the only goods ones received a ton of favorites. Not quite what I was going for...
posted by SpacemanStix at 12:00 PM on November 12, 2011

I liked the year(s?) when there were three categories; single-link, few links, thundering link-behemoth. I love thundering link-behemoths and everything but that shouldn't be the only kind of great post the contest encourages.
posted by churl at 12:09 PM on November 12, 2011 [2 favorites]

As it happens, I just found something that I think would be competitive in the single-link category.

If there's going to be a contest, I don't want to waste it tomorrow.
posted by Trurl at 2:00 PM on November 12, 2011

I'd like to do it the same way, more or less, that we did it last time with a few categories and maybe a "moderator's choice" [probably anon as to which mod] so we could all pull one out that we really enjoyed.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 2:08 PM on November 12, 2011 [2 favorites]

Okay! So anonymously list those fetishes so we can cater appropriately.
posted by seanmpuckett at 2:11 PM on November 12, 2011

Yeah I'd support another one, same sort of prize list.
posted by mathowie

Wait, you would or you will? Is that conditional on something?
posted by StickyCarpet at 2:18 PM on November 12, 2011

I think it's more like:

"would you like to do this?"

"Yeah, I'd like to do this."
posted by taz (staff) at 2:48 PM on November 12, 2011

I'd hope that be seen as a joke (I'm certainly not in the running, having never made an FPP.)
posted by StickyCarpet at 2:58 PM on November 12, 2011

I'm certainly not in the running, having never made an FPP.

If you win, it will thus be all the more glorious. This is your hour, StickyCarpet.
posted by SpacemanStix at 3:28 PM on November 12, 2011

seanmpuckett: "Okay! So anonymously list those fetishes so we can cater appropriately."

Shouldn't this be in the Quonsar thread?

I'd love to see a December FPP contest, some great stuff came out of it last year.
posted by arcticseal at 4:56 PM on November 12, 2011

hal_c_on: "Who was the winner last year"

Me! Though I got a significant assist from the yoz. Other winners were channey's Bell Labs post (single link), filthy light thief's Hero of Canton (multi-link), and JHarris's MST3K round-up (megalink).
posted by Rhaomi at 6:35 PM on November 12, 2011

Last December I had an FPP favorited by mathowie hisself, which made me think I might get one of those iPads. But NOOOOOOOOO!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:53 AM on November 13, 2011 [1 favorite]

Ack. I have a few big posts I've been thinking about, and half pondering holding them off with the hope of a December contest, which makes me feel like a jerk. But now I'll polish them up properly, instead of that 11th hour link-tastrophe which made my computer crash a few times, and broke the limits for both a post and a single comment.

Fun fact: the Hero of Canton was a topic I heard about a few days before I posted it, and just thought it was a neat story. In other words: you probably can't plan for your most successful posts (well, unless you're Rhaomi ;) )
posted by filthy light thief at 8:59 AM on November 13, 2011

Last year's contest was a disaster. I spent a week of afternoons trying to get Starship Titanic installed on my machine, with no luck. I remember the game perfectly from when I was a kid and REALLY WANTED IT TO WORK. And it never did. So no, I am thoroughly against this plan.
posted by miyabo at 7:15 PM on November 13, 2011

There gonna be an announcement re: this? I've been holding a couple things close to my vest on a few unwinnable subjects and want to know if there are new parameters etc etc blah blah blah then I found $5 in my pants.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 8:56 AM on November 30, 2011

I think Matt's planning an announcement today or tomorrow, yes.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 8:57 AM on November 30, 2011