Can you believe this is the FOURTH ANNUAL contest?!?! In that time we have gotten some amazing submissions, and this year was no exception. We loved reading all the contest entries. Judging them, however, was very difficult! After intense deliberations, we arrived at our winners and three honorable mentions. Check them out below.
First, Second, & Third Place
First Place: “That’s Life” by Sundont Shine
Fandom: Gattaca (1997)
Judges comments, “Creative, passionate, and stylistically resounding”
Author’s description of the original work: “Gattaca is a sci-fi film about a future society driven by eugenics where children are conceived through genetic selection to ensure they possess the best hereditary traits of their parents. The film centers on Vincent Freeman, a man who was conceived outside the eugenics program and struggles to overcome genetic discrimination to realize his dream of going into space. Vincent assumes the identity of Jerome Eugene Morrow, an artificially-conceived man with near-perfect genetics, in order to make his way up the ranks.”
Authors description of their fanfiction: “What if perfection was determined by musical ability instead of genetics? A look into an alternate modern universe where young Jerome Morrow is a prodigious violinist, this fanfiction details how he grapples with the weight of familial expectations, relentless self-discipline, and his burning desire to be recognized for his own artistry beyond labels of perfection or legacy.”
Second Place: “Untitled Harry Potter” by Anonymous
Fandom: Harry Potter
Judges comments, “Brought back childhood memories of the first time one of us read Harry Potter”
Author’s description of the original work: “Boy learns that he is part of a magical world and that he needs to defeat big bad evil overlord. Boy proceeds to do just that, and everybody loves him basically.”
Authors description of the their fanfiction: “UHHH so said boy grew older and got mad at the world so he did what any reasonable person would do and goes to a painting of his dead, very senile mentor and asks for advice. Neat little time travel deus ex machina occurs, so he gets sent back to a few decades prior and meets with younger, slightly less evil big bad overlord. I only wrote the first four chapters out of 22 but I have the plot for the entire story written out. I did not include it because my outline notes are slightly rambling.”
Third Place: “Piggy: The Novel (Chapter One)“ by Anonymous
Fandom: Roblox Piggy
Judges comments, “The beginning of what will surely be a most intriguing story!“
Author’s description of the original work: “Roblox Piggy is the story of an alternate world of Peppa pig where a zombie virus is affecting everyone— specifically, this story-based game exploded and became the #1 played game on Roblox (12 billion+ visits), but no one has ever written anything about it: surrounding the mysteries, and lore.”
Author’s description of their fanfiction: “My fanfiction transforms Chapter 1, “The House,” from the game into a detailed, immersive written narrative. Its the POV of a police officer investigating the Piggy residence, where he encounters Penny (aka Peppa), who has turned into a zombie. I reimagine a player’s experience, capturing the tension, puzzles, and escape mechanics of the game. I try to word-ize the atmosphere and bring it to life, which can help us players connect more deeply to the game (and reminisce about all the fun we had trying to figure our the lore!). Definitely going to continue till Chapter 12 and the next 12 Chapters in Book 2 and convert all of those into actual chapters and books!”
Honorable Mentions
Honorable Mention for Outstanding Achievement in Absurdity
“Private Conscriptovich” by Anonymous
Fandom: “How Corruption Destroys Armies – Theft, Graft, and Russian failure in Ukraine” – Video by Youtuber and former defense analyst Perun on Youtube
Honorable Mention for Humor and Creativity
“The Ingenious Applicant Don Quixote of r/A2C” by Jason, Pranav, Varun, Rohan
Fandom: Don Quixote, r/ApplyingToCollege
Honorable Mention for Stylistic Achievement
“The Bus” by felon aquaman
Fandom: Welcome to Night Vale, The Magic School Bus
Harker US Book Blog 