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Sat Apr 20th - Wed May 1st

The Colony Challenge

New lands, new opportunities; a powerful colony can bring about change both good and bad that will last centuries. We want to hear about your most influential colony!
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Description

This Challenge brought to you by your Master of Games!   "Colonialism. The enforced spread of the rule of reason. But who is going to spread it among the colonizers?" - Anthony Burgess

  Exploration, economics, freedom, research, and necessity. All are valid reasons for the powers that be to spread their populace into the unknown. Colonies can come in many sizes, from the thousands of Europeans who took root in America, to the 45 souls who survive the winter in the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station. They can come in any time, from the first colony of Puerto Rico to the future settling of Mars and the Moon.   We want to hear about the most influential colony in your world; wherever it may be, whenever it may be, whether it still exists or it is just history!

ship-colony


Standard League Winner
Darkseid

Premier League Winner
Vertixico

Prizes

All participants will receive the participation badge. The winner will receive an extra shiny badge, have their article featured, and will be shouted out on the weekly World Anvil update stream and on the official World Anvil social media accounts.

The Countdown

This Countdown Clock is set to when the Challenge will end!  

The Brief

We at World Anvil want you to dive into the most storied colonies and settlements of your world. They can be on or off planet, they can be historical or current, and they can be large or small. The colony does not have to a current colony! For example, you can write about the Thirteen colonies of America or Australia even though they are not current colonies.   How did your colony form? Was it because of dire situations; a need to escape perilous conditions at home? Perhaps it was the start of an era, the bright lights of opportunity drawing settlers in? Maybe it was for science; casting off a small group to live in inhospitable lands to learn what makes them work.   What does the colony provide? What makes it famous? Is it rich with resources that enrich their nation back home? Do they provide hope in the form of ingenuity, pride, and security? Maybe the Colony is not a good place, but a place to offload unsavory figures rather than incarcerating them at home. Did your colony uproot or cause disruption with their arrival?   Bonus points for a map of your settlement!  

What to cover

  • Founding: What caused this settlement to be established? What is the history behind its founding, was it a multinational project or was it an accidental find? Who founded it and are they famous for it?
  • Worth: What does the colony provide that really makes it a powerhouse? Does it return exotic and valuable resources? Maybe its use to science and survival far outweigh any physical goods?
  • Relationships: How has its dealings with its founding organization been? Do they sport healthy trade and mutual benefits or has the separation causes thoughts of independence or occupation?
  • Legacy: Whether your colony is still current or not, what legacy has they settlement had on the world? Do people view the colony as a worthwhile endeavor? Are there dissidents who believe it was a waste of time and resources? Why?
  • Downsides: Often times a colony brings displacement or destruction. Did your Colony cause disruptions among a native population? Has your colony had any controversies surrounding it?

The Rules

How to Enter

Firstly, all competitors will need a World Anvil account (don’t worry, it’s free!) to get started. Once you’ve logged in and created your first world, you’re ready to enter the competition.   Write your entry using the Settlement template on World Anvil. Once you have finished your entry and are ready to submit it, make sure that your article is not a draft and then click on the button on the right hand side to submit it to the challenge.  

Adjudication Criteria and Process

A shortlist of the top ten entries from each league (as organised by community likes) will be given to Barron to judged by Friday the 10th of May 2019. He will choose the winners and hand out accolades. The winner will be announced by the World Anvil team the following week of the 11th of May. Winners will also be annouced via the World Anvil social media accounts   Entries will be judged on a number of criteria, including originality, cohesiveness, descriptiveness, and how interactive the settlement is. (Use Maps or Diagrams!)  

Other Rules

  • Articles for Submission must use the Settlement Template
  • You do not have to use all fields of the Settlement Template
  • Articles must be submitted before the closing time, else they will not be judged
  • Articles will be taken from a shortlist of likes, the top five articles from each league will be judged by the Master of Games.
  • Articles can be no longer than 2000 words in length!
  • You will be able to submit your article only if it is public!
  • Only one article may be submitted per author, this does not mean one article per world. Think of the Coauthors!
  • Articles will have a three day period after the deadline to make small edits, share, and get feedback from the community. This period will end when the shortlist is compiled. The purpose of this deadline is to let people focus on writing and sharing separately.

Social media sharing

Because community likes are an important part of the competition, competitors may wish to share their entries on social media to garner more interest from the community. Entries which are tagged with #TheColonyChallenge and mention @WorldAnvil will get shared by World Anvil social media accounts.  

Leagues

There are two leagues that will be independently judged. The Regular and the Premier League. The Premier League consists of all the authors who have previously won a competition.   Winning a competition in the regular league will promote you to the Premier League for future challenges.  

Timeline

For April's Competition, it will be open on the 20th of April at 1300 GMT and closed on the 30th at 2359 GMT. The Shortlist will be compiled on the 3rd of May!

The Countdown

This Countdown Clock is set to when the Challenge will end!

Challenge entries

by Julery

Orris

by Edra