One Year Old! · 27 February 2002
The panel has spoken. Judges for the first anniversary Bad Textism Contest have come – after much dissent – to agree on a winner.
Of 63 entries received, most were very funny and charming, many were thoughtful and provocative, a few were a little unsettling in the reach of their knowledge of this site and its author, and a couple were really fucking weird.
Much of the rancour over a decisive win stemmed from a clean divide that formed between entries that used the tone and style of this site as a starting point for experiment, and those that merely rearranged existing elements to comic effect. I can’t describe much of the specifics of the debate amongst judges: I chose to remain at a distance from the discussion, receiving only occasional progress updates. In this regard it was rather as though, in the trial of my crimes, I was the defense attorney, you were the prosecution (we paced the hallways of the courthouse, smoking hopefully), and the panel was the jury. Not really.
Anyway, on to the winner. This entry hit directly upon what the judges were seeking, namely big laffs and a bullseye hit on my own smug derision and snarky dismissiveness. It was also the first entry received. Barry Hall, who will receive something nice in the mail, has been emailed.
My gratitude to all who contributed: I laughed myself hoarse and blushed three times and was really, really flattered. Heartfelt thanks are also extended to those of you who, collectively, load this front page roughly 100,000 times a month.
Do keep reading.
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