Finally, the results are here!

First of all, congratulations to everyone who participated in the contest. Even if you didn't win, you accomplished something great: you finished writing a novelette! You deserve the biggest applause in the world for that. Be proud. We hope that you'll participate again next time, and the same thing goes for everyone who didn't make it before the deadline. You'll get your chance!

The only numbers we'll be revealing here today are the final scores (rounded up or down to one decimal) of the winners in the category they won, and all the final scores of the grand winner. If you would like to know what your scores were, please DM Haley or me. You can get your overall score, your final scores in the 3 categories, or the averages of the judges' scores in every subcategory.

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These were all the (sub)categories:

CHARACTERIZATION
- motivation
- backstory
- development

ATMOSPHERE
- world building
- encompassment
- immersiveness

PLOT
- pacing
- logic
- conflict
- resolution

WRITING QUALITY
(disclaimer: typos were overlooked)

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Now without further ado, let's reveal the winners. The entries that ended up in second place are mentioned as well, but the authors of these entries will not receive any prizes.

First place:

"Skipping Stones" by Percabeth17.

Your score in characterization is an 8.1. Congratulations! We all look forward to seeing more from you in the future! And we'll be sliding into your DMs to give you your well-deserved sticker.

A word from the judges:

The characters in Skipping Stones are well-rounded, with consistent habits and believable flaws that make them feel like real people. Despite the short length of the story, the reader gains a deep understanding of Jameson and Liam as their histories, fears, and dreams are slowly unfolded through narrative, dialogue, and the actions of the characters. The relationship between the main characters grows in a natural way, with the two eventually sharing intimacies that bring them closer together while inviting the reader into their secrets. The motivations and desires of the characters are distinct and authentic, and both characters grow and face their weaknesses in a realistic way. However, while the reader is taken along on Liam's journey, watching every step of the way as he begins to overcome his fear of dependence by learning to trust and accept help from Jameson, the same transparency is not shown for Jameson's arc. To craft a believable character arc, it helps to show the small steps of change along the way as well as the bigger shift when the character finally realizes that what they want is not the same as what they need and their initial goal changes to reflect this change in perspective. While Jameson does undergo this growth, as is beautifully summarized in the epilogue, his arc would have more emotional impact if the reader was given more insight into his choice to take a different path as it happened.

Overall, this was a heartfelt story with sympathetic characters that one can't help but root for even after the story has ended.

*

I was thrilled to see Skipping Stones won in the characterization category!! Very earned indeed ❤️

Not only our main guys, Jameson and Liam, are realistic and amazingly fleshed out, but all the side characters who occasionally show up like Liam's concerned sister (and even Liam's parents who aren't really on screen) leapt out of the pages and came to life for me. Zoe made every word in this novelette count. I felt for Jameson regarding his guilt about his mother's death, and for Liam regarding his anger and difficulties facing the future. The characters grew together and their friendship was heartwarming and their eventual goodbye bittersweet.

At the end I was left both satisfied and wanting to read more about how Jameson and Liam ended up. I wish both characters the best. I hope the author lets us know how these two ended up in a small epilogue. 😉 If you haven't read this novelette yet omg get over there right now, you're missing out on an amazing read.

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Second place:

"Spark" by EdenY_.

Your score in characterization is a 7.6. Congratulations! We all look forward to seeing more from you in the future!

First place:

"Witch Country" by RainofFeathers.

Your score in atmosphere is an 8.3. Congratulations! We all look forward to seeing more from you in the future! And we'll be sliding into your DMs to give you your well-deserved sticker.

A word from the judges:

It perhaps comes as no surprise that the prize of atmosphere belongs to Witch Country, which chronicles a team of soldiers-turned-diplomats travelling to the novelette's eponymous nation—otherwise known as Esparia—on a hopeless mission to negotiate a peace, providing a sweeping view of Esparia's unique inhabitants and culture. From the court intrigue of the protagonists' homeland to the mystic legends and ominous holidays of Esparia hanging like a sword over the protagonists' heads, it's clear that Westra put much thought into crafting a well-rounded world. It seems that sometimes writers fall into the trap of creating an enchanting atmosphere where the characters and plot nevertheless feel disconnected from the world, as though the originality of the setting is all that matters and not the why of its features, but Witch Country's setting had a definite impact on the plot, influenced the characters, and felt all around quite well integrated. (A point I believe worth noting in the world building is the integration of casual gender inclusivity, which was prominent without seeming forced; it was something I had never seen before—the standard usage of pronouns in an introduction, and the complete lack of assumption of gender before such is stated—and perhaps it's novelty isn't actually all that new, but the inclusion was appreciated, and stood out to me, nonetheless.) The linguistics, politics, and mythos were certainly intriguing, but perhaps somewhat lacking in their exploration. The details seemed surface level. Maybe this can be blamed merely on the nature of the word limit, but nonetheless. I would have liked to see more layers, so here's to hoping this is expanded into a full novel which can support a deeper dive and answer lingering questions. Overall, Witch Country possessed a beautiful, well-crafted atmosphere well deserving of its recognition.

*

To me, the mystery of what Esparia is and the anticipation for the reveal built an atmosphere that was different from what the other entries had to offer. And when the characters went to discover the place for themselves, not knowing what was real and what was not, I got even more immersed into the story.

I hate how annoying and ignorant the crown is, lol. The copper squadron must have felt in a similar way too, which made it easier to sympathise with the characters and be more invested in the story.

The Esparalis field is a great touch and the description makes it feel very æsthetic, plus, it actually has a role in the plot and it isn't there solely for beauty. I really like that.

I am a simple man. I see two guys in the same bed, I ship them. It was the same for Kai and Terrask, but my ship never sailed. 🙁Hoping that it would, while also paying attention to other things happening was still fun though.

Truth be told, I was not expecting Witch Country to win in the atmosphere category. I was actually thinking of a few other entries, so it was unexpected. But this is why having several judges is so important. While it might not have been the most atmospheric entry for me, others may have thought otherwise, which impacted the overall score.

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Second place:

"Skipping Stones" by Percabeth17.

Your score in atmosphere is an 8.25. Congratulations! We all look forward to seeing more from you in the future!

First place:

"Skipping Stones" by Percabeth17.

Your score in plot is an 8.1. Congratulations! We all look forward to seeing more from you in the future! And we'll be sliding into your DMs to give you your well-deserved sticker.

A word from the judges:

This was such a wonderfully written plot. From an intricate character background, which was beautifully integrated, to the life lessons the characters learned along the way. It was a perfect length to tell the story without jumping ahead and skipping important details or rushing through the scenes that evoked such strong emotions. Thank you so much for putting so much thought into a fantastic story about characters I ended up loving. Hope to hear more about Jamie and Liam in the future. 😉

*

Skipping Stones is a story which touches the heart. The characters, Jameson and Liam, have distinct personalities and drawbacks, giving them a realistic feel. From their first meeting to their last, both learn to slowly share, trust and accept help. As a reader, it's fascinating to be a part of their emotional journey and growth as individuals. Even though we only get to see Jameson, I had tears in my eyes at the epilogue. Liam's short life touched my heart and made me introspect: what do we actually need versus what do we want? Both are different and it's explained beautifully with Jameson's character arc.

The writer did a fine job in writing a novelette that managed to immerse the reader with their exceptional plot, visual descriptions and characterization. A definite must read story ❤️

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Second place:

"It's Not a Falling Tree" by Messianic_Yak.

Your score in plot is a 7.9. Congratulations! We all look forward to seeing more from you in the future!

It should be mentioned that we decided to declare the second best in every category the winner of said category because the grand winner would have walked away with all 4 prizes otherwise. Which makes sense, if you think about it. How else could it have had an overall score high enough to win the grand prize? But it would look a bit stupid if one cover had 4 stickers on it, so this seemed like a better solution.

Anyway, the judges were absolutely in love with this entry, some even going as far as giving it all 10s! It's a complete no-brainer that this novelette is the best entry we received for this contest.

The grand winner of the Gen 3 Contest:

"Sandhailer" by AllynCrowe.

(In case Wattpad removes the tag again, that's @AllynCrowe.)

Your score in characterization is a 9.1, your score in atmosphere is a 9.4, your score in plot is a 9.4, your score in writing quality is a 9, and the average of the judges' final scores is a 9.3, which means the overall final score of "Sandhailer" is a 9.2. Congratulations!

Instead of a word from the judges, you're getting an in-depth review by Glyn, which will be posted after this, but you should know that several judges went out of their way to say they hope to see more of Sandhailer and his world! They would love for you to write a full-length novel.

We'll be sliding into your DMs to give you your well-deserved sticker. The cover you commissioned for "Sandhailer" is absolutely beautiful, but you also have the right to a cover as well, so let us know if you'd like one! Alternatively, you can ask for some other type of graphic or illustration. And you'll get the CONTEST WINNER role in the LL server as well.

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Thank you to everyone who participated. Thank you to everyone who cheered them on. Thank you to everyone who wrote something even if it wasn't finished. Thank you to all the judges for taking the time to read all 12 entries and write reviews. Thank you to Haley for helping me organize this and doing quality control, and special thanks to Erica for calling me on my bullshit, as usual. You're all amazing.

Hopefully we can organize another contest soon!