Hey, SmackDowners!

It's been a while and the whole judging team had a blast reading the four stories submitted to this round. They belong to the best Wattpad has to offer and we are proud to have witnessed their creation.

Judging was tough, and each of the stories had a lot of things going for it. Still, it lies in the nature of a SmackDown that we can't let everyone reach the finals. So, it makes us sad but is an absolute necessity that we let two of you go. We still hope we'll get to see more of your work here on the Ooorah profile or over on the ScienceFiction profile. Well fought, and you're going down with flying colours!

And now, here they are, our two finalists:

Pairing one: potatoturnipbean vs. theidiotmachine

what the judges said...

Both have incredible world building and a unique take on the prompts with great characters. The soulpunk theme is handled in a brilliant way. In the end, it comes down to one story having the tighter story arch, which allows for a better reading flow.

This round goes to theidiotmachine - sorry, potatoturnipbean, we loved your quirky tale in a most unusual voice and pov which would have been a clear winner in other circumstances.

Pairing two: wdhenning vs. RJGlynn

This was a true judging challenge. Both stories deliver great wold building and lovable characters all around. Immersive reading at its best. In the end, the decision was based on the fact that one story was a perfect fit for this short story format while the other clearly asked for more - it could (and perhaps should) be expanded into a full length novel or novella to do the narrative justice. 

So, sorry, wdhenning, we really loved your work, world, and characters — and would definitely read the expanded version, but RJGlynn claims this round.

Congratulations to our finalist! Enjoy your win as long as you can, as we're already setting up the final prompts...