The 2007 2nd Annual Spicy Cauldron Awards

Monday, September 10th, 2007

Today is the day I start accepting entries for this year’s Spicy Cauldron Awards. As last year, it’s just a bit of fun aimed at promoting other people’s blogs and encouraging the use of applied imagination! Last year’s theme was ’spicy’ and this year it should come as no surprise that I’ve decided the theme will be ‘cauldron’.

Those familiar with the rules from last year won’t see any change in them this time round, but for the benefit of refreshing your memories and catering to new readers, you are asked to write any of the following: a poem, a story, an essay, an opinion piece. I’m not going to dictate length. Write as much or as little as you want to.

Alternatively, you can draw a picture and either scan it in if it’s analogue (pen, paper, ink, crayon, whatever) and then upload it, or upload it directly if it’s already in digital form (that is, a masterpiece created in a graphics program such as Adobe Photoshop or Corel Painter, to name but two).

You can also submit photography.

Don’t try uploading your photos and pictures here, or for that matter your complete entries. Upload your entry to your own blog.

When you’re happy with how your entry appears on your own site, just let me know about it by coming back here, to this article, and posting a link in the comments section so that I and anyone who’s interested can head over and take a gander at what you’ve lovingly prepared while giving your site traffic a boost at the same time.

You can, if you wish, include a taster paragraph or summary in your comment.

Your entry MUST have relevance to the word ‘cauldron’.

Want some ideas? Well, you might produce an essay all about the origins of the cauldron, or you may prefer to discuss the ‘melting pot’ of multiculturalism; you may choose to write a poem about a cauldron, or a short story featuring one or more of these mysterious and practical vessels. I can think right this second of cauldrons in the context of history, fantasy, geography, religion, cookery, spirituality and many more topics. Go to it!

No plagiarism, please. Photos, text, graphics must be all your own hard work. If your work cites sources, make sure you state clearly who you’re quoting and, if possible, include links to those sources if they’re available online (if not, the name of a book and the author will suffice).

The prize? Yes there’s a prize. The top 5 entries will all get a banner for their blogs allowing them to crow about their spicy recognition for outstanding creative work. The number one winner will receive a copy of my first-ever collection of poems in the post, wherever you live in the world. I will, of course, sign and dedicate it to whoever wins. Sorry if you hoped for yachts or cash hand-outs but I’m no millionaire. Besides, this is about stimulating minds into creative action and having fun in the process. So no pistols at dawn between competing entrants! Thank you.

The closing date for entries is Sunday 30 September at midnight GMT and winners will be announced in the second week of October.