Turns out I’m a finalist in a writing contest. There were around 900 entries and ten finalists, one of them being me. So I’m flattered.
At the same time, I’m dismayed because there are two prizes when I think there should be only one. One prize is the popular vote, which means the winner is decided by the number of votes he or she receives. It’s worth $250. The other prize is what the professional critics determine is the best story. It’s also worth $250.
The thing is that popular vote becomes just that: a popularity contest. I believe it has nothing to do with literary quality as much as it has to do with how many friends the author solicits. So it isn’t about literature as much as it’s about our culture and its stress on Facebook “friends.” Since I’m not on Facebook, I already have a disadvantage even if my work is the most literary of the finalists.
Then there are the professional critics who will also award first and second places. I hope they are not influenced by the popular vote, even if I should win. Rather I’d like to see some constructive criticism about their choices, some analysis as to why these stories are merit worthy, some reasons why popular culture should embrace them or not.
So, how do we vote for you?