You could win fabulous cash and prizes!!! Well, OK, prizes…. that are sort of fabulous…
It’s that time of the year when The Nest looks to its readers to supply the fucked up humor by tapping into those creativity reserves we all have somewhere inside our craniums. Today kicks off everyone’s favorite February tradition, The Contest of Whatever! (Click the link to see the CoW’s history) Since 2014, bloggers just like you have competed for the chance to pick something out of my Cafepress shop just by using their imaginations… and we’re ready again to find ourselves another pair of winners in 2017!
Top that, BEYOTCH!
Normally, I provide a couple key elements that must appear in your entry while allowing you the freedom to use pretty much any creative media imaginable to pull it off. Like how in the inaugural CoW your submission had to contain each of a squirrel, a possum and a unicorn…
This would have been a valid entry in the 2014 CoW…. if it made any sense.
This year, however, I’m leaving the content part of the creation wide open while restricting the exact format I’d like you to use. And if it isn’t obvious from the images I’ve used so far in this post, the theme for the 2017 Contest of Whatever is going to be The Nest’s newest weekly feature, Shelf Critter Theatre! I have had a lot of fun breathing bizarre personalities into otherwise lifeless objects and having them interact with each other in stupid ways for the past few months. And now, I want you to do the same!
Time to get out your glasses to read the fine print…
So, here are the official rules for this year’s contest:
1: Pick out multiple (at least two, but as many as you need/wish) inanimate objects you have lying around and anthropomorphize them…. that is, give them a personality and have them engage in a short play of your own creation. Please include at least one photo of the story’s characters “acting out” a scene from your tale (though you are free to include as many as you wish to tell the story).
2: At least one of your primary characters needs to be an object that is NOT a representation of a well known real or fictional figure.
I’m confused. How ’bout we just party down instead?
To clarify the second point… well-known representations of characters would be like my My Little Pony figurines of trademarked characters, Santa Claus, Snuggle Bear, even Buster and Rainbow Donkey whose SCT personalities are largely borrowed from my comic. The reason I’m including this restriction is that these are generally figures that already have well defined personality traits. While you are welcome to include these kinds of characters in your entry… you just need to make sure at least one of them is a completely original “character” you create a personality for from scratch…
Mitzi and Troll would be examples of characters I created completely on my own… and their personalities I prescribed to them will no doubt haunt me on any psychological evaluation I ever have to undergo.
Simply post your completed entry on your blog sometime between right now and Thursday March 2, 2017 at noon Central Standard Time (UTC -6). Please include a link to THIS POST somewhere in your entry so I’ll get a Pingback (of course, you are also welcome to notify me in the comments if you’re afraid the pingback will die in WordPress purgatory somewhere)…
OK, that’s not too hard…. is it?
I hope I’m not making your head hurt….
As usual, there will be two winners crowned at the end of the contest. I will choose one winner on merit based on the simple criteria of whatever entry I like best. Once that winner is chosen, all other entries will be placed in a random drawing to find the second winner. Yes, as always, even if you think your imagination sucks giant possum balls (and it’s probably not as bad as you think it is)… you can still be a winner in the Contest of Whatever!!!
WINNING!!!!
Each of the two winners will be allowed to choose a prize from my Cafepress Shop valued at $20 USD or less. I will try to add a few more things to the shop before the contest is over, and rather simple requests for custom content by any of the winners will be considered. All completed entries will be posted here for all to see on Friday March 3rd, and I plan to announce the winners on Sunday March 5th.
Pick me! Pick me!
So, are you up for the challenge? Let’s see if we can finally top the record of 11 entries from the very first CoW this year (Psst! Spread the word!). Good luck, have fun, and get creating!!!
Bribes now being accepted (wink, wink)…
Evil Squirrel's Nest 
count me in… I have such a character… it is the perfect one for this challenge :o)
Woohoo!
Thinking cap on standby…
It’s always wise to have a thinking cap handy…
I was thinking about your contest earlier this week. I like your idea this year. Will see if I can find Fred and Sandrine to see if they’d like to make a return engagement in this contest. Not sure where they are exactly, but…
I’m sure you can find them… and maybe they’ve found some friends who’d be happy to star along with them!
I love this idea! Looking around, I already see a few characters I can use; a squirrel figurine, a metal bird, a Hello Kitty flash drive and a goofy Happy Meal toy from 10-15 years ago. A few more and I’ve got a cast. This is going to be fun!
I like the sound of that cast already! Pro tip: Make sure when you are shooting scenes to keep the real animals out!
I’m going to try to do this. It’s not my forte exactly, but Garry is forever messing with the dogs’ stuffies to make scenes that the dawgz can then destroy. i suspect all I will have to do is take the pictures. It will also inspire me to sew up the holes in poor Squirrel, Blue Starfish, and Mistuh Moose. All waiting in the ER for mom and her sewing kit to restore them to life. Perhaps that will be the storyline.
There you go… all my stories start with some basic concept then I just run with it… and usually right off the rails.
I might actually be able to do this one with existing photographs of my gnome!
Woohoo!
I can’t believe I missed this yesterday. OMG this is going to be fun, and exceptionally weird for everyone.
I am really hoping for both fun and weird!
I got this…I need a new RD mug anyway. 😀
Go for it!
Hey, can I use my dog?
She wouldn’t count towards the required two non-living things, but yeah, as for supporting cast you can use anything else including pets…
Sounds like fun!
On a side note, those ponies sure know how to party! 😀
My critters always have a better time than I do…
https://ladybuggz.wordpress.com/2017/01/30/shelf-kritter-theater-ladybuggz-house
OK Done!! that was fun! Check it out…… I called it Shelf Kritter Theater @ Ladybuggz House
Pingback: The FOURTH ANNUAL CLOWNTEST OF… | Easy Blog
Early tomorrow morning, be read for … AMBUSH AT FURRY TOYS PASS! It will be Serendipity’s first entry into the 4th annual contest of whatever. With Lyrics by Garry Armstrong, Illustrations by Marilyn Armstrong. Sheer, senseless violence by Bonnie and Gibbs, outlaws and terrorists. Just saying.
YAY! I can’t wait to see it. I hope there isn’t too much stuffing showing, because I’m a bit squeamish….
Edited to add: New link for Marilyn’s entry:
https://teepee12.com/2017/02/13/massacre-at-furry-toy-pass-evil-squirrels-nest-4th-annual-contest-of-whatever/
READY for, READY not READ … me and typos.
Pingback: MASSACRE AT FURRY TOY PASS – EVIL SQUIRREL’S NEST 4th ANNUAL CONTEST OF WHATEVER | SERENDIPITY
Working on it with Little Guy. Arefurry “live actors” permitted??!
All four entries so far have incorporateda real life animal companion, so it seems to be an unofficial theme this year! You are the first one to enlist a guinea pig, though…
Pingback: 4th Annual Contest of Whatever | jennsmidlifecrisis
I have an idea and I have the props and the critters … the only thing I am not too fond of is I have to take photos and upload them – and I do not have a paid for account – the number of photos for me is limiited .. but I think I will upload a contribution. Some sword and sorcery story showing strong sailors, skulls and stars … 😉
YEAH, I did it – after several hours of hard work … (Remember, I am not a native speaker, I am a German, surprisingly living in Germany.)
http://inhannover.wordpress.com/2017/02/18/distressed-damsel/
I have a free blog account too, but they’re supposed to come with 3G of upload storage. I’ve uploaded thousands of photos and digital artworks over the past 5 years and still haven’t even used a third of my storage space yet…
Pingback: Vampire Diary: Shelf Critter Theater | Vampire Maman
This is my entry. Holy shit ES. This is the craziest thing I think I’ve put on my blog, and you know I’ve posted some pretty crazy things. Vlad says hello.
https://vampiremaman.com/2017/02/17/vampire-diary-shelf-critter-theater/
Oh, well, I think you are in good society then, because it is just the same with me … Took me half a day of goofiness …
Well worth the effort!
Pingback: Evil Squirrel’s Competition – Grandpaw’s Story | draliman on life
https://knockedoverbyafeather.wordpress.com/2017/02/27/evil-squirrels-annual-contest-of-whatever/
Oooh, Umbreon!
Umbreons rock! Shadow’s helping me pimp the contest…
“I have had a lot of fun breathing bizarre personalities into otherwise lifeless objects and having them interact with each other in stupid ways for the past few months.” I do this all the time with no prompts at all! Saw Mer’s entry and so glad I am not too late. Going to get the Things to help me out on this.
Also heard Sparkle Pony is showing up in your theater too, so I’ll make sure I haven’t missed her appearances. Won’t someone think of the sponkicorns?
She’s had a few memorable moments in the Theatre. You’ll definitely want to catch her dramatic, tearful performance in my Friday the 13th episode….
https://evilsquirrelsnest.com/2017/01/13/superstition-aint-the-way/
Pingback: It Takes a Village – An Episode of Shelf Critter Theatre – Shedding Light
Dammit, I don’t see my pingback here. Here’s a link: https://trishapearson.wordpress.com/2017/03/02/it-takes-a-village-an-episode-of-shelf-critter-theatre/ I hope I made it in time!