Studio Blog

In early December, we announced the Writer’s Choice project. The end-of-year writing competition served to both reward successful Demand Media Studios community members and see what said creators could do with the incentive of creative freedom, freedom spelled out in the project’s very loose guidelines. And the guidelines were these, and only these: Write an original, nonfiction piece that was between 750 and 1,200 words to reside on LIVESTRONG, eHow or Tyra Banks’ Beauty & Fashion. That’s it. DMS didn’t create the title, topic or destination site. Instead, 149 writers were given $250 to chose their own way. There was no template, no format structure. First-person narratives flourished as much as the second- and third-person perspectives to which the Studio is most commonly acquainted. There were no rewrites, no rejections. Just the freedom to think, to create, to write.

Submissions ran the gamut—from pole-dancing-as-exercise to the local food movement to homeless makeovers. Some writers went deeply personal, with a reflection on their own trying times. Some went broader, with an examination of society at large. And at least one kept it in the family, explaining why he loved writing for eHow. Given the range of articles, judging these submissions was no easy task. After reading through each and every article submitted—most of them many times over—at upwards of 150,000 total words of writing, the DMS editorial team narrowed down a group of finalists to select one overall winner, and three site winners, with prizes for first and second runners up, as well. The articles are now being considered for publication by the three respective sites. 

Without further ado, we’re pleased to announce the winner of the 2010 Writer’s Choice:

Writer ($1,000): Jenni Wiltz, “Give Bloat the Boot: My Low-Sodium Diet Makeover”
Copy Editor ($100): Caitlin Kendall

With some stiff competition among the finalists, Jenni Wiltz’s first-person account of her sodium overhaul came out on top. At first blush, you might think, “Sodium? Really?” But Jenni managed to approach a topic that’s been done six ways to Sunday—diet, what foods we eat, etc.—in such a compelling way that she had at least one in-house editor running to her cupboards to see what she’d been eating. She exhibited the kind of creative freedom we were hoping for—moving well beyond Studio formats and guidelines with a first-person perspective in a relatively freeform structure—while delivering on the type of practical guidance and insight that our community creates every single day. In short, she made us want to read, even those of us who couldn’t give two hoots about sodium, and we came out better informed because of it.

In general, you’ll notice that trend among our other winners, as well—that these writers engaged us in areas where we might not have otherwise had an interest.

SITE WINNERS

LIVESTRONG
Writer ($700): Susan Brockett, “A Locavore Primer: Community Supported Agriculture”
Copy Editor ($50): Elizabeth Jewell
2nd Place ($350): Marnie Kunz, “So You Wanna Be a Pole Dancer?”
3rd Place ($200): Josh Duvauchelle, “Give Peas a Chance: My adventures with meatless Mondays”

Susan Brockett’s primer on eating locally and shopping farmer’s markets is as magazine-ready a piece as we saw. And it made this humble DMS editor feel (1) guilty of shopping what he shops and (2) inspired to do something about it. 

eHow
Writer ($700): Lisa Sefcik, “Dangerous Beauty: Shopaholics Show the Dark Side of Retail Therapy”
Copy Editor ($50): Jennifer Spugnardi
2nd Place ($350): Shane Hall, “Why You Should Think Twice About Owning a Home”
3rd Place ($200): Leonard Von Navorski, “Nine rules to live by when buying your next car”

Lisa Sefcik’s piece on shopaholics exposes the term as something more than an innocent jab at sale mongers and store hunters. Through interviews with qualified psychologists and counselors, she revealed that shopping can be as addictive and damaging a behavior as any other vice.

Tyra Banks’ Beauty & Fashion
Writer ($700): Glenda Taylor, “A Touch of Glamour in the City of Angels”
Copy Editor ($50): Trevor Kearney
2nd Place ($350): Jacqui Lane, “Shop Like a Recessionista”
3rd Place ($200): Wendy Gould, “An Eco-Chic Guide to Beauty”

Glenda Taylor reminds us all of the value of inner beauty by way of outer beauty. Her touching piece on a nonprofit that provides makeovers to homeless women closes with the significance of self-worth, no matter our plight.

A big congratulations to all of our winners. And a big thank you to our creator community for all that you’ve done as we embark on another great year of working together.

Happy New Year from all of us at Demand Media Studios.