About
Converted Legacy Event
This event was converted from our old contest and event system into our new jam format for historic preservation. Some details may be confusing in the new jam context.
Blog Contest : "A Life of Steve: Minecraft Blog Contest"
Welcome to Planet Minecraft's latest blog contest! As you all know, Steve has quickly risen to stardom in the world of Minecraftia, or has he? He has long been the only humanoid in the world, fighting an endless battle with hoards of creepers, skeletons and more. But how did he come to be so lonely? What happened in Steve’s past that left him to being the last of his kind? And is there any hope for him in the future?
1. Describe Steve's life.
Your goal is to write a historical account or story describing the series of events that caused Steve to become the only human left in single-player Minecraft (ignoring multiplayer gameplay of course) and what his life beforehand may have been like.
You should also explain how he came to be stranded in the middle of nowhere with practically no sign of human activity apart from the indigenous Villagers and the mysterious dungeons. You may also dive into what the future holds for Steve and whether he ever ends up finding other members of his race again.
You may use images to aid the visual aspect of your submission or to make the read more enticing, however final scoring from judges will be solely based on the quality and presentation of the writing as opposed to images. Marks will be given for the accuracy of writing, the grammatical prowess, the quality of vocabulary used and how the story itself develops, flows and all in all sounds like as a final product.
Judging Criteria:1) Concept and ingenuityMarks go towards how good the backstory of Steve is and how well it flows as a story.
The originality and uniqueness of your story is also a big factor - come up with something no-one has thought of before!
2) Quality and presentationYou will be judged on the quality of your writing and the presentation of your idea.
Clearly lay out your blog and consider using images, videos and concept art to illustrate your story if you want, but keep in mind that any images used that do not directly aid the content of the story will be discarded from marking.
3) Structure and cohesionEnsure that your story is well-thought out and shows clear structure. Ensure that the story flows well and actually makes sense with no plot-errors and continuity errors.
Your writing style and fluency plays a big part in the marking!
2. Ideas must be original and for this contest.
Do not use any images, text, videos or other media that you did not create yourself.
Do not use ideas or concepts that already exist e.g. already existing stories, backstories, RPs or any other written content which exists. We want you to come up with a unique story that YOU have thought of!
You may use videos to help you illustrate points, however the majority of marks are awarded based on the written description and analysis.
3. One entry per person.
Each user will only be permitted to submit one post for this contest. You may edit your one entry as long as the contest is still running. If you decide to change your submission at any point, you are free to do so. However, you should not delete your original entry. Instead, use the "update submission" button to save the changes.
4. The contest will run for three weeks.
Post dates must be made after today's date, October 1st, 2014 @ 12:00 PM EST. The contest will end about three weeks from today, on October 22nd, 2014 @ 12:00 PM EST Posts submitted after this date will not be accepted.
5. Take your time and have fun!
Remember, you have weeks to do this. You don't need to put something up right away - and even if you chose to, you're allowed to update your submission as many times as you want before the final close date of October 22nd, 2014 @ 12:00 PM EST.
All of the normal rules of the site still apply in this contest.
Do not rush yourself to get something in immediately. This contest is not a random drawing - the submissions are judged by a panel of judges. It will not help you to submit anything less than fantastic, so take your time. If you notice that other users have submitted something better than yours, edit and update your own submission to make it even better!
Submit a blog like usual but check the box indicating it's for the contest. 1st Place
2nd Place
- A Contest Themed, Silver, Pixel Art Trophy for Member's Profile Trophy Case.
- Profile Featured on PMC - 1 Week.
3rd Place
- A Contest Themed, Bronze, Pixel Art Trophy for Member's Profile Trophy Case.
- Profile Featured on PMC - 1 Week.
All Participants
- A Contest Themed, Pixel Art Badge/Medal for Member's Profile Trophy Case.
Phase #1: Entry Period : ~3 weeks
This is the time that everyone has to create and submit a contest entry. During this time, judges are reviewing entries, anonymously voting and disqualifying those that don't meet the contest requirements. The PMC community is doing the same by giving diamonds, feedback, etc.
Phase #2: Review Period : 2 days
After submissions are closed, judges get 2 additional days to review late entries and cast their final votes. Their votes are heavily weighted in an algorithm that includes the community's votes and activity to determine the finalists.
Phase #3: Finalists Calculated : Judging criteria
After the finalists are calculated, judges begin anonymously rating each entry based on the following criteria on a scale of 1-10:
1) Concept and ingenuityMarks go towards how good the backstory of Steve is and how well it flows as a story.
The originality and uniqueness of your story is also a big factor - come up with something no-one has thought of before!
2) Quality and presentationYou will be judged on the quality of your writing and the presentation of your idea.
Clearly lay out your blog and consider using images, videos and concept art to illustrate your story if you want, but keep in mind that any images used that do not directly aid the content of the story will be discarded from marking.
3) Structure and cohesionEnsure that your story is well-thought out and shows clear structure. Ensure that the story flows well and actually makes sense with no plot-errors and continuity errors.
Your writing style and fluency plays a big part in the marking!
Once the site detects that all judges have cast their ratings on all finalists, the winners are announced.
Here is a list of the current submissions. 
Judges will be encouraged to participate, but will be disqualified from winning prizes.
Legal Terms
By participating in the event, participant agrees to be bound by these Official Rules and regulations and the decisions of Planet Minecraft are final and binding on all matters pertaining to this event.
No cash substitute or transfer of prizes is available. Prizes are awarded without warranty of any kind from Planet Minecraft, express or implied, without limitation, except where this would be contrary to federal, state, provincial, or local laws or regulations. All federal, state, provincial and local laws and regulations apply. Decisions of Planet Minecraft and the voting system are final and binding on all matters pertaining to this event. Return of any prize/prize notification may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner. Any potential winner who cannot be contacted by email within 15 days of attempted first notification will forfeit his/her prize. Potential prize winner(s) and their parents/legal guardians may be required to sign and return an Affidavit or Declaration of Eligibility, a Liability/Publicity Release within 30 days following the date of first attempted notification. Failure to comply within this time period may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner. Planet Minecraft at its sole discretion shall reserves the right to disqualify any Participant from the event if it reasonably believes that the Participant has attempted to undermine the legitimate operation of the event by cheating, deception, or other unfair playing practices or abuses, threatens or harassment of any other Participants, Planet Minecraft employees and affiliates.
Limitations of Liability:
By entering, entrants agree to release Planet Minecraft, and their officers, directors, employees and agencies from any claim, loss, liability, damage or injury of any kind arising from their participation in the event or their receipt or use of the event prize.
Winner is responsible for all federal, state and local taxes associated with acceptance and use of prize.
Any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this event, or any prize awarded, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by arbitration. Claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering this contest, but in no event attorney's fees. These Official Rules shall be governed by, subject to, and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Maine, United States of America, excluding all conflict of law rules. If any provision(s) of these Official Rules are held to be invalid or unenforceable, all remaining provisions hereof will remain in full force and effect. To the extent permitted by law, the rights to litigate, seek injunctive relief or make any other recourse to judicial or any other procedure in case of disputes or claims resulting from or in connection with this event are hereby excluded, and all Participants expressly waive any and all such rights.
Disclaimer:
Planet Minecraft will not be held responsible if for any reason the event is not capable of running or operating as planned due to infection by computer virus, fraud, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, technical failures, or force majeure that, in the sole opinion of Sponsor, corrupts or affects the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this event. Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers with or abuses any aspect of the event, as solely determined by Sponsor, and to cancel, terminate, modify, or postpone the event until a later date. Sponsor assume no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, or other failure of or related to the software platform on which the event is played, including any injury or damage to participant's or any other person's computer related to or resulting from participation or downloading any materials in this event.
Offer void where prohibited.
