The Pod and Planet entry period has closed for the fiction contest’s sixth year. With over 55 billion ISK in prizes and CCP lore authorities among the judges, Pod and Planet is one of EVE’s longest-running and most prestigious contests. EveNews24 has previously reported on Pod and Planet’s history, attractions, and current challenges. Telegram Sam, the contest’s chief architect, spelt out what comes next:
Writers are no doubt eagerly waiting to see how the tales they launched do head to head against each other. And they’ll want to know when to expect the judging results. Unfortunately, the answer is… we don’t know. We’re aiming to be done in two weeks. But we have a lot of stories, and the judges have to do the reading in their RL free time. So, based on past experience… it might take a month or so to announce the winners.
In the meantime, enjoy reading 58 new tales from your fellow minds of New Eden. Appraise them, critique them, learn from them. Give each other some feedback and comments. Point some other people to the goodness. And watch right here for the announcement saying the jury is in and the verdicts have been announced.
Pod and Planet has three categories: Eight Thousand Suns in New Eden (lore-based); A Day in the Life (gameplay-based/freeform); and Other Things Just Make You Swear and Curse (humour, and also a Monty Python reference). The lore-based category – stories that are consistent with EVE lore and don’t feature player characters/corporations – traditionally yields the largest prizes and sees the most submissions. This year, capsuleers entered 36 stories in that category, while the humour section had five submissions and the gameplay/freeform category received 16. Those numbers line up well with previous years. It’s clear that Pod and Planet is still going strong.
The final contestants are available here for your reading enjoyment.
Jenne Exupery is a low-wattage independent who dabbles in shipping, salvage, trade, exploration, and nearly victimless heists. He can usually be found bumming around Derelik and Domain under one name or another. Preferred contact method: in-game mail to Jenne Exupery of Manticore-Horizon Shipping [MANHO].
