User blog:HopelessNightOwl/Introducing the Isolation20 Contest

So, how are you all holding up with the current lockdown of civilization? If you're like me you've found yourself in a similar paradox to the protagonist of the classic Twilight Zone episode "Time Enough at Last." That is, you've suddenly found yourself with all the time you could want on your hands yet struggle to be able to do anything with it.

Well, I have a stopgap solution: a wiki writing contest. The theme for this contest will be something we can all relate to right now: isolation.

There are obviously a lot of scenarios related to isolation that your entry can cover. Being isolated at home alone is a staple of horror writing and is one place to start, and may be most relatable to people's current situations. However, you may explore any number of angles related to isolation regardless of the real world inspiration for this contest's premise. This includes more abstract takes on isolation beyond just the physical, such as social or mental isolation.

The Rules

As always, one entry per person, no previously published stories allowed. No NSFW entries please.

All entries are due by June 20th (by which point we obviously hope the contest theme will be less immediately relevant.)

There is no word limit, but since the contest entry period will be almost two months we will be extremely reluctant to allow even the mildest of deadline extensions, so keep that in mind when deciding how long your entry will be.

All contest entries should be tagged with the Isolation20 category along with any other applicable categories, including your author tag if you have one.

All entries must be signed using the By-user template, even if your author tag is present in the categories.

As always, the general quality standards of this wiki apply to all contest entries. Contest entries may be tagged for review or deletion the same as all other uploads, however we will try to give priority to reviewing contest entries tagged for review or deletion so that the story can re-enter the contest as quickly as possible if deemed to be up to QS.

Scoring

The stories will be judged on the following criteria:

Spelling, Grammar, and Syntax: 20 points

Overall Composition Strength: 100 points

Entertainment Value: 100 points

Use of isolation theme: 100 points

Judge's personal preference: 20 points

Due to the wide range of emotions and tones that can be explored in a story centered on isolation, we will be forgoing the horror/scare factor scoring criteria that is normally included in wiki contests. Emotions of fear, loneliness, intrigue, or whatever else will be rolled into the entertainment value and use-of-theme scores.