Contest Idea #1: Name an effect, and have everyone come up with their own creative patter and presentation for the effect. The one with the best wins.

Contest Idea #2: Everybody tells a performance story (real, not made up), and the most entertaining/coolest/awesomest wins.

Contest time expired ...

I have chosen bLiNdSiDe's idea of ...

... "Designing Frijid_Pink's Next Avatar.
The most creative design wins! Once the winning design has been chosen Frijid...you will agree to use the new avatar throughout the duration of your next contest!"

CONGRATULATIONS bLiNdSiDe, you win !

I will contact you via PM for your address so that I may mail you your Prizes. You will have 1 week to claim them.

Just so you guys know ...

... bLiNdSiDe has declined to accept his winning Prizes and requested that I add them to a future Contest.
His request will be honored.

Wow! He is either really scared about sharing his information, or really really cool! (Or a mixture of both...)

Well, he's one of the older Gentlemen members on the Forums and he said ... "I think that the younger fellas on the board would greatly appreciate it."

Nice of him to think of you younger guys, huh ?

I would have been honored to share my information with Frijid and accept the prizes...but, I thought the rest of the Penguin Community would appreciate the extra prizes being added to the next contest.

I just recently won a one year subcription to Magic Magazine on another Forum, so I'm set for awhile.

I am also humbled that Frijid selected my idea...of creating his next avatar...as the winning entry.

So, I once again must thank Frijid for honoring my request and making his next contest worth winning!

Why even enter then??

So that he can make us bust our butts trying to make avatars.

(Pertaining to bLiNdSiDe's decision to forfeit his winning Prizes and offer them for another Contest.)

I would suppose he entered for the same reasons everyone else did ... to participate and offer his ideas.
Most people enter Contests without any intention of winning because they know the odds are already against them when they go in.
They enter on that 1 big outside chance that they might win. When they do win it's a big surprise to them.
I get all sorts of surprised reactions whenever I PM the winners of my Contests. They can't beleive they've won.
I think that's the case here, bLiNdSiDe never thought he'd win ... he was just offering his ideas just like the others.

Can we use Sirbrad's idea in a future contest? I really like that idea!!!

You mean this one ?

"How about guessing a number, and whoever is "furthest away" from the written down number wins?"

Problem is: furthest away in which direction ?

Farthest away would be stupid, as someone could just press the 9 button for about an hour before the contest ends, for the whole hour, and still win.

I mean that one!!!

As Frijid so aptly concluded, I entered the contest sharing an idea for his next contest.

It was about the same time I entered the other contest, I already mentioned. I won a one year subscription to Magic Magazine, a prize that will continue to give for the next several months...I decided to donate the prizes, to Frijid's next contest.

Frijid understands my reasons and has kindly honored my request.

"Paying It Forward" sirbrad...hope you understand, brother.

No you could not, you would have to stay within the range of say 1-500. Also you have no idea what the number is, it could b high or low.