NationStates

It's time for another issues contest, everyone! This marks the first of what we hope will be an annual issuing tradition and brings the winners fame and fortune and... (*is handed a note*) I mean... and brings the chance to have your nation immortalised forever in a global News post and to have your winning entry added to the game.

How Do I Enter?
Enter your single issue submission by the usual method between 1st June 2021 and 30th June 2021. Please ensure you tick the box marked "Issue Contest Submission".

Please take your time over your one submission (that's per player, not per nation), and make sure you're truly happy with it. There's no rush.

Can Anyone Enter?
Yes. Whether you're an old hand with dozens of issues under your belt or have never written an issue before, whether you're normally found debating in NSG or legislating in the WA or haggling over another nation's merchandise in the RP forums, all are welcome to participate!

What Are You Looking For?
We are broadly looking for any issue that a real-life world leader might face. Please enter a submission that you have not already sent to us before.

You can find ideas on how to do this in our guide to How to Write Issues for NationStates. We advise you to check the Spoiler List to see if your topic has been covered before, and to drop into the Writers' Block for a chat with more experienced authors.

Got Issues? is an excellent resource and we recommend you use it, and draft there, to boost your chances. And there's no need to worry about being plagiarised – we are very vigilant.

As a note: we are able to look at more narrow niche topics than we did before, so if your idea has been covered before in a broad way but you have a new and narrow niche twist on the idea, don't think that is automatically a 'no'. Ask for advice.

What Are You Not Looking For?
As with the previous contest, we are not looking for any submissions about pandemics.

Submissions about pandemics will be immediately disqualified.

You have just one entry: use it well.

What Could I Win?
The Top Ten finalists will be featured in a follow-up News post, so that the whole site can share in your achievement. The Top 10 finalists are also guaranteed to have their submission added to the game.

We also use the contests to look out for potential future editors.

What Does That Mean?
In the course of the contest, the Issues Team may spot one, or possibly more, players with the potential to be (either at present or at some time in the future) an issues editor.

Everything depends on the entries we receive.

When Will Results Be Announced?
The results will be announced at some time in July. Keep your eyes peeled.

What Happens If I Don't Win?
If you don't win, don't be disheartened. We are always looking for well-written issues and issues that don't make the Top 10 may be added to the game at a later date (so watch this space).

Good Luck and Happy Issuing!

Good luck to all those participating! This is gonna be interesting

It's been a year already? Wowzers!

All the best to everyone involved! I just might participate myself, but I can't give promises just yet. ^^;

EDIT: Can I submit something that I have worked on before but never made it through, i.e. repurpose an inactive draft I have posted here?

I'd write a bay of pigs issue but I'm too lazy lol

Is it alright for Issue Contest submissions to have two authors?

yes
I already have an issue well into the drafting stage: viewtopic.php?f=13&t=498243
Also, can you submit an issue of your own into this contest and be a coauthor of another in the same contest?

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=505701

Got the idea from Bears in TWB.

Nice

Dabarastan wrote:Is it alright for Issue Contest submissions to have two authors?

Drew Durrnil wrote:yes
I already have an issue well into the drafting stage: viewtopic.php?f=13&t=498243
Also, can you submit an issue of your own into this contest and be a coauthor of another in the same contest?

Please enter issues as a single party for this contest (no co-authoring).

It is doubly important that you do not submit your own issue and co-author another; this is the "One Chance Only" Contest -- one entrant per player.

Valentine Z wrote:It's been a year already? Wowzers!

All the best to everyone involved! I just might participate myself, but I can't give promises just yet. ^^;

EDIT: Can I submit something that I have worked on before but never made it through, i.e. repurpose an inactive draft I have posted here?

If you have not submitted it before, you can submit it to us.

Final reminder that we do recommend that everyone takes their time and makes sure their draft are as strong as it can be.

Nice, thanks for the response! With a month of deadline remaining, I will see what I can think of. ♥

Once again, good luck to everyone!

Good luck to everyone as well. I hope many good submissions get accepted.

I might just write an issue now!

Nice, i have an idea on my mind already

It appears there is some confusion so, to be clear, you must enter a draft that you -- alone -- have worked on from beginning to end.

Drafts that began as a co-authored issue cannot be entered. To do so would mean instant disqualification.

You can, of course, take the opinions of other players as part of a normal GI drafting process.

EDIT: As a word of reassurance: you really don't have to hurry to get your entry in as quickly as possible. Speed of entry will not impact how well you do in the contest. A top-notch entry submitted shortly before the contest closes has an equal chance of success.

Yaay, this is so exciting! I wasn't around for the last contest, but I can be now so much thinking to do, yes... a lot of thinking. I-I need to go... to Google Docs!

Hrr'rmm, if I'd known that this was coming then I'd have delayed submission of 'Cuy Bono? by just a few more days...

The Free Joy State wrote:The Top 10 finalists are also guaranteed to have their submission added to the game.

That sounds like a dangerous thing to promise. What if you only get 9 submissions that aren't totally awful?

Maybe that doesn't sound too likely, but if you're going to do this annually, there's probably going to be a slow year at some point.

Trotterdam wrote:

The Free Joy State wrote:The Top 10 finalists are also guaranteed to have their submission added to the game.

That sounds like a dangerous thing to promise. What if you only get 9 submissions that aren't totally awful?

Maybe that doesn't sound too likely, but if you're going to do this annually, there's probably going to be a slow year at some point.

They didn't promise that it wouldn't be removed again as soon as the author's own nation had received it...

Trotterdam wrote:

The Free Joy State wrote:The Top 10 finalists are also guaranteed to have their submission added to the game.

That sounds like a dangerous thing to promise. What if you only get 9 submissions that aren't totally awful?

Maybe that doesn't sound too likely, but if you're going to do this annually, there's probably going to be a slow year at some point.

I think that's something we don't need to worry about unless it ever occurs. We've always received far more than 10 submissions that are worthy of being added.

I have made a bunch of issues before, none getting accepted sadly but I think this is my chance. Prolly gonna do something about religion nuts raving about the end of the world or something.

Bears Armed wrote:Hrr'rmm, if I'd known that this was coming then I'd have delayed submission of 'Cuy Bono? by just a few more days...

I'd intended to get the announcement up on the 28th, rather than late on the 1st when the Contest was already theoretically underway, but didn't get around to it. So if anyone submitted an issue from the 28th onwards that they want used as their Contest submission, let us know here, and you can re-submit it for the Contest.

Going forward, this shouldn't be an issue, as we're intending to run a Contest for the entire month of June, annually.

Sedgistan wrote:

Trotterdam wrote:That sounds like a dangerous thing to promise. What if you only get 9 submissions that aren't totally awful?

Maybe that doesn't sound too likely, but if you're going to do this annually, there's probably going to be a slow year at some point.

I think that's something we don't need to worry about unless it ever occurs. We've always received far more than 10 submissions that are worthy of being added.

Agree, and to add, we always reserve the right to edit the issues so that they become publishable.

EDIT: Link found here: viewtopic.php?ns=1&f=13&t=505718

Berlin and Hanover wrote:snip

Hi Berlin and Hanover, could you post your draft as a separate thread, so that people can give comments as replies? This thread is meant to discuss the issues contest, and not to provide feedback on individual drafts.

Berlin and Hanover wrote:*snip*

Please draft your submissions in their own threads, not this thread.

Thanks!

EDIT: Ninja'd by Electrum.