The contest, which was open to college students in the 18-30 age group, was a platform for the youth to write on anything which they felt should be heard, read, seen and felt. The Blog It Onmanorama Contest turned a slice of the blogosphere into a melting pot of verse, views and wisdom with college students, some from premier institutions, turning in their entries on multifarious topics.
The contest, which was open to college students in the 18-30 age group, was a platform for the youth to write on anything which they felt should be heard, read, seen and felt.
Out of hundreds of entries we received, O Aishwarya, a visually-challenged student of Azim Premji University, was adjudged the winner. A resident of Kochi, Aishwarya insightfully throws new light on topics affecting the differently-abled people. Hari Shree, a student of Sahrdaya College of Engineering and Technology, Kodakara, was adjudged the first runner-up, and Ashitha Meenu of Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, the second runner-up. It was an all-woman affair as the top three lots were all occupied by girls. Also, there was only one boy in the top 10.
All the three will get Kindles as prizes.
The contest, which drew lakhs of people to our site, at once opened an avenue of expression for the bloggers and turned out to be a learning experience for Onmanorama. The diversity of topics, the vigorousness of writing, the clarity of thought and the profundity of subjects covered were all astonishing.
The judges were unanimous in their opinion on Aishwarya. Her thought-provoking entry 'Sight Unseen' emerged the clear winner for its earnest, truthful and poignant portrayal of the world as perceived by her.
The vigorous manner of articulation by Hari Shree and the thoroughly profound writing by Ashita also were class apart.
The topics chosen by the contestants were in itself varied and interesting. If the young doctor in Ashita touched upon the Zimbrado experiment, a psychology experiment done by a Stanford Professor in prison, Hari Shree thought feminism needs to be taken more seriously.
The topics covered pornography, adolescent and teenage issues, Kashmir militancy, painting, peace and harmony, boredom, excitement of college life, photography and gender discrimination, to list a few. As many as 90 per cent of the contestants were women. The blogs were a tad too serious and was a far cry from the humour embedded in the Malayali psyche.
Sarah Mathew, Bibin Sam Thomas, Cuckoo Elizabeth Cyriac, Avantika Paul, Christina Tresa Emmanuel, Lydia Sara Sunil and Sanjana Santhosh also figured in the top 10 list. The best 10 bloggers will get certificates and their blogs will be published on our site. The three winners will be invited individually for the prize distribution function soon.
Onmanorama wishes all the winners and participants all the very best in life. Happy blogging.
