Winners of the Under the Sea Challenge

 
Welcome to Solaris, traveller! This is a slower-than-light science fantasy set in our own solar system.
About Solaris | Guide to Solaris | Prologue
I, Annie Stein and my co-judge Qurilion are proud to announce the winners of the Under the Sea Flash Challenge. We had 23 wonderful entries, and we're so amazed of what everyone has been able to create in just ten days. Thank you all for participating, and please, go congratulate these amazing writers!   Without further ado...  

Honorable Mentions

Crashed Sky Citadel by Rain

 
A deep dive that slowly reveals its mystery. I thought it was clever to write about something that wasn't supposed to be in the water, a crashed citadel, and I was intrigued to see how it was handled. This was my early favourite!
— Annie

- by Chris L

Tambanokano
Character | Dec 2, 2023

Tambanokano is one of the Seven Celestial Gluttons. The star-eating crab sits at the bottom of the deepest trench in the ocean, eating anything that comes within reach of its greedy claws.

I really enjoyed the mythological kaiju aspect, and the prose around the "celestial gluttons" and star-eating is evocative. The idea of a giant, hungering crab sitting in the depths of the ocean and craving the stars is great.
— Qurilion

Qimiori - Water Forests by Blue Fairy 74

Qimiori - Water Forests
Geographic Location | Dec 15, 2023
Qimori takes us through a unique, strange biome. Like above-ground subnautica, we get to learn about this alien biome and its cornerstone plant: the Knot Trees. I love how the map feature is used to showcase the trees and the life around them.
— Annie

Tsuthar'Chor by JudasBrennan

Tsuthar'Chor
Generic article | May 20, 2023
Most articles about these kind of creatures are scant on the detail of their inner workings, so it was a fresh take on getting one that provided insight into their actual society and how it functions. Colossal, psychic minds locked in an internal cold war is some wonderful imagery, as is the miles of neural tendrils and fleshy blobby city architecture. Lovely!
— Qurilion

Runner-Ups

Creative

Thalatta by hughpierre

Thalatta
Geographic Location | May 29, 2023
An hostile globe of ancient sea-water locked in by perpetual motion, Thalatta was just such an inventive concept!
— Annie

Versimilitude

Descent of Íde by SapphireSong

The Descent of íde
Generic article | Jul 14, 2024
Worldbuilding and storytelling work together in this lovely character-driven piece. What a great way to introduce us to StarSea!
— Annie

Presentation

Sea Hollowed by mirescosmo

Sea Hollowed
Condition | Jun 11, 2023
A beautiful article with beautiful art! Mirescosmo's article is tastefully laid out and cleverly uses articleblocks to invite you to explore further.
— Annie
 

Winners

 

Third Place

 

The Merpeople by Amélie I. S. Debruyne

   
You have to read this for the art, if nothing else! Amélie weaves stories around her worldbuilding, and with it introduces us to all kinds of aspects of her new Mer people. It's very smart in how it gets across a lot of information fast.
— Annie

Eternal Sage AmélieIS

Amélie I. S. Debruyne
To see what I am up to: my Summer Camp 2024.

 
Drawing of a bronze seashell with the text

Second Place

 

Chok Swam by The Big G

This late entry was worth waiting for! Strange interlocked beings are cool enough on their own, but what really pulls this article into excellence is the strong perspective, that of vastlander Haftera Djuur, who once was allowed to travel with the strange aquatic species. I really loved the art too!
— Annie

Journeyman The Big G

From The River to The Ocean, a civilization grows up. Under them both lies The Deeps.

 
Drawing of a silver seashell with the text

First Place

 

The Joining by Rin Garnett

   
There was no doubt who the winner was for this challenge. Not only did Qurilion and I both give this our top scores for creativity and versimilitude, but it was the highest scoring for both of us. I love travelling cities, but what Rin does with the joining blew me away. A masterful blend of biology and festivals comes together to make some really, really, good worldbuilding.
— Annie
Drawing of a gold seashell with the text
Want more? Check out Under the Sea Flash Challenge to see the rules and all 23 entries
Notice: This article is a stub. It may be expanded later!

Comments

Author's Notes

Thank you for your interest in the Under the Sea Challenge!   Challenges like these are a labour of love, and I hope you have felt loved and seen. If you would like to help me make more Solaris and more unofficial community events like this challenge, you can support me by checking out the linked buttons here!   You can find Qurilion on Ko-Fi too, if you'd like to thank him for his help. He'll be commenting with the feedback as we finish it up.
Support me with a tip, or become a monthly member for exclusive art, behind the scenes and more.        


Please Login in order to comment!
May 31, 2023 16:45 by Chris L

Congrats to the winners! Proud to make it into the decision making process!


Take a look at my Institutions of Learning challenge article.

Learn about the World of Wizard's Peak and check out my award winning article about the Ghost Boy of Kirinal!

Jun 1, 2023 07:27 by Annie Stein

It was a solid entry! Congratulations on the honourable mention, it was well earned!

Creator of Solaris -— Come Explore!
May 31, 2023 20:25

Congrats to everyone!

Check out the worlds of Starhome and Magic Earth
If you are looking for my Worldember articles check Magic Earth or My Worldember Progress Page
Jun 1, 2023 07:27 by Annie Stein

Yes! Thank you for entering as well!

Creator of Solaris -— Come Explore!
Jun 1, 2023 10:26 by Emily Armstrong

Congrats to all the winners!! Such fantastic worldbuilding in these articles, reading all the entries and winners has been such a treat! Thank you to you and Qurilion for putting on this challenge, it was so fun!

Check out my worlds of Beckettville and Culinarypunk!
Jun 1, 2023 10:57 by Annie Stein

It really has been a treat! I'm thrilled to hear more people have been reading and enjoying these articles, they're well worth it!

Creator of Solaris -— Come Explore!
Jun 1, 2023 10:53 by E. Christopher Clark

Congratulations to the winners! And thanks to the challenge-running team. I really enjoyed this prompt.

Enroll in Yesterland Academy today!
Jun 1, 2023 10:57 by Annie Stein

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Creator of Solaris -— Come Explore!
Jun 1, 2023 23:42 by Rin Garnett

Congratulations to all the winners! Reading through all of these has been a wonderful way to spent the day. There's so much creativity within this community, it's been incredible to see the different ways people interpreted the prompt. Also a huge thank you for running the challenge and taking the time to provide feedback to everyone.

Jun 2, 2023 07:23 by Annie Stein

Congratulations to you too! I'm so glad you've enjoyed it and spread some love to the other articles.

Creator of Solaris -— Come Explore!