I’m a winner, you’re a winner. We’re all winners! Let’s just call it a day! Ha ha ha ha ha. Hem. Not so funny am I?

What was I thinking judging this contest based on originality, skill and enthusiasm?!!! How can I possibly choose one cute kid over another?!!! I must be insane. Well, I’ll tell you what I was thinking: I was remembering all those coloring contests I used to enter as a child (and believe me I was that kid who entered them all and won quite a few too) and I remembered feeling miffed when I didn’t win because it was some sort of random pick-a-number-out-of-a-hat system. What’s the point of a coloring contest if you don’t get some credit for your mad coloring skillz, right?

So without further ado, I give you the winners and then my crazy reasons why.

Winner of the 7-13 age category is Kaylie! This was really tough for me. I was almost going just go out and buy two more prizes because seriously, each of these kids did top work. I chose Kaylie based on my super-scientific art-director gut. Back when I was an art director at the junk mail factory, I used this super-scientific gut feeling a lot. It usually served me well.

I also like Kaylie’s because she used original colors and she colored it consistently. I like Princess Bear‘s because she used a very sophisticated outlining method. I really wanted to choose hers too. And then I wanted to choose the twins because how cool is that that they colored this together?!! If you don’t agree with me click over to the next photo in mamarazzi’s photostream. If that isn’t teamwork then I don’t know what is. So here’s the thing. I’m going to think up a runner-up prize because I think all these kids deserve to win. I will keep you posted.

Next up: the 0-6-ers, as I like to call them.

I should have broken this group up because there is a huge difference between what a two-year-old can do and what a five-year-old can do. BUT! I’m not made of prizes so we have to keep moving forward. I’m thinking about this as if I were awarding a scholarship. I want to give the prize to the artist who seems to be the most promising and I choose Cheyenne.

I almost chose Arwyn because look at those lips on Fribbit! That shows originality and enthusiasm! This was really tough. Enthusiasm really means a lot to me and all these kids really showed that. I especially liked Kaitlyn’s googlie eyes and 3-D feet. That’s really original and thinking outside the box. But in the end I kept coming back to who completed their coloring the best and I think that’s Cheyenne.

So! Congratulations winners! And also congratulations to all those parents who jumped through all the hoops to let their kids participate. (And all the adults who participated too. I’ve got a little something something for you guys coming soon. You guys did so great! I know it can be a real challenge to get kids, printers and cameras to all cooperate under a deadline and you guys pulled it off! Woo Hooo!)

Winners send me your mailing addresses and I will ship out your buckets of art supplies. And those of you who didn’t win, do not fret. I have something planned for you too. Because really everyone’s a winner. We will definitely do this again but maybe next time with less judging and a sponsor for prizes.

Over and out.