Short List for Judging "The Practices and Ceremonies of Worship"

You've done a LOT of work!

I've judged categories for a couple years for Summer Camp and I'm aways impressed by the sheer volume of worldbuilding that this community does during the month of July. This year was no exception. I believe that "competitor mode" is a definite improvement on the process for those of us who are judging. With competitor mode, there were 161 articles in this category, almost 100 articles fewer than prior Summer Camps.
That's a lot of articles, and as always there were a lot of good ones. This article is my take on the best - the ones I thought were worth you reading and the ones I learned something from - or thought were great examples of some particular aspect of world building. So I'll start with some overall observations, then I'll get to the stuff you clicked on this article to read - my cream of the crop picks for the best articles in this category.

General Observations

If you've read any of the prior "short list" or "criteria" articles I've written, you will know some of what I'm going to say here. I acknowledge that Summer Camp is about quantity and making that first draft article so you can flesh out your world. That's a great objective, and I fully support it. I also think that everyone understands that your "really rough draft" articles won't win prizes (although I actually have one on the short list this time), so there's no harm no foul for not getting an article where you would like it to be. But - here's the thing.
During Summer Camp (and the month of August), people read and engage with your world more than they do at any other time during the year. You have the opportunity every summer to get mentioned on a list like this, and have members of the community promote your article and even maybe your world. I believe that alone makes it worth taking an extra 15 minutes to look at and read your article before Summer Camp submissions close and judging begins - ask yourself:

• Do my sentences make sense, are they grammatically correct? Do they contain spelling or verb tense errors? If they do, fix it!
• Is it possible to break up the dreaded "wall of text" with a couple headers or a quote or two? This is a 5 minute exercise that really helps your articles be more approachable.
• Did I write an article that was actually about the prompt? You'd be surprised how many aren't - and I'm pretty generous about your interpretation, but there are people who won't like it...
• Does my reader have to understand my world in order to understand my article? Lots of articles drop their readers into the middle of something without any context. Remember, your reader isn't nearly as immersed in your world as you are. They may have never seen your world before and even if they have, they probably aren't familiar with all it's ins and outs.

Just reading your article out loud will help you catch all of this immediately, and it will improve the quality of your article dramatically. It's the difference between an article that's a pleasure to read, and one that's a chore. Be merciful to the casual and first time readers who will see your work, and lure them back. Judges won't say anything if you don't do this, but they won't promote your world to the rest of the community either. So take the extra time and edit your stuff. Trust me, it's worth it.

The Short List

In no particular order - in fact, I haven't decided yet who the winner is - these are the stand-outs in the submissions and why:

None of us in the WA community have ever said our weekly prayers over clickety clack math rocks, entreating the favor of a whimisical goddess of fate, have we? Well, on the outside chance you find yourself needing to know the name of such a diety, it's Fortuna, she's a friend of Jared, she lives in the World of Totania, and this is her amusing, tounge-in-cheek story...

"Pirate's Parley" is really unfair. You open it up and it's stuffed with spectacular artwork, color, mood, even a story snippet. Every design element drags you right smack into Dazzlinkat's world of Pangorio. This is an itsy teeny article that at first read isn't about worship at all - until you realize - well, for a pirate, it actually, probably is. Open it up - it's a joy to behold.

Hanhula is at it again - Skycaller is a gorgeous short piece of work with lyrical writing and really beautiful art. This is an extremely good example of how to use the basic layouts provided with WA, creating a visually interesting article with a minimum of exotic CSS. Very well done world building with a touch of thoughtfulness that shows real consideration for the prompt; a great addition to the fascinating world of Istralar.

Marriage in Croibhism is a lovely article about a solemn religious rite of marriage in Toreworld by Pfeffermin sprinkled with symbolism about the central theological symbol - a tree. The writing is well phrased, the topics coherent and consistent, the art is lovely and the formatting and design is very well thought out. Very good work!

Jamie Buckley (Wanted Hero) is a brilliant writer and consistently turns out great stories. This one is a short narrative piece that walks you right into the heart of the worship ceremonies of an unknown native community in an unknown place as relayed by an unknown author. A piece of immensely empathetic and lyrical prose, this article finds something precious when it concludes, "This worship was not just a practice; it was a way of life, a testament to the beauty and wonder of creation itself."

No beautiful art or great CSS here, but "Rite of Tiage-Gen" by NightFlyerOne completely sucks you into the world of Astralar from the very first sentence. Druail Sandrine, the main character, speaks reflectively of how he feels when he leads this rite, and we see - no we feel - just how much this ceremony matters to him. It's compelling. Worship matters to billions of people in the world, and when you read this piece you catch a glimpse of why. If you want to make your world matter write like this.

This article is a well thought out thorough explaination of the worship practices of Priennae. Read this, and you understand the cultural importance and significance of religion and belief in this world. Great example of this style and solid worldbuilding.

LamJael starts this short clean article with a very brief up front history of the religion, then goes through each of the major celebrations of the Aetherian Creed, methodically and concisely explaining what it celebrates and when it occurs, what articles are used, who participates, how it is observed, then finishes at the end of the article with a clear, meaningful summary. Lamjael obviously got straight A's in English composition. Great work.

In "Radio Augury" by Ademal I found a fascinating story premise about a goddess of robots living in the RF spectrum - and those - both the living and AI - who worship her. And what is worship except seeking that which we value? This well written snippet of story totally grabbed my attention and made me want to read more about the goddess Anthem - and those who sought her and why.

"Father, the White Raven flies overhead. I must go." This article captures the classic journey of personal discovery or religious leadership, and expresses that archtype in the context of the world of Nascindor.

The short article "Weekly Worship" by Elspeth87 and her world of The Wilds is a beautiful, thoughtful, peaceful place online - though the history of this religion is not. The article speaks clearly to the sincere practice of religion of common folk - reading it one has the feeling you are reading about an Amish or Mennonite community with their complex history and striving for quiet reverent lives in spite of persecution. It's very well written. Definitely a joy to engage with.

The Rites of Worship is an interesting short article by Mardrena in the World of Defiance. In it the discipline of blacksmithing is an act of worship to the goddess of the forge Eyurdin. There are a myriad of cross species interctions here, exposing you to the complexity of this world and inviting you to investigate the story of Australa, the firebrand smith you are introduced to.

A visually pleasing article with well orgainzed context and interesting CSS. Nice example of how to create an interesting article that captures readers and holds them till the end of the page!

This story walks us through the uncertainty of a young woman who struggles with her obligation to her community, the love she bears her family, trying not to disappoint her adoptive mother and following her heart's desire. The ceremony of a young couple choosing their own path for a life together makes a lovely backdrop in this visually interesting article by TheReasonWhy in the world of The Great Tree.