Congratulations to everyone who participated in Bookbed’s very first fic fest! We hope everyone enjoyed participating in Fictory and gained something along the way. Thank you to the writers, beta readers and judges for all your hard work. Check out the list of winners below (we’ll get in touch!), and see you in the next #BookbedFictory!

1^st Place: Black Love by Mayumi Cruz (5 out of 5 stars)

Prize: P2,000-worth of bookstore gift certificate + Bookbed shirt

Some comments from the judges:

“The story starts in medias res, which makes it exciting. The pacing was perfect and so was the narrative.”

“Was very excited for this prompt, and loved how the writer grounded the story in a local setting and employed even more local mythical creatures. The reveal of the twist was satisfying and effectively unnerving given how the writer endeared the characters to the readers.”

“Fairytale feel. The voice is delivered clearly. It did not lose the momentum. Fascinating story!”

2^nd Place: The Mark of the Duwende by Anne Plaza (4.6 out of 5 stars)

Prize: P1,000-worth of bookstore gift certificate + Bookbed shirt

“The plot was superb and the cliffhanger was inviting enough for me to ask the author to write more about what happened to the characters.”

“Loved how the writer presented the characters in a way that readers got invested and understood their motivations. Especially liked Mutya and Michael, and I feel like this story has a lot of potential to be a gripping adventure series.”

“It’s a gripping story with a touch of Philippine Folklore. This story has a great potential to become a full length novel or probably a series. I enjoyed the story a lot (I didn’t even realize I was finished) and I’m craving for more.”

3^rd Place: Di & Rency’s Make-up Emergency by H. Bentham (3.9 out of 5 stars)

Prize: P1,000-worth of bookstore gift certificate + Bookbed shirt

“Overall, a very light, happy, enjoyable read.”

“This story is so cute. It’s light, fast and fun to read, definitely bringing in some good vibes.”

“Loved how the writer went straight to the meat of the story. Appreciated the LGBT representation and how we got to know the characters without the need for verbose characterization from the writer. The whole piece was well-paced and aww-inducing, and reminded me a bit of John Green’s piece in the Let It Snow anthology.”

Crowd Favorite: A Universe of Two by Tina Balajadia (accumulated online hits and shares of 1, 517)

Prize: P500-worth of bookstore gift certificate + Bookbed merch

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Judges:

Lausanne Barlaan has written for multiple publications, including Candymag.com and Cosmo.ph, and is a Storyteller for Bookbed.

Nicai de Guzman is the Head of Content and Creative Strategy at Rising Tide, a journalist, and a Storyteller for Bookbed. She has written for multiple publications, including SPOT.ph, Entrepreneur.com.ph and Esquiremag.ph. You can read her thoughts at @nicaideguzman.

Lucille de Mesa is a licensed dentist, a Storyteller and Roomie at Bookbed. Read her book reviews and blog over at lucilleannedm.

Bea Masaluñga is a registered nurse and a Bookbed Roomie. Read her book reviews and blog over at Confessions of a Pinay Bookaholic.

Cindy Wong Dela Cruz is a writer, one of the curators of 8Letters (a boutique bookstore that curates Filipino books and sell them in cafes and events) and a Bookbed Roomie. You can find her books and read her thoughts at cindycanwrite.com.

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For questions or reactions regarding results, email contribute@bookbed.org.

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