Did you know that PiBoIdMo is one of Oprah’s favorite things?

oprah

Totally. Even Amy Poehler’s head is exploding.

amypoehlerhead

And lawyers are sending cease and desist letters. Whoa. Those Oprah folks work fast.

lawyerduck

(This is obviously her kidlit practice lawyer. I hear he also works for Aflac.)

Okay, while PiBoIdMo might NOT be one of Oprah’s favorite things, or something Oprah has even heard of…I know it is one of YOUR favorite things.

And so, without further ado (or flying feathers), here are the 13 GRAND PRIZE WINNERS for PIBOIDMO 2015! Please congratulate them!

CARRIE FINISON
ELLEN SIRIANNI
DEBORAH HOLT WILLIAMS
MARTI JOHNS
LYN MILLER-LACHMANN
KEILA DAWSON
JENA BENTON
KASSY KEPPOL
DANIELA WEIL
PAMELA BERKMAN
JENNIFER BOWER
TONY WILLIAMS
KIM ERICKSON

You may be asking: How were the PiBoIdMo 2015 GRAND PRIZE WINNERS selected?

Every participant who signed the PiBoIdMo Winner’s Pledge was assigned a number based upon the order in which they commented. I then used Random.org to generate 13 random numbers from 1 to 888 (the total number of pledge comments). The numbers were matched to their corresponding name, then I ensured that name was on the PiBoIdMo registration post. If the name had been registered, then I double checked to make sure they had not commented on the winner’s pledge multiple times (thus giving them extra chances to win). If all checked out, the winner was verified. (And they all checked out!)

winners2015

In the interest of full disclosure, I will note that one of the winners is related to me by marriage. It just worked out that way. This is no way influenced the winner selection. It was all done by random selection.

If you are a grand prize winner, please read the following carefully:

I will pair each one of you with a participating agent and contact you via email. You will have until the end of this calendar year to contact your agent with your FIVE best ideas. I suggest you flesh them out into a paragraph each, like an elevator pitch. Something short and snappy. The agent will then provide feedback on which idea(s) may be the best to pursue as manuscripts. The agent may provide short and sweet feedback like a simple “Go for it!” or more lengthy feedback providing suggestions. I don’t know what’s in store for you–but there’s one thing for certain–their feedback will help you determine what to begin writing!

Thank you all for participating this year!

Remember there are PLENTY more prizes to come. I will be giving away all the prizes you saw during PiBoIdMo, nearly 50 of them, through the end of the year. Who knows what you may win! (You get a car! You get a car! YOU GET A CAR!)*

yougetacar

*You will not get a car.