Congratulations to Matt Baxter! Matt's story titled, "Zebco 33," is the official winner of the 2014 Project Keepsake Story contest.
Matt is a photographer (justshootmephotography.net) from Carrollton, Georgia who lives and works in Chattanooga. In fact, he submitted beautiful photographs of his beloved keepsake (a shiny Zebco 33 reel) to complement his story.
One of the judges commented, "I just love this story. I think I'm drawn to it because it is so straightforward and direct, and because it is something that I can relate to from my childhood. It just seems very honest and heartfelt."
I agree.
Then again, all of the keepsake stories I have read in the past few years exude an honest, genuine quality that is rare in today's storytelling.
I had planned to post the top two stories on this blog, but after reading through the entries, I have decided to post several throughout December as a thank you to the writers who sat down and composed stories and as a gift to my blog readers. Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Season's Greetings to all of you!
Here's Matt's story.
Thank you to this year's judges—Audrey Lanier, Paul Garrison, Dana Cooley-Keith, Mitzi Boyd, and Jake Andersen. After reviewing the stories, each judge sent me their top four selections with remarks, and I tallied the votes. All five told me that judging the contest was a lot harder than they had anticipated.
Thank you again to all who wrote and entered keepsake stories. I enjoyed reading each story and connected with each story and storyteller.
Again, I will post several of the entries on this blog in the next four weeks. Stay tuned.
Project Keepsake is on sale now with no shipping and handling charges. And by the way, it's a great Christmas gift for a loved one, especially when paired with a keepsake or heirloom.
And as always, please share your keepsake stories with the people in your life. Everyone has a keepsake, and every keepsake has a story to tell.