HubPages Marks The Spot - Official Contest Thread - Now with FAQ!

1. 89

   Pamela99posted 13 years ago

   I have just posted a hub for week 4 entitled Boston's City of Salem -a Place for Fun.  We have visited there and had so much fun. 
   
   http://hubpages.com/hub/Bostons-Smaller … -Adventure

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2. 76

   soni2006posted 13 years ago

   Put a lot of my mind on both of these hubs for Week 4:
   
   Discovering Mcleodganj – Best Weekend Destination near Delhi
   
   http://hubpages.com/hub/Discovering-Mcl … near-Delhi
   
   Discovering Lansdowne - Best Peaceful Vacation Destination Near Delhi
   
   http://hubpages.com/hub/Discovering-Lan … Near-Delhi

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3. 85

   Simone Smithposted 13 years ago

   Alas, the weekend be over, but at least we have the winners for ye!
   
   Winners for Day 24:
   Treasure of the Day: Les Trois Chenes for the ultimate insider's guide to the city of York
   Daily Doubloon Drawing: cornwall_UK for Bodmin Parkway Railway Station, Cornwall
   
   Winners for Day 25:
   Treasure of the Day: akirchner for an exhaustive hub on SunRiver in Centran Oregon
   Daily Doubloon Drawing: soni2006 for Discovering Lansdowne - Best Peaceful Vacation Destination Near Delhi
   
   Choosing Treasures of the Day be gettin' harder and harder, methinks.  Good thing HubPages Marks the Spot is almost over, lest the ruthless competition cast all judges into Davy Jones' Locker!

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   1. 89

      Patty Inglish, MSposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      What ye say thar? We canna ha' another month of the contest? Well, congrats to the winners and may they sail the seven seas without scruvy scalliwags blockin' the fine views!

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      1. 85

         Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         AAARGH Cap'n Inglish! It be tough work, the pirate's life!  Best to hide away in a secret port for a while before headin' out for more pillagin' @_@
         
         ... our next contest is going to be pretty awesome though

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      2. 76

         soni2006posted 13 years agoin reply to this

         I agree with Patty. We need another month of contest. This is such an interesting one this time.

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      soni2006posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you so much Simone. Wow...

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4. 85

   Simone Smithposted 13 years ago

   More winners for ye!
   
   For Day 17 of this fine contest, the Treasure of the Day prize goes to soni2006 for his hub on taking a weekend-long vacation in Mcleodganj, which is an amazing, photo-filled guide complete with history, an overview of the top places to see, travel tips, and even a complete price breakdown O________O.  The Daily Doubloon Drawing goes to anujagarwal for another beautiful, photo-filled hub on Munnar, one of the best hill stations in India!
   
   The guides we're seeing for this contest are just getting better than ever - amazing original photos, truly useful tips, pricing guides, advice from true insiders, fascinating facts... whew!  These hubs sure are going to be great guides for travelers planning out their fun adventures XD

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   1. 76

      soni2006posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks again Simone.

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         MPG Narrativesposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Congrats soni2006, beautiful hubs.

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         1. 76

            soni2006posted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Thank you so much MPG.

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      anujagarwalposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks Simone.

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5. 49

   subramani123posted 13 years ago

   good
   
   good

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6. 76

   soni2006posted 13 years ago

   My contribution for today. I am in love with this place. It is singles friendly, kid friendly, family friendly, couple friendly, and even your dog will love this.
   
   Harsil in Uttaranchal - Best Long Weekend Getaway Spot from Delhi
   
   http://hubpages.com/hub/harsil-in-uttar … from-delhi
   
   If you live in or around Delhi, you must have visited various overcrowded hill stations like Shimla Mussourie, Nainital, but believe me, your kids and family will be really happy if you will take them to a camping vacation to Harsil.......

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7. 76

   soni2006posted 13 years ago

   A quick one. Today is the last chance so need to hit it fast. Check it out friends.
   
   Perfect Vacation Itinerary to Binsar and Almora - Car Driving Directions on Map
   
   http://hubpages.com/hub/perfect-vacatio … ons-on-map
   
   There are three major attractions in Binsar that can be added in your car travel itinerary to Uttaranchal....

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8. 85

   Simone Smithposted 13 years ago

   I be late for announcin' today's winners.  Why, ye ask?  BECAUSE YE SCURVY DOGS ARE MAKIN' IT SO HARD TO CHOOSE @#$$#^$@## WINNERS??? #$$%&@@#$^$^#$$&#%#$@%&*%^!!! STOP BEING SO @#$#^#! GOOD AT THESE #$%$%^@ GUIDES!!! 
   
   Winners for Day 27:
   Treasure of the Day: stephhicks68 for her hub on family friendly vacations in Central Oregon
   Daily Doubloon Drawing: oceansnsunsets for Kid Friendly Outings while Visiting St. Louis, Missouri
   
   NOW EXCUSE ME WHILE I DRINK MYSELF TO OBLIVION.

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      soni2006posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Congratulations to both of you, stephhicks and oceansunsets, excellent hubs indeed.

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         oceansnsunsetsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Hi Soni, thank you so much.

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9. 85

   oceansnsunsetsposted 13 years ago

   Hi Simone, and lol at that post how funny!  Thank you so much!!  I am very very excited to have won!  Congratulations to Stephchick as well, way to go.
   Ocean

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      WordCustardposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Congratulations oceansunsets (and Stephhicks)! Off to visit your hubs right now.

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10. 60

    earthbound1974posted 13 years ago

    I've been very busy lately, guys. Hoping HubPages staff and hubber-friends will understand. Being a barangay treasurer can be so tiring sometime. Good luck and Congrats to all. Luv Yah. Mwah!!!:p

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11. 78

    frogdroppingposted 13 years ago

    Day 28? Is today not day 28? If so I'm late. Confused here. The contest finishes today at 12:00 noon PT. Or have I missed it?!

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    1. 85

       Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       No, you're right! That was my error.  Totally flustered and the like from the judging debates we had.  The contest did indeed end today at noon PT!

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12. 93

    akirchnerposted 13 years ago

    Great hubs from everyone and congrats to everyone who did so well so far!
    
    Is anyone else tired?  I'm so tired I can barely sit up and I think I may have to go get some mechanical arms - or at least some braces to hold mine up for my 'regular' job!
    
    I think my biggest problem now is that I'm going to go into withdrawal for a vacation because after reading all about these great places to go and remembering the places I've been, I'm really sad that I can't go somewhere - like today!
    
    Thanks everyone for all the virtual tours though!!

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13. 79

    apertureringposted 13 years ago

    This contest was a lot of fun! It gave me so many great ideas for hubs I would have never written otherwise. I still have a nice long queue of more articles I need to write from the weekly and daily topics.
    
    Can't wait for the next contest.

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    1. 85

       Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Oh, how nice that it offered some good ideas!  Our next one is going to be really great- and the topic will be quite useful too!

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14. 78

    frogdroppingposted 13 years ago

    @ Simone - phew! Great contest and congratulations to all the winners - and everyone that's written travel hubs a plenty

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15. 85

    Simone Smithposted 13 years ago

    This is it! The last daily winners!!  With no further ado:
    
    Treasure of the Day: In The Doghouse for Things to See in Old Town Temecula
    Daily Doubloon Drawing: Gordon Hamilton for Top Visitor Attractions in West Papua, Indonesia
    
    Congrats!  The only winners that remain are the weekly winners (Pirate's Choice and Best TreasureHub) and the Grand HubBucaneer winner!
    
    Be sure to vote for your favorite hub of the week on the contest page!

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    1. 93

       Gordon Hamiltonposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks very much, Simone! This is much appreciated but like so many others, I am sad to see another great contest drawing to a close. It has been fun to participate in and a pleasure and an informative exercise to read so many great Hubs about places all around the world.
       
       Thanks to all at Hub Pages for organising it.

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          oceansnsunsetsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          Congratulations Gordon and In the Doghouse, great hubs! Ocean

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    2. 68

       In The Doghouseposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks again... This contest was a really fun one!

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16. 75

    Sweetsusiegposted 13 years ago

    Do we know the the next contest is going to be?  Hoping that I will be able to participate more!

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    1. 85

       Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       It's going to be in January, though a lot of the prep for it can be done in December.  Keep an eye out for more on it soon- it'll be a really good one, and the topic is excellent XD

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          Purple Perlposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          WOW!

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17. 70

    cornwall_UKposted 13 years ago

    I tried to write to the "daily topic", which gave me a broad amount of material, but I was starting from 0 hubs, so found it a lot of work building everything up from there and meeting the daily topic ... and I kind of burnt out in the end.
    
    
    
    But, I now have a great collection of local hubs to build upon, which is why I did this contest.
    
    IMHO, the contests are the best way to keep motivated about writing - and they make you write stuff you'd have never written if you hadn't been 'directed' and focussed on one subject.
    
    I'd 100% recommend that any new hubbers do a challenge or contest of some sort.... just not one lasting a month
    
    I've not left the house for 4 weeks.... ironic as the writing was all about travel!

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    1. 85

       Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Wow, I'm glad it was a good experience for you, though no wonder you're burnt out!!  You've definitely got a great collection going though, and I'm glad you got so much mileage out of the Daily Bonus Topics!!

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18. 53

    thomasrobin803posted 13 years ago

    Thanks and all the best
    Thomas
    parking sensors

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19. 61

    MPG Narrativesposted 13 years ago

    Congratulations to everyone for great travel hubs, esp Gordon and Doghouse for the last ones. I'm with Akirchner, am very tired but also wishing I could go on one of these great trips. One day soon I hope.
    
    Congratulations too the Simone and the hubpages team for organizing such a great contest. Hip Hip ...

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    1. 93

       akirchnerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I'm thinking of writing everyone I wrote about and asking them for a free something - JUST KIDDING! But wouldn't it just be the ult?  I could use a spa day to rub out all those kinks in my arms and neck...and I could definitely use a bit of a lie about at the pool or the beach (I missed those the first time around too so think I get 2)....and maybe a ferry ride just because they are too cool. 
       
       It was all worth it though - I learned so much this month which is always good when you are an old lady!
       
       Will have to start muscling up for the next round and try and be more organized.  My problem is that somehow I miss the contest 'coming up' until it's right there. Thank heavens it is after the holidays though, right? 
       
       Happy Z's to all my fellow hubbers - I'm catching up on mine tomorrow!  YIPPPEEEE!

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          Purple Perlposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          Why don't you try asking for freebies. I am sure they like the advertising thru' your positive reviews. Let me know if you succeeded. Cheers!

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20. 62

    Michael Jayposted 13 years ago

    Congratulations to all the winners!

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21. 76

    soni2006posted 13 years ago

    The daily bonus topics have helped me boost my traffic and income. Whenever I published a new hub, I saw improvement in my traffic and earnings. I published 41 hubs in 28 days.
    
    I suggest to everyone who is new here to try and write on topics via HubChallenge, HubNuggets, HubMob Weekly's with Princessa, and HubPages Contests with Simone. If one will do that, he/she will have no need to search here and there on how to earn money with hubpages. These contests and all other programs at HP give directions to a writer. They motivate him and create an environment filled of excitement and doing something different. When you are through with the contests like these and you look back at the work you have done, you really feel proud of yourself.
    
    I know money is an important thing for any freelance writer but praise and appreciation a writer gets from the reader's community has its own charm.

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       Purple Perlposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Very true,Soni! I second that!
       Newbies, and old hubbers ,take note!

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          soni2006posted 13 years agoin reply to this

          Thanks a lot Purple Perl.

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    2. 70

       cornwall_UKposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I'd agree with this, the challenge makes you write stuff.  I didn't feel the stuff I wrote was 'good', but it was definitely a hub!  And, the beauty of it is that I can tweak/change and improve on it over time.
       
       I published 55 hubs in 19 days.  I was trying to do the "daily topic", but sometimes that held me up as I didn't really like the subjects, so those were a lot harder to write and needed more research.
       
       Then, towards the end, I just stopped
       
       Had a few days off now, so already written 3 more today.

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          Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          55 hubs in 19 days - cornwall_UK, you are DA BOMB!!!

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22. 48

    Purple Perlposted 13 years ago

    Simone, Great contest and thanks to hubpages for the extremely useful category-Travel & Places. Increased opportunities to win cash prizes, egged many on and I am thankful to have won the Day 2 prize for the Daily Doubloon Drawing! Looking forward to more contests!
    Congratulations to all the winners! CLAP, CLAP! Truly well deserved!

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    1. 85

       Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Glad you found the contest to be useful!!  Definitely stay tuned for more news on our next one - it's going to be in an even MORE useful category!! BWUAHAAHAAA!!

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23. 49

    subramani123posted 13 years ago

    good
    
    good

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24. 61

    triosolposted 13 years ago

    All The Best to the hubbers who are going to participate the contest.
    
    We should have more contest, more sponcers, more advertisers.
    
    Long live HP

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25. 93

    akirchnerposted 13 years ago

    Purple Perl - Actually I've gotten a few invitations to come meet the owners for instance of places I wrote about so that is kinda cool.  Maybe I'll get a free brew or glass of wine and then I can toast HP and all my great friends there! 
    
    Wouldn't it just be the ult though to travel around and review everything under the sun you could think of to review?  I think I came upon this part of my life a little late but it's still all good. 
    
    I loved doing my 'drive by shootings' as I called them to Steph Hicks and got a big kick out of it.  Sometimes if I didn't have the right picture, I had Bob drive by a place and then whipped out my 2 cameras and started 'shooting'.  People were so comical I got a huge kick out of it - ducking and swerving out of my way when I wasn't even pointing the camera at them.  I tried to explain - 'it's not you I'm photographing but what's behind you'.  That's MY kinda drive by!

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    1. 85

       Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       That's so cool!  You definitely put Bend, Oregon on the map! And the whole drive-by thing really showcases the contest's pirate flair- you were like a real swashbuckler out there!! Hehee! XD

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       Purple Perlposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Cheers then, akirchner, here's wishing you more than a free glass of wine with the owners. And keep up the 'drive by shootings'. Share with us thro' your hubs and we get to read about them as well, thru' your eyes.

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26. 85

    Simone Smithposted 13 years ago

    The Winners for Week 4- the final week of HubPages Marks the Spot are IN!
    
    Pirate's Choice Winner: stephhicks68 for Visit Central Oregon for Family Vacation
    
    Best TreasureHub: In The Doghouse for Things to See in Old Town Temecula
    
    Props to you, ladies!!!  It has been a really fun contest, and we hope you've had fun- and that the great entries you've submitted continue to reward you in the months to come!
    
    Of course, it ain't over until the Grand HubBucaneer is announced, and that'll happen on Monday at noon.  Stay tuned, me hearties!

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       In The Doghouseposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks Simone and HubPages!  I can't wait until the next contest!

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       soni2006posted 13 years agoin reply to this

       My heartiest congratulations to Stephhicks68 and in the doghouse. Your HUBS rock but I have found one thing in common for all the PIRATE'S CHOICE winners. Most people voted for hubs on Oregon a state in the Pacific Northwest region of USA. Great.

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27. 89

    Patty Inglish, MSposted 13 years ago

    Congratulations to the weekly winners!
    
    This was a fantastic contest and I'm looking for the next one on the January horizon. More Swashbuckling with Simone - aha! A reality show!

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       soni2006posted 13 years agoin reply to this

       The New Year Hubpages Contest will bring good luck for many more. Thanks Princessa.

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28. 48

    Purple Perlposted 13 years ago

    Congrats Stephanie and In the Doghouse on the win! Enjoy the spoils!

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29. 85

    Simone Smithposted 13 years ago

    The time has finally come- our contest has come to an end, and the Grand HubBuccaneer has been chosen by our team of horned judges!
    
    And the winner is.......... Les Trois Chenes for the lovely hub: Where to Buy Limoges Porcelain in Limosin, France!
    
    Congratulations, Les Trois Chenes - your beautiful treasure map to Limoges Loot has earned you $500 in booty!
    
    I want to extend my sincerest thanks to all of you who participated in this month's contest.  Never before have we seen such amazing quality and utility across so many entries, and we hope you learned a lot about HubPages, online writing, and your own local area, while working on your hubs.

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       soni2006posted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Congrats Les Trois Chenes for the 500 dollar grand prize.
       
       Also, thanks to SimoneSmith for being a great host for the Contest.

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    2. 89

       Patty Inglish, MSposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I love that Hub! Congratulations!

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       Purple Perlposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Congrats on a well deserved win,Les Trois Chenes!

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30. 59

    Bizziebeeposted 13 years ago

    Congrats to everyone who won, I'm really excited to be a part of this!

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31. 70

    cornwall_UKposted 13 years ago

    Congratulations!!!
    
    The link to the porcelain/winner doesn't work, so for those of you scratching your head and staring at the screen, here it is:
    
    http://hubpages.com/hub/Where-to-buy-Li … sin-France
    
    

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    1. 85

       Simone Smithposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Aha! Good catch, cornwall_UK! Fixed it XD

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