2012 Academy Awards Prediction Contest

Welcome to the annual Oscars prediction contest at The Quivering Pen blog.

Last year's contest proved to be so popular, I'm rolling out the red carpet for a second time.  Once again, you have the opportunity to predict who will take home the little golden statuette once all the bribes, under-the-table handshakes, and Rock-Paper-Scissors games are all done in Hollywood.  Think you can forecast which way the wind will blow in Tinseltown this year?  You'll probably do a better job than me.  I'm not even going to try and make my predictions here at the blog because I've seen so few of the nominees (I've been too busy with a little thing called Fobbit: a Novel).  My 2011 Oscar-nominee viewing list so far includes: Midnight in Paris, The Help, The Tree of Life, The Ides of March, Jane Eyre, Rango and 20 minutes of Transformers: Dark of the Moon (and even 20 minutes was too long for that crapfest).  I hope to see a few more of the nominees before February 26, but not enough to make educated guesses without the help of tea leaves, dice, and a dartboard.

You, on the other hand, can show off your mad skillz and astound us with your Oscar picks.  Here are the rules:

1. One entry per person.
2. You must answer all the questions in the survey to compete (in other words, predict a winner in each of the Oscar categories, and provide your name and e-mail address*).
3. The contest is open to anyone, though winners who reside outside the United States might have to wait a bit longer to receive the prize.
4. Each correct guess is worth one point. If more than one person ties for the number of most correct guesses, those names will go into a hat and the winner will be drawn from there.
5. The contest closes on Feb. 25, the day before the Academy Awards presentation.
6. The winner will be announced here on the website on Feb. 27.

The Grand Prize

One winner will get a copy of each of these books related to the Oscar nominees, generously donated by the following publishers:

W. W. Norton:

Moneyball by Michael Lewis










Scholastic:

The Hugo Movie Companion: A Behind the Scenes Look at How a Beloved Book Became a Major Motion Picture by Brian Selznick








Penguin Books:

Albert Nobbs: A Novella by George Moore

The Iron Lady: Margaret Thatcher, from Grocer's Daughter to Prime Minister by John Campbell

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: A George Smiley Novel by John Le Carre

BONUS!  From my own personal DVD collection, I'll throw in a (very gently) used copy of Days of Heaven in honor of this year's Best Director nominee Terrence Malick.  While I was alternately astounded and confounded by The Tree of Life, I still believe Days of Heaven is, hands-down, a masterpiece.  It's easily one of my Top 10 Films of All Time.  This particular DVD went over to Iraq with me and, for the space of 93 minutes, took me away from the war.  If you're the winner, it's yours, with my blessing.

Click Here to Take the 2012 Academy Awards Prediction Contest

(When you've completed the survey, you'll automatically be directed back here to the blog)


*Your email and other personal information will not be given to third parties. By participating, you consent to have your name published here at the blog as the winner.