And the Winners are….

And now the moment you have all been waiting for…. the winners of the 2013 OCD Awareness Week Creative Expression Contest. This contest is an opportunity to help spread awareness about OCD and related disorders through creative works such as short stories, essays, paintings, music, or even films. And the entries this year ranged from songs, videos, and drawings, to poems and short stories. It was an EXTREMELY close race, with so many talented entries to pick from.  We want to sincerely thank everyone who entered the contest, and everyone who voted.

And the winners are:

(Drumroll, please…)

For the Media/Art Category, for his original song/performance of “Thank You,” Daniel Derrico! Congratulations to Daniel.  Here is his winning entry in case you have not watched it yet:

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And the Winner of the Writing Category is 10-year old Gannon Myers for his poem, “The Key to OCD.” Here is the winning poem:

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The Key to OCD

 The thing you have to be aware of is OCD

It can attack from below or above

The things you think about can be sabotaged

By the thing called OCD

I have seen me, not me

Just because of OCD

I have wanted to do some things

But have been too scared to do it

I try to have a strong sense

Because you can feel like in front of you, is an electric fence

I go to see a person who helps me fight

So I can find the key

To fight OCD and be me

Gannon and Daniel will both be winning a trip to the 21st Annual OCD Conference in Los Angeles in July 2014. In addition, they will both be featured in the upcoming OCD Newsletter. CONGRATULATIONS!

We also want to recognize the runner-ups in both categories:

The Media/Art runner up is Danielle Berlin, for her original piano composition, “Martha’s Dance.”

And the runner up in the Writing category is Kelly Larsen, for her essay, “A Search for A Self and Myself [Essay].”

Both of these entries were beautiful and poignant, and we wish we could have selected them all. The runner ups will also be featured in an upcoming issue of the OCD Newsletter.

Congratulations to all of you!