Other 60th anniversary activities

Photography competition
Short story competition
Postcard Potpourri
Other national Mensa events

Enter photography competition by March 31; win prizes!

All American Mensa members are invited to compete with Mensan photographers from around the world in the International Project Convergence 2006 photo competition. Winners will be announced at the World Gathering.

The theme for all entries is "Celebration." This can be interpreted in any way you wish. Each contestant must be a Mensa member in good standing for the full period of the competition. Membership will be verified before entries are processed.

Entry procedures

Each member is allowed to submit a total of three images — either black and white or color. Photo prints should ideally be 5 by 7 inches, but the longest dimension of the print should not exceed 7.8 inches. Digital images, accepted as .jpgs only, should not have been significantly altered by digital editing and should not exceed 1 MB each. Images that have been significantly altered, in the judges’ opinion, will be disqualified.

The reverse side of each photograph should contain the name and membership number of the member and the title of the photograph; it is best to write these details on a sticker so as not to mark the photograph. These details will not be disclosed to the judges. Digital images must be accompanied by the same specified information.

All entries must be accompanied by a statement that the entry is the sole work of the member who enters them. Entry is free. The closing date for receipt of entries is March 31, 2006. Prints should be sent to:

Convergence 2006 Photo Entries
1229 Corporate Drive West
Arlington, TX 76006

Digital photos should be sent to Bulletinphotos@americanmensa.org.

Judging and prizes

The three best entries in each national competition will be selected by a locally organized judging panel; the decision of the panel is final. Entries will be judged on the effectiveness of how they convey the theme "Celebration," as well as composition, technical and other considerations. The three winning entries from American Mensa will be published in the Mensa Bulletin and prizes will be awarded as follows:

First Place: One year’s free membership or a gift certificate for $52 to the Mensa Boutique
Second Place: $30 gift certificate to the Mensa Boutique
Third Place: $20 gift certificate to the Mensa Boutique

An International Judging Panel of experts appointed by the International Project Convergence Committee will consider the three winning pictures from all national groups and the Direct International Mensa group. Prizes in the international competition will be awarded to the top three entries, and certificates to the top 10 entries. The decision of the International Judging Panel is final.

More fine print

A winning photograph will become part of the Mensa IPC Collection. The entrant will retain copyright of the photograph but will grant Mensa non-exclusive rights for publication in Mensa journals, on Mensa Web sites, for display in exhibitions, or other appropriate places as part of the Mensa IPC Collection. Contestants give permission that their entries may be used by Mensa without any financial reward to the contestant. After the contest, the entries will not be returned to the contestants. Entries are submitted entirely at the member’s own risk.

By submitting photos for the contest, contestants accept all the conditions listed above. Failure to comply with any conditions will lead to pictures being excluded.

Enter international short story competition by April 20

The Mensa Diamond Short Story Competition challenges Mensans around the world to write a mystery story of no more than 1,500 words and submit their entries by April 20.

Entries should be written in English and double-spaced in 14-point type. They should open with an identification page that includes the entrant's name, address, national Mensa membership number, email address, phone number and title of story, as well as a statement attesting this is the entrant's own original unpublished work and that Mensa will have the rights to publish the winning entry within Mensa publications.

The competition coordinator will coordinate a panel of judges to compile a short list of finalists, which will be forwarded to a well-known mystery writer for final judging. The judge's decision is final, and no correspondence regarding the the decision will entered into.

The closing date for the contest is April 20, 2006. Mail your entry to the International Journal editor at:

Diamond Short Story
407/23 Corunna Rd
Stanmore NSW 2048
Australia

or email to diamondshortstory@yahoo.com.

Postcard Potpourri

Can't be at the World Gathering? Send a postcard instead! Find a postcard that shows something of the area you live in so it can be displayed at the World Gathering. Mail your part of the world to:

Postcards WG06
c/o American Mensa, Ltd.
1229 Corporate Drive West
Arlington, TX 76006

Other national Mensa events

Wonder what other national Mensas are doing to celebrate the Diamond Anniversary? Read the International Journal and IJ Extra and find out! Not that you need to refer back so far, but American's Mensa's online library of IJs goes back to January 1999. Try doing a search for "60th" or "diamond anniversary."