Well, I am happy to announce that the 2010 Enchanted Doll birthday contest has finally come to a close!Thank you so much to all the participants for your hard work. I've received many thoughtful and artful gifts-entries and many touching birthday wishes. Thank you all.Choosing a winner has proven to be much more challenging that I ever thought it would be, especially since my decision was complicated by the fact the the entries were not limited by any specific theme or medium, but rather an assortment of all kinds of creativity. They could not be judged by a clear cut, unified criteria or a grading scale, because they were all beautiful and unique each in its own way.The reason I specifically did not impose a general theme to follow for the participants, was because I wanted to keep this competition open to all kinds of talent. I wanted to give everybody an opportunity to win by doing what they are good at. This, however, severely complicated my task of choosing a winner, to the point where I began to panic that I could not make a decision.I judged the entries based not only on technical ability, originality, composition, complexity and beauty, but also on the wholeness of artistic presentation and the concept behind the work and most of all- the intensity of my emotional response to each piece. After all, provoking an emotional response is the essence of art. In the end, I thought my head would explode. I first chose 10 of the best entries based on the quality and execution, then narrowed those down to 3 favorites and then let my senses decide which one  spoke to my heart the most. Still, it was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make.And this is what it chose:Ladies and gentlemen, presenting 3rd place entry by Paula F. from PolandI chose this entry for the 3rd place because the work and the concepts of this very young artist deeply resonated with my own, and even though they are inspired by Enchanted Dolls, they are not directly borrowing from them. Despite of appealing to my language of expression through her use of textile and embroidery art, her own voice is very present in this work. Congratulations Paula, you've won a pair of sterling silver shoes. Thank you for participating.The 2nd place goes to Monika V, from Australia. For her entry she painted me a series of 9 stunning paintings of Enchanted Dolls. The sheer volume and intricacy of work blew me away and one can see what a commitment of time and energy this was. The technique and skill are very advanced, while  the decorative aspect is very well articulated. These paintings must have have been a joy to paint and they are certainly a joy to look at. Congratulations Monika, you've won a bronze crown. Thank you for taking  part in this contest.And now, finally, the 1st place entry and the winner of porcelain nude doll Pearl......goes to Amarilli A, from Italy!I love the stylistic reference to the religious art of the late middle ages in this oil painting. The combination of slight inconsistencies in linear perspective in the composition, the color palette, gold leafing and even the greenish undertones of the skin are very characteristic of the painting methods of that time period, and yet there is a contemporary air to it. The presentation of the painting on the piece of ornate brocade fabric to resemble a tapestry is the final touch that ties it all together. This artist has painted her daughter as an Enchanted Doll and included many elements that I am fond of, such as historical references, bejeweled metal head dress, Gothic architecture, rich textiles and lampwork beads, all without directly borrowing from any Enchanted Dolls. Congratulations Amarilli, you've won an Enchanted Doll.Thank you all for taking  part in this year's birthday contest. I encourage everyone to try again next year. Once you see the rest of the gifts displayed on my website tomorrow, it will give you a good idea of your competition and hopefully inspire you to practice and create all year round in your 'training' runs for the next year's contest.Finally, I would like to thank my dad for managing the incoming gift packages and putting up with being constantly woken up by early morning delivery couriers, and of course my dear Chadasaurus for taking care of the logistical aspect of the contest like handling, organizing, documenting and displaying the entries and recycling loads and loads of cardboard. This wouldn't be possibly without you.The winning participants should receive their prizes in the mail in the second half of April. The rest of the entries will be announced tomorrow. Seven more runners up will be announced and will also receive a small gift from me for entering.This concludes the 2010 Enchanted Doll birthday contest. I look forward to next year.