[Boneman]

I seriously think this has been the hardest challenge to find a winner for. Not surprisingly, I had 18 entries on my shortlist, which is almost exactly a third of the total. The diversity and sheer ingenuity of the entries makes voting so hard, and it's taken me ages to decide. I thought 'I can't print out that long a list' and I was going to shorten it, and print just the top five, but actually, I'm going to mention them all, because they deserve a mention. All of these stories could have made the top five, and it's only because I've got to choose one, that I use this artifice to make the shorter list:

Springs 1971
Abernovo
Reiver 33
Grizzgreen
Harebrain
Paranoid Marvin
Culhwch
Mouse
Starbeast
Mosaix
Moonbat
The Spurring Platty
The Dusty Zebra
Johnnyjet
Highlander
Hoopyfrood
The Judge
Ursa Major

And then to choose one from those five was impossible; but I read 'em all again. Then again. Now I'm going to have lunch and try and do the impossible and choose one...

Result: One cream cheese and pastrami bagel later, it hasn't got any easier. But, I'm going for Springs 1971 for no other reason than a) they all deserved to win, and b) it was impossible to choose between them and c) I only just realised the story was laid out in the shape of a cross (doh!).

Hopes: Impossible, from Cinderella? I hear Frank Sinatra...