1. “Cut-Paste-Bulleting”= doesn’t count as article
2. Separate Author page rule revisited
3. Book rule revisited (for February competition)
4. Crowdsourcing = #Epicfail?
5. Rules for February competition
6. Blacklisted topics
7. Technical requirements
8. January 2014 Entries and winners
   1. Platinum
   2. Winners
   3. Gold
   4. Silver
   5. Non General studies category
   6. Rejected Entries, Name not in the list
   7. Download Links 

“Cut-Paste-Bulleting”= doesn’t count as article

• More than 140+ entries received in the competition. Unfortunately, many people just opened HINDU/IDSA/EPW/frontline/ some other government site or PDF, cut paste few paragraphs from here and there, create bullet points after every full stop, and submitted their articles. ~90 entries left after weeding out such jugaad articles.
• So, I’m disappointed the way things have turned out in January 2014. Competition rule specifically mentioned that you’re free to refer to such official sites but you need to convert those points into layman friendly, revision friendly notes. If you continue the same high-flowery english from editorials, then what’s the point?  Even an illiterate person can turn paragraphs into bullets by pressing “Enter” after every fullstop.
• In past month, I’ve allowed some of those entries in competition- hoping writers improve with time, every maestro was an amateur someday. But, if I continue allowing such entries then a day will come when everyone submits but no one reads other people’s articles because of the deteriorating quality.
• Therefore, I’ve to get strict about quality, even if it means I become ‘bitter’ to some of the old friends and some people start hating me for being an arrogant bigot- otherwise the original purpose of this competition will lost and it’ll end up becoming an “assignment collection program” in some MBA/engineering college.
• Anyways, I’ve tried my best to make sure only original articles are included in the zip file. But still, some entries may have crept in the zip file that are still copy-paste-bullet job from hindu etc. So I’m sorry, bear with me. If I just continue sanitizing and crosschecking this zip file further, then I’ll have no time left to write new articles myself.

Separate Author page rule revisited

• One of the main reasons of this recent spur in such articles is my announcement of separate author page and the conditions being 9 gold+1 platinum.
• As a result, some participants (who had earlier wrote good articles) they now made hasty cut-paste-bullet-jugaad type articles to cross the 9+1 threshold quickly. Some people deliberately broke down big topic into smaller articles to cross that threshold faster.. and so on.
• I don’t blame them. People respond to incentives so, I blame myself for creating a bad incentive.
• Therefore, I’m changing this rule. 9+1  doesn’t apply anymore. Now a Person will get separate author page, when I and the Jury members are satisfied with his/her overall quality of work over a period of time based on a top-secret “scaling” formula that factors in multiple criteria.
• And, remember ^this case study for ethics [GS4].

Book rule revisited (for February competition)

Explicitly mentioning book prizes in advance= that is also creating one type of bad incentive. Public spiritedness of the community, is getting overshadowed by some form of materialism and thereby affecting the quality of overall contributions. So, From February onwards, mechanism is following:

• list of books to win = will not be given in advance.
• Platinum/gold/silver category will be declared, but bookwinners will not be mentioned separately.
• Jury decides the top five, I’ll email those winners- asking about their address and giving them a list of the books I’ve. They will give preference, I’ll send prize accordingly, without creating a public show about it.

Crowdsourcing = #Epicfail?

• Nope. I don’t believe so.
• There are good people in the world who write great quality articles- they’ve done so in past months and in January 2014 competition as well.
• But People respond to incentives, so I donot harbor any illwill/hatred against anyone- I only blame myself for creating bad incentives in this competition.

Rules for February competition

Writing Competition continues for February but I won’t be releasing a separate notification for Feb-2013 competition. So all the rules are given here:

Last date to submit: 24 Feb 2014. Midnight.

Blacklisted topics

1. Anything less than 3 pages. (pasting photos doesn’t count in page length.)
2. Anything more than 30 pages. (Because then in most cases it’s an assembled article, and nobody reads it.)
3. Any flowery English full of passive voice and sentence connectors-similar to Hindu, IDSA, EPW, Government sites, pdfs etc. = no thanks. You must condense and summarize those points in your own words- in a revision friendly, layman friendly language.
4. Copying direct points from idsa doesn’t count as “bilateral relation” article. you need to refer to multiple sources. (and Wikipedia doesn’t count as source.)
5. Direct liftups from copyrighted books/magazines/material.
6. Anything else uploaded on magazine/coaching/paid mock-test/postal material type website. [Even if you yourself contribute there for free, as guest author, I cannot accept it here in the competition. it’s like Modi vs Congress.]
7. Please don’t write anymore articles on following topics because more the enough content has been shared / available on net/books.
   1. culture
   2. freedom struggle
   3. basic geography from NCERT.
   4. Polity: comparing Constitutions, RPA, federalism.
   5. Static IR theory related to- India vs neighbours.
   6. all the clichéd topics that make headlines in newspapers.
   7. Yearbook/pib/food security etc. topics. good compilations already given. unless you’ve something extraordinary to share.
   8. Anything else beautifully covered in Laxmikanth, Rajiv Ahir etc.
   9. Any GK type material.

Technical requirements

1. Last date to submit: 24 Feb 2014. Midnight.
2. Article must be in English. No SMS lingo please.
3. must be in word file (.doc or .docx)
4. Must be send to my gmail id “Mrunal.help”. I don’t check my other email id often.
5. Must contain “Article submission” in the subject line of the email. (that way gmail filters it in separate folder.)
6. At the bottom of your article you must include
   • your full name
   • No need to mention address/book preference anymore. Because book rule has been revisited. As explained above.
   • References used- they must contain full links. (hindu.com = no. you need to mention exact URL e.g. thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/tensions-in-ukraine/article5635946.ece)

Now let’s come to the result declaration for January 2014 competition

January 2014 Entries and winners

Platinum

[Listed in Alphabetical order of author name]

IR	Bilateral visits upto August 2013	Aditya Ravichandran
economy	Disinvestment – timeline, pro and anti arguments neatly summarized in a table	Akshay Dhadda
yearbook	MNREGA- problems and benefits.	George Sinha
geography	ARCTIC VORTEX/Polar Vortex	Kunal Khade
current	Policy Roundup 2013- he has made summary of almost all policies, acts and bills	Mukesh Yadav
History	Post Independent India- various PMs of India and their policies. Goodwill Entry	Neha Srivastava
yearbook	GS2 note-Development processes- NGO SHG etc (Goodwill)	pushpender singh
geography	NCERT Class 6 and allied topics summerized in a quick revision note	R Harish
Polity	GS2- list of all statutory, regulatory and quasi-judicial bodies and functions	Rajath G Krishnan
ir	India’s Relations with Central Asian countries- he has made neat tables to summerize sci-eco-defense partnership. Goodwill entry.	Raman  Bhattad
economy	Economy vs Environment- GM crops, Mining and Nuke Energy. Goodwill Entry	Shrey Khanna
sci	Public Health-Polio, TB, Dengue, Leprosy, Cholera and other diseases. Goodwill Entry	Shrey Khanna
History	Reform movements in India	Sivaprasad Menon
Polity	Interlinking the rivers and National Water Policy.	Sushant Kumar
Polity	Delhi – Statehood vs Union Territory	Swapnasarit Sahoo

Winners

Decision made according to the majority of Jury votes.

Polity	Interlinking the rivers and National Water Policy.	Sushant Kumar
economy	Disinvestment – timeline, pro and anti-arguments neatly summarized in a table	Akshay Dhadda
Polity	GS2- list of all statutory, regulatory and quasi-judicial bodies and functions	Rajath G Krishnan
History	Reform movements in India	Sivaprasad Menon
Polity	Delhi – Statehood vs Union Territory	Swapnasarit Sahoo

• Hearty Congratulations. I’ll contact them one more time to confirm their addresses, then prize books will be dispatched.
• And others need not loose the hope, competition will continue for next months + you can always win the separate author page for constant contribution of high quality articles.

Gold

[listed in Alphabetical order of author name]

economy	Financial Inclusion and rural credit	A.Sunil Kumar
geography	ARCTIC VORTEX- the winter shock in USA	Abinesh
geography	Disaster Management- Role of NGO and Media	Aditi Gupta
ethics	Ethics Basics and 2013 questions	Akash Sharma
motivation	Look a little closer Stare a little longer	Anmol Tyagi
other	Mains-2013 Player- Anshul has shared his thoughts over Delhi vs non-delhi, job vs stay home, importance of Hindu, Notes and other issues.	Anshul Prakash
other	Cycling as hobby- for interview questions	Anuj Goyal
ir	Relationship between Government and People- Egypt, Africa, Aus, Asia	Anurag Anand
sci	ISON Comet, Cloud computing, TB, Diabetis	Arun Chettiar
Polity	rights Issue- Persons with disabilities- policy, acts, 12th FYP target	Aruna S
Polity	Rights Issue- Senior citizens- policy, acts, 12th FYP target	Aruna S
sci	GM Crops- issues, Biotech regulatory bill	Aruna S
geography	Energy- Coalbed Methane	Ashutosh Katiyar
Polity	GS2-RPA- Salient features Paraisoodan	B.PIRAISOODAN
IR	South Sudan Crisis- brief overview	Bharat Vaishnov
History	Foreign travellars in ancient and medieval india for MCQs	Bhaskar Sengupta
current	PIB year end Docs of ministries. Goodwill entry	Devaraj Subramanian
Polity	Indian Constitution- Unitary or Fedaral	Devika A
economy	PPP- meaning, features problems-an overview	DINESH S.
yearbook	Self help groups-basics, role in society- an overview	DINESH S.
ir	Devyani case- brief overview	Dipak Patel
Polity	Judicial Appointment Commission Bill- features and issues	Dipak Patel
Polity	Nagaland and Central issues	Dipak Patel
geography	Energy – Shale gas, Thorium & Solar Energy	Febin Cruso
current	Summary of Editorials in Jan 2014	Hunny Sharma
other	Mains-2013 Player- Hunny Sharma talks about his past adventures, mistakes, experiances in various competitive exams, plus Bontay booklist	Hunny Sharma
geography	Mercury Poisoning, Minatama Convention	JAYA VASANTHA KUMARAN S
Polity	Central  State relations- a revision note on basic Constitutional provisions	JAYA VASANTHA KUMARAN S
Polity	citizen charter-guidelines provisions	JAYA VASANTHA KUMARAN S
geography	IST-changing time of India	Karan Rajpal
yearbook	Malnutrition- challenges solutions and schemes	Kishore Sutradhar.
geography	Indian Standard Time- recent debates and issues	Manas Sahu
ir	Devyani Khobragade Case background and issues	Manikandan A
yearbook	Infant and Maternal mortality- MDG, government schemes, performance	Manikandan A
culture	Sangam Age Society	Maulik Joshi
geography	Climate Change, Delhi Summit, Carbon Tax & other topics	Mohith Yadav
yearbook	Year 2013 on pib.nic.in – A compilation of various bills and schemes of individual ministries	Neha Srivastava
Polity	GS2-Transparency & accountability measures	pushpender singh
economy	Foreign Banks Wholy Owned Subsidairy Model by RBI	Rajith PR
motivation	Motivation and Time management (part II). Ramanjeet started this series from December- in this second part he talks how to become a “finisher”.	Ramanjeet Gupta
geography	Energy- Geothermal Energy- meaning, benefits, resources in India, government initiatives	Ravi Mishra
culture	Indian Architecture related notes	Salman Qazi
culture	Culture- Art forms, painting, music- with mock qs and anwerwriting	Salman Qazi
geography	global dimming	Shalini Raghav
essay	Globalizing education- its impact on National employement	Shashank Joshi
apt	English grammar- Non, Possession, Case	Shoaib Siddique
securty	Indian Armed Forces- an overview, contemporary issues, basic GK	Sidharth Saharan
Polity	reorganization of states after independence	Sneha Deka
History	British India- total four entries on Acts, Land settlement, Viceroys and GG	Swaraj Chhallani
other	Mains-2013 Player- Vengatesh has shared his experience of prelims and mains preparation and tips for future aspirants	Vangaesh
sci	Higgs Boson God particles- explained	VIGNESH K.R.
geography	Energy-Shale Gas for india- its benefits problems issues	Yash Chaudhary
Polity	SECTION 377 CONTROVERSIES	Yuvaraj Kandasamy
Polity	NATARAJAR TEMPLE CASE explained	YUVARAJ KANDASAMY

Silver

When I/jury member(s) felt that

1. Writer could have added some more angles/ issues/ fodder points AND/OR
2. Writer could have compressed/structured/simplified the article a little bit more. AND/OR
3. Writer could have won essay competition in certain magazines that give 1200-1500 rs. as price. But our competition format is different. Rules specifically mention we are not looking for scholarly essays here.

but they’ve direct/indirect utilities in MCQs/Descriptive/interviews. So my respects and salutations for their effort and their spirit of sharing.

[Listed in Alphabetical order of author name]

essay	Inequality and development in India	Ambarish K. Sharma
essay	Iran and P5- A brief Essay	Ankur Rai
essay	National language:Need and relevance in contemporary times.	Anoop Hosmath
essay	Earthquake- brief overview	DINESH S.
essay	Formation of New states- Telengana	Koushik HR
essay	Diplomatic immunity  Vienna Convention	Koushik HR
essay	Agro-Watershed Management and implications	Kuldeep Prasad
essay	GROWING REGIONAL PARTIES IS WAY FOR MORE DEMOCRACY	Lavakush
other =>Apt.	English Vocab- list of some difficult words from English Newspapers columns	Manas Sahu
essay	What MODERN YOUTH CAN LEARN FROM Vivekananda- for GS4 philosophers topic and Essay	N. Mahanitya
essay	CRYOGENIC ENGINE- IMPORTANCE OF	Nikhilesh Katare
essay	Women treatment is barometer of nations progress	Padam Singh
essay	Is India a mature democracy?	Padam Singh
essay	GSLV- history and success after 20 years	Sai Jyothi
essay	GM Crops- advantages, disadvanges issues	Sangeeta Bishnoi
essay	INDIA of my Dreams	SIDDHARTH MAHABAL
essay	Tiger conservation in India	Suthan SP
essay	Biodiversity- an Essay	V.HARISH KUMAR

Non General studies category

Mains 2013 XP sharing

1. Anshul has shared his thoughts over Delhi vs non-delhi, job vs stay home, importance of Hindu, Notes and other issues.
2. Vengatesh has shared his experience of prelims and mains preparation and tips for future aspirants
3. Hunny Sharma talks about her past adventures, mistakes, experiences in various competitive exams, plus Bontay booklist
4. Anuj Goyal talks about cycling as a hobby and interview question related to it.

Optional Subjects

Political Science-security, power, world politics	Aiman Reyaz
Law Notes-Administrative and International Law. Goodwill Entry	Abhinaya Sakthivel
New public administration and Crisis State	Akriti Shrivastava

Motivation

Look a little closer Stare a little longer	Anmol Tyagi
Motivation and Time management (part II). Ramanjeet started this series from December- in this second part he talks how to become a “finisher”.	Ramanjeet Gupta

Aptitude

English grammar- Non, Possession, Case	Shoaib Siddique
English Vocab- list of some difficult words from English Newspapers columns	Manas Sahu

–end of entries—

Rejected Entries, Name not in the list

Some entries have been rejected, when I or Jury member(s) felt that:

1. Effort not visible. Merely lifted passage from here and there and created bullets-without making it laymen friendly, revision friendly.
2. Very Amateur and shallow writing.
3. Plagiarized work from another author/blogger.
4. Doubtful case of copyright violation. When I emailed you seeking elaboration, you’ve not given clarification about the ‘source’.
5. sent article to my any other email id except Mrunal.help.

However if you think you didn’t belong these category and yet your article is not in above list, then probably I made some error while making the excel spreadsheets of author vs. subject. In that case, plz contact me via email and I’ll update the list.

Download Links

If you just download the articles but “thik hai baad mein dekhenge“ (I’ll read them later)=useless waste of bandwidth. These are all MS word files, you should maintain your own notes out of them by trimming and continuously updating the files as per your own requirements.  Don’t just let them gather space in your harddisk, extract maximum benefit out of it.

Server #1: Zip file (13MB)

https://files.secureserver.net/0spx0Fv1cBU17h

if above link doesn’t work –it means you’re using some javascript blocker addon or your office/college network admin has banned that server.

Server #2: To view docs online on google docs:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0DPgaYAtDgmRHdPcVMtNGRrZ1k/edit?usp=sharing

For the zip files of past competitions (September, October, November), visit Mrunal.org/write2win

Epilogue

1. Thanks everyone for participating and sharing. And if anyone feels hurt for not getting his/her due recognition/ranking despite the contribution, then my sincerest apologies. 
2. Irrespective of the platinum/gold/silver categorization, I thank and applaud you all, for your gesture of sharing knowledge with the community and look forward for more of your articles in future.
3. No separate notification for Feb-2014. Rules given in the initial part of the current article. Last date to submit = 24^th Feb 2014, midnight.