A delayed farewell to the Caption Contest.
Back in July 2013, I posted to Facebook a picture of a few pennies stacked on top of each other near a staircase. I asked my friends to comment with funny captions for it. I never knew that simple act of trying to make Facebook amusing would lead to more than 100 pictures and hilarious captions, and the chance to chat with people from around the world who joined in on the fun.
But here we are, and after that first picture (one of the winning captions: “Taking the stairs makes cents”) my caption contest grew far beyond what I could have imagined. 423 people supplied 5908 hilarious captions to 140 images ranging from pun-filled pitches to more esoteric entries.
I've had some amazing experiences doing the caption contest, have met some wonderful people through a video series I called WinnerViews, got to watch people making each other giggle in a video series I called ViewerViews, and I myself, spun off Caption Contest into a game show I called the Nun On Pun Off.
What better way to end than after a string of hilarious and enjoyable live shows? The caption contest became such a success that I took a 90-minute live version to Brooklyn, Chicago, and Philadelphia. Audience members, as well as people watching from home on their phones, threw out captions for a string of silly and bizarre images, and some local comedians joined in as well.
I want to thank the hundreds of people who were a part of making the Caption Contest so fun. What unites all the images and the suggested captions is an earnest desire to make others laugh, to give everyone a quick chuckle and make their day a little brighter. From joining the Facebook Page to attending an event - in a small way we all made the world a little better place to be.
While I miss these conversations, I encourage everyone, everywhere, whenever they see a strange or unusual image to think about a funny caption and share it with their friends.
Oh, and in case you're wondering, the final image in the contest? A line up of child-sized dolls looking out a window. The winning caption: “American Ghoul Place.”
Thanks for the laughter, everybody. - Tamara Nolte
P.S. Interested in bringing Caption Contest back to life, and want to help produce the online experience? Email me at tamnolte[at]gmail[dot]com
PPS
Want to see all of the videos created over the life time of Captions Contest? Grab some popcorn and enjoy...
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnhFaH-sXGIfi482jmw2hwvm-hghXB2Un