Christmas Contest 2025 Results

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How Is the Game Played?

For the benefit of those who did not enter, the Christmas contest required participants to choose a present for themselves, for the participant who entered immediately before them, and for the participant who entered immediately after them. Each participant, in total, received 3 presents. They were given a choice of 12 boxes. Each box may or may not contain a present. The presents were assigned values. If the selected boxes contain these presents, the value of the present is awarded to the participant and contributes to determining if he or she has won the contest. A probability was assigned to each box to determine the likelihood that it contains a present. If the box does not contain a present, it is assumed to have no value.

This contest has two objectives. The first objective is to receive the highest value of presents (one from yourself and two from two other participants). This participant will win 40 Hive Power. The second objective is to give the highest value of presents (one to yourself and two to two other participants). This participant will win 20 Hive Power. These objectives are measured separately; thus, two participants can win Hive Power. The usual contest tiebreaker rules apply. If there is a tie, the participant who entered first wins.

This year is a little different. I have added a question, which is based on the content of my Sapien Loop books. If a participant answers this question correctly, the value of the prizes he or she gives to the other participants is doubled.

The contest post contains more information and can be accessed using the link below.

Results

It is now time to determine our Christmas winners.

First, I will give the answer to the bonus question. Hermon’s mother is Phallia. This is answer ‘c’. The answer can be found in Hermon’s character profile in the short stories and in Chapters 48 and 80 in the book ‘Frozen in Time’. Only @hatdogsensei and @tortangkahoy answered this question correctly.

Now onto the results. The GIF below captures the opening of the boxes from the video.

Opening the Boxes

Note: Results differ slightly, as the video was made with @hatdogsensei receiving Present 2 instead of Present 5. However, the outcome of the contest does not change.

With the boxes open, we can determine our lucky and partly skilful winners. The tables contain the boxes selected by the participants, the value received, and the value given.

Value Received and Given

The participant who received the highest value in presents is @sammywrite. @sammywrite received presents worth a total value of $1600 (Present 10 worth $200, Present 10 worth $200 × 2, and Present 12 worth $500 × 2).

The participant who gave away the highest value in presents was @hatdogsensei. @hatdogsensei gave away presents worth a total value of $1780 (Present 12 worth $500, Present 2 worth $440 × 2, and Present 10 worth $200 × 2). @hatdogsensei gave Present 10 to @sammywrite and answered the question correctly. This played a key role in the win. It’s a pity that @sammywrite responded by giving @hatdogsensei Grinch Present 5.

@sammywrite wins 40 Hive Power, and @hatdogsensei wins 20 Hive Power.

The Grinch List

This year we have three Grinches. As mentioned earlier, @sammywrite sabotaged @hatdogsensei with Grinch Present 5. Both @tortangkahoy and @longganisan gave away Grinch Present 5 to the participant that followed them. This seems to be a double tactical move. It reduces another participant’s chances of winning, and it discourages others from entering the contest, thus increasing the probability of winning. This could have also led to a retaliatory move from the next participant, who had no choice in accepting the Grinch present. This is the first year a Grinch has won. Mean tactics normally backfire, but when half the participants use them, the chances of a Grinch winning go up even if it’s not the best tactic.

Source: Bing Image Creator

The Sapien Loop Series

I am writing a trilogy of books titled Sapien Loop. The first in the series is Sapien Loop: End of an Era and the second is Sapien Loop: Frozen in Time. I published both of these books as ebooks on Amazon, and I have posted completed chapters to my @captainhive account. I anticipate publishing the third book in early 2027. I expect to title this book Sapien Loop: Worlds Collide. In 2025, I plan to write short stories about some of the characters and their adventures. I will post these to my @captainhive over the course of the year.

Brief Summary of Sapien Loop: End of an Era

This story is based on the fictional planet Sapia and its sole country, Sapey. Sapey is portrayed as a form of utopia for all its citizens. No poverty. No war. Almost no crime. Opportunities for all.

This was enough for most citizens, but not all. In one of the small regions, some of the citizens had become discontent. They felt something important was missing in their lives. Their discontent did not go unnoticed. Some of the Sapey elite wanted to weaponise this discontent to gain more power. This created more chaos than they anticipated. This led to further widespread social unrest.

On top of the chaos, ambition and greed provoked another enemy. This enemy was on a mission to settle both new and old scores.

Brief Summary of Sapien Loop: Frozen in Time

This story is based six years after the original story. The Downs Region is still suffering from a serious health crisis caused by the contaminated water. The main characters are desperately trying to find a cure for the illness that has been caused by the water.

One of the main characters has discovered frozen humanoids in hidden chambers. It appears they have been frozen for a long time. These chambers connect to a vast network of tunnels. While exploring the tunnels, one of the frozen humanoids disappears. It appears he has been stolen.

The story takes a step back in time to tell the story of the frozen humanoids. How and why were they frozen? This part of the story also explains the fall of ancient Sapey and the birth of the Sapiens. Can those from the past be able to coexist with those from the present?

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