The votes are in for the 2008 Mochimochi Photo contest!

It was clear from the way the votes came in over the last two days that each of the 10 finalists had their fans. In all, we received almost 1,000 votes! The results are exciting, too.

But first, John and I want to thank everyone who entered the contest and everyone who voted. It’s so much fun to see that other people are as excited about this contest as we are, and the creativity of your photos is endlessly inspiring! If you missed the contest this year, we will be holding it again next year too, with a few changes: we will be adding a “series” category, as well as a “judges’ choice” award.

And now for the results!

We actually had a TIE for third place, between Stackable Cats (Blue) by Bitter-Sweet- and Conga Line of Bobs by kayk. To break the tie, we had to look back to the comments in the semifinalist round, and the winner of third place is…

Conga Line of Bobs by kayk

Yay, kayk! You get some cute goodies from Japan…

…and a $10 Mochimochi Land gift certificate.

Second place goes to Tubby (and octopus) by PrettyCranium.

Hooray PrettyCranium! You will also receive cute goodies from Japan…

…and a $15 Mochimochi Land gift certificate.

And finally, with over 250 votes, first place in the 2008 Mochimochi Photo Contest goes to…

Slug Checkers by denise.y.cheung

Congratulations, Denise!! You win a box stuffed with craft supplies, kits, books, and toys from Japan!

You’ll also receive a $20 Mochimochi Land gift certificate.

Thus concludes the second Mochimochi Photo Contest! Thank you again to all who participated. And remember it’s not too early to get started on your entries for next year’s contest!

Update: The polls are now closed! Stay tuned for the winners!

The polls are now open for the 2008 Mochimochi Photo Contest!! Thanks to your help in the semifinals round, we have narrowed the 20 semifinalist photos down to 10 outstanding finalists.

Like last year’s vote, you can vote for as many photos as you want: vote for your favorite three, top four, or more if you like! However, we ask that you only vote one time. (No ballot stuffing!)

Simply check the box next to each photo you’d like to cast a vote for, and then click the “Submit Your Votes!” button at the bottom of this post. Then, check back in a few days to see the winners!

Update: Hi, Mochimochi friends! Official husband and web guru John here. I am loving the enthusiasm for the 2008 photo contest; the votes are really pouring in!

We’re asking readers to be on the honor system and only vote once, and the vast majority of readers do just that. That said, we have a few ballot-stuffers in our midst. It’s easy to tell from the activity log on my end when somebody is voting “early and often,” and I will be deleting all ballot-stuffing votes. So don’t worry, the final tally will be fair and square.

It’s a tight race, so if you haven’t marked your ballot yet, make your voice heard!

Chichone! by katecarlyle

Slug Checkers by denise.y.cheung

Devil Bob by stitchyandcrafty

Snails vs. Slugs Baseball by giolou

Three of Hearts in Heels by lisa-maria

Stackable Cats (Red, White and Blue) by Amy Hammond

Tubby (and Octopus) by PrettyCranium

Stackable Cats (Blue) by Bitter-Sweet-

Conga Line of Bobs by kayk

Clover the Butterfull by kathrynivy.com

Whew! John and I just went through the more than 500 photos entered in this year’s Mochimochi Photo Contest. We are astounded by your creativity!

It wasn’t easy for us to narrow down the photos (we each had to fight for a few of our favorites), so like last year, we’re going to ask for your help when we post the 20 semifinalists later this week. Then, the official voting will commence when we have selected 10 finalists.

But first, we have so many excellent entries this year that we’ve also selected 20 honorable mentions! Today we are pleased to announce, in no particular order, the first ten photos to receive honorable mentions.

Chick Riding a Chicken by Jenn! (knits a lot)

Somehow, the grownup chicken doesn’t look too thrilled to be Chick’s ride.

Cheesy Story by mariannes_stuff

This Mischievous Mouse tries to dispose of some yucky phony cheese.

Tubby by Bitter-Sweet-

Tubby looks right at home on the tile floor!

Breast Cancer Awareness Bobs by The Knitwit

It’s wonderful to see Bobs do their part for a good cause.

Moss Reindeer by rhiannon76

Don’t worry about this Reindeer catching cold—his antlers and hooves are fuzzy-wuzzy-warm.

Eeeek! by Knittygirlie

A couple of Blythes have to think fast when confronted by a miniature Evolving Punk crawling out of the sewer!

Butterfulls by kimberlane2050

Beautiful colorful Butterfulls!

Angry Bob by BadKittyKnits

Bob Sr. is disapproving of of Bob Jr.’s rock ‘n roll lifestyle in this scene. Isn’t that cute? Even Bobs have generation gaps.

Snails on Camera by lulubelleknits

We love the visual pun of this photo. The snails are cute too!

Guinea Pigs Eat Grass by greensausage

Grass can neither run nor hide from these hungry little guinea pigs.

Congrats to these clever photographers! Tomorrow we’ll have the next ten honorable mentions, so stay tuned!