The following is the text of an email I have received from info@vitalizing-democracy.org as a voter for the OLO-related entry in the Reinhard Mohn Prize competition. To those whose threads upon which I posted off-topic soliciting votes, my apologies, but remaining time within which to vote was short, and not all thread titles are necessarily self-explanatory.




"Dear participants,

the period to submit project proposals expired.We would like to thank everyone who has contributed project proposals, comments or ratings to the platform. Before the end of August, we will identify and publish 20 projects which made it to the shortlist.

This platform was launched on 23 June 2010 to give people from all over the world the opportunity to submit project proposals to the Reinhard Mohn Prize 2011. On 22 August 2010 this platform was closed for submissions. We are impressed by the numerous interesting and inspiring results. 122 projects from 36 different countries were submitted, 668 users registered and provided nominations, comments and ratings to identify the most prize-worthy projects, 41.000 unique visitors accessed our platform to receive information about all the interesting projects on the platform.

We would therefore like to thank everyone who contributed to this platform!

Before the end of August, our project team will identify 20 projects for the shortlist – based on your information and your ratings. The list will be published on this website. You will be welcome to continue rating and commenting on these projects to help the working committee with its decision on the five to seven nominees in October 2010!

In the meantime, our project team will do additional and in-depth research to clarify open questions and validate the data presented.

Although we will no longer be accepting submissions to the Reinhard Mohn Prize you are still able to submit projects to this platform! We decided to continue collecting and presenting projects that help to vitalize democracy through participation on this website. Please feel encouraged to show the world more of these astonishing projects that might shape our future!"



Good luck, OLO.

Bad luck guys.

"We would like to inform you that the shortlist with 20 projects for the Reinhard Mohn Prize 2011 was finalised and published online at www.vitalizing-democracy.org. "

Geraldton made it through to the shortlist - with only twenty votes!

That's WA for you, always muscling into the party

Pericles,

It appears votes alone were not the criteria for selection. Here is a link to the shortlist: http://bit.ly/cxIeDn

Note that the numbers of votes for each project were, from most recently lodged to earliest lodged:

No.156, 3. No.154, 4. No.148, 5. No.138, 15. No.94 (Geraldton...), 20. No.90, 9. No.76, 11. No.72 (Qld State government funded 'Queensland Growth Management Summit'), 34. No.68, 8. No.58, 33. No.48, 8. No.37, 8. No.34, 7. No.33, 10. No.32, 9. No.24, 5. No.18, 35. No.12, 6. No.11, 7. No.1, 8.

BTW, OLO got 21 votes.

I must admit I was a little disappointed with the apparent lack of response to the topic (as expressed in votes registered for the OLO-related project) by posters who have the free use of the Forum upon which to express themselves. I gather Belly tried to put a vote in, but ran into some sort of problem with the site note registering his vote, or such like. To any others who may have voted in consequence of the topic, I'm sure OLO thanks you.

I only put the monlogue up because I thought GrahamY may have been a bit either reticent, or busy with election-related matters, to promote the site or the competition. I figured it would cost users little or nothing to maybe help OLO gain a few kudos. But, C'est la guerre.

And as for the Queensland State government's 'Queensland Growth Management Summit'? Hmmmmm. Better not get involved in something that might be seen as questioning a referee's decision, especially as I have not looked at that project in detail.

I guess it was just unfortunate timing with respect to the Federal elections that notice was so short, in that users attention was focussed elsewhere.