Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers: Martia Dementia 2018

Teachers, students, and lifelong learners, the fourth annual Martia Dementia contest has commenced! Previous contests have pitted ancient authors, philosophers, politicians, and deities against one another. Now 32 heroes and heroines from Greek and Roman mythology will join the fray, bridging the gap between the mortal and the divine realms. With your help, one of them will emerge as champion of the Mediterranean. To the victor belong the spoils, and to whomever finishes with the best bracket, spoils await. Before getting to the prizes, here is the way the competition will work.

The Bracket

Starting today, complete a bracket to be eligible for wondrous prizes.

The preferred method: Download the bracket and save it as a PDF file. Then, starting from the “Round of 64,” go through each pairing and select your preferred candidates. Type the names of these preferred candidates in their corresponding “Round of 32” slots. Continue through the remaining rounds until one individual reigns supreme. Send your completed bracket to the email provided on the right side of the bracket.

The alternate method: Download and print the bracket. Complete the bracket, writing instead of typing your candidates. Scan or take a picture of your completed bracket and send it to the email provided on the right side of the bracket.

Brackets will be accepted through Wednesday, March 14th.

The Survey

A survey will be made available on Thursday, March 15th, where you can vote for your picks or, as it gets closer to the championship, vote against any picks that might hurt your chances of winning. Whichever ancient figures have the most survey votes by the time the survey closes will advance through the round. Actively participating in the survey betters your chances at winning. Fresh surveys will be posted for each round, so there will be many opportunities to make your mark on the contest.

We cannot stress enough the importance of voting early and voting often. When the survey goes live, cast your votes! Get your friends to vote for your picks. Teachers, get your students to stuff the survey with favorable votes!

Victori Spolia

This competition is not solely for bringing posthumous glory to your favorite ancient figure. Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers is offering book prizes for the brackets that most closely resemble the final results; a $100 book credit will be awarded to the first-place participant, a $50 credit to the second-place participant, and a $25 credit to the third-place participant. Feeling like you no longer stand a chance? Do not give up! There will also be a $25 credit for having the most abysmal bracket!

Stay Connected

Be sure to bookmark this post and check it frequently, as we will post the survey links for each round here as they become available. Also, follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates as the competition progresses.

Remember, brackets close Wednesday, March 14th, and the first round of voting will begin Thursday, March 15th.

-Alex Cohen