Martia Dementia 2023

After eight years of spring campaigns—in which gods, monsters, birds, authors, and military commanders struggled on the Martia Dementia battle field—we’re back, with the ninth annual contest! Last year, some bloodthirsty birds defeated a slew of ancient authors, with the poisonous ducks of Pontus gaining victory over Rome’s sacred chickens. In 2023, mythical monsters are back, and ready to take on a new set of rivals, gods and goddesses. In keeping with the theme of the 2022–2023 Roman Calendar, these Martia Dementia competitors represent the non-Olympians, those deities that might personify important concepts, inspire daily worship, or offer divine revelation through initiation into their mysteries.

See the downloadable, printable PDF of the Roman Calendar here, showcasing artwork and imagery associated with twelve of this year’s Martia Dementia participants. For a variety of mythical monster activities, scroll to the bottom of our Distance Learning page to find an online matching game, printable templates to create a Guess Who?–style board game, and more.

To the victor—whoever finishes with the best bracket—belong the spoils. Before getting to the prizes, here is how the competition will work. Please read through the process carefully. For reference, we are providing a PDF of the bracket that you can use with your classes, but be sure to submit your final choices via the online system.

The Bracket

Starting today, complete and submit a bracket to be eligible for wondrous prizes. Please access and submit your bracket online via the following link: Martia Dementia 2023 Bracket. You can also find the bracket at the bottom of this blog post.

When you access the online Martia Dementia bracket, click the “Submit your bracket!” button to start making your selections. You will be prompted to enter your name and email address; we need this information so that we can track and notify the winners of the competition once Martia Dementia is completed. After signing up, you will be asked to predict a winner for each game in the bracket.  

For each round, you view a set of contestants that will "face off" against one another. Predict and select your winner for each "contest" in the bracket. 

At the bottom of this post, you will find a link to a PDF showing short descriptions of each of this year’s Martia Dementia participants. You can access the same descriptions by clicking on the photo of a given figure in the bracket.

Clicking on a god or monster will bring up a short description.

Once you have completed all of your selections and have submitted your bracket, you will receive a notice thanking you for your submission. If you would like to view your prediction bracket, simply click on the link to “View My Prediction.” We recommend saving a copy of your bracket at this point so that you can keep track of how you are doing as the competition progresses. With our online submission system, you can also easily share your prediction bracket via email or social media—a great way to show off how you’re doing, or earn some pity points if your bracket is going poorly. 

We are also providing a PDF copy of the bracket here (for reference only) in case you would like to print a copy of the bracket and fill one in with your class. However, we are not accepting scanned brackets, so make sure that you also submit the bracket online.

Brackets will be accepted through Wednesday, March 15 (the Ides of March!).

The Survey

A voting survey will be made available on Thursday, March 16, where you can vote for your picks. Whichever figures have the most votes by the time the survey closes will advance through the round. Actively participating in the survey betters your chances at winning. We will announce via social media when voting for each round has opened.

We cannot stress enough the importance of voting. 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 glory to your favorite ancient writer or bird. 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 back here to access the link to the voting bracket. Also, follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates as the competition progresses.

Remember, brackets close March 15, and the first round of voting will begin March 16.                                   

Bracket and Other Resources

Access the online bracket

Access a printable bracket (for reference only) 

Access a description of all Martia Dementia 2023 figures

Voting Schedule:

·         Round 1: March 16–17

·         Round 2: March 18–21

·         Round 3 (Sweet 16): March 23–24

·         Quarterfinals (Elite 8): March 25–28

·         Semifinals (Final 4): March 30–31

·         Final (Championship): April 1–4

Note that each round of voting will open at 7:30 a.m. central time and close at 4:00 p.m. central time on the designated days.