I'm not affiliated with this competition (although I am planning on entering it), but it's doing something interesting and I think it could use a little more exposure.
EnvComp, as those trendy kids in the IF community have abbreviated it, is looking for Interactive Fiction games with, and I quote, "interesting or unusual settings".
Phrased like that it doesn't sound too exciting, but then you remember that you won't have to provide any graphics for the world you create, and you also remember how many IF games over the past couple of decades have been first rate mind-fucks. I think this competition could, if enough people set their minds to it, produce some of the most astounding landscapes you'll see - uh, or
read in a game in 2009.
EnvComp started officially on 15th December, and entries have to be submitted by 15th March. Submissions will be judged by an all-star panel of 13 IF authors. There's more details, including the rules and guidelines for entering, on
its IFWiki page.
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