Contest Entry Deadline Now Extended to August 1st, 1996! |
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La Solista Beach House, Surf City (Topsail Island), NC |
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W A N T T O W I N A D R E A M H O U S E A T T H E B E A C H ?
The owners of La Solista are placing one of their homes in Surf City, on Topsail Island, up as a prize in a rather unique contest. The home will be awarded to the individual or organization that submits the best essay of 100 words or less answering the following question: Why Do You Want To Live At La Solista? The entry fee is US$250, and the essays will be evaluated on their creativity, sincerity and individuality by an "audience" of individuals (they prefer not calling themselves judges).
This contest was originally announced last July, and ran through October. The owners only advertised the essay competion regionally, and although there was much local interest, only 800+ entries were received. The awarding of the house required 1800 entries to cover mortgage incumberments, expenses, etc. Although most of the entries came from folks residing in the Carolinas, some were received from about ten other states, with one each coming from as far away as Australia, Denmark and Ireland! All of those contest entrants received their $250 entry fees back, as was stipulated in the contest rules.
Interestingly enough, the owners received dozens of calls from the entrants, who had enjoyed the process of exploring their creativity, and who pleaded with the couple to try running the contest again. So here we are, giving it another shot. My name is Mark Samwick, and my company has been brought on board to announce it worldwide via press releases and the Internet. If you have any questions, feel free to leave me email below.
I am not only sure that we will receive sufficient entries to award the beach house to some VERY lucky person, but I'm excited about the probability of receiving more entries from other states and distant countries. Having read over some of the wonderful, exuberant entries from the first contest, I think that there may very well be an interesting book here someplace, and such a future project would be greatly enhanced if it had a more international flavor! Time will tell.
So let me tell you some more about the beach house that you see pictured here. La Solista (Italian for "The Solitude") is a fully-furnished home nestled among the maritime forest along the coast of North Carolina. This magnificent ocean-to-sound property comes with a shared deep-water dock, capable of holding up to 10 boats on the Intercoastal Waterway, and a shared deck with gazebo along the Atlantic Ocean beachfront. You'd be sharing the dock and gazebo with the owners, who are currently renovating a similar-sized home behind La Solista. Their's faces the Intracoastal Waterway, yours would face the Atlantic Ocean.
La Solista itself is constructed on three levels, with interior stairs. There are 4 bedrooms, 4-1/2 baths, a living room and a dining area. Amenities include central heat and air, fireplace, ceiling fans, dishwasher, washer/dryer, microwave and color television. There are three porches, one of which is covered, and deck furniture is provided, including rocking chairs (a requirement for North Carolina residency). An enclosed outside shower with hot water is provided for your convenience in washing off the sand.
Do cozy southern nights sipping drinks in a gazebo that overlooks
the ocean waves sound inviting?
Well, this may all be yours if your essay is selected!
Click here for the rules!Catch the big WAVes! (160K)
Catch even bigger WAVes! (782K)Catch the WAVe of seagulls! (make sure you're wearing a hat)
Catch a WHiFf of the beach! (requires olfactory-installed device)
From the home office, in Surf City, North Carolina, here are the
Thanks also to the following web sites for providing a link to our contest page. Check them out!
... Leave a message to Mark or visit his 
yours