Crabby Office Lady

Our first-ever PowerPoint template contest was a great success: We received some of the most creative and useful templates ever. The winners have been announced, and today I'll give you a taste of the tough job the judges had.

Everybody loves a winner and everybody loves to win. (Does this mean you love yourself more when you're a winner? Of course it does! Which means there's even MORE impetus to be a winner!)

About a month ago we announced a contest. No, not a coding contest, and no, not a contest to give Windows Vista a new name (you can stop smirking now). This contest was called "Create a Spark PowerPoint Contest" and it called for your best entries in a challenging subject: PowerPoint presentations designed to inspire or motivate.

I wasn't one of the judges (can you imagine?), but I know that those judges, PowerPoint MVPs Julie Terberg, Echo Swinford, and Geetesh Bajaj, must have had one heck of a time deciding. I mean how can you choose between the template Help Educate Our Kids by Becoming a Tutor over Mission Liquid Love - Donate Blood, a presentation illustrating why blood donation is a healthy practice that benefits both donor and receiver? And what about the timely Stand Out From the Crowd, a template which presents a way to organize the things that make you different from the rest of the crowd — to show why someone would want to hire you, what qualities you possess that make you so valuable?

I have no idea how our illustrious judges chose but I'm guessing that there were many sleepless nights...

But alas, every contest has a winner, and ours had three (four, if you count Honorable Mention, which you absolutely should — it can mean a lot to a kid — I should know):

First Place:

Team effort fundraiser goals presentation Reveal customizable text and images by clicking on the thermometer buttons in this single-screen PowerPoint presentation. Usage could include motivational meetings, team goal-setting, fund raising, awards, thank-you presentations, or quizzes and games, etc.

What the judges had to say: "This template by Kanjincho has clever design with a unique use of triggers. The creator included detailed instructions so that others can easily customize this template with their content."

Second Place:

Making Public Speaking Easier This presentation is designed to be presented by a speaker. Basic speaker notes are included to provide insight into the purpose of the slides.

What the judges had to say: "This template by Cindy Solberg has an impressive use of graphics, animation, and excellent content."

Third Place:

Join Your High School PTSA For PTSA leaders who give presentations to parents at school orientations or back to school nights.

What the judges had to say: "This template by Maggie O. has good use of sample content to demonstrate how you could structure this motivational presentation for joining a volunteer organization."

Honorable Mention:

Communication Styles Training PowerPoint Presentation Template This PowerPoint template is the perfect backdrop for a business presentation or a presentation on teamwork or other work-related topics.

What the judges had to say: "This template by J. Williams has good use of graphics and content organization. The sample content is clear, interesting, and reusable as it is. "

You can enter too!!!

Of course, the contest is over, but you can still view and use all of the entries. And as usual, we are always accepting templates from you, our community.

• See all the entries for the June 2009 PowerPoint Contest
• Submit a Template

So don't be shy; show us that creative spark; go ahead and standout from the crowd!

About the author

Annik Stahl, the Crabby Office Lady columnist, takes all of your complaints, compliments, and knee-jerk reactions to heart. Therefore, she graciously asks that you let her know whether this column was useful to you — or not — by entering your feedback using the Was this information helpful? tool below. And remember: If you don't vote, you can't complain.