What is it?

The Showcase brings the best of writing from all corners of the Guide together into one central place. We have excellent pieces of writing found not only in the Edited Guide, but also in places such as The Post and also the UnderGuide¹. The Edited Guide is a collection of factual Entries about Life, The Universe and Everything written with the intent of informing and entertaining the reader. The tradition is that only factual Entries are allowed into the Guide - which are then elevated to the position of being 'Approved' or 'Edited', ie they are published on the Front Page of h2g2 each week as new Entries. Other areas of h2g2 contain writing that should be more widely known. Contributors to special features that ran under the auspices of the Post brought challenges to our creative talent. Some of these wonderful Entries should now be brought to a wider readership - these types of Entries may be fictional, they may be poetry, they may be personal histories.

Additionally, there are gems lying in the UnderGuide waiting to be rediscovered. Please help locate this missing treasure trove and bring it to our attention.

In the same way as there are many sections of writing within a physical library, there are many sections within h2g2. We have fiction, and we have non-fiction. We have Science Fiction, Science and History. We have the History of Science even, as well as descriptions of popular and not-so-popular culture.

Debate has taken place on the future of the Edited Guide versus the UnderGuide, and we are trying out a new approach where both ends of this wide spectrum of writing can co-exist together, and that place is here, in the Showcase.

How You can Contribute

We need readers who can nominate Entries to us. If you have recently read, or remember an Entry that you feel should be featured, please let us have the A number and the Entry title, in the reply section at the bottom of the page. Remember, we are looking for the very best Entry, one that has made a lasting impression on you, one that moved you in some way, one that you might recommend a friend to read. If you come across an Entry in an obscure backwater² of h2g2, please submit it here. The Guide Editors and Showcase Panelists are unable to read the entire contents themselves to discover these gems. We need your help.

This is going to be an ongoing nomination system, for the foreseeable period of time. We intend to review the process of building the Guide as a whole over the coming months.

Is there a Limit on the Number of Nominations one Person can Make?

At the moment no, but we are striving to ensure a wide, balanced group of Entries rather than a limited choice from a few individuals. We want to see what you, our readers and Researchers, consider to be the best from the archives. Ask your friends and family, talk about this in your journals, help us make this an inclusive exercise.

Should we Limit Nominations to Authors whose Entries have not already been Selected?

We are trying to have as many authors represented as possible, so we are trying to include a wide selection of individuals. However, quality is our prime concern, so if you would like to nominate an Entry written by an author who already has been featured, please do so. Each nomination will be considered on its own merits.

What Happens to an Entry Once it has been Nominated here?

Each Entry will be considered by the Showcase panel, made up of a dozen Researchers including the Guide Editors, to ensure high quality Entries are then brought to the Front Page each week.

Past Featured Showcased Entries

• The Hippocratic Oath
• The Dublin Statue Trail
• The Cherry Cake
• Titivillus - the Typo Demon
• The Mundaneum - a Universal Catalogue of All the World's Knowledge
• The Wheelie Bin That Played Chopin for a Minute
• Shell
• Gismos, Whatsits And Thingummys
• The Heineken World Bottle