You read the announcements, you voted on our poll and now the time has come to announce who's heading to DevCon courtesy of that old pot-bellied Uncle whose kisses are always too slobbery, Uncle FMPug.

See the HTML version at http://www.fmpug.com/devcon.php

When we devised the contest, it was our hope that a handful of members would weave a tale or two worth reading. As time marched forward, entries flooded in, ending in a grand total of 358 contestants! Never anticipated were the number of entrants who embraced their inner-author and spun tales worthy of news rack magazine glory. Whittling down these fantastic fables took an entire Sunday afternoon and entirely too many refills of caffeinated Mango Iced Tea. Methodically, 358 was reduced to 70, and lastly, in honor of FileMaker 9, down to the top 9 contestants. That's when the hard times grew even harder. Hopped-up on fruity tea and armed with boldly colored Sharpie markers, the stories were dissected, debated, disputed and ranked from five, down to three, and finally, the winner was chosen.

Congratulations, Martha Zink, the winner of the free conference pass to the 2008 DevCon! Well done!

After a long arduous journey, read how Martha and FileMaker have rekindled the romance in their lives. A truly motivating tale of hardship and relational perseverance!

Read Martha's entry at http://fmpug.com/members_download.php? filename=devconpass_winner.pdf&free=true

Now wait, don't leave yet, we're not quite done

After reading these stories, it was unanimously decided to pay homage to these top tale tellers, to reward them for their time, their effort and their outpouring of support for FMPug. Good ole Uncle FMPug has decided to reach deep into his leisure suit pockets and dole out some dough for the four runners-up. Each of the Top 5 contestants will be awarded some of Uncle Pug's hard-earned dough to help with those pesky DevCon expenses. Spend your winnings in the showcase, at the hotel (bar), at the spa (bar, check), at the (lobby) bar, at the pool (bar), at one of the restaurant (bars), or maybe perhaps the mini-bar --- the choice is yo! urs, we certainly would never attempt to sway your decision. Each stor y is fantastic, not to mention fantastical, and guarantees an entertaining read. So take a moment to take-in what some creative FMPuggers have written.

2nd Place, Larry Schultz (http://fmpug.com/members_download.php? filename=devconpass_grooveback.pdf&free=true)

Prize: $400 USD

Read the laugh-out-loud ranked ranting from Larry, who like Stella, is gunning to get his groove back...at DevCon. This is a guy who openly refuses to let age (or ! arthritis) stand in his way when it comes to rocking-out like an aged hipster on the drums. Keep your eyes peeled attendees, you'll read how to find Larry at DevCon
he'll be the guy in the corridor chanting about feet and a pug. Great stuff!

3rd Place, Bob Shockey (http://fmpug.com/members_download.php? filename=devconpass_guynoir.pdf&free=true)
Prize: $300 USD

Read Bob's tongue- and-cheek tribute to FileMaker and little known Film Noir star Dominique LePortal , a story worthy of the hard-boiled dean of detective fiction, the late great Dashiell Hammett

4th Place, Ken Newell (http://fmpug.com/members_download.php? filename=devconpass_pugpimp.pdf&free=true)
Prize: $200 USD

Read Ken's open and honest Top 10 reasons why he is the #1, uncontested, never to be challenged, king of all Pug Pimps! Where is this m! an's Pimp cup?!

5th  Place, Kate Lee (http://fmpug.com/members_download.php? filename=devconpass_inutero.pdf&free=true)
Prize: $100 USD

Read the sweet pleadings from this yet to be named, still in utero author whose days and nights are filled with visions of FileMaker-covered sugarplums. This little one has skills!

Important note, please read: Sinc e this promotion revolves around DevCon it's about helping people get to DevCon and (now) supporting members while they're at DevCon -- the prize money will be awarded to all runners-up (2nd 5th Place) at the FMPug DevCon booth. That means (in plain English) you must be in attendance of DevCon (or at least be at the hotel during DevCon) to grab the loot. The winning contestants will be required to notify FMPug of their decision to attend DevCon by June 1st, 2008.

OTHER NOTEWORTHY ENTRANTS -- #6 THROUGH #9 (http://fmpug.com/members_download.php? filename=devconpass_notable.pdf&free=true)
With so many witty entries, it's only right to share their clever eloquence with the masses. We've gone ahead and also posted the remaining contestant entries RANKED 6-9 (again, in homage to FileMaker 9). We can't emphasize their entertainment value enough go have a quick read of these stories, they're chock-full of chuckles!

EARLY BIRD GETS THE WORM
AND $200-OFF DEVCON REGISTRATION
The deadline is fast approaching
..don't forget to take advantage of the Early Bird Registration Discount for DevCon that's $200 w! orth of savings provided by Advisor Media!! - http://events.advisor.com/cff0807p.nsf/w/main

A hearty congratulations to our winners! Again, we thank each and every member who took the time to register for this contest. With so many great entries, our decisions were made difficult, but down-right fun! Thank you for taking the time to make us contemplate and moreover
laugh!

Cheers

Andy Gaunt
T: 321-206-3658

http://www.fmpug.com

FMPug: A Developer's best Friend!