Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: A&M-San Antonio - The Mesquite Entry Title: REVIEW: Brent Faiyaz’s “Wasteland” finds the balance between brutal honesty and heartbreak Entry Credit: Raul Trey Lopez Judge Comment: The category is called Critical Review, yet many entries lacked critical analysis. They were fine reviews, but the winner is the one whose analysis meshed best with crisp writing.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Texas Woman's University Entry Title: Review: “My Policeman” glorifies violence against LGBTQ+ during the 50s Entry Credit: Karyme Flores Judge Comment: This entry took to a literal definition of “critical review.” It’s a total take-down. Those are fun to write but hard to justify. In many ways, the burden of reporting and analysis are no different than an in-depth news story. Yet here, the criticism is backed up in a tight fashion.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Tyler Junior College Entry Title: Commentary: Epic Games’ business strategy has become the gaming industry’s newest blueprint Entry Credit: Santiago Nunez Judge Comment: Sometimes, different can make a difference. This is the only video game review in the batch, and while it suffers from some structural and reporting problems, it was different enough to separate itself from the pack of others with similar issues.
