We held our prize drawing for CMEpalooza Bingo!! this morning in a top secret location witnessed by representatives from the table next to us at the neighborhood coffee shop. It was fraught was tension and caused quite a bit of excitement – there may or may not have been a latte spilled on the floor while selecting our grand prize winner (I am bound to secrecy).

Congratulations to all of the winners. They are:

Grand Prize Winner: $100 Amazon Gift Card

• Jena Williams – Provider Education Coordinator, Office of the Medical Director, Washington State Department of Labor & Industries

$50 Amazon Gift Cards Winners

• Ron Murray – Freelance CPD/CME Professional
• Sandy Mardant – Continuing Education Manager, A.D.A.M.
• Janice G. Richards – Richards Professional Development
• Sally Cook – Compliance & Assessment Manager, Education Department, American College of Radiology

$25 Amazon Gift Card Winners

• Anita Misra-Press – Freelance Medical Writer
• Michèle Gagnon – Director, Education & Strategy, liV Medical Communication & Training Agency
• Joanne Wise – Center for Public Health Continuing Education, University at Albany, School of Public Health
• Karin Pearson – Director, Tufts University School of Medicine, Office of Continuing Education
• Amanda Kaczerski – Director, Education Development, Academy for Continued Healthcare Learning
• Kristi J. English – Program Manager, Academic Affairs, Department of CME/Conference Management, MD Anderson Cancer Center
• Bonnie J Bixler – Director, Continuing Education, Penn State College of Medicine
• Donna M. Stout – Continuing Education Program Specialist, Department of Education, Lehigh Valley Health Network

Our winners have all been contacted via email and will be receiving their prizes shortly.

I know what everyone else is whining – “How come I didn’t win?” Well, either you didn’t play (shame on you) or you simply weren’t fortunate enough to have your number drawn (you had lots of company). I am sure we will come up with another creative contest next spring, so you’ll have another chance in the future.

One of these weekends, we’ll give our crack staff at CMEpalooza headquarters the weekend off to enjoy the fall colors and reunite with their families. This simply wasn’t one of those weekends.

Far surpassing Derek’s prediction of zero entries (he’s both an introvert and a pessimist), we had close to 300 successful entries into our inaugural contest (we’re admittedly using the phrase “close to” somewhat liberally here).

Judging by the messages we got from those who completed their entry forms – one eager beaver filled out the entire Bingo board – it was a fun diversion from work that even helped them learn something about some of our sponsors. If you missed out on the fun but have a burning desire to find out the answers, we’ve got a handy answer key for you right here.

We’ll be having our prize drawing on Wednesday, where we’ll be divvying up $500 in Amazon gift cards to 13 of our successful entrants (one $100 winner, four $50 winners, and eight $25 winners). We’ll announce the winners in this space, and also contact them privately via email.

Our crack team at CMEpalooza headquarters woke up to a flurry of emails this morning that all essentially said the same thing – “I really, really, really (really) want to play CMEpalooza Bingo!! but I just haven’t found the time. Can’t we have until Friday afternoon?”

Usually, my response to these sorts of things is short and succinct.

“No.”

I mean, c’mon people, there are deadlines for a reason. I hate those emails you get that claim “Deadline extended!” because they mean that the deadline was always going to be extended and the time you took rushing to meet the initial deadline has now been wasted.

Don’t get me started.

But perhaps because I still have gleeful visions of Derek as a Sixers halftime dancer, I’m in a good mood today, so we’re extending the deadline to play CMEpalooza Bingo!! until tomorrow (Friday, September 23) at 8:13 p.m. ET. Why did I choose such a random time? Because I have that power.

As a reminder, we’re giving away $500 in Amazon gift cards for those who successfully enter (there are 13 total prizes — first prize is $100 with other prizes of $50 and $25). It takes, in all honesty, 5 minutes to complete a game board.

Here once again are the rules:

• There are a few documents you’ll need to download and/or print out — The bingo card, the question sheet, and the answer form. Don’t worry – we’ve compiled these into one document that you can print out or download. You can get everything you need by clicking on this link. If you want the CMEpalooza Bingo!! Answer Form as a Word document you can write on, we’ve got that right here for you.
• On the bingo card, you’ll see that each CMEpalooza Fall sponsor has been assigned a specific slot (there are a few CMEpalooza slots to fill out the card). Each slot has coordinates listed in the upper left-hand corner. This is important to note as you are filling out the Answer Form.
• To get the answer to the questions, you’ll probably need to visit some of our sponsor websites. You can find direct links to all of them on the CMEpalooza Fall sponsor page.
• We’re not cruel, so we won’t make you complete the entire card. Simply make one Bingo by answering 5 questions that complete either a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal line (just like, you know, as in a Bingo game). Feel free to visit any additional sponsor sites if you really want to, but it’s not mandatory.
• Fill out the Answer Form and return it to me via email (scott@medcasewriter.com) by the new and improved deadline

I promise that this is the one and only deadline extension. The hopper closes on Friday night.