**Dukes and Duchesses of the Deserted!**

![ASWlogoWinners.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmNadp94Uij3nWBfN38QEgd82GhZwJ81LnqCHUyhqJCmFZ/ASWlogoWinners.jpg)

**My Thoughts:**
Wow!  There was a fantastic response to the inaugural Abandoned Shit Weekly Contest! Nearly 100 entries were made, and I had a great time looking through each and every on of them.  It was *exactly* the type of contest I was hoping this contest would produce.  That being said, it was extremely difficult to pick just a few winners... that's why I decided to add several "honorable mentions" to the prize pool.  Now then, let's get down to the winners!

***1st Place Winner - 20 SBD: @fivealive55***

https://steemitimages.com/DQmRf4p8mtTk8nNjTpZffYAyyRsbvtnodWnTHKeBkgeMPyY/thetrip%20300.jpg
The chapel area of an abandoned church in Gary, Indiana.  It's hard to get much cooler and/or creepier than an old abandoned church!  I'd LOVE to see something like this in person.  Well done, @fivealive55!

***2nd Place Winner - 10 SBD: @saysme***

https://steemitimages.com/DQmSBgLSeKjmMSXu9tgFuuQCYUunks6sj8cqKHq7W2rSMMC/IMG_8428.jpg
*"I took (the photo) of this cabin in the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness, Montana. The story is that this family died in a horrible plane crash decades ago and the surviving relatives had no interest in anything but the land underneath the several cabins on the property. So everything was left to decay."*  I fell in love with this photo as soon as I saw it.  I couldn't help but to think thoughts of The Donner Party and other 19th century, frontier Americana... though I'm sure the cabin is, indeed, much newer than those times.

***3rd Place Winner - 5 SBD: @visualz***

https://steemitimages.com/0x0/https://steemitimages.com/DQmf8RDqk8JPBrVgaJhjPjkKgXQSaonS1W5qzdv3nPuWVgU/auto.jpg
 This photo is a much different vibe than the first two, but it had an appeal to me that I couldn't forget.  I think it's how nature is utterly swallowing this vehicle up.  Being that it's a relatively modern car, it really emphasizes how quickly it's being reclaimed.  Though it's probably just some sort of ivy/vine growing over it.... that car would be disappeared in another year or two, by the looks of it.  I'm always one to root for team Mother Nature!




 ***Honorable Mentions - 1 SBD each:***

@florian-glechner
*"Because the Ebelsberger forrest is near the barracks of Ebelsberg there are a few bunkers from the 2nd world war still there."*
https://steemitimages.com/DQmVua1Sh1mBuK7KFpJocj9YVMf3TzW4i3o6uNEudB2Rmwp/DSC_2475.JPG


@austinhopper
*"I came upon this little house in Northern Montana on my Bicycle Ride Across America."*
https://steemitimages.com/DQmUJBTfr1LqvTFyBKyfN64pTiS5MFo4pvZ54bDezPdr2BV/Screen%20Shot%202018-01-17%20at%2011.15.10%20PM.png


@intrepidphotos
*"Memories from a lost past haunt this abandoned homestead in County Kilkenny, Ireland."*
https://steemitimages.com/0x0/http://www.intrepidphotos.com/intrepidphotos/PermaLinks/alostpast.jpg


@jasonrussell
*"This was taken on our old Hwy 60 just a half mile from @hethur240's house. It's parked in front of an old house covered in vines!"*
https://steemitimages.com/0x0/https://i.imgur.com/SHtYvaB.jpg


@artzanolino
*"This is what was left of our grand stage, a stage that was an honour and aspiration to reach."*
https://steemitimages.com/0x0/https://steemitimages.com/DQmR4RrsfcfPf5XQjb7QwodAAAxnvSEHdJMdLn7RNFRV75q/Sentro%20pro%20arte%2013.jpg


**FINAL THOUGHTS**
  If you weren't picked this week, don't be discouraged!  There was a LOT of great competition.  Some entires were disqualified for making more than one post/entry, missing the deadline to enter, or sort of missing the premise of the contest - posting photos of just trash and litter.  Just some things to think about when entering future Abandoned Shit Weekly Contests.
  
   Abandoned Shit Weekly Contest - № 2  will be announced tomorrow (Tuesday) and look for the official contest post to see what the week's theme will be!  I'm so excited and I hope you all join in, once again! Now, I'm off to distribute payouts! 

https://steemitimages.com/0x0/https://scontent.fabe1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/21616133_1667268599958798_1584527466429217281_n.jpg?oh=c9344da9ca56e559ab59e2123ffcde8c&oe=5A3C3A43