After careful deliberation, and a vote, we landed on Josiah Munsey as our lucky winner. He'll be joining us at E3, with the flight, hotel, local transport and meals, on us. He'll also be helping out by posting some stores from the show floor thanks to his credentials as press.

Thanks again to our contest sponsors: Eidos Interactive and Batman Arkham Asylum, coming this summer.

Since we expect you to write, and write under pressure, at E3, we're going to need a little proof that you can handle the pressure.

I'm going to provide all 12 of you with a writing assignment and you'll have until midnight tonight, that's in roughly two hours, to email me your story. Kotaku Tower will then read over your submissions and decide on a winner. We will consider writing ability, timeliness, fact checking and voice to determine the winner.

Here's the assignment:

Write a 200 to 300 word story about whether or not E3 should be open to the public. Your story can be opinion, but should include some facts and background.

So here's the next step:

For the dozen finalists, we want to make sure you're able to handle assignments and get the job done. So check back tonight at 10 p.m. Kotaku time for your first and final writing test. And be ready to work.

Using Random.org, we selected a dozen finalists out of those who answered our questions correctly.

The finalists, listed below, will have to turn in a story to us for final judging so we can determine which of you should be joining us at E3 for a little coverage... and fun.

Your Finalists
Francis A.
Ryan H.
Kevin I.
Mike S.
Mark D.
Joe M.
Sean P.
Josiah M.
Garth H.
Scott B.
Patrick M.
Sam B.

I've emailed all of the finalists, replying to the email they sent in to enter the contest. We've already heard back from eight of the 12, confirming that they meet the requirements for the contest. If we don't hear back from the other four by the end of today I'll draw four more. So, you better check your email if you think you're one of the winners.

Tomorrow we'll announce what exactly the finalists have to write up for their entry.

The full details can be found here. Get to it!

The winner of our Cover E3 with Kotaku contest is going to have to have the writing chops to sift through the seething turmoil of gaming and come out alive and with something to post on Kotaku. Lots of somethings in fact.

So we've crafted a little two-step audition for our readers. The first step is meant to test your reporting skills. The second step is meant to test your writing.

This is what we'd like you to do:

Dig through the site and find the headline for the first posts written on Kotaku by myself, Stephen Totilo, Mike McWhertor and Brian Ashcraft. (There are two possible answers for McWhertor, both acceptable)

Email the list of headlines to KotakuContest[AT]gmail[DOT] com with the subject line E3, by Monday, May 18 at 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time.

We will select a dozen finalists randomly from those who turn in the correct answers by our deadline. Step two, which we will explain next week, will involve turning in writing samples which the Kotaku staff will judge to select a winner.

The winner will receive paid travel from within the U.S. or Canada to LA, meal vouchers, hotel, and transportation to and from the hotel and to and from the convention center, all on Eidos Interactive and Batman Arkham Asylum's dime. They will also receive a press pass for E3 and plenty o assignments from me to cover stuff therein.

Entrants need to be 21 or older and prepared to travel on very short notice. Be there or be square.

Full contest rules here.

For this contest we asked folks to send us read photos, and we got extremely impressive entries. Much love to everyone who entered. But sadly we only have one winner, and that winner is...

Will the gentleman who took this photo please shoot me an email (bashcraftATkotakuDOTcom)? Congrats!

No, let's have you pick a winner.

Here's how it works: In the comments section below, write the name of the image you are voting for (the actual JPG or PNG name). Writing more than one comment or voting more than once or spamming the comments section with anything other than a single vote will result in banhammering.

Voting ends in exactly 24 hours. The winner will receive a copy of Red Faction. That, and our undying love — platform of their choice.

Okay! Voting begins. Life goes on.

"I'm all about the red, obsessed even," writes Adam. "My life revolves around the color red. I gave a speech in my college speech class on the color red. I've gone to class wearing this get-up. I used to hate cinnamon, but I ate big red gum anyway, and now I love the cinnamon flavor. I've opened packs of M&M's, and just eaten the red ones! It's my mantra, my philosophy. Red represents all that I am and all that I aspire to be!"

Check out the reflection in the mirror: Red camera.

Reader Ben sends along his entry below, writing, "It was supposed to be a red gentleman ninja making a phone call at Christmas... keywords; 'supposed to be'." Bravo, Ben, Bravo. Love the gentleman's pipe.

What's happening? We're giving away a copy of futuristic third-person-shooter Red Faction: Guerrilla, platform of your choice. Here's how you can win it:

Take a picture of red things - the more the better! Be sure to include a "Kotaku sign" in the picture. Send your entries to kotakucontestATgmailDOTcom by MIDNIGHT.

Oh, and read our rules, because rules are rules.

Here's a picture of me with the Phoenix Mars Lander on the Red Planet. Don't forget the red UA Mars logo as well!

Oh we won't Chris, we won't. We applaud this use of red. Reader Lizzz (below) may not have been to Mars, but she has a red phone, and that's gotta count for something!

What's happening? We're giving away a copy of futuristic third-person-shooter Red Faction: Guerrilla, platform of your choice. Here's how you can win it:

Take a picture of red things - the more the better! Be sure to include a "Kotaku sign" in the picture. Send your entries to kotakucontestATgmailDOTcom by TOMORROW AT MIDNIGHT.

Be sure to read our rules, because rules are rules, and that's the rule.

What's happening? We're giving away a copy of futuristic third-person-shooter Red Faction: Guerrilla, platform of your choice. Here's how you can win it:

Take a picture of red things — the more the better! Be sure to include a "Kotaku sign" in the picture. Send your entries to kotakucontestATgmailDOTcom and have a very nice day.

Oh, and read our rules, because rules are rules.

What's happening? We're giving away a copy of futuristic third-person-shooter Red Faction: Guerrilla, platform of your choice. Here's how you can win it:

Take a picture of red things - the more the better! Be sure to include a "Kotaku sign" in the picture. Send your entries to kotakucontestATgmailDOTcom and have a very nice day.

Oh, and read our rules. Because that's the rule, and rules are rules.

Contest closes next Thursday at midnight! What's happening? We're giving away a copy of futuristic third-person-shooter Red Faction: Guerrilla, platform of your choice. Here's how you can win it:

Take a picture of red things - the more the better! Be sure to include a "Kotaku sign" in the picture. Send your entries to kotakucontestATgmailDOTcom and have a very nice day.

Oh, and read our rules. Because that's the rule, and rules are rules.

This may not have the most red in it but it does have a lot of meaning behind it, but hey when you have 400+ hot tamales, strawberries, a horn, some Van Halen and a leninade then you better be ready for a revolution.

Viva la revolution! Below is reader Graveswaslike's entry. His girlfriend made that RF:G logo on the wall with red tape.

What's happening? We're giving away a copy of futuristic third-person-shooter Red Faction: Guerrilla, platform of your choice. Here's how you can win it:

Take a picture of red things - the more the better! Be sure to include a "Kotaku sign" in the picture. Send your entries to kotakucontestATgmailDOTcom and have a very nice day.

Oh, and read our rules. Because that's the rule, and rules are rules.

Not only does brainFUBAR have a Virtual Boy, but he also has red hair. Reader Zorantor is also a dude — a dude with a Virtual Boy — and sends his entry below. "Please notice how all the stuff is laid out on a poster of the red planet." Oh yes, we did.

What's happening? We're giving away a copy of futuristic third-person-shooter Red Faction: Guerrilla, platform of your choice. Here's how you can win it:

Take a picture of red things - the more the better! Be sure to include a "Kotaku sign" in the picture. Send your entries to kotakucontestATgmailDOTcom and have a very nice day.

Oh, and read our rules. Because that's the rule, and rules are rules.

I loved the idea of everything being one color and I'm so pleased with the way these pictures turned out! I really hope you like them!

Hey! Thanks! Insert tingling-Spider-Sense joke here and click through the gallery below to see Lacey sans Spider-Man mask — might not be safe for work depending on where you work.

What's happening? We're giving away a copy of futuristic third-person-shooter Red Faction: Guerrilla, platform of your choice. Here's how you can win it:

Take a picture of red things - the more the better! Be sure to include a "Kotaku sign" in the picture. Send your entries to kotakucontestATgmailDOTcom and have a very nice day.

Oh, and read our rules. Because that's the rule, and rules are rules.

Red Faction [Official Site]

What's happening? We're giving away a copy of futuristic third-person-shooter Red Faction: Guerrilla, platform of your choice. Here's how you can win it:

Take a picture of red things - the more the better! Be sure to include a "Kotaku sign" in the picture. Send your entries to kotakucontestATgmailDOTcom and have a very nice day.

Oh, and read our rules. Because that's the rule, and rules are rules.

Red Faction [Official Site]

Don't worry, Kotaku! I haven't gone all Patrick Bateman on you! I realized that my apartment contains lamentably few red items, and so I had to make due with what I DID have...and that included a jumbo-sized bottle of ketchup and about half a cup's worth of red food coloring.

Neo Deus adds, "Please pray for the roommate that was forced to take this picture." Why we would be concerned about your roommate? He's only living with some dude who smears his body with ketchup and takes baths in BLOOD.

What's happening? We're giving away a copy of futuristic third-person-shooter Red Faction: Guerrilla, platform of your choice. Here's how you can win it:

Take a picture of red things - the more the better! Be sure to include a "Kotaku sign" in the picture. Send your entries to kotakucontestATgmailDOTcom and have a very nice day.

Oh, and read our rules. Because that's the rule, and rules are rules.

Red Faction [Official Site]

What's happening? We're giving away a copy of futuristic third-person-shooter Red Faction: Guerrilla, platform of your choice. Here's how you can win it:

Take a picture of red things - the more the better! Be sure to include a "Kotaku sign" in the picture. Send your entries to kotakucontestATgmailDOTcom and have a very nice day.

Oh, and read our rules. Because that's the rule, and rules are rules.

Red Faction: Guerrilla [Official Site]

Take a picture of red things — the more the better! Be sure to include a "Kotaku sign" in the picture. Send your entries to kotakucontestATgmailDOTcom and have a very nice day.

Oh, and read our rules. Because reading is fun.

Red Faction: Guerrilla [Official Site]