Sonic Relief 2011 Final Tally, Contest Winners Announced

Community support returned in droves for the latest Sonic Relief drive, which concluded on Sunday.
The drive, which supported Comic Relief this year, hit a new high of £1,032–the equivalent of over $1,653 in US dollars.  Good thing, too–fundraiser chair Richard Swain announced in his remarks below this will be his last Sonic Relief for a while.
Best of Sonic Relief 2011 honors went to The Sonic Storybook Series, a Youtube video by Dr. Spudhead that you can watch below.  Top billing for the Sonic Relief DIY honor went to the Songs for Sonic 2 album, which raised £250 towards the drive.

At last, the time has come. After two solid months of fundraising, you can finally take off your Blue Noses and put your wallets away, as Sonic Relief 2011 has reached its end… and what a rollercoaster ride it’s been! With more ways of getting involved than ever before it has truly been the definitive campaign, which is quite interesting to note when you take into account that it very nearly didn’t happen at all!
Sonic Relief 2011 also marks the end of Sonic Relief for the time being. Due to needing to prioritise studies and other such commitments in the next few years, I won’t have the time to put as much into the fundraiser as I would like, so it makes sense to end it on a high while we’re still going strong.
But just how much of a high have we ended on? Donations are now closed and I can happily reveal that the grand total raised by Sonic Relief 2011 for Comic Relief is…
£1,032!
That total is, in a word, phenomenal. If you add in the Gift Aid supplements as well, the figure raises to over £1,100. To put it into perspective, this year’s total is approximately three times the amount of last year’s total, and approximately ten times the amount of 2009’s total. Wowzers.
We truly have outdone ourselves this year. As a community we have pulled together and achieved something fantastic – everyone who has been involved should be very proud for having been a part of it and helping to make a difference to those less fortunate than us in the world. I couldn’t have asked for a more memorable way of rounding off three years of fun and fundraising, so thank you all. It’s a brilliant way to kick off Sonic’s 20th Anniversary celebrations and it just goes to show what we Sonic fans can do when we put our minds to it!
Now, what would Sonic Relief be without the creative entries from the fanbase? We’ve had another slew of excellent artwork, music, videos, etc. this year and as ever it’s been difficult to narrow it down to just one that deserves the title of “Best of Sonic Relief 2011”. After much careful discussion and deliberation, I can reveal that this year’s winning entry is…
“The Sonic Storybook Series” by Dr Spudhead

Dr Spudhead was chosen as our winner for several reasons. Not only has he supported Sonic Relief since its humble beginnings in 2009 with his animations, but this year he has produced something really special. The animation might not be the highest of quality but you can see that a lot of effort and, most importantly, enthusiasm has gone into making this collection of shorts. Congratulations, Dr Spudhead, for putting a smile on our faces!
A second category for entries this year was ‘Sonic Relief DIY’, in which people could do their own spot of fundraising for our cause. We’ve had some very profitable entries but the one that raised the most was Gavvie and Mister Stream’s “Songs For Sonic 2” album.
Raising nearly £250, this album consisted of entirely original tracks for a non-existant Sonic game. Like Dr Spudhead, Gavvie has supported Sonic Relief in previous years with his work and has put a lot of effort into helping the campaign.
Sadly I don’t have all that much in the way of prizes to give out this year, but I will be in touch with the winners of our two categories in due course to work something out!
Honourable mentions for the DIY category include: T-Bird’s Sonic plush sale, Sonic Wrecks’ Sonic Free Riders poster sale, Emerald Coast’s artwork commissions, Glenn Scully’s “The Shadow of a GUN” fan-fiction… oh, and if I’m allowed to plug my own entry, my “Sonic: The Age of Steam” fan-fiction!
That about wraps up things for this year. I hope you’ve all enjoyed Sonic Relief throughout its run, as I’ve certainly found it to be an enriching experience organising it (even if it has been quite painstaking at times!). But alas, this is the end. I’m not completely ruling out a return in the future, but it won’t be for a few years at the very least. Don’t worry though, I’ll still be around the forums, and hopefully Sonic Relief’s legacy shall live on…!
Just before I finish, time for a whopping big shout-out to… *deep breath*… Shadzter, Dreadknux, ArchangelUK, T-Bird, Urtheart, TSSZ News, Vger, Pelly, Gavvie, Glenn, Swiss, DJ FLiGHTS and literally everyone who has been a part of Sonic Relief over the course of the last three years. I’m sorry I don’t have the time or space to list every single name but rest assured your contributions have been valued in equal measure!
Right then, that’s enough from me. Thank you once again for helping me to reach for the stars – and by jove, did we ever reach them!
It’s been a pleasure!