Courtesy bondidwhat

The Washington Post is testing the limits of interactivity by creating the first (to my knowledge) “America’s Next Top…” contest for a newspaper.

In the vein of popular reality shows with unoriginal names for dancing and singing competitions, the Post is hosting its own contest in search of America’s Next Great Pundit. “You’ve got an opinion,” the Post says, “but do you have what it takes to be heard?”

The contest offers the chance for winner to eventually have his or her opinions published in the hallowed pages of the Post’s newsprint, next to all those famous writers and Pulitzer Prize winners… maybe. There’s a long process of becoming the winner, and even then, there’s still the chance to Post rejects your views and musings and refuses to publish you. Bummer.

But for those of you interested in seeing how the whole idea turns out, the selection process is already underway. According to the contest page, 4,800 people submitted an entry essay. The Post boasts a wide variety of entries, with each state represented by at least one contest hopeful. Those thousands of entries will be whittled down to 10 lucky contestants, who over the course of a month will have their writing and opinions put to the test by a panel of Post judges and readers like you.

The winner, to be announced Nov. 24, gets, among other things, bragging rights, and a possible 13 week stint as a weekly columnist, which is a paying gig: winner gets $200 per column for a total of $2,600.

Personally, I don’t know what to think of this madness. I didn’t enter, but I can’t wait to see who the chosen 10 contestants are, and how they fair over the course of the contest. I’d be shocked if this led to a more permanent paid gig anywhere, especially outside of D.C.

The decision to allow  pundits from outside the city to enter seems like a poor choice as well. Newspapers everywhere need to find better ways to connect with their locals, and this seemed like a golden opportunity to do just that. But it’ll all be spoiled is some goober from Seattle, Washington starts getting their schmuck published in the paper.