Congratulations to @gloglo and @surpassinggoogle!

They will each be receiving fully paid trips to Steemfest2 in Lisbon, Portugal. This contest was funded by myself and all the rewards from this post will go towards their trips. @aggroed has thrown in 100 SBD as a gift, so I want to thank him for that. He's very helpful towards me and I cherish his opinion. Thanks for your guidance, as always.

Thank you to all the great videos by everyone who entered my contest. You all created some amazing projects, and I hope all of you will do the ones you conceived of, as that is how we move society forward, each of us doing our own part, in a voluntary way. It was difficult to only pick 2 winners, but after consulting with some respected Steemians, it was agreed that @gloglo and @surpassinggoogle stood out as exceptional leaders.

Instead of me describing why they were chosen, I have selected some quotes from various posts from them, so you can find out for yourself about these lucky winners. Both are inspiring to me:

@gloglo:

full entry: https://steemit.com/steemfest/@gloglo/stellabelle-s-steemfest-2-entry-conquering-the-height-of-societal-problems-through-steemit

My favorite line from @gloglo:

"Children are the masters of their own dream and future and so should not be forced to be what they do not want to be."

Other notable quotes from her:

Encouraging more women to join steemit as it will give them more sense of belonging in the society and also empower them financially. This will increase self reliance and positive self esteem among them as well.

But I have realized that this is just a platform where everyone can grow gradually all in different time and pace. Some grow faster than others, some take the growth slow and steady while some do not even grow at all. I also discovered that being an introvert can not stop anyone from being at the top, rather it is by doing the right thing, learning and accepting who you are and what you are offering to the community.

I accept who I am, I might not be like every other writer but I am happy that even with different people from different countries, languages, culture and beliefs that there is a communal goal which is to help each other grow in knowledge, finance and otherwise.

With faith in myself I know there is nothing I can not deal with either good or bad, that there is no pain I can not bear and that there are no heights I can not climb. The best competition is yourself because that is what keeps your focus on check. I mean, Competition with others in a sense makes us ordinary. It encourages imitation and, if we are not careful, makes us lose our essence.

In conclusion, I am happy as a woman now because I have found financial independence in what I love doing the most. To me this is a definition of peace and I want every one around me to be able to say that about themselves.

In a nutshell, @gloglo is grateful and determined. I see her as a source of inner strength and someone who can lead others with her insights. Her bright inner spirit is very clear in the video and I see great things in her future because of it. I have been watching her work with the Nigerian community and it's impressive.

@surpassinggoogle:

Full entry: https://steemit.com/steemfest/@surpassinggoogle/stellabelle-s-steemfest2-entry-my-idea-to-adjust-the-world-into-the-best-version-of-itself-and-it-very-much-involves-the-steem

Favorite quote from him:

"Everyone has something to offer”

Other notable quotes:

From pauperism to CEOism is as easy as converting full-blown poop into tiny fart trinklets! Bottomline, it's not that hard!"
"Mentality is key! Let's go big!”

While Steemit is modeled around "mining with minds"; #steemgigs are modeled around "mining the beautiful minds of steemians".

We want to help direct you, to tap into more beautiful aspects of YOU, while exploring the full, true beauty & capacity of the steem blockchain.
We want you, to tap into the aspects of YOU, that involves creating dreams, building visions, playing a part in building other people's dreams, playing a part in history, all; while honing your skills and practicing your expertise.

'Education it is', but there are different schools of study and one such school, that we don't get to do much of; is "school of life". It exists! I have schooled there!
I had "the school of life", to help me find myself. My mirrors were on the streets. I started out; my own journey; at 13, i started to understand fully, the toughness life holds.

At 15, i was already on my own, carrying hefty dreams, wanting to bring about true change. I would hangout with much older boys at the time; champs and our conversation would always revolve around; "Terry, what's the way forward". From this streets, i complete University but i also was doing "the school of life".
I saw myself on the streets out there and i started to form a longing to help humanity.
To accomplish "fixing humanity", you need secular education but depending on the curriculum of the school you are in; you may need a ton of extra-curricular activities and you get that directly or indirectly, from the "school of life!"

I have been working with @surpassinggoogle from quite a long time ago in Steemit. I saw a beautiful mind that has the capacity to change the world in a good direction.

Winners, now is the time to get your visas, create your detailed itinerary and give me the specifics of your trip. All the info can be found on the official Steemfest website: https://steemfest.com/

Thank you to all who participated,
Stellabelle

(some art pieces in the border were created by @tonesquare and @skyleap)