The Dawn Look-Alike Contest 2002

Where else would it be natural for one lingerie-clad redhead to hold her sword up as an impromptu mirror for another winged beauty to check her make-up? Why the Dawn Look-Alike Contest, of course!

2002 dawn winners

Backstage was a wondrous array of beauty, grace, and camaraderie.  Rose red, leaf green, deep purple, shiny black, and shimmering silver cloth adorned the back room; wings a-flutter, roses a-bloom, fiery red hair swept to the side, and tears sparkled as nearly forty women waited to share with Dragon*Con their vision of the beautiful and strong goddess, Dawn.

The mindset of contestant nerves ranged from “scared stiff” to “not-at-all worried and kinda excited.”  They stated a myriad number of reasons for entering including:

  • The magic of “all these beautiful women interpreting the same woman.”—Audrey Stewart
  • “Fun!” –Holly Campbell
  • “Too much caffeine, too late at night”—Nadia Hartman
  • “I’ve never seen a guy do it before”—Robert Hlozek

Whether they were first timers to both the Dawn Look-Alike contest and Dragon*Con, or multi-year veterans to both, there was an obvious abundance of those qualities that Michael Linsner, the creator of the Dawn comic book series, was seeking in the personification of the Goddess: “Grace, character, and soul.”

Contest winners:

  • First – Kellie Pendleton
  • Second – Alice Pilch
  • Third – Jane Horvath
  • Honorable Mention – Laurel Post
  • Most Outrageous – Robert Hlozek

Author of the article

Eugie Foster was the long-time Director/Editor of the Daily Dragon an award-winning writer of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and YA/children's lit. She received the 2009 Nebula Award for her novelette, "Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest; Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast," the 2011 and 2012 Drabblecast People's Choice Award for Best Short Story for "The Wish of the Demon Achtromagk" and "Little Grace of the House of Death," and has been nominated for the Hugo, British Science Fiction, and Washington Science Fiction awards. Her works have been translated into eight languages, and her short fiction collection, Returning My Sister's Face and Other Far Eastern Tales of Whimsy and Malice, has been used as a textbook at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the University of California-Davis.