After the announcement of the Global Writing Contest winners, there were many questions asked by the community that we wanted to take some time to answer. We've pulled those questions out and have posted them with answers below.

Q: For those who did not win, are the rights given back to them to edit, add to, or distribute to others their stories?
A: Short Answer:Yes, as long as you don’t make money from it.
Long Answer: We feel that there were a number of works that deserve to be seen by more eyes than just our own. Much like our Machinima policy, all entrants are welcome to publish the pieces they submitted to the Global Writing Contest to other locations: blogs, websites, forums, etc. However, there is a caveat; you are not allowed to publish these pieces in such a way that they would generate revenue, as they are technically our intellectual property.

Q: If characters, concepts, or settings not specifically tied to any Blizzard Entertainment franchises were developed in any of the submissions, are the authors free to use them in other works?
A: Short Answer: No.
Long Answer: Each entry became our intellectual property the moment you hit “SUBMIT” on the contest form. We apologize if this upsets you, and you are welcome to contact our legal team directly if you feel strongly about using your piece (or parts of it) in a revenue-generating fashion.

Q: When will players be able to read the winning story, or the stories from any of the runners up and honorable mentions?
A: The entirety of the winning entry can be found here: http://www.blizzard.com/us/inblizz/contests/writing/winners.html

Excerpts from the finalists can be found here: http://www.blizzard.com/us/inblizz/contests/writing/index.html#excerpts

We currently have no plans to publish any further content from entries to the Global Writing Contest.

Q: Will there be any opportunities to see how other non-winning entries fared against the rest?
A: As stated previously, we currently have no plans to publish any further content from entries to the Global Writing Contest.

Q: Was the Global Writing Contest a one-time event or will it make a return in the future?
A: While we originally intended to only run the Global Writing Contest once, the overwhelming enthusiasm for the contest has caused us to rethink this position. While we can’t guarantee anything at this point, those interested in entering this contest again would do well to start (keep) writing!

Q: Were any pieces disqualified for being published elsewhere (RP forum, blog, etc.)?
A: As long as it was clear that the submitter was the same person as the writer of the published piece, the submission was not disqualified.

Q: Is there a method for soliciting feedback and/or critiques for an entry?
A: Short Answer: No.
Long Answer: Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.