Artemis,
Your post was brought to my attention. You deserve an answer to your question as to why "Four Days To Nightfall" won First Place.
The score was not based on the episode chosen. It was based on the overall scores of the judges.
As the judges carefully read through the story, they assign certain scores to certain categories. The authors are judged on many factors, including: how well their stories capture the reader; pacing; whether the story had a good balance of dialogue versus narrative; and whether punctuation and spelling were correct.
In this case, the judges felt "Four Days To Nightfall" met or exceeded the criteria for each category. "Pheromone, More Likely" received very high marks as well but for whatever reason, the judges believed "Four Days To Nightfall" was a stronger story.
I hope this answers your question.
Sincerely,
The Merriweather Committee
