The Winning Valentine GIF

For the last month we’ve been asking you to make a GIF for Valentine’s Day. Happy, sad, or angry — we accepted the full spectrum. Although our judges did hint at what would make a great entry: when we launched the challenge with Another Round‘s Heben Nigatu and Tracy Clayton, Heben suggested that an existential valentine would go far with her.

See agallery of all the GIFs submitted here.

So it came as no surprise when the podcast co-hosts picked a less-than-romantic winner. See the winning entry below, along with their two other picks for honorable mentions.

Winner

Kara Zona from Marietta, GA

“It was something that spoke to me like nothing else on this planet has or could,” Tracy says. Both judges agreed on the winner, noting that the seamless loop and dramatic lighting made this GIF a clear standout. Heben says, “It’s a very nice, short, exquisite representation of all the feelings of Valentine’s Day.”

Runner-Up

Nikeeyia Howell from the Bronx, NY

This entry references an ongoing joke on Another Round. Hear the origin story of “Hit me on the buzz” here.

Runner-Up

The Wilder family (Tanja, Neil, Oscar and Maximo) from Brooklyn, NY

Honorable Mentions

Caty, Brooklyn,NY

Chris Timmons, Forest Hills, NY

Max, Omaha, NE

Steven Trejos,Wappingers Falls, NY

Christina Lu, New York, NY

Thank you to everyone who entered — Heben and Tracy were impressed with all the incredible submissions. You can watch them allhere.