It was a tough call between Beti and Silk (with one comment about Silk’s mess being “if she ever decided to put things in order she would have absolutely no idea where to start from”), but in the end, the votes were tallied, and the winner is…

Beti!
(for “her inability to move the mouse without having to make space for it”)

Beti said the email she sent with the pictures,

“I’ve been messy my entire life. I just don’t like tidying up, nor am I very efficient at it. One childhood messiness memory that makes me laugh was an incident when I was about 12 or so. My father came into my room and saw what looked like the aftermath of a terrorist attack, so he started freaking out, “What is this??? Was the IRA here or something?”
Me: Oh, I’ll get around to it. I have a French tomorrow and a history test later this week, so I’d like to take care of this first…

A week later, he visited my room again, “Hey! This is even worse than it was last week!”
Me: well, I was busy…I’ll get to it…

And again on the following week, he asks, “Are you absolutely out of your mind? This is impossible? How can you live in this chaos?!”
(And here comes my smart-ass mistake)
Me: Well, you know, messiness is a sign of intelligence. Stupid people usually make up for their lack of intelligence by being well-organised.

Upon hearing that, my father opened my window and began throwing my clutter out the window and onto the snow (yeah, it was winter)… I ran out into the cold and began trying to salvage my things, while listening to the sound of my neighbours’ laughter.”

:) Mabrook Beti!

Honorable mentions courtsey of our voting panel (which I wasn’t in!):

Bakkouz: For staying alive in his current habitat and for redefining the difference between messy and health hazard.

Jad: For the pink Barbie mug on the desk

Roba: One of the judges says, “I still honestly think, however, that if you weren’t the one RUNNING this contest, you would win hands down. Honestly. Your desk is absolutely the messiest. It is a visual definition of the word “mess” and none of the other desks are as messy as yours.”

Dadan and Yazan: Dyslexic’s Nightmare Award (three keyboards and screens?)

Nader and Ziad: Amazing ability to piroritize amdist chaos

Hisham: Most minimilist mess

Hope, Nasimjo, Ihath, Stephan: Parts of the desks still show

Our panel’s advice to anonymous: install a shelving system.

Check out the pictures here:
http://andfaraway.net/blog/messydesk/

Special, special thanks to our panel of judges :) You guys are awesome!

Keep your eye on this space in the next 25 hours for the winner of the second prize that goes to the desk that looks the most “livable in”, which can be neat, messy, or neither, but has to look cozy, creative, or unique.