CALGARY—An Alberta woman who is accepting essay entries to win her $1.7-million home just outside of Calgary estimates she has received about 20,000 messages so far — and is looking for more.

The contest had a brief setback after complaints sparked an Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis investigation. But the provincial body recently cleared the contest of breaking any provincial gaming rules, and determined that it’s not the same as a lottery because it wasn’t a game of chance.

But the controversy hasn’t seemed to slow the flow of entries.

Now Alla Wagner, with the help of an assistant, is busy picking through thousands of messages from contestants vying to win her luxury home in Millarville, Alta. She started a short essay writing competition at the start of January with the prize being her 5,000-square-foot estate home that she has lived in since it was built in 2011.

Back in June 2018, a fall left Wagner with damaged vertebrae and a lot of residual pain that reduced her mobility. Though nurses suggested she upgrade the home to make it more mobile-friendly, Wagner opted to sell the house instead.

But after five months on the market and no reasonable offers, Wagner decided to create the competition and let those interested in the home make their offers with personal stories and an entrance fee of $25.

Read more: Essay contest to win $1.7-million Millarville home does not break any provincial gaming rules

The essays have come from all over the world and are “incredible” to read, Wagner said.

They have come from children hoping for their parents’ happiness by winning the home, from people who have lost “everything” in the economic downturn, from some who lost their homes in the Fort McMurray wildfires of 2016, as well as from scientists, artists and opera singers. Some are from people who are honest in their quest to win the home only to sell it for the cash, and some are written by couples from as far as Germany hoping for a quiet place to retire.

“My perspective on my life has changed ... So what if this (competition) doesn’t work out? Whatever, it’s not as bad as somebody else’s life that I’ve read,” Wagner said.

At one point, Wagner was so absorbed in the letters that she had forgotten to move around and stretch out — since her injury has affected her blood flow — to the point that her foot was swollen and had turned blue.

“I would panic before about that. Now, it seems like I’m just so relaxed about it,” she said. “It’s nothing (compared) to what I’m reading, some of the stuff that people are going through, you know, disabilities, their children going through terrible illnesses.”

Not all of the thousands of messages that have poured in since Jan. 20 are from contenders, though, and Wagner said it has become a tricky business to parse through the messages and match them to payments as more flood in. A few people have even sent in their entrance fees before sending their essays just to ensure they’ve secured a spot in the competition.

She’s also gotten notes from what she calls a “troll army,” who make disparaging comments on the contest’s social media channels online.

There will be 500 finalists selected and their letters will be reviewed by an independent panel of judges.

Those who make it to the final round will likely be entrants whose letters have touched Wagner in some way.

“It’s just somebody that has to completely touch my heartstrings. And it does not have to be a sad story,” she said.

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Wagner plans to donate 5 per cent of the net profit from the entries to the Calgary Women’s Shelter and after that, she hopes to seek specialized treatment for her injury, possibly in the United States.

The contest can be found online at Write a Letter, Win a House. It ends on April 5.

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