The Week contest - The new fiscal cliff

Welcome to The Week's "What Next?" contest, an invitation to test your powers of imagination with challenges inspired by current events.

Click here for the results of the previous contest: Unlikely 2013 headlines

Last week's question: Last week's contest: Now that the U.S. is no longer on the edge of the fiscal cliff, we asked you to come up with another phrase to describe where we are as a nation.

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RESULTS:

THE WINNER: Debt Valley

James Kennedy, Shreveport, La.

SECOND PLACE: Between a rock and Congress

James White, Casa Grande, Ariz.

THIRD PLACE: Six feet under

Tish Packman, Dunedin, Fla.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

In the valley of the shadow of debt

Barbara Arnstein, Whitestone, N.Y.

Valley of the Dollars

Debra Nemchek, Stamford, Conn.

Political quicksand

Frank Letchworth, Knoxville, Tenn.

Debt squealing

Chris Shean, Seal Beach, Calif.

Bipartisan black hole

Jack Devilbiss, Silver Spring, Md.

Medicare morass

James Smith, Mill Valley, Calif.

Broke Dollar-backed Mountain

Cyrus Taraporevala, South Hamilton, Mass.

Mount Norushanymore

Tony Stieritz, Cincinnati

Dithering Heights

Elizabeth Procter-Gray, Webster, Mass.

On a bridge to nowhere

Mary deWolf, Crossville, Tenn.

Ground 16 Zeroes

Fred Moreno, Westbury, N.Y.

Up the Potomac without a paddle

Norm Vance, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Post Dramatic Press Syndrome

Alma Cunningham, Charlottesville, Va.

The Mountain of Debt

Bob Meyer, Kimbolton, Ohio

Debtor's Canyon (D.C.)

Jim Haviland, Thief River Falls, Minn.