These are all the references made to "The Remnant From the Deeps" (my own submission to the contest) in the discussion threads. I have to say I'm a bit intrigued by some of the replies, and I'm looking forwards both to replying and to hearing more criticism.
My second choice would've been the delightfully written "The Remnant from the Deeps". I thought that this play on Moby Dick and allusions to Lovecraftian imagery was quite expertly done. However, they are merely allusions, so the things which filtered down from the stars could really be anything. I was also uncertain if it was meant to be a parody - it didn't appear to me that way, but my feelings on parodies (see below when I speak of "Miskatonic Moon") are unfortunately not exactly of the sort which can be seen as pleasurable, at least when it comes to cthulhoid fiction. Again, I don't think this tales was of that sort at all.
-Victimizer
It was unfortunate that "Death of Ages", and to some extent, "Remnant of the Deeps" were constructed in the way that they were, which was likely done due to fear of copyright issues. Nevertheless, at least one of these stories was not a Cthulhu Mythos tale at all (the other being up for grabs, as I stated above - really, it just captures the mood of such a tale).
Due to the discussion about the copyright issue, I can understand why the judges allowed these tales to be put into the top five despite having broken the rules of the contest (Clear in "Death of Ages", not so clear in "Remnants of the Deeps".) I'm aware that the definition of what constitutes a Cthulhu Mythos tale varies from person to person,
-Victimizer
I liked Remnant of the Deep's retelling of Moby Dick as a Cthulhu story- a nice twist on a classic!
-Welsh
The Remnant from the Deeps – This was another well crafted story with a wonderfully effective descriptive narrative. The dream sequences added a growing tension and supernatural depth to the story which I liked. This was a fantastic setting for Cthulhu Mythos fiction and I would have preferred a slightly more sensory aspect to the writing; using the sounds, smells and feel of working at sea to bring even more life to what the protagonist was experiencing. Though I’m ashamed to say I’ve never actually managed to finish Melville’s masterpiece myself, I thought the Moby Dick connection was wonderful.
-sara