there is nothing wrong with having this as a new topic! i will reply in both threads, to maximize others reading it.
thank you for your interest in the contest!
i was a judge last year, as well, and it was a ton of fun.
the pieces varied dramatically in length, but were judged together. i suppose, hypothetically, that if some submitted pieces that were only about a page in length, and others an entire chapter, that we might create special categories by length. but in the absence of such extremes, there would be, imho, no piece that was too long nor too short for us to include.
absolutely, collaborative pieces will be accepted. what a wondeful opportunity for friends to converge their creative visions
at least last year, the prizes were not pre-set, but were tailored to the winners' personal preferences. as i expect to personally fund whatever gifts we don't get donated, i can personally commit that it would be fine if a winning piece had multiple authors.
in fact, given that my primary affiliation with anime is as a beta reader, i would love it if folks also submitted the name of their beta for recognition, and would love to give a little prize to the winner's beta, as well
there are no criteria for presentation. i would be delighted with handwritten notebook paper if that's what best captured your creative essence.
the presentation may be as formal or informal as you wish. however, it should include disclaimers (about what characters/worlds you did not innovate, and who did innovate them). background info is welcome; contextualizing is helpful. but there is no set format for providing it.
as for the number of submissions: that has not yet been discussed. personally, my preference would be that, once we identify to everyone what the actual, final categories are, that there not be more than 2 submissions per category per person.
i happen to believe that cross-overs can be well-executed. therefore i have zero interest in banning stories from having characters and universe elements from multiple shows. however, do remember to include all of them in your disclaimer and background info, and bear in mind that not all judges might look as favorably on alternate universes and cross-overs.
from the insightfulness of your queries, i'm really looking forward to reading anything you submit!
fondly,
rem
