V. finally.........the good ol' traditional type of fanfic contest
all ages, all levels of experience welcome.
no minimum page length.
no maximum page length....but....
works that have multiple chapters (unless under 6 pages), and works that are 10 pages or more, will be considered to be in the "novella category".
because of what happened last year (which included a contestant turning in a 79 page novella right at deadline), i am going to have 2 separate novella evaluations. one will be for works turned in before a pre-con deadline which applies only to novellas and to long manga: august 19. the reason for this deadline is i will be traveling aug 23-30.
novellas turned in before this date will be judged in one batch from which a winner will be selected and announced at closing ceremonies. novellas turned in after this date will be accepted until the overall deadline of 10 pm during fanfic bedtime stories on sunday night, but will not be read or evaluated until after the con.
i reserve the right to add additional prize categories as i see fit, based on the nature of the materials submitted. for example, last year we were pleasantly surprised to receive 7 invader zim fics! so, i simply created an invader zim category
the following are the categories i have in mind to start:
by genre:
comedy
parody
drama
game-based fic
zim/other non-anime -based fic
yuri and yaoi are welcome, but unless there are multiple submissions will not be a separate category, but just viewed as a comedy, drama or whatever fits.
by skill level:
most professional writing skills--this will include spelling, grammar, punctuation, paragraphing, character continuity, storyline development, plot clarity, and presentation (as one whole)
by thoroughness:
best backstory: backstory is not required, but is greatly appreciated. backstory here refers to giving the reader information about whatever you're writing about. this could include information about the show (or game or manga or dating sim or...) on which you've based your fic:
specifics about the characters, such as:
physical descriptions,
emotional relationships amongst them,
and motivations;
technical details about the canonic material's universe (such as what is a clow card or how one ends up in the universe of the four gods or what it means to be a duelist);
and my personal favorite:
why a fic means something to you specifically.
backstory may be incorporated as a forward, as footnotes, and/or as endnotes.
again, it is not required. but, it is my second-favorite category. this is largely because one of my primary goals is to spread the love of fanfic far and wide, including among people who have been exposed to very little anime.......so i want fics to be as accessible to newbies as possible.
which brings us to my favorite category:
best newbie
........................authors are encouraged to identify, on their fics, if this is the very first time they have entered any type of contest, and/or if this is the first time they have had anyone else read their fics.
at the end of the weekend, i will announce an overall best newbie prize.....this will incorporate not only written work but also, potentially, reading aloud and performing in the other events, visual art, and, lending a hand to keeping things running in the room (errands, facilitating or creating events, etc.)
i will also have an award for most helpful......person who overall contributed the most to the running of the fan creation station and its events all con.
written submissions that are turned in prior to august 19 may be turned in online or by snail mail (post or pm for info).
written submissions turned in at the con must be in print.
however, there will be free access to a computer and printer in the little business nook at the front door of the con hotel. be prepared, though, for potentially long lines to access it.
best of luck to everyone! and remember, all these rules are open to your suggestions and feedback at any time, and especially during this week!
love,
rem.
