unrepentantAuthor
A cat who writes stories
- Joined
- Feb 6, 2012
- Messages
- 1,631
- Reaction score
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Hello, all! This is a tricky topic, but an important one. I ask that you read it carefully before leaving your comments.
I'm sure that most of you are familiar with our seasonal awards events, which for some time have been held twice a year, until last year when the winter awards were cancelled pending a serious discussion about the sustainability of the existing event format. For those of you who are newer to the forum, they consist of a multi-category competition in which volunteer judges from across the community read and compare competitors' fanfiction entries, selecting a winner in each category to receive a specially made banner image.
The awards have been running, with various changes, ever since I first joined the forum back in 2012. They're a popular event, as one might expect, and many of us have been proud to participate in past events. I'm very fond of them myself. However, because of their considerable scope, the awards are a formidable beast to yoke. The winners of Summer 2018 were announced late due to difficulty securing feedback from judges in a timely fashion. We don't have access to a pool of impartial, reliable judges. Hosting the "trophy cabinet" must be done off-site due to technical limitations. Other problems are only visible from inside the administration of these events. Assigning fics to judges, choosing appropriate categories, and responding to concerns about the former take a lot of staffing power — staffing power we cannot justify at this time.
It is chiefly for these reasons therefore that we have chosen not to continue the Awards in their traditional format for the time being.
Many of you will have pressing questions, I'm sure. Allow me to provide some clarifying information.
I should now mention that we are soon to host just such a competitive event! The Summer 2019 Themed Oneshot Competition is our first event of this kind, and we're very optimistic about it. I hope that many of you will participate. Please visit the thread for more information and to take part in discussion.
Lastly, thank you everyone for all your previous participation. I trust that you understand the need for this change, and that you will enter future events with as much gusto as you ever did in the classic Awards.
I'm sure that most of you are familiar with our seasonal awards events, which for some time have been held twice a year, until last year when the winter awards were cancelled pending a serious discussion about the sustainability of the existing event format. For those of you who are newer to the forum, they consist of a multi-category competition in which volunteer judges from across the community read and compare competitors' fanfiction entries, selecting a winner in each category to receive a specially made banner image.
The awards have been running, with various changes, ever since I first joined the forum back in 2012. They're a popular event, as one might expect, and many of us have been proud to participate in past events. I'm very fond of them myself. However, because of their considerable scope, the awards are a formidable beast to yoke. The winners of Summer 2018 were announced late due to difficulty securing feedback from judges in a timely fashion. We don't have access to a pool of impartial, reliable judges. Hosting the "trophy cabinet" must be done off-site due to technical limitations. Other problems are only visible from inside the administration of these events. Assigning fics to judges, choosing appropriate categories, and responding to concerns about the former take a lot of staffing power — staffing power we cannot justify at this time.
It is chiefly for these reasons therefore that we have chosen not to continue the Awards in their traditional format for the time being.
Many of you will have pressing questions, I'm sure. Allow me to provide some clarifying information.
- Yes, this really is necessary. It's tough to admit, but the Awards are just too big and complex, and there simply isn't a pool of reliable, impartial judges at this time. The decision was not taken lightly.
- While the Awards are indefinitely suspended, this does not mean they will never return. To host classic-style Awards again, the rules and methodology would need a comprehensive rework, and we'd need a better supply of judges than is presently available.
- The hall of fame will remain up. Past winners are winners forever!
- Feedback about what you'd hope for in future events, Awards or otherwise, is most welcome. Please let us know your thoughts in this thread.
I should now mention that we are soon to host just such a competitive event! The Summer 2019 Themed Oneshot Competition is our first event of this kind, and we're very optimistic about it. I hope that many of you will participate. Please visit the thread for more information and to take part in discussion.
Lastly, thank you everyone for all your previous participation. I trust that you understand the need for this change, and that you will enter future events with as much gusto as you ever did in the classic Awards.