Looking at the response, it has become blatantly obvious to me that none of y'all have entered any real writing contests.
Well, I've never been to medical school, but I know enough that I'd like to see the diploma of any doctor who I'd ever consider letting practice medicine on me.
I'm with Yvonne in that I cannot place any value on an award given by judges who remain completely anonymous and are appointed by an anonymous committee.
The judges were selected by the Merriweather Committee...
What criteria was used to select the judges? Years of reading fanfic? Professional experience in the real world of publishing? Extensive knowledge of the show itself?
Names were proposed and voted on...
Who voted?
Sure, judges of national contests may remain anonymous, but there is some established basis of competency assured by the contest promoter, whose name is not usually anonymous. If not, that's a contest I'd certainly not bother entering. If Ray Bradbury read and liked my story, I'd be proud. But how do I know that the mysterious un-named committee members haven't voted Larry, Curly and Mo to be the judges?
Like Paul, I find the "mission statement" on the front page of the Merriweather Awards website somewhat insulting and a whole lot presumptuous especially in light of the anonymity of those involved. To purport the idea that anonymous judges appointed by anonymous committee members know better than the readers of LnC fanfic what constitutes a good story is pretty arrogant. Not to mention the fact that this statement implies that because something is popular it is, therefore, not legitimate. A story might actually
be popular because it
is well-written. Not that this is always the case. Heck, in the history of all literature there have been popular stories that were horribly written when examined from a technical perspective. Even so, to lump all Kerth-winning stories together and declare any accolades given them to be invalid seems a tad bit imperious.
I do hope that, by answering all of the questions put forth in this thread, the Merriweather Committee will start something new and worthwhile. It's always a good thing when a writer can find a new source of constructive critique for their writing, and this has the potential of being such a resource if it can be established that the critiques offered are truly unbiased.
Lynn
