STORY ELIGIBILITY
>> What makes a story eligible?
Any story that's finished by the end of a calendar year is eligible for awards.
>> That's it? Just being finished by the end of the year makes it eligible?
Yep! The only essential thing is that we have to be able to find it. The easy way to get on the list is to submit your story to the lcfanfic archive; all stories uploaded before the end of the year are automatically included. Stories posted elsewhere can be added to the list if the author lets us know what and where it is.
>> What if I finish my story in time to post it to LCFic or the Fanfic MB, but miss the deadline to get it on the Archive by December 31? Do I have to wait till next year to be eligible for Kerths?
No. If you send email to Erin Klingler giving her the story information and a URL, she'll add your story to the eligibles list.
>> What if I posted my story to the MB in December but I'm still revising it based on the comments I received. Do I have to make it eligible this year when I'm not even done with it yet?
No. If you do *not* ask to have it included on the eligibles list, it will not be added, and may be eligible the following year.
>> Can a story be eligible twice?
No, it can be eligible only one year, and afterwards will be excluded.
>> How do I know what stories are eligible?
Erin Klingler's Kerth page includes a list of eligible stories (and authors eligible for the Best New Author award), and is updated early in January.
>> What if I don't want to participate at all?
If you don't want your story to be included, for whatever reason, just send e-mail to Erin, and she'll remove it from the list.
>> How many stories are eligible in a typical year, anyway?
The average has been 250-300 stories.
>> And there are how many ballot slots?
The default is five slots per category. With 20 categories (more or less), that makes room for up to one hundred stories, though very popular stories tend to fill multiple slots, which brings the total down somewhat. (See the "three category rule")
>> How come some categories have more or less than five slots?
We adjust this, when necessary, to reflect the nominations. If six stories all have close to the same number of nominations, we may add them all to the ballot. If a category has four strong contenders, with other stories coming in significantly lower, we'll restrict it to four.
*************
NOMINATING
>> So what happens at this stage?
We collect as many nominations as we can get, and tally them up -- the stories with the highest amount of nominations per category then become the ballot.
>> When does this happen?
We designate a two or three week period, generally in February, for people to send in their nominations. These dates are on Erin's website and are publicized as much as we can.
>> Who can nominate stories?
You can! Just send an e-mail to Erin telling her which stories you think should appear in each category. Just make sure you give a name (your real one or a screen name, whichever) and a valid e-mail address.
>> So I just send her a list of stories?
More or less. Group your nominations by category, please -- for each category, list the story titles you want to nominate in that category.
>>What if I think the story's so great it should go into a couple of categories?
That's fine -- when you get to each category you're thinking of, list the story title again. Please do *not* list just the story title and ask for it to be put into several categories.
>> What if I don't know exactly what category best fits the story I'm nominating?
You can ask around, you can see if the story's been on any of the Kerth quizzes, or just take your best guess. Your nomination will still count, as we take into consideration the total number of people nominating a story when sorting out the ballot slots.
>> But it's one of those short ones, and I'm really not sure where to put it.
Yeah, those short categories can get kinda confusing. Just send it along category-less with an apologetic note.
>> An apologetic note?
Well, Erin's very busy this time of year, and if the stories come pre-categorized that makes her job easier.
>> Maybe I shouldn't bother her.
You should definitely bother her! We want as many fanfic readers as we can get to participate, and we don't mind helping out when someone needs it.
>> They're all so good, and it's so hard to choose... can I nominate more than one story per category?
Yes, but try to keep it within reason -- generally we suggest a maximum of five stories per category.
>> Okay, I know what stories I want to nominate in some categories, but some other categories don't interest me in the slightest -- do I have to nominate in all categories?
Nope. Just send the ones you know and don't worry about the rest.
>> Can I nominate my own story?
Yes, that's allowed, if you choose to. Some people do, some don't, for various reasons.
>> Who sees my nominations and/or votes?
No one, with the necessary exception of Erin Klingler, who compiles nominations and votes. (We've called Price Waterhouse, but they always say they're busy with some other thing called the Oscars. Go figure.)
>> If Erin's the only one who sees it, what the heck are the rest of you free-loaders doing?
We've often asked ourselves the same question. Annette has the very real job of coordinating the IRC awards ceremony. Kathy and Pam handle most of the "official" communication with FOLCs, and help Erin hash out the nominations to create the ballot.
>> Wait, I thought you said Erin was the only one who saw the nominations?
Erin shares a summary of how many nominations came in for each story, but does not identify who nominated what.
>> What is the 'three category limit' on the ballot?
This means that one particular story can appear on the ballot no more than three times -- two "regular" categories, plus, if applicable, "best overall." This frees up ballot slots for other great stories.
>> If a story is nominated in more than 3 categories, who decides which categories it actually makes the ballot in?
The K-Com makes that decision, taking into account the number of nominations in each category (not counting multiple category nominations from the same people) and the categories that the story best fits into.
>> You guys don't play favorites, do you?
Nope. We all have our opinions about stories, of course, but putting the ballot together is strictly about the numbers, and reflecting what the FOLCs have said they want.
***************
VOTING
>> So, what do I need to do to be a qualified Kerth voter? Register on the message boards, write a story myself, or what?
All you have to do is read fanfic and have opinions. Even if you've never delurked to say anything, we would encourage you to participate.
>> That's it?
Well, you do have to give us a name -- can be your real name or an online nick, whichever -- and a working e-mail address. We send confirmation notices for each vote, and fake addresses bounce back, which can result in your vote being discarded, if we can't get ahold of you any other way.
>> Where do I vote?
We generally have an automated vote form posted somewhere. The URL will be posted on Erin's website, the fanfic list, and the fanfic message boards.
>> Okay, I'm at the form. Now what?
Each category is listed with a drop-down menu. Click on the box to open up the menu, and click on the one you want to vote for. When you've gone through all the categories, click the button that says "submit."
>> They're all so good, and it's so hard to choose... can I vote for more than one story per category?
Sadly, no. One way or another, you have to pick one. A popular method was suggested a few years ago by Doc Klein's LabRat -- she takes a pin, closes her eyes, and sticks it into her computer screen. She spends a fortune on new monitors, though, so we suggest you print the list out first.
>> Really? She uses a pin?
Well, no, not really. But she did suggest the idea, and you may hear references to people wanting to borrow LabRat's pin.
>> Don't tell the authors, but there are whole categories that really don't interest me at all -- how am I supposed to vote in those?
You do not need to vote in every category, and in fact, if you're not familiar with the stories on the ballot, it's probably best to leave that one with --no selection--.
>> Can I vote for my own story?
Yes, that's allowed, if you choose to. Some people do, some don't, for various reasons.
>> What information is released about the results?
We announce the winner of each category; all other information remains confidential.
>> Why don't you identify the runner-up?
We believe that, on balance, it's better to let all the other stories in a category be considered equally. For every one author who's pleased to hear that he/she came in second, there are three others disappointed that they didn't even rank that high.
>> Well, what about releasing vote counts?
See above. The majority of fanfic-reading FOLC have said they prefer that this information be kept secret. It's a rare author who wants to know that his/her story came in dead last. If an author writes to request it, though, we will tell her/him -- privately -- the vote count for their own story. We won't say how many votes any of the other stories got.
****************
FRAUD
>> Is fraud really a big problem?
Not a big problem, no, but instances do pop up now and then.
>> So what's this about "ballot-stuffing"?
Ballot stuffing is pretty much what it sounds like: any attempt to rig the outcome by sending in multiple nominations or votes.
>> How can you tell?
We keep an eye on patterns, email addresses, IP numbers, etc, and if we spot something suspicious, we'll investigate. Usually that involves sending out some emails asking, very politely, for clarification of the situation. And we have other resources at our disposal, as well, so don't assume you'll get away with anything.
>> Can I vote more than once?
No. That's ballot stuffing and is against the rules.
>> What if I accidentally nominated or voted twice?
As soon as you realize what happened, send an email to Erin, and she'll eliminate the duplicate.
>> Can I tell all my FOLC friends to nominate and/or vote for my story?
We don't recommend it. A determined effort may be judged to be ballot-stuffing.
>> I hear lots of people raving about one of the stories in the category and saying it's certain to win -- is there any point in voting for anything else?
Absolutely. Vote for the story you think is best. It wouldn't have made it onto the ballot without a fair amount of support, so there aren't any "shoe-ins." We are often surprised by which stories win, in fact.
>> My friend is really pressuring me to vote for his/her story -- do I have to?
Nope. Nominating and voting are both secret, so your friend will never know what stories you nominated or voted for.
>> But is it okay if I want to vote for my friend, just to make her/him happy?
These awards are supposed to focus on the individual stories, not the authors. So, please go with the stories that you honestly feel are the best, regardless of who wrote them.
>> So I guess if there's an author who gets on my nerves, I shouldn't vote against them, either?
We understand the temptation, but this is about the stories. Plus, it'd be kind of juvenile, don't you think?
>> What's so wrong about getting friends to vote for me?
The value of the award is that your story has been recognized as outstanding by the majority of fanfic readers. If you cheat your way to the top, you'll still know that you haven't really won, so what's the point?
>> Can I get my mom to vote for my story?
No, these awards are meant to reflect the opinion of fanfic-reading FOLC. Getting non-FOLCs to vote for you is clearly ballot-stuffing.
>> How exactly can the K-Com tell whether an unknown e-mail address is from a FOLC or not?
In general, we can't. Therefore, we assume that all votes are valid unless we have other reasons to investigate more closely. We assume that FOLCs will play fair, and we are only rarely disappointed.
>> What might happen if you decide there's been deliberate ballot-stuffing?
All the suspicious nominations and/or votes will be discarded. In extreme situations, the story may be disqualified entirely. We really hate to do that, though, so please don't make it necessary!
>> I heard that one year, an author's Kerth awards were revoked -- what's up with that?
That was a very carefully-investigated case of plagiarism, which we do not want to reward.
>> Why weren't those Kerths then given to the runner-up?
Three reasons. First, that would mean identifying the runner-up, which we choose not to do. Second, if the vote had been held without that one story, the votes for it might have gone to a story that originally came in third or fourth, so we don't feel we can say what the results would have been. Lastly, when we asked about it, the majority of authors have said that they'd prefer not to get a second-hand Kerth.
>> Okay, so the K-Com won't let anyone steal an award... but how do I know that you're not rigging things?
It all comes down to trust. We do our best to be absolutely fair and accurately relay the wishes of the FOLCs, but we do have to make judgment calls all along the way. We can't prove that we aren't cheating, since that would mean sharing a *lot* of information that we and most writers would prefer to keep confidential.
>> What if I don't trust you?
We'd be very sorry to hear that. However, we all need to remember that in the bigger scheme of things, the Kerths are pretty unimportant. If you enjoy the process, we're happy to have you. If you don't, you may be happier spending your energy on something else.
AWARDS CEREMONY
>> So, once the voting period is done, what's next?
Erin tallies the votes, eliminates any problems, and comes up with a list of winners.
>> Does she tell anyone?
Nope. Even the rest of us on the K-Com have to wait until the ceremony to see who wins.
>> What do you mean by "ceremony"?
The awards are first announced in a live chat on IRC. We typically have one chat channel called #KerthAwards, which is moderated and serves as our "stage," and another called #KerthChat, where everyone can talk, cheer, and throw confetti. People watch proceedings in the awards channel, and react in the chat channel.
>> You have a stage?
Yep. The only people allowed to speak in the awards channel are the moderators (K-Com members and possibly a few volunteers), the fans who present awards, and the winning authors.
>> What happens on stage?
Volunteers present the awards by making a speech, listing off the nominees, and then announcing the winner. If the winner's there, he/she gets to come up on stage to say a few words.
>> What would I need to do to be a presenter?
Shoot us an email, or let Annette know you're interested. All you need is a basic familiarity with IRC.
>> I'm having a hard time picturing this.
Perhaps it would help to read a transcript from a previous year, posted at Annesplace:
http://www.annesplace.net/kerth/2003sidebyside.htm >> Ooo-kay... well, I tried to read it...
It makes more sense when you're actually there. Really.
>> What if I don't know anything about IRC?
Just ask around; there are lots of people who will be happy to help you get started. Every year, we get people venturing onto IRC for the first time in order to watch the ceremony.
>> Yeah, maybe. But what if I can't get online, or I have other plans -- how will I know what won?
As soon as the ceremony is over, the list of winners will be posted to the fanfic list and to the fanfic message boards.
>> So, is there any real prize attached to these awards?
Other than the esteem of your peers? Not much. However, your story will have a "winner" graphic next to its description on the fanfic archive, we generally design a very cool graphic of an award plaque for the winners, and the winner of the "Best Overall" category gets a personalized e-mail address "@lcfanfic.com".
>> Okay, I think that's everything... but what if I think of something else?
Just shoot an email to "KCom@lcficmbs.com" or post a message to either the fanfic list or message boards. We'll be happy to help!
Regards, the Management.
written by Pam Jernigan, with great assistance from Kathy Brown, Erin Klingler, Annette Ciotola, and all the helpful FOLCs on the list and boards.
However, I do have one question...