Hi everyone!
As you've noticed from the great quizzes that have already been posted (thank you, Meredith, Hazel and Wendy!), it's time for the 2004 Kerth Awards!
The 2004 Kerth Awards will be the seventh annual fanfic awards for L&C fanfic -- it's hard to believe it's been seven years already since the first awards! But as the number and quality of the eligible fanfics prove, L&C fanfic is just as popular as ever.
This email will update everyone on the Awards and let you know about a few changes we've made this year.
New Kerth Website:
First of all, we have a new URL for our Kerth website. There will be a link on the old location, so don't panic if you forget to change your bookmark immediately, but from now on, you can find us at:
www.erinklingler.com/lnc/kerths.html The layout of the site is essentially the same as in previous years, and you can still find links to everything you need to know about the Kerth Awards, from the list of eligible stories to the FAQs to information on how to nominate and vote.
Eligible stories:
The list of stories eligible for the 2004 Kerth Awards can be found here:
http://www.erinklingler.com/lnc/Kerth_Eligibles.html All stories which were uploaded to the L&C Fanfic Archive during 2003 (other than those which have already been eligible in a previous year) will automatically be considered eligible for the 2004 Awards, unless we've heard otherwise from the author. In addition, stories which have been posted to other websites or forums (LCFIC group, Fanfic Message Boards, Annesplace, etc.) during 2003 can be considered eligible if the author notifies the Kerth Committee kcom@lcficmbs.com) and provides a link to the story. These additional stories and links will be added to the eligibility page as
we hear from authors.
In other words, if your story was uploaded to the Archive in 2003, it will automatically be eligible, but if not, please write the Kerth Committee ASAP if you want us to include it.
New FAQs:
The Kerth Committee (courtesy of Pam Jernigan
) has put together a list of Frequently Asked Questions about the Kerth Awards. A draft of the FAQ was posted to the LCFIC list and the Fanfic Message Boards a few weeks ago and the final version (as final as these things can ever be, at least
) can be found on the Kerth site at:
http://www.erinklingler.com/lnc/Kerth_FAQ.html Automated Nominations:
Coming Soon! We are currently working on a way to automate the nomination process to make it easier to both nominate stories and tabulate the results into the final ballot. Look for more details as soon as we have them!
2004 Schedule of Dates:
Sunday, Feb. 1st: Nominations open
Sunday, Feb. 15th: Nominations close (at midnight EST)
February 16th-22nd: Kerth Committee sorts nominations
Monday, Feb. 23: Final list of nominees posted
Saturday, March 6th: Voting opens
Sunday, March 14th: Voting closes (at midnight EST)
Saturday, March 20th: Kerth Ceremony, 6pm EST
2004 Category Changes:
The list of categories this year has remained mostly the same as last year, with a few exceptions:
-- The size break-off point between Drama/Relationship and Epic has been reduced to 400K (from 500K in 2003) to better reflect the stories written last year.
-- The short story categories are now identified by size (SuperShort and Short Story) and no longer include the term "vignette" in their description. This term has confused people in the past and we felt it really wasn't necessary to include it anymore. Vignettes will continue to compete in these same categories based on size, as they always have.
-- The Lost Episode category has been removed for this year due to too few eligible stories. The description of the Drama category, which also requires an A-plot, has been modified to include both episode-like stories as well as more serious subject matter stories. Since the distinction between these two categories has caused confusion in the past, we're hoping that combining them will make nominations easier -- in essence, if a story has a significant A-plot, Drama is most likely a good possible category for it.
2004 Categories:
** Best Super Short (1-10k) -- Very short stories.
** Best Short Story (11-50k) -- Short stories of any subject or tone.
** Best WAFFY Story (1-50k) -- Short, mainly light stories intended to give the reader a Warm and Fuzzy Feeling. No A-plots.
** Best Comedy -- Generally short stories where the main purpose is to amuse.
** Best Holiday/Special Occasion Story -- Generally short stories that deal with a special time of the calendar year, i.e., Christmas, Thanksgiving, Fourth of July, Valentine's Day; or with a special occasion in Lois and Clark's lives, such as a birthday or an anniversary.
** Best Mid-Length Story (51-100k) -- Mid-length stories of any subject or tone.
** Best Short Revelation Story (under 100k) -- Shorter stories which deal specifically with a revelation.
** Best Long Revelation Story (over 100k) -- Longer stories which contain a revelation. The revelation can be either the focus of the story, or simply particularly well-done within the context of the larger story.
** Best Drama (under 400k) -- A-plot driven stories which focus on a series of exciting or suspenseful events. Stories can be similar in tone and balance to the show's episodes, or tackle a more serious subject matter.
** Best Relationship Story (under 400k) -- B-plot driven stories which focus mainly on Lois & Clark's relationship. No tone or timeline restrictions. Might include "getting together" scenarios, or focus on their developing relationship, either before or after marriage.
** Best Epic (over 400k) -- Epic-length stories which are either A-plot (drama) or B-plot (relationship) driven, of any subject or tone.
** Best Tearjerker -- Stories which evoke strong emotions in the reader. No size or subject restrictions. Both A-plot and B-plot driven stories are eligible (examples: Wendy Richards' 'For the Greater Good' was A-plot driven while Becky Bain's 'Ad Astra Per Aspera' was B-plot driven), as are stories of any size, from shorter stories to epics.
** Best Short Episode Adaptation (under 100k) -- Stories which alter the events of, or start from some point in, a particular episode. Includes adaptations, continuations, and rewrites.
** Best Long Episode Adaptation (over 100k) -- Stories which alter the events of, or start from some point in, a particular episode. Includes adaptations, continuations, and rewrites.
** Best Alternate Universe/Elseworlds Story -- Stories which feature parallel universes (including the Alt World that was introduced on the show), or stories in which the author has made major changes (such as time, place and/or nature of the characters) before where the series started in the Pilot. Cross-overs would also fit in this category. No size restrictions.
** Best Early Years/Super Futures Story -- Stories dealing with Lois and Clark's early years, their years post-S4, or their descendants or ancestors. No size restrictions.
** Most Innovative Idea -- Stories that are very original and creative in the use of characters, settings plots, themes, etc. No size restrictions.
** Best Series -- Stories with two or more parts that were both/all posted in the same calendar year.
** Best New Author -- Limited to authors who first published their Lois & Clark stories in the past year.
** Best Overall Story -- A story of any type that is outstanding overall. No size restrictions.
DISCLAIMER: The Kerth Committee does its best to keep these categories unchanged on the ballot, however, we may need to tweak category size requirements or to add, delete or combine categories in order to best represent the nominations that are submitted.
Thanks, everyone!
If you have any questions, please let me know.
Erin and the Kerth Committee (Pam Jernigan, Kathy Brown, and Annette Ciotola)
__________________
Erin Klingler
Kerths Coordinator
Lois & Clark Fanfic Kerth Awards
erinklingler@cableone.net
erink@lcfanfic.com
Visit the official Kerths website at
http://www.erinklingler.com/lnc/kerths.html __________________
just try to find one with a rounded, monitor-friendly tip. 
