Looking at the response, it has become blatantly obvious to me that none of y'all have entered any real writing contests. <shrug> Anonymous judges and rather anonymous organizers are pretty standard. I recently entered the Creative Loafing contest in which neither was revealed. Thus, the concept of anonymous judges doesn't bother me. Sometimes in professional and semi-professional contests, you find out who read your stories *after* the fact.
It looks to me as if the Merriweather Committee is attempting to create such a contest. And yes, judging is somewhat objective. These things usually are. However, there are literary standards for good writing, and the Merriweathers seem to be trying to uphold them. As someone who will be graduating with a degree in creative writing fiction in a few months and who will soon be a published writer, I understand their motivations. I'm not involved in this, but it does look like a worthwhile endeavor. I don't really have time for fanfiction awards and contests. I'm too busy trying to get through school, physical therapy, and climb the literary magazine ladder...
Laura (who must go do her daily physical therapy now)
“Rules only make sense if they are both kept and broken. Breaking the rule is one way of observing it.”
--Thomas Moore
"Keep an open mind, I always say. Drives sensible people mad, I know, but what did we ever get from sensible people? Not poetry or art or music, that's for sure."
--Charles de Lint, Someplace to Be Flying
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