The rules in
the game of
THE
PAPA BEAR AWARDS 2017
Now
accepting votes for the stories completed in 2016!
Basic rule
this year: nominate 1, vote for 3!
So you may
nominate 1 favourite in each category. Yes, only 1 this year!
The only
exception is the category for *best quote* - there you may still nominate 3.
You may nominate a story only once in the story
categories . So if story A is both hilarious and unique, you΄ll have to take
your pick where you think it would do best: the comedy section or the most
unique category. You cannot nominate the story in both categories.
Question: if
I nominate my favourite story in (for example) the comedy section, can I still
nominate characters, quotes and teasers from that story?
Answer: Yes,
you can. The restriction of one nomination per story applies only to the
story categories (e.g. drama, comedy, general, snapshot, challenge, episode,
unique, poetry, slash and crossover). If you like, you could even nominate the
teaser and all your quotes and characters from one single story. However, with
so many stories to choose from... :-)
Question: My
favourite story is listed as drama, but I would like to nominate it in the
general category. Can I do that?
Answer: Yes, you
can. Drama, comedy and general stories are up to you to decide in which of
those three categories you think they would fit best. However, snapshots,
poetry and crossovers should be nominated in their own respective categories,
and the stories that are eligible for the categories episode and challenge are
given.
- The nomination for *best story of 2016* works a
little different. You may nominate 1 story there the very very best! However,
it depends on the overall number of nominations the story receives whether or not
it will go to the voting round for *best story of 2016*. See FAQ.
Only in this category are you allowed to nominate a story you
have nominated elsewhere as well (for example in best drama or based on an
episode).
Mind you, crossover stories and slash stories are not eligible
for *best story of 2016*.
The best quote: this is the only category where you may
nominate 3! But there are two strict rules to go by:
1) keep it short (in dialogue max statement - reply - reaction;
in descriptive text max 3 sentences (e.g. from capital to period)
2) it must make sense even outside its context.
Failing these two basic rules, the nomination will be refused.
If there is still time, the nominator may send in another quote instead.
You are free to skip nominating/voting in categories you're
not interested in.
No nominations of your own work in any category! Once your
work has been nominated by someone else, you will be allowed to vote for it in
the second round. But nominating your
own work is VERBOTEN.
Nominations have to be signed with your name, your email
address and if you have one your ffnet or AO3 pen name. The honour system
applies!
Nominations have to be in no later than Wednesday, February 15th, 2017, and the only way to send them in
is by ffnet PM to Papa Bear Awards, or by email to papabearawards@yahoo.com.
- In case a story gets nominated in more than 2 story categories
(not counting the *best story of 2016*), the author will be contacted to decide
in which story categories this story will be competing in the voting round. If
the author does not reply with a decision within a week, the PBA committee will
make the decision instead.
- Continued from last year: the categories for short and long
drama, comedy and general stories are going to be exclusive. This means a story
can only compete in *either* drama, *or* comedy, *or* general story. In case the
nominators dont agree on where the story belongs, the author will be asked to
choose in which category this story will be competing. If the author does not
reply with a decision within a week, the PBA committee will make the decision
instead.
Note: a story going to the voting round in both drama and
comedy, or comedy and general, or general and drama is hereby no longer
permitted. There is however no problem with combinations like drama/challenge,
comedy/unique and general/episode.
The list of nominees in each category will be published in the
days following the nomination deadline, and from there on, people will have
approximately five weeks to cast their vote: 3 votes in each category. In that
round, authors will be allowed to vote for their own work once someone else
has nominated it. This will be explained in more detail when the time has come.
And seeing that there are so many stories this year, a little
reading guide.
There is no need whatsoever to have read every story before
sending in your nominations! Of course it's laudable to try and read all the
stories before making your choice, but for many of us, it's hardly realistic
considering the demands of real life.
If you don't have the time to read all the stories before the nomination deadline, just pick out
the stories you remember that made a real impression on you, and that in your
opinion deserve to go on to the final round. Unless of course you already read
them all as soon as they were published. :-)
And remember: the purpose of the Papa Bear Awards is to seek
out and honour quality writing. It's not a social contest to see who has the
most friends!
A complete overview of the stories and the categories they've
been assigned to can be found on the PBA homepage. They are listed there by category, and in alphabetical order, with a
direct link to each and every one of them.
If you have
any questions, don't hesitate to contact us at papabearawards@yahoo.com.
Closing
date for sending in your votes:
April 7th, 2017
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