2010 Rules

1. All stories must significantly feature an original character from the mind of the author, unless specifically stated otherwise within the category.

2. These awards are for Twilight fan fiction only.

3. Stephenie Meyer’s characters, celebrities, or characters from other books/films do not count as original characters, unless specifically stated otherwise within the category.

4. Cross-overs and real person fiction (based on actors from the Twilight films) are acceptable, so long as the story significantly features an original character fitting the criteria in points 1, 2, and 3.

5. All nominated stories must be well written with a high standard of grammar. Poor grammar will result in automatic rejection.

6. Stories must be posted on the internet and publically available before voting takes place. If a fic is pulled during voting for genuine reasons (Terms of Service violations etc.) then it will still be eligible.

7. Nominations must be filled in on the form as directed on the blog.  Nominations will be set to open automatically on Saturday 23rd October 2010 at 0:01.

8. Nominator name, the story title and author, the chapter number where required, character names and the story link must be given. Vital information missing from the nomination or broken links will result in disqualification.

9. Nominees must fit the criteria of the category they are being nominated for.

10. Nominations must be completed by 11.59p.m. GMT (0.00) (6.59p.m. EST, 4.59p.m. PST) on the closing day. Any nominations received after this time will be at the discretion of the awards administrators.

11. We would prefer if authors did not nominate their own stories. Nominations must be made by readers in good faith. Authors are free to suggest that someone nominates their story but not in return for any kind of benefit or under threat. Anyone found to have done this will have their story nomination automatically rejected.

12. Once nominations are closed, the accepted nominations for each category will be emailed to the relevant judges, working in pairs, who will narrow down the nominations in an objective and fair way, but using a process of their own choosing.

13. A maximum of six and minimum of two nominees per category will be put forward for the public vote. If nominations are not able to pass the judges’ screening process, the category will be abandoned.

14. Judges will be given between four and five categories to evaluate. The specific categories the judge are given will remain undisclosed until after the winners are announced. A judge may then decide to reveal their given categories, but it will remain at their discretion.

15. The selections that are put forward for the public vote will be decided based on quality of writing, character development, and storyline. Popularity and familiarity will not be taken into account. The pair of judges will look at each of their categories, and decide between themselves which they consider to be the best selection. Judges choices are final.

16. Judges will not be entitled to send in nominations, but their stories can be nominated by others. In the interest of fairness, judges will not be allowed to judge any category in which one of their stories has been put forward, and their stories will not be eligible for the Judges’ Choice Award.

17. Judges will ensure that their selections are returned to orig.char.awards@gmail.com by the deadline date. The OC Awards admin will be notified in advance if any problems arise in meeting the submission deadline.

18. Polls for the public vote will be posted on the blog by midnight GMT (0.00) (7.00p.m. EST, 5.00p.m. PST) on the specified opening date, and will close at 11.59pm GMT on the closing date (6.59pm EST, 4.59pm PST). Once the polls are closed, no further votes will be accepted and the results will be recorded. Results of the polls will be final.

19. In the case of gross technical error. In this case, the poll may be redone by contacting all the authors of the selected stories and reposting the affected poll only, for at least seven days. The replacement poll will be publicized by OC Admin, and every effort to maintain fair voting practices will be used and explored.

20. Once the polls for the public vote appear on the awards blog, the judges will be given the opportunity to nominate a story for the Judges Choice Award. This part of the process is entirely optional for judges. Each judge will be allowed a single nomination and will include a short description as to why the story deserves the award. The nomination description given by the judge may be used for publicity purposes in the future.

21. Stories written by any judge are not eligible for the Judges’ Choice Award. Once compiled, a list of nominees will be sent out to all the judges wishing to participate in this aspect of the awards.

22. Each judge will then rank their top three favourites from this list and return their ranking to orig.char.awards@gmail.com before the public vote ends. OC Awards Admin will award ten points to first choices, six points to second choices, and three points to third choices. The winner of the Judges’ Choice Award will be the story with the most points.

23. If there needs to be a tie-breaker, the tied stories will be sent back to the judges participating in the Judges Choice Award. Judges will state their preference as to the winner, and the award will be given to the story with the majority of votes. If there is a tie for a second time, the result will stand, and the two winners will be announced.

24. Winning stories will be announced on the blog by the date specified, with a personalized banner and links to both the story and the author. OC Awards Admin will contact the authors of the winning stories via their fan fiction profiles at the earliest opportunity.

25. Notification of winners will be sent to as many blogs and awards sites as possible, to publicize the results of the awards, along with links to stories and authors.

26. By nominating a story, participating in the organizing, or agreeing to judge the contest, you agree to abide by these rules and conditions.