Call for Nominations for February, 2011 "Most Intriguing AC from Yahoo Writer"

The January, 2011 "Most Intriguing AC from Yahoo Writer" has been chosen by a panel of judges right here at AC. The winner will be announced at the end of this month with a highlight article featuring comments from his or her own fans and the judging panel.

With that decision finally made, it is time to collect nominations for the month of February. These will be taken through March 7, 2011 or after 20 nominations have been received. Nominations can be made in the comment section below or emailed to me privately.

On March 8^th, the nominations will be announced and provided to the judging panel, which is made up of AC contributors. Judges will have two weeks to complete their judging process.

Judges are asked to read at least three random pieces written by the nominated writer in the month for which they were nominated. Based on that, they are asked to present between 1 and 5 points in each of the following categories:

Accuracy related to punctuation, spelling, grammar, etc.

Quality means the work is based on a solid premise (where appropriate). For example, does research appear accurate and is it backed with valid resources? If the work is fiction or poetry, is it uniquely creative? If it is a review, is it thorough? If it is an opinion piece, does it make its point in a respectful, clear, concise, and balanced manner?

Intrigue indicates something about the writer that automatically draws one in to read his or her work. Is there something in his or her work that hooks, holds attention or makes the reader want to read more? Is that a fluke reaction to a single piece of work or does it flow throughout everything written by that writer?

Memorable means the piece should contain something the reader will retain, at least in part. Is the piece likely to be read it more than once? Will the reader refer back to it in the future or take the time to bookmark it? Would the reader recommend it to family, friends, etc.?

Wild Card Bonus allows the judge to express his or her "feelings" about each writer in order to get at what makes him or her the right choice for this award. They must think about things like the following:

Is the writer unusually prolific?

Does he or she have an area of expertise that sets him or her apart?

Does the writer engage the reader?

Does he or she reach out to help other writers?

Is he or she an active part of the AC Community?

Has he or she won any other AC accolades or awards?

The maximum amount of points that can be awarded to any nominated writer is 25 per judge.

Once each individual judge tabulates the points, they are added to the totals of the other judges. If there is a clear-cut winner, then judging ceases. If there is a tie among two or more winners, the judges will be asked to rank the tied writers as they see them; e.g., first, second and third. If a tie still exists after ranking, then I will make the final decision regarding the monthly winner.

All monthly nominees and winners will automatically be put into the hopper for the end of the year "Most Intriguing Writer" awards. Nominees will receive a point advantage above nominees made at the end of the year. Winners will receive a two-point advantage.

However, there are no categories for monthly awards. Fiction and non-fiction, news and short stories or poetry, etc. will have equal chances for capturing the prize. What counts is quality and writing method, which is what I call "the most intriguing factor."

Winning writers will receive a certificate announcing their win if they want one. However, no writer is required to accept it. The win stands either way.

If you have any questions or suggestions for this process, please feel free to contact me. Happy nominating!