Nominations for Rose and Bay Award: Fiction Category
Nominations are now open for the Fiction category of the Rose and Bay Award. This award honors excellence in creative crowdfunding, and this category recognizes superlative writing in the field of fiction. Everyone is encouraged to make nominations and, later, to vote. Please read the complete details below, and then make your nominations in a comment on this post.
The nomination period is now CLOSED. Voting posts will appear shortly. Thank you all for your enthusiasm.
Attention Nominees: You can get an official Nominee badge to post on your project page. Other images for promoting the Rose and Bay Awards are also available. Click here for images.
What Is the Rose and Bay Award?
The Rose and Bay Award focuses on a growing business model known as "crowdfunding" or "cyberfunded creativity," which directly connects creative people and patrons of the arts online. This award recognizes exemplary projects and enthusiastic patrons. It spans five categories: Art, Fiction, Poetry, Other Project, and Patron. (Other Project includes any cyberfunded creativity that isn't art, fiction, or poetry -- or that spans more than one category.) The categories and their handlers are listed below:
Art: ysabetwordsmith
Fiction: ysabetwordsmith
Poetry: xjenavivex
Other Project: ysabetwordsmith
Patron: xjenavivex
The award period for eligible activities spans January 1-December 31, 2009.
The nomination period spans January 1-January 31, 2010.
The voting period spans February 1-February 28, 2010.
Award Rules
1) In order to be nominated, a project must be "cyberfunded creativity" aka "crowdfunding." That means it must be creative material marketed directly to an audience online, with money involved somehow. There are many variations of this business model; all are welcome; and if you're not sure a project qualifies, you may ask.
2) In order to be nominated, at least part of the project must be visible online without charge. If the project is normally visible only to paying subscribers or the like, and the creator wishes for it to be eligible, then s/he may offer temporary or partial access for voting purposes. (If the available material is temporary and/or partial, it needs to say that at the top of the screen, to avoid annoying visitors who might otherwise think they're about to see a complete piece.)
3) This award will go by calendar years. So in order to be eligible for the first round, a project or patron must have been active on or between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009.
4) For this round, nominations will be made in comments to this nomination post. A nomination consists of the project title, creator name, award category, a link to the project page, and a sentence or few summarizing the project and its crowdfunding approach. Example:
Project Title: "Stupendous Story"
Creator Name: A.J. Muse
Link: http://stu.pen.dous.story.com
Category: Fiction.
Summary: "Stupendous Story" is an ongoing (2008-current) serial about a little girl, an old man, an enchanted suitcase, and their quest to save the universe. It is funded by subscription; subscribers get to see each weekday's installment immediately, then completed sections are released for public viewing. So far, three sections are visible, and Muse is seeking a publisher for a hardcopy edition."
5) You may nominate a maximum of three projects per category. You are not required to make that many nominations or to cover all the categories. You may not nominate your own project; that's tacky.
6) Nominations for the Fiction category will be collected by ysabetwordsmith.
7) Voters are strongly encouraged to browse the nominees before making a final decision; that's what the links are for, and the purpose of this award is to promote the splendor of crowdfunded projects.
8) Voting will take place via LiveJournal polling in this community, open to all. You may cast one vote per category. (There may need to be more than one poll question per category, and runoffs, if the number of nominees is high.) You may not vote for your own project, nor yourself as a patron; that's tacky.
9) Winners will be announced after the polling is completed. The winner of each category will receive a "Rose and Bay Award" certificate in recognition of their achievement.
[EDIT 1/3/09: browsing resources added]
Where To Find Fiction Online
While there is not yet a website that focuses exclusively on crowdfunded fiction, there are several that gather various types of fiction. If you want to participate in this award but you're not sure what projects to nominate, look for places to browse through different projects so you can find some that you like.
http://www.digitalnovelists.com
http://www.weblit.us
http://muses-success.info/
How You Can Help
As a new award, Rose and Bay depends on your enthusiasm to make it a success. Here are some ways you can help that happen:
1) Make some nominations. Leave yours in a comment to this post, and watch for separate posts to appear for the other four categories.
2) Mark the voting period on your calendar. Make sure you come back to this community in February to cast your votes.
3) Promote the Rose and Bay Award by blogging about it, emailing your friends, posting it on social networks, or any other method you can imagine. Everyone is encouraged to spread the word as far as possible whether you are a creator, a donor, or a curious bystander.
4) If you're a patron or audience member, highlight your favorite cyberfunded projects from 2009 and direct people back to the award. Are you following other patrons whose tastes match your own to see what they sponsor or recommend? Mention them too! This makes it easier for people to find eligible nominees.
5) If you're a creative person, let your audience and patrons know which of your projects are eligible for the Rose and Bay Award, including a link to the relevant nomination page(s). Do you have an "honor wall" or other place acknowledging your patrons? Mention that too! Let your fans know there is a way for them to honor your project and the patrons who make it possible.