|
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Official Rules
Jump to: Non-Fiction, Editorial, Awards, Video Entries Official Entry FormNon-Fiction
For six years, the Affirmation Writing Awards recognized non-fiction writing, in any form, on subjects of importance to the LGBTI Mormon community. We continue that format in 2009. The rules for this year's Non-Fiction Writing category are as follows:
- The entry must be an original work of the person(s) credited as the author, not previously published in any media for which financial payment was received by the author. The entry must be non-fiction, on a subject that is felt to be of interest to the LGBTI Mormon community. The work must be submitted either by the author or with verifiable permission of the author.
- Works will be judged on the basis of compelling interest, originality, quality of writing, and such other criteria as the judges feel appropriate.
- The work must either be submitted in English or must be accompanied by an English translation. Non-English language submissions will be judged initially based upon the English translation; if the work is found to be of compelling interest, the judging committee will attempt to seek out the opinion of qualified critics who are fluent in the original language of the piece.
- All entries must be received no later than August 3, 2009. Entries may be submitted either electronically via e-mail or by regular mail, and must be accompanied by an official entry form. Awards will be announced at the 2009 Affirmation Conference on Saturday, September 19, 2009. Winners do not need to be present to win. Winning entries may be published on the Affirmation web site. All entries become the property of Affirmation: Gay and Lesbian Mormons, which retains the right to publish any entry, in whole or in part, at its sole discretion.
- The decisions of the judging panel are final. Members of the panel will be appointed by the Executive Director.
In 2008, the Affirmation Writing Awards were given to published works intended to affect public opinion on matters of concern to gay and lesbian Mormons. The pen is a powerful sword, and so we continue this category. The rules for Editorial works for 2009 are as follows:
- The entry must be an original work of the person(s) credited as the author, and must have been published in a generally circulated print media, such as a newspaper or magazine. Generally, the work will be in the form of a letter to the editor, a public forum letter, editorial rebuttal, etc. The entry must be meant to sway opinion or inspire action on a matter felt to be of interest to the LGBTI Mormon community.
- Works will be judged on the basis of compelling interest, appropriateness, effectiveness, originality, quality of writing, and such other criteria as the judges feel appropriate. Works should generally adhere to GLAAD media guidelines. (See www.glaad.org.)
- The work must be submitted either by the author or with verifiable permission of the author.
- The work must either be submitted in English or must be accompanied by an English translation. Non-English language submissions will be judged initially based upon the English translation; if the work is found to be of compelling interest, the judging committee will attempt to seek out the opinion of qualified critics who are fluent in the original language of the piece.
- All entries must have been published between January 1 and July 31, 2009, and must be received no later than August 3, 2009. Entries may be submitted either electronically via e-mail or by regular mail, and must be accompanied by an official entry form. Electronic entries must be accompanied by a "tear sheet" of the piece from the original publication which must be received no later than August 10, 2009. Awards will be announced at the 2009 Affirmation Conference on Saturday, September 19, 2009. Winners do not need to be present to win. Affirmation: Gay and Lesbian Mormons retains the right to publish any entry on the Affirmation web site, in whole or in part, at its sole discretion.
- The decisions of the judging panel are final. Members of the panel will be appointed by the Executive Director.
- Awards for each of the two non-video divisions of the competition (Non-fiction and Editorial) will be presented as follows:
- 1st Place: $300 and certificate
- 2nd Place: $150 and certificate
- 3rd Place: $50 and certificate
- Honorable Mentions may be awarded at the discretion of the judges, but no cash award will be given, except as noted in Rule 7, below.
- Authors and submitters are not required to be members of Affirmation, and they may be amateur or professional writers; however only dues-paying members who are not professional writers are eligible for cash awards. In the event that an award level is won by a work of an author either who is not a member of Affirmation: Gay and Lesbian Mormons or who is a professional writer, the cash award for that level (and awards for all succeeding levels) will be granted to the next lower level. For example, if First Place was awarded to the work of a professional author, there would be no cash prize for First Place, $300 would be awarded for Second Place, $150 would be awarded for Third Place, and $50 would be shared among the Honorable Mention winners (if any).
- Affirmation membership status will be determined by the Membership Director and the Treasurer based upon the membership records of the organization as of 11:59 PM MDT on Friday, September 11, 2009.
- A professional writer shall be deemed to be someone who earns more than 10% of their annual income by writing. This determination will be made by affidavit on the official entry form; the judges reserve the right to appoint a member of their panel to question any entrant on this matter, but having done so, the decision of the panel of judges is final.
Ideas for YouTube EntriesVideo is a most powerful medium, and amateur video production capabilities have never been as accessible as it is today. Affirmation members are encouraged to submit short video productions, under the following rules:
- An entry may be submitted by the person(s) responsible for its production.
- The entry may not have been published through any media (including individual web sites, or public sites such as YouTube, etc.) prior to March 1, 2009.
- Entries that are found to be of compelling interest to the LGBTI Mormon community may be published on or linked from the Affirmation web site.
- Entries may be submitted electronically or via mail on DVD or VHS formats. Entries cannot be returned. Entries must be received no later than July 20, 2009.
- No prizes or awards are being offered at this time, but entries thought to be significant in both quality and subject may be recognized by the judges at their sole discretion.
- Judges will be appointed by the Executive Director. The entries received this year will help to determine if this should be developed into a formal competition in future years and, if so, how the judging criteria should be developed.
