I have a question which may seem a little odd but actually is probably quite a serious point. Which is simply, what if the judge is familiar with the entrant's work, even subscribes, and may even have read the story before on the entrant's Substack, etc. etc. (I noticed in the rules though that the story doesn't have to have been published on Substack, but just assuming it is/has been).
Fortunately this doesn't apply to me personally this round (of course I've heard of Scoot but we don't follow/subscribe to each other), but it has done in previous rounds and doubtless will again. My question really is about what sort of effect/influence this might have, even if we don't have identifying information on the story document submitted via the form.
Hey Evelyn, this is a great question and one we've had to consider in the past, especially when it was just me judging. I was familiar with about 85 percent of the authors who submitted. In a case where a story has already been read and the author is immediately known, a judge can seek the advice of the ambassador and/or Winston for additional feedback. Either one of us can rate it using the standard criteria:
- Genre suitability
- Mastery of storytelling
- Originality
- Editorial control
And then Scoot can take it from there in terms of how that matches up with the other stories read.
Thanks Brian. I thought that might be the case - the criteria are great for objectivity.
On another note, so far I've been very moral and not considered submitting an old story from when you were doing the Lunar Awards, and you gave me a succession of runner-ups. That would seem wrong, somehow!
I’ll check with Brian and Winston if theres a more formal process, but if I recognize a piece of writing i’ll tell them and ask them to rate it. The trouble with choosing community judges is that the judge is…well, in the community.
If i don’t recognize a piece of writing, theres no other way to tell who may be the author. There’s a bit of an honor system which may not come as much of a consolation, but for my part I am determined to find some new and original fiction, some undiscovered but deserving writer, and elevate them with the recognition they deserve.
I appreciate you asking, its honestly not a problem I’d thought about but I do poke around beyond my subscriptions and its totally possible I might recognize something. Better to be aware of it and have a plan NOW than be caught by surprise.
Rats! I want to submit my story titled "Surrender" (2,900 words) but I cannot remember if I submitted it before! Do you by any chance keep a record of what has been submitted? Sorry for the nuisance... Sharron at Leaves.
I have a question which may seem a little odd but actually is probably quite a serious point. Which is simply, what if the judge is familiar with the entrant's work, even subscribes, and may even have read the story before on the entrant's Substack, etc. etc. (I noticed in the rules though that the story doesn't have to have been published on Substack, but just assuming it is/has been).
Fortunately this doesn't apply to me personally this round (of course I've heard of Scoot but we don't follow/subscribe to each other), but it has done in previous rounds and doubtless will again. My question really is about what sort of effect/influence this might have, even if we don't have identifying information on the story document submitted via the form.
Hey Evelyn, this is a great question and one we've had to consider in the past, especially when it was just me judging. I was familiar with about 85 percent of the authors who submitted. In a case where a story has already been read and the author is immediately known, a judge can seek the advice of the ambassador and/or Winston for additional feedback. Either one of us can rate it using the standard criteria:
- Genre suitability
- Mastery of storytelling
- Originality
- Editorial control
And then Scoot can take it from there in terms of how that matches up with the other stories read.
Thanks Brian. I thought that might be the case - the criteria are great for objectivity.
On another note, so far I've been very moral and not considered submitting an old story from when you were doing the Lunar Awards, and you gave me a succession of runner-ups. That would seem wrong, somehow!
Also it motivates me to keep writing new stuff.
I’ll check with Brian and Winston if theres a more formal process, but if I recognize a piece of writing i’ll tell them and ask them to rate it. The trouble with choosing community judges is that the judge is…well, in the community.
If i don’t recognize a piece of writing, theres no other way to tell who may be the author. There’s a bit of an honor system which may not come as much of a consolation, but for my part I am determined to find some new and original fiction, some undiscovered but deserving writer, and elevate them with the recognition they deserve.
Cheers for that. The issue is probably not as much of a concern as one might think perhaps, because I'm sure we can trust judges to be objective!
I appreciate you asking, its honestly not a problem I’d thought about but I do poke around beyond my subscriptions and its totally possible I might recognize something. Better to be aware of it and have a plan NOW than be caught by surprise.
Lol. Yeah - be prepared! Scout's motto. Hmm...
Ready for Lunar Awards round three :) Best of luck everyone.
Rats! I want to submit my story titled "Surrender" (2,900 words) but I cannot remember if I submitted it before! Do you by any chance keep a record of what has been submitted? Sorry for the nuisance... Sharron at Leaves.