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Scrivenshaft » Pool

The Scrivenshaft Challenge Judging Pool

What It Is

The Judging Pool is a list of members of the Unknowable Room who wish to vote for the award-winning entries of the Scrivenshaft Challenge. The Scrivenshaft Challenge is given bimonthly, and so judging occurs during the month following submission deadlines. It is comprised solely of fanfiction authors and readers, none of whom have written entries for the cycle being judged.

How It Works

You send in the form below to the Scrivenshaft Administrator. At the end of the entry submission period, a body of judges (usually around 30) will be chosen for the cycle. The body of judges is comprised of writers, readers, admin, and UR.org staff. If you receive an email entitled "You've Been Appointed!", congratulations! You're a judge for this cycle. The email will give you information on how to proceed, and should include (among other items) a link to the cycle entries, and information about the judging survey requirements and deadlines.

Once you have received the email, you have until the deadline posted to read and evaluate all of the submitted entries. [We recommend that, if you cannot do it all in one sitting, you take notes according to the voting survey about your reactions to each entry; this will save you time when you come back later and have to submit the judging survey.] The survey (on an external polling site) will be submitted directly to the Scrivenshaft Administrator, who will tabulate the scores and determine the winners. Please be aware that we use exact wording from the surveys for Why We Loved It section of the Award Announcements. We only use positive feedback in this portion, so please be honest about any critique or constructive feedback that you think will be useful in rating each entry. Once you've submitted your survey, that's it!

Frequently Asked Questions

If you don't see the answer to your question on this page, please email the Scrivenshaft Administrator, and your question will be answered and this page updated.

The judges are chosen through a numerical scheme, usually by sorting the names in some fashion and choosing a number 1-5 to run through the judging pool. Occasionally the Fibonacci sequence is used, just for a change of pace. The only time that the judging pool is altered is if a chosen judge is an author from the cycle. We do not manipulate the body of judges for any cycle, so if you are/are not chosen, you're welcome to blame numbers.

You must enter your name once, and that will qualify you for any cycle in 2006. Additional requests to join the pool will not improve your chances of being chosen, but we can guarantee that failure to enter the pool will result in your not being chosen as a judge for the next cycle.

Once you submit this form, you should be taken to a page that lists the information you just entered (your username and email) and a line that indicates the date and time that your request was sent to scrivenshaft@unknowableroom.org. This page should serve as confirmation that your email was sent successfully. If you do not see this page, contact us to confirm that you've been added to the pool.

Blame numbers. We try to get a different body of judges each time, but we do not manipulate the names in any way. If you've not been chosen, just be patient -- there are plenty of other cycles! A caution: if you enter the pool with multiple email addresses, you will be banned from all participation in Challenge judging.

If you cannot judge for the current cycle, you must respond to the judging appointment email within 48 hours (2 days) for a replacement judge to be chosen. It is essential to have a wide number of judges to ensure a holistic score for each entry. If you cannot fulfil the judging duties, let us know so we may find a judge who can.

If you would like to be removed from the judging pool altogether, please let us know with an email explaining your request, and we will be happy to remove your name.

If you are a judge, you are one of 30 people who will read and vote on entries, so at the very least, your vote counts for more than 3% of the overall tally! The Challenge operates on a 'one judge, one vote' principle, though close votes and ties are broken by looking at commentary attached by each judge. A particularly well-written or detailed reaction to the entries is likely to make your voice heard amidst the other votes, so speak up and be counted!

Simply send us an email asking for the email to be resent. What you must include, for security purposes, is the name and email address you used to enter the Pool, otherwise we cannot send you the requested information.

Discussion Board for Judges

For current or past judges wishing to discuss the Challenge or provide constructive feedback about the entries or judging process, please visit the Scrivenshaft Challenges Forum.

Judging Pool Request Form

I want to be part of the 2008 Scrivenshaft Challenge Judging Pool!