official 2013 Top Sims Contest Rules & Announcements

[Jordan aka FltAdmlWolf]

Welcome to Top Sims Contest of 2013! All announcements for the entire 2013 contest will be posted in this thread.

The Top Sims contest allows members of our fleet to be recognized by their peers for superior writing ability. Unlike the Writing Challenges, this contest allows only sims that have been used in a current plot to be considered.


SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

• You can submit ANY sim -- from your ship, or another ship. You can submit your own sims if you wish. All sims are welcome, including staff (Captain, First Officer, etc.) sims.
• The sim must be written with good spelling, good grammar, and be in the correct format. Poorly structured sims will be disqualified.
• When a sim is submitted, it must have been created within the current submission period, or the previously lapsed submission period. Put another way: do not sims which are any older than a month.
• Submitted sims may not have any open dialogue tags. (i.e.: [respond here]) All dialogue in the sim must be filled in. (Just find the responding author's sim and fill in the blanks.)
• Sims must not include any "canon" characters. (i.e.- no characters who have appeared onscreen.)

Please find a balance between nominating too many, or too few sims. Don't submit every good sim -- instead, post every great sim!

Encourage your fellow crew-mates to submit at least a few sims a year. If you want your crew-mates to win more, you have to nominate the best sims, and encourage others to write higher quality sims!


HOW TO SUBMIT A SIM
First: Click the "Start New Topic" button. The format of the topic title should be as follows: "Character - Sim Title"

• For example: "LtJG Tristan Wolf - Everywhere you go, there you are"
• Note: Please do not clutter the topic title with an endless list of NPC or PNPC names or "JP" designations. Instead, simply include the primary character's rank and name. If it's a joint post, just include both rank and names -- no need to include the "JP" in there.

Second: Choose from the "Topic Prefix" box the correct round number. (To check what round we're currently in, see the contest calendar below.)
Third: Copy into the message box the complete sim. You don't need to worry about column width.

Check to make sure that the sim is readable. You can click the "Edit" button to fix any issues, but don't delay -- the window to open a post closes after a short while.


COMMENTING ON A SIM
Everyone is welcome to comment on submitted sims. If you're going to provide constructive criticism, you are required to employ the "Hamburger" criticism method: first, mention something you like; second, something you didn't like; third, something else you liked. If you just want to provide praise, no hamburger method required!

Commenters who are rude, unfair, or overzealous in their commenting will be barred from future comments in the contest forum, and will have their actions brought to the attention of their CO.


CONTEST CALENDAR

Set 1

• Round 1 submissions: through November 23, 2012
• Round 2 submissions: December 1 to December 31, 2012
• Round 3 submissions: Tuesday, January 1 to Sunday, January 20
• Round 4 submissions: Monday, January 21 to Sunday, February 3
• Round 5 submissions: Monday, February 4 to Sunday, February 17
• Round 6 submissions: Monday, February 18 to Sunday, March 3
• Run-off Round 1: Monday, March 4 to Sunday, March 31

Set 2

• Round 7 submissions: Monday, March 4 to Sunday, March 17

• Round 8 submissions: Monday, March 18 to Sunday, March 31
• Round 9 submissions: Monday, April 1 to Sunday, April 14
• Round 10 submissions: Monday, April 15 to Sunday, April 28
• Round 11 submissions: Monday, April 29 to Sunday, May 5
• Round 12 submissions: Monday, May 6 to Sunday, May 19
• Run-off Round 2: Monday, May 19 to Sunday, June 16

Set 3

• Round 13 submissions: Monday, May 20 to Sunday, June 2
• Round 14 submissions: Monday, June 3 to Sunday, June 16
• Round 15 submissions: Monday, June 17 to Sunday, June 30
• Round 16 submissions: Monday, July 1 to Sunday, July 14
• Round 17 submissions: Monday, July 15 to Sunday, July 28
• Round 18 submissions: Monday, July 29 to Sunday, August 11
• Run-off Round 3: Monday, August 12 to Sunday, September 8

Set 4

• Round 19 submissions: Monday, August 12 to Sunday, August 25
• Round 20 submissions: Monday, August 26 to Sunday, September 8
• Round 21 submissions: Monday, September 9 to Sunday, September 22
• Round 22 submissions: Monday, September 23 to Sunday, October 6
• Round 23 submissions: Monday, October 7 to Sunday, October 20
• Round 24 submissions: Monday, October 21 to Sunday, November 3
• Run-off Round 4: Monday, November 3 to Sunday, December 1

FINAL RUN-OFF OF 2013: Monday, December 2 to Sunday, December 29

This run-off selects the Top Sim of 2013.

Set 1, 2014 Contest

• Round 1, 2014 submissions: Monday, November 4 to Sunday, November 17
• Round 2, 2014 submissions: Monday, November 18 to Sunday, December 1
• Round 3, 2014 submissions: Monday, December 2 to Sunday, December 15
• Round 4, 2014 submissions: Monday, December 16 to Sunday, December 29
• Round 5, 2014 submissions: Monday, December 30 to Sunday, January 12, 2014

[Jordan aka FltAdmlWolf]

Starting in 2013, the voting system will change. We hope that the new system will increase the amount of participation in voting across the fleet by way of decreasing the amount of times that people have to vote each year.

HOW VOTING WORKS
There are two types of voting in this contest: member voting and judges voting.

• After each round of submissions, all the sims from that round are voted-on by a panel of judges. The winning sim from each round of judges voting then proceeds to a run-off round.
• Run-off rounds are open to all members for voting. The winning sim from each run-off round proceeds to the final round.
• The final round is open to all members for voting. For a sim to win the final round, at least 20% of the voters for that sim must be from a ship other than the ship it originated from.

HOW THE JUDGES PANEL WORKS
The judges panel is comprised of one member from each ship.

• Judges are free to resign from the panel at any time or be switched-out but are expected to judge for a full "Set" (see the Contest Calendar).
• At the end of each Set, Captains will be encouraged to review their ship's judge.
• A judge's "term" lasts for three sets, after which they must be switched with a new judge from the crew. After a judge's term is over, and a new judge has been selected and served for at least one term, the previous judge is again eligible to begin a new term.
• Judges can be of any rank, as long as they are able to demonstrate a basic grasp of good simming skills.
• Each ship's Captain appoints the judge from their ship, but they are free to use whatever method they deem appropriate to select that judge. They can select themselves as the judge.

Judges use a ranked voting method called Instant Runoff Voting (IRV). For more information about IRV, see the Wikipedia page.

When voting, judges are not permitted to vote in the top slot the sim from their crew. This ensures that judges are not favoring their own crew's sims. They can still choose their ship's sim in the second slot or lower.

[Jordan aka FltAdmlWolf]

Judges panel for Set 1, 2013:

• Apollo: Jalana Laxyn
• Avandar: Sky Blake
• Discovery: John Valdivia
• Drake: Oliver Weston
• Embassy: Nugra
• Mercury: Trel'lis
• Ops: Johanna MacLaren
• Tiger: T'mihn
• Vigilant: Greir Reinard

Judges panel for Set 2, 2013:

• Apollo: Jalana Laxyn
• Avandar: Sky Blake
• Discovery: Collim Kieran
• Drake: Oliver Weston
• Embassy: Nugra
• Mercury: Isaac Bale
• Ops: Johanna MacLaren
• Tiger: Lance Firestarter
• Vigilant: Greir Reinard

Judges panel for Set 3, 2013:

• Apollo: Jalana Laxyn
• Avandar: Sky Blake
• Discovery: Hsina Amman
• Drake: Oliver Weston
• Embassy: Alucard Vess
• Mercury: Isaac Bale
• Ops: Johanna MacLaren
• Tiger: Aribelle Tagren
• Vigilant: Greir Reinard

[Jordan aka FltAdmlWolf]

Winners for Set 1, 2013:

• Round 1: Wulfantine & Richards, "Guilt Ridden"
• Round 2: Tyr Waltas, "One More Time"
• Round 3: Hannibal Parker, "Revelations & Invitations"
• Round 4: Fox, Malon, Zaveri & Dalal, "Invitation to a Forfeited"
• Round 5: Kevin Breeman/Johanna MacLaren, "Healing Hands"
• Round 6: Devon Romjin & Tadanobu Hoshino, "The Legacy Of The Son"

* Run-off winner for Set 1: Hannibal Parker, "Revelations & Invitations"

Winners for Set 2, 2013:

• Round 7: Quinn Reynolds, "The Sole Survivor"
• Round 8: Ben Livingston, "Brotherly Love"
• Round 9: PNPC Sherana & Tal Tel-ar, "Sparring Match"
• Round 10: PNPC Matthew Brice, "Federation Man, Galaxy Defender"
• Round 11: PNPC Unky, "Umm. This one kind of got away from me, actually..."
• Round 12: Katy Orman, "Clashing"

* Run-off winners for Set 2 (tied): PNPC Sherana & Tal Tel-ar, "Sparring Match" AND Katy Orman, "Clashing"

Winners for Set 3, 2013:

• Round 13: Diego Herrera, "Super Brother"
• Round 14: David Whale & Oliver Weston, "Namesake"
• Round 15: Tyr Waltas, "Lost Time"
• Round 16: Javan Tark (Liam Frost), "Curtains Up"
• Round 17: Greir Reinard & PNPC Chen, "Come Hell And High Water"
• Round 18: Rahman & Chaun, "Falling Away"

* Run-off winner for Set 3: Greir Reinard & PNPC Chen, "Come Hell And High Water"

Winners for Set 4, 2013:

• Round 19: PNPC Sherana & Cmdr Tel-ar, "I will remember you"
• Round 20: Doctor Saveron, "The Quick And The Dead"
• Round 21: Cade Whitman (PNPC), "Don't Mess with Texas"
• Round 22: Rogg, "Finis"
• Round 23: Sorel, "Addiction"
• Round 24: Tracey Townson, "For The Love Of A Child"

* Run-off winner for Set 4: Tal Tel-ar & PNPC Sherana, "I will remember you"

[Jordan aka FltAdmlWolf]

We're now on Round 7. Submission period open for this round until Sunday, March 17.

Edited March 24, 2013 by Liam Frost

[Liam Frost]

Hey guys, just a head's up, we're now on Round 8, which runs until Sunday, March 31st.

[Liam Frost]

We are now on round 9, which runs until April 14th.

[Liam Frost]

Round 11 is now open. This round runs until May 5th.

[Jordan aka FltAdmlWolf]

• The list of winners for Set 3 has been updated. (See above.)
• The list of judges for Set 3 has been updated. (See above.)
• The Round 3 Run-Off has begun! Vote closes Sunday, September 22.
• We are now on the first round of Set 4: Round 19, which closes Sunday, August 25.

[Jordan aka FltAdmlWolf]

Round 19 & 20 winners updated in the record above:

• Round 19: PNPC Sherana & Cmdr Tel-ar, "I will remember you"
• Round 20: Doctor Saveron, "The Quick And The Dead"
  

[Jordan aka FltAdmlWolf]

Run-off Round 4 winner: Tal Tel-ar & PNPC Sherana, "I will remember you".