Anthrofiction Network's Short Story Contest, Spring 2008
Submitted by ScottyDM on Wed, 03/05/2008 - 5:46pm.
The new site code is not ready, but will be soon. Therefore I shall surge ahead with the spring contest. The new site design will hide the stories behind a sign-in system (user accounts will be free) so stories will not be published in the legal or practical sense.
The theme this quarter is Green. Thinking green growth, a new beginning, sprouts in the springtime, photosynthesis….
The rules--but in short: 1000 to 3500 words, at least one important must be anthropomorphic, and keep it family friendly.
As always, Anthrofiction Network is a labor of love. So there is never an entry fee and I don't sell or rent any of your personal information.
Have fun!
Scotty
Contest Results
Exit Sign by M. Le Renard earned a score of 3.80 from 11 ballots.
When The Moon Fell by Red Vixen earned a score of 3.74 from 13 ballots.
The Toast by Whyte Yoté earned a score of 3.68 from 11 ballots.
One-Winged Phoenix by Vaperfox earned a score of 3.63 from 9 ballots.
Congratulations to all the authors.
Scotty
The judging period is closed, however...
However, I noticed a technical problem with the site code. Although the counter said there was so much time remaining, the rest of the page code cut off your ability to enter a ballot. I did roll back the deadline to 2:00 am GMT on the 12th to give an extra hour, but if anyone missed that let me know.
There also seems to have been a problem with signups, but part of that could be attributed to user action because new accounts must be activated though e-mail. However I did have one person mention a problem a few days ago.
I'm starting to process the ballots now and it will be awhile before results are ready. Meanwhile I've restricted site access because the story pages are a mess of old and new code and they spew nasty looking PHP errors post-judgment if there are no results available.
So, if you tried to vote but could not due to technical errors, send me an e-mail at: helpme@anthrofiction.net (temp address). Give me the e-mail address you used when you signed up and your IP address if you know it. I will reopen the ballots for you. If you don't know your IP address then give me the name of your ISP and I'll figure something out.
Scotty
Do You Want 2 Winners or 1?
Scoring is from 1 to 5, and in the past I've calculated the scores to 0.01 or 1 part in 100. Often there is quite a spread in the scores, but this quarter there the field is closer than it has ever been with the total spread between the highest and lowest scores of only 0.28. Overall the scores are lower than they've been in 2007 (more like 2006 scores) and no one has broken 4.00 this quarter.
I feel the scores should be close. This group of stories is a better quality overall than in previous quarters--although previous quarters have seen some standout entries. I'm not sure why the overall scores are lower. Perhaps some folks are grading on the curve. So in the absence of poor stories they're giving everyone an middle score and pulling all the numbers down.
That part doesn't matter. What matters is that if I calculate the scores to 1 part in 100, we have two winners--two stories scored 3.91.
So the question is, do we say, "Yaaay, we have TWO winners!" or do I calculate the scores down to 1 part in 1000? If I do, then one of those stories scored a 3.906 and the other scored 3.907.
That's pretty close. Oh yea, they also both got the same number of ballots too... twelve.
If we go with two winners I will never reveal who barely nudged past the other--we will simply have two winners. Maybe I'll flip a coin or something to see who I list first in the winners' sentence, but they will be named in the same sentence.
So whatdaya think, do you want two winners or only one? I have several message boards I post these messages to and I'll be considering everyone's opinion. Also, in future quarters if I start getting lots of entries I'll be forced to go to 1 part in 1000, but there were only six entries this time. Maybe I could set a cutoff or something. If we stick with two winners this time, then I'll stick with 1 part in 100 for scoring until the first quarter I get 20 entries. If we go to 1 part in 1000 now, then I'll do 1 part in 1000 from here on out.
Please post your opinions in this discussion thread.
Scotty
A third alternative
A third alternative is to have a run-off between just those two stories. This is standard when two options end up with the same score. Changing the scoring rules after the fact can be a sticky path to start down.
Pick some period of time (24 hours, 48 hours, 81.52 hours or whatever sounds good) and start with a clean slate. Put out the word, let people vote and have the chips fall where they may.
You'll either have a clear winner or another tie. If they tie again then just declare that and be done with it. Chances are they won't and you'll be able to say that the winner was chosen according to the rules as they existed before the start of voting.
And you'll probably want to update your scoring rules to handle this specific case before your next contest, just to be safe.
- Steve
Addendum: People who are not registered for this site or who have not been approved to post unmoderated comments will have to wait for me to approve their replies, should they post any. I will endeavor to do so in a timely manner, however there may be up to a day between you posting and my approving the post. I'd suggest that you contact Scotty directly at the email address he listed in his original post if you don't see your comment posted here in a timely manner. Just an FYI.
True, Steve...
I hadn't thought of a runoff, but people get anxious waiting for a result. Other folks said a tie is fine, or don't change the rules, or ties are always nice for Father's Day.
So I went ahead and posted the results based on 1 part in 100 calculations, which results in a tie. Not everything is automated yet and while it's much simpler to discover the results, it still takes me a long time to post them--about 1 hour per story. Right now it's 26 hours past the close of the judging period. I need to update more site code.
New rule: if I get more than 20 entries in a contest for 2008 I'll automatically shift to 1 part in 1000 calculations. Starting in 2009 I may just go to 1 part in 1000 calcs. I'm holding back really promoting the site because it's so much work to convert stories, process ballots, and post results. A few quarters ago I got 120 ballots for 9 stories and it nearly killed me. I get the feeling that if I promote this thing 20 stories and 250 or more ballots per quarter would happen. If I get a tie at 1 part in 1000 calculations I'll just live with it.
Scotty
Ready to Rock-N-Roll!
First, sign up for an account. Now you can enjoy the new stories:
In the Greenwood
Faeldra’s nostrils quivered, and the doe stretched her neck out, straining to catch every nuance of the scent. The stag was far away yet, but he would find her. The time was near for both of them.
When The Moon Fell
Exit Sign
Saving the Magic
“Calm down. And stop acting like a preschooler on your first field trip.” Sabrina rolled her eyes.
It wasn’t her fault she was excited. She made a face at her best friend. Jerrin didn’t know what to look at first. A smile played on her lips as she tried to take everything in.
One-Winged Phoenix
In the Valley of the Fallen Sun, there lived the phoenix. He was the only one of his kind. Proud, strong, and defiant, he patrolled the skies with stalwart vigilance.
The Toast
Six entries. Nice!
I'll get the ballot pages fully functioning in a few days.
Scotty