Howdy folks!

It's just about time for another (roughly) biennial AppleDash contest and it's going to be the biggest one yet! I'm looking to get it started in early/mid December and am planning for it to last about two months, plus a week or two to account for the holidays. I'm also planning on doubling the prize pool from the last one. I'll let you do the math on that one. The prizes will be spread out a little more to something like the top 6 entries, instead of the top 3 (subject to change once things are more finalized).

The contest rules will likely be very similar to that of the fifth contest, but changes are not out of the question.

I'm super excited to get this one kicked off, but before I can do that I need 2 to 3 additional judges to help keep me in check and to decide on a theme for the contest. A lot of prize money is up for grabs and I want to be sure it goes to the people who have earned it the most. There's a few loose guidelines for becoming a judge. You should, ideally:

• Like AppleDash! At least a little.
• Have judging experience. This one isn't mandatory, but it is a major plus.
• Be comfortable with reading and judging mature rated fics. I plan to allow these once more (although I don't think anyone's ever entered one). (Correction: We've had one or two!)
• Know your stuff. There's a lot that goes into writing (and winning) that the judges will need to account for. Spelling, grammar, structure, pacing, plot, characterization... you name it! These contests are often very close and just one of these things can be the decider.
• Be willing to compromise. Every judge will have a different opinion on who the winners should be. Good debate is healthy (and encouraged!), but be prepared for the possibility that the fic you have your heart set on may not place where you feel it should.
• Be available to judge. The end of the contest is a few months out from now and it's hard to plan availability for that, but when that time comes, I'll want to get the results out within a week. If something comes up, we can find replacement judges, but do let us know.

I know this list is intimidating, but don't let it scare you. If you want to give judging a shot, but aren't sure about it, let me know anyway!

If that sounds like something you'd like to do, hit me up via PM here or message me on Discord (Krazy#0001) with a short bit about why you'd like to judge. If you've helped out with the judging before, feel free to skip that last part.

Feel free to ask me any questions, either about judging or the contest itself. Very little is set in stone at the moment, but I'll answer what I can!

Cool! Will there be a separate thread for prompt suggestions? Or will the judges decide the prompt?

7059388
In the past, the judges have decided, but I'm more than open to suggestions!

7059388
To expand on that a little:
Prompts are sort of a tough balance between being both specific and vague enough that most everyone can garner some inspiration from them. I fear that if the prompts were submitted and voted upon, it would end up excluding more people than intended by being too specific or something. I'm happy to try new things or maybe pick the top few suggestions and leave the final choice up to voting, but that would need some extra thought I haven't given it yet.

7059401
oh, I'm fine either way. I was mainly asking so I'd know whether I needed to be on the lookout for a prompt thread or not. Feel free to do what you and the team feel is best. :)

7059345 I'd probably be volunteering, but obviously I want to participate, so...

7060238
Sooooo... is that a "yes, I'll do it again"?

7060261
Does a bear shit in the woods?

7060582 What if it's a polar bear?

Hap here asking the real questions.

7060587
I've never seen either do such a thing.

7060589 Polar bears or Tcherno shitting in woods?

I should hope not. For one because the former doesn't live there and for the latter, that'd be weird.

Maybe Tcherno could cOmPeTe for once though if he's being ambiguous about judging...

7060842
I'm not sure how you got Tchernobog shitting in the woods from that.

...I was just on about the bears themselves.

7064099 Well now you've gone and made me look weird.

I hope you're happy.

Point being not all bears shit in woods and no question need not be asked! The scientific method is almighty!

7064450
Quite happy.

And that's why I asked! It was certainly an ambiguous answer.

Just a reminder that we're still looking for one more judge. If you don't think you have what it takes or are uncertain about something, but you still want to try judging, drop me a line anyway!

7082733
Thank you for your interest in judging, but unfortunately judges cannot submit entries of their own in order to prevent conflicts of interest (and we'd much rather people enter the contest than judge it). I'm looking forward to whatever you cook up for the contest! To submit, just PM me or Tchernobog with a link to your entry and we'll put it in the right spot.

7083545
I've sent you a PM.