Content:
There is a zero tolerance policy on copyrighted content. No fan fiction is allowed. Any story found breaching this will not be entered into the contest and will not receive a refund.
In terms of explicit sex/drug use/violence/swearing etc, the content ruling is based upon what would be acceptable were it to be shown in a film rated 15 in the UK. To see guidelines on what exactly that means, go here. Any story found to be breaching this level will not be entered into the contest and will NOT be receiving a refund.
Judging Criteria:
The following is the information from the sheet that the judges will be using to mark every story. Read it carefully to see what the judges are looking for.
Format – 10pts max
Does the story conform to the format requirements? (Partially fail one of these = -1 point. Completely fail one of these = -2 points – Partial/Total fail is judges discretion)
The format requirements are
- Title & Summary on separate page (Summary no longer than two sentences)
- No name of author on manuscript
- Times New Roman or Ariel Font
- Double Spacing
One inch margin all the way round
Minimum = 0pts
S.P.A.G. W.C (Spelling, Punctuation, Aesthetic, Grammar, Word Count) – 10pts max
Does the story go over the word count (Minimum 1000 words, Maximum 5000)? (5-20 words over -1pts, 21-40 words over -2pts, 41-60 words over -3pts, 61-80 words over -4pts, 81-100 words over -5 pts, >100 words over -10pts)
Are there spelling mistakes? Are they minor/major? Are they frequent? Do they distract from the story? (both British and American spelling will be accepted BUT they must be consistent throughout)
Are there punctuation mistakes? Are they minor/major? Are they frequent? Do they distract from the story?
Are there aesthetic mistakes (in context this means malformed paragraphs – things like no indenting etc, is a new character’s speech always on a new line etc.)
Are there grammar mistakes? Are they minor/major? Are they frequent? Do they distract from the story?
Exact pointing system here is at the judge’s discretion – Minimum = 0pts (The only way to get this is if practically every word is spelt wrong, and grammar/spelling/aesthetic/punctuation errors are ubiquitous, or if word count goes more than 100 words over length)
Writing/Style – 10pts max
Is there a consistent writing style?
Does the style fit the story?
Is there a specific writing voice?
Is there wide use of vocab? Is the vocab level used appropriate to the story in question?
Does the language flow?
Exact pointing system here is at the judge’s discretion – Minimum = 1pts
Character development – 10pts max
Are the characters believable? Are they fully fleshed out? Are the three-dimensional? Do their motivations make sense?
Does the dialogue make sense? Does it seem believable?
Are accents (if present) portrayed believably?
Exact pointing system here is at the judge’s discretion – Minimum = 1pts
Plot development – 10pts max
Is there a strong plot?
Does it keep the pace well?
Does it interest the reader enough to keep reading for reasons above and beyond the fact that they have to?
Are the events of the plot believably strung together?
Exact pointing system here is at the judge’s discretion – Minimum = 1pts
Originality – 10pts max
Is the story an original take on the theme?
Are the characters more than tropes?
If the story does use tropes, does it use them in an engaging/interesting way?
Exact pointing system here is at the judge’s discretion – Minimum = 0pts (if the story is, in the judge’s opinion VERY obviously lifted from another story, without any kind of original take)
Side note – if the story is fan-fiction (using characters/setting/exact elements from an established franchise) it is automatically disqualified.
Theme/Prompt – 10pts max
Does the story use the theme/prompt?
Is the theme/prompt central?
Is the theme/prompt used in an interesting way?
Exact pointing system here is at the judge’s discretion – Minimum = 0pts (Only to be given out if the story has NOT followed the prompt AT ALL)
Discretion – 30pts max
Judges can express their overall feel/impression of the story, or any thoughts/feelings that did not seem to fit into the rest of the sections.
Minimum = 0pts
Overall score = Maximum 100 pts.
