FAQs
What is the FOF?
The Festival of Fiction is an annual awards program that recognizes the best of Alias fanfiction. The FOF was conceived and developed on the Server 5 message board in the spring of 2002, and 2004 marks the third anniversary of this awards program.
Who's allowed to nominate and vote for stories in the FOF?
Nominating and voting is open to all. The timeline for nominating and voting in this year's FOF can be found here.
What stories are eligible to be nominated?
All Alias stories are accepted, as long as they fit the categories for which they are nominated and were finished and posted between June 13, 2003 (the day after last year's cut-off date) and June 10, 2004. The only exception to this rule are stories that are nominated in the WIP category. Since these stories are still works in progress, they obviously do not have to be complete. They must still, however, meet the time limit requirement.
If a story was nominated in the Outstanding WIP category last year and is still being written, may I nominate it again for Outstanding WIP this year?
Yes, you may. The only exception is if the story in question won in the WIP category last year. If the story won, then it is no longer eligible to be nominated in the WIP category again.
If a story was started prior to June 13, 2003 (the first day of eligibility for FOF 2004), but was finished between 6/13/03 - 6/10/04, is it eligible for nomination?
Yes, it is.
Why is there a time limit on eligible stories?
Only stories published online between June 13, 2003 to June 10, 2004 are eligible for contention in the FOF 2004. Stories published online before June 13, 2003 were eligible for previous years' FOFs, which is why they are not eligible for this year's FOF. You may also nominate any story that is published during the open nominations period, provided it is published on or before the last day of open nominations, June 10, 2004.
In the same vein, a story submitted in the WIP category that is completed before the end of open nominations on June 10th is not eligible to be entered in the WIP category, as the story would no longer be considered a work in progress. Please keep this in mind when sending in nominations.
Can I nominate my own story?
Yes.
Can I nominate a story in more than one category?
You may nominate stories in as many categories as you'd like as long as they meet the category requirements.
Can I nominate more than one story in a specific category?
Yes.
I see a story can only be nominated in one Romance category. What happens if a story is nominated in more than one Romance category?
If this occurs, we would contact the author -- granted we are able to locate said author -- and ask him/her to decide which Romance category he/she would like the story to be in. If we are unable to contact the author, then we would place the story in the first Romance category for which it was nominated.
Can I nominate a story that's posted on a message board, such as SD-1?
Yes, you certainly may. However, keep in mind that people might become discouraged from reading a story posted on a message board if they have to trudge through pages and pages of feedback in order to get from one chapter to another.
How about stories that are posted in blogs, such as those found at livejournal.com?
Again, yes, stories posted in blogs may be nominated. Just be certain that 1) the entry in which the story is posted is open to the public (i.e., it is not "friends-locked"), and 2) the author is okay with you linking to his/her blog.
I participated in last year's FOF. Have any huge changes been made to the way it's run?
FOF 2004 is, more or less, run much as it was last year. Due to cast changes on the show, some of the categories have been changed to reflect this. The most notable changes in this year's FOF are that each nomination -- with the exception of Outstanding Author nominations -- MUST have an active URL attached to it in order for it to be considered a valid nomination, and we will be using email forms to gather nominations and votes.
Last year we had said that a URL didn't have to be provided if the fic was archived at Cover Me. We've decided to change this rule for FOF 2004 in order to reduce the amount of work the overworked judges already do.
We've also opted to go with email forms this year with the hope of simplifying the nomination and voting processes. To familiarize yourself with these forms, please go here.
I remember reading a really good Alias fic a few months ago, but can't recall where it was archived! Are there some good Alias archives you'd recommend I check to see if it's housed there?
Cover Me has always been a FOF favorite when it comes to fic archives due to its inclusiveness. Other good archives are Allies (Syd/Vaughn exclusive), ASA (slash fic archive), Dark Enigma (Sark fic archive), Nocturnal Activities (Jack fic archive), and Omega-17 (R/NC-17 fic archive). There is also the Alias section of fanfiction.net.
What's this about votes being weighted and stuff?
Yes, we do use a weighting system to calculate finalists and winners. Information on this matter may be found here.
How many votes are we allowed during First Round Voting?
You are allowed to vote for as many stories as you'd like during First Round Voting. These votes, however, should be for stories you feel deserve to move on to finalist status.
And we're only allowed one vote per category during Final Round Voting?
Yes. The votes you cast during this round should be for the stories you believe are the most outstanding in each category.
Why are the 2002 finalists listed rather than the 2002 winners? Were there no winners in 2002?
No, there were winners chosen in 2002, but we've decided to list out all the finalists instead of winners for two reasons. Officially, we're doing this because 2002 was the first FOF and we believe that the stories chosen as finalists are all superb and deserve to be read. So go check them out. Unofficially, we kind of lost the list of 2002 winners. ;)
May I ask for one of my fics to be removed from consideration?
Yes, of course. If you wish not to participate in the FOF 2004, we completely understand. Just email the judges, tell us which fic(s) of yours you'd like us to remove, and we will do so.
May I advertise the FOF at my website/blog/afternoon tea party?
Most definitely! We'd love for you to pimp out FOF 2004 since the more people who participate the better FOF 2004 will be. Our only request is that you provide people with a link back to http://aliasfof.poohmusings.com/index.html if you decide to mention it at the places you frequent. Also feel free to snag FOF 2004 graphics from here if you'd like a button/icon to display as your link.
Who are these "judges" that are mentioned all over the place? Is the identity of the judges a secret?
Nope, no secret. The judges are all Alias fanfic writers and/or readers, and some have been involved with the FOF since its conception. Your FOF 2004 judges are, in alphabetical order, Airebella, Amy (pie), daera, Karen T, labyrinthine, Luna, Mai, mciac, pharo, Rez, Siryn, Thorne, Waterdancer, and Vilandra.
Are the judges who are tallying the votes allowed to vote for their own stories if they become nominated?
No, judges may not vote for their own stories.
How will I know who the finalists and winners are?
Finalists and winners -- as well as any other FOF announcements -- will always be made first at the FOF livejournal. You do not have to have your own livejournal to be able to view the FOF LJ.
Wow, I really like the design of this site. Did one of the judges design it?
First, glad you like the look of the site. Second, the designer of the pretty layout would be Jojo, who deserves to be showered with chocolate and other sweet things for her wonderful creation.
Still confused? Still have questions? Email the judges.