Guidelines
- Qualification process
Participating users must tag 3 other active accounts in order to be qualified for participation. The account used to tag 3 other accounts must be included in the document title of the submission in addition to the platform it is used on.
*Each account is limited to one submission per season (one for writer and one for reader competition) - Prompts & Submissions
Prompts are meant to provide a subject to write about. Submissions must correlate to the prompts in some way with an obvious form of interpretation. Submissions will be graded higher for creativity and execution of interpretation. - NSFW Submissions
Submissions are not limited to SFW, but various factors may inhibit a work from getting a higher grade. This includes but is not limited to mindless violence, praise of abuse/assault, and praise of degenerative, discriminatory sentiments.
This is not to limit submission content but to, in the long run, pursue harmonious ethics and represent them in writing. Life shapes art, and art shapes life.
In the case of such works, the intent of the writer is not observed but instead the independent theory of the work in writing. The writer in question will be alerted of the violation and can submit a new work without requalification. - Formatting
Submissions must use 11pt black ink and generic font (Arial, Helvetica, or Times New Roman). Sentences must be set to 1.5 spacing. Paragraphs must have a space after new paragraphs. All this can be found in the general settings/toolbar of popular online document programs and should not be done while in the process of typing. - Word Limit
All submissions are limited to a maximum of 5,000 words (5k words). Word count does not include titles, footnotes, or similar extraneous additions. - Language
Submissions must be written in English. If you write best in another language or are considering submitting your work in another language, please make sure to provide a translated version as well, noting what language it was originally written in and how you translated it to English. Machine translation is acceptable, but it may affect a work’s original sentiment/intent, consequently affecting its final grade. - Grammar and Grading
Grammar will have little impact on the grading process of submissions, but in order to be presentable to public critique, the top 10 works will be subjected to further editing after deliberation. Slang and intentional misgrammar will not negatively impact grading if used effectively. Experimental writing is also encouraged and will not be demerited if executed well. - Top 3 Voting
The top 10 works and analysis will be deliberated by ADR. The top 3 will be deliberated through user/public vote and will result in the final awarding. All Audertist Originals accounts will have 6 free votes to be spent across both writer and reader competitions. Up to 6 additional votes can be purchased with AudCoins after all free votes are used with each additional vote increasing in price. In the case of a tie, the original grading rubric will be used and ADR will announce the results alongside each submission’s grade.
The AudCoins spent on additional votes will be redistributed to the winning parties. - Additional Challenges
There may be additional challenges detailed in the competition that, under normal circumstances, do not influence one’s chances of entering the top 5. However, in the case of a tie or conflicting/similar works, the work that has completed the additional challenge best will immediately advance to the next stage. - Anti-Plagiarism
To prevent plagiarism, contestants are asked to refrain from posing their works online until the submission period of their subject is over. Do not share your work or grant access to your work to anyone online or in real life unless you have a recorded/documented agreement for the other party to edit/translate/beta read your work. This documentation can be used to clear yourself and the other party of suspicion of plagiarism should it ever arise.
Plagiarized works will face instant disqualification. Please do not underestimate the state of today’s technology.
If you are quoting something or someone, please use an MLA citation footnote at the end of your work; the footnote will not count towards your word count. - Special Qualification Method
The alternative qualification method requires an active Audertist Originals account. If a participating party does not want to follow the general qualification method, they can qualify themself through the following process:- Use an account made, at minimum, a month before the competition to enter through the ADR website. Post the competing story under that account. Then, register it as part of the competition.
- Submitted works on ADR must include the competition tag along with the season and year it is competing in.
- Registration through the site will require a small amount of AudCoins. It is for this reason that participants are recommended to use an account made a month prior.
- For any further inquiries, please email us at [email]