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Honoring Excellence in Online Soap Opera Writing
In an effort to continue the mission of SoapsWEB which is the "adoration and preservation of the soap opera" genre, SoapsWEB announces the formation of The SOFF Awards; also known as The Soap Opera Fan Fiction Awards.
Some might ask why would SoapsWEB be interested in doing an awards show that honors online soap operas that come and go many times as often as some people change socks.
The reason can be found in the acronym that is SoapsWEB; well in two parts of it -- adoration and preservation.
We at SoapsWEB adore soap opera in all it's forms and seek to promote and preserve them. With daytime soap operas quickly fading away and so many of them departing the very things that are the true essence of what soap opera is and should be, the purest form of soap opera is often found online; written by the true fans of the genre. We at SoapsWEB wish to promote and honor those series and those writers who create and write these wonderful series - often creating more authentic soap opera than we find on our screens each day.
The First Annual SOFF Awards will honor the best in online soap operas from January 1st, 2008 to December 31st, 2008. If you wish to participate, please follow the process as outlined below.
The Prenomination Process
The Prenomination Process will begin January 1st, 2009. In a special section at the SoapsWEB site will be placed separate posts for each of the categories that a series can be entered. In most categories, each series can enter twice. If participation is low, the entries will be increased to three per category. In some categories, such as Best Series, only one entry will be allowed, but two episodes will be chosen by the writer/producer for consideration. Entries will be accepted until January 31st, 2009 – no extensions will be given.
Each category will have a short list of info to fill out for the entry. The person will be required to post a link back to the episode that contains the scenes or episode that is being used for consideration for that nomination. You will not be asked to copy, reformat or retype scenes or whole episodes – just provide a link to the information.
If you are a fan of a series, you can also make entries for that series as well. Keep in mind that only 2 or maybe 3 entries will be accepted per series – the actual writer or producer’s choices will be considered first. You do not have to contact the writer or producer to enter his or her series in the awards, but I would encourage you to do so – at least let them know what you are doing.
To participate and make entries, a membership with SoapsWEB will be required. It is an easy process. The person will not be required to make any other posts at SoapsWEB or to become an active member. If he or she chooses to do so is totally voluntary on their part; it will not be required.
The Nomination Process
On February 1st, 2009, the entries will be separated and organized. There will be two sets of awards given in each category – one for Fan Fiction (material based on a currently running or cancelled series) and one for Original Series.
For this part of the process, volunteers are being and will be sought to act as judges. The judges will be asked to look at each entry and rank them from Best to Worst. If we get enough volunteers, some judges may only have to do one category. That is the best case scenario and one that I would love; a special blue ribbon panel to judge each category.
We would prefer the judges to not be writers who have series in contention, but if a writer would like to be a judge we will consider them. Especially if the writer is someone who is only submitted in Fan Fiction categories, we can use them to judge categories in the Original Series area.
This process will run from approximately February 1st/2nd to February 28th, 2009.
Scoring and tabulations will be made the first week of March with nominations scheduled to be announced on March 6th, 2009.
Each nominee will be presented with a banner that they can use to advertise their series nomination and to use for campaigning in the next step of the awards.
The Voting Process
Beginning March 9th, 2009, voting will be open to all voters using polls from PollDaddy.com which will allow only 1 vote per URL.
Writers will be encouraged to vote and participate. Also we encourage them to advertise and campaign in any way they wish (as long as it is not against the rules of any particular website).
Voting will continue through March 31st, 2009.
Winners will be announced in a special way – one category at a time – on SoapsWEB at approximately 9:00 a.m. CST on April 3rd, 2009.
Each winner will be presented with a banner like this:
They can display it on their website or use it on any forum that allows the use of such.
We look forward to seeing the awards to fruition, and hope that we have a good turnout for the first awards. If they are supported well this first time, the goal is to make it a yearly competition.
If you wish to volunteer to help with the awards in any way especially as a judge, please let me know. We need all the volunteers we can get to make this a success.
Also if you have any suggestions, please PM me at SoapsWEB or e-mail me at steve_frame38474@yahoo.com
The Categories
Best Series
Judges will be asked to look at the overall forum; layout of episodes; easiness in reading; use of visual aids, etc. Not at just 1 or 2 individual episodes.
Best Individual Episode
Each series can submit 2 episodes for consideration.
Best Writing
Each series can submit 2 episodes for consideration. Judges will look at the elements of the writer’s style, editing, character development, dialogue, plot originality and variety.
Best Storyline
In this category, each submission must include a brief overview of a storyline including the characters involved and a breakdown of events. Try to be as brief as possible keeping in mind the judges who have to read all the entries. Each series will be allowed 2 entries in this category.
Best Male Character in a Leading Role
Each series can submit 2 entries in this category. Writers will submit links to 2 episodes that feature this character. This character should be a main protagonist for a storyline or appeared in a significant way in a majority of the episodes during 2008.
Best Female Character in a Leading Role
Each series can submit 2 entries in this category. Writers will submit links to 2 episodes that feature this character. This character should be a main protagonist for a storyline or appeared in a significant way in a majority of the episodes during 2008.
Best Male Character in a Supporting Role
Each series can submit 2 entries in this category. Writers will submit links to 2 episodes that feature this character.
Best Female Character in a Supporting Role
Each series can submit 2 entries in this category. Writers will submit links to 2 episodes that feature this character.
Best Male Character in a Limited Run
Each series can submit 2 entries in this category. Writers will submit links to 2 episodes that feature this character. This character must not be a regular character in the series and appeared for less than 3 months during 2008.
Best Female Character in a Limited Run
Each series can submit 2 entries in this category. Writers will submit links to 2 episodes that feature this character. This character must not be a regular character in the series and appeared for less than 3 months during 2008.
Best Young Male Character
Each series can have 2 entries here. The characters must be 25 years of age or younger. We will leave it to the writer’s or producer’s discretion on submissions here and not ask them to prove that the character is supposed to be under 25. We will go by the age the writer intends the character to be and not the actor or actress they use to depict them.
Best Young Female Character
Each series can have 2 entries here. The characters must be 25 years of age or younger. We will leave it to the writer’s or producer’s discretion on submissions here and not ask them to prove that the character is supposed to be under 25. We will go by the age the writer intends the character to be and not the actor or actress they use to depict them.
Best New Character
Each series can have 2 entries here. This must be a character that debuted during 2008 and was created by the author of the series.
Best Couple
Each series can have 2 entries here. The writer or submitter will include a link to one or two episodes that feature the couple.
Best Villian (Male)
Each series can have 2 entries here. The writer or submitter will include a link to one or two episodes that must feature the villainous activity of the character.
Best Villian (Female)
Each series can have 2 entries here. The writer or submitter will include a link to one or two episodes that must feature the villainous activity of the character.
Best Friendship
Each series can have 2 entries in this category. The writer or submitter will include a link to one or two episodes that feature the friends together. Also he or she will provide a brief overview of the friendship.
Best Rivalry
Each series can have 2 entries in this category. The writer or submitter will include a link to one or two episodes that feature the rivalry – confrontation scenes are a perfect example or a scene that shows an act of duplicity in the rivalry. Also he or she will provide a brief overview of the rivalry.
Note: On each one of the character submissions writers/producers/submitted will be asked to submit some background information about the character to help the judges to understand the character a little better. If the series has character profiles at their site, submit a link to the profile for that character. With villain or villainess, the submitted can just submit the overall bad deeds the character did in 2008. With couple, just a brief overview of the couple along with the links that show the couple were featured in 2008.
Outstanding Achievement in Design
Each series entry will submit the URL to their individual forum – not the link to the network they are part of. Judges will look at the overall forum and judge it on how unique the writer or the producer has made the forum; at the individual touches he or she has brought to it. Also judges will look at not how good it looks but how easily it is to navigate and if the overall design helps in regards to the understanding of the series or makes it more confusing. If a series is on more than one network or has a separate homepage off of the network – they can submit for each network and for one homepage not affiliated with a network.
Best Original Graphics
Each series will submit examples of graphics created for their series during 2008. These can include Title Cards, Character Cards, Promotion Banners, etc. Nothing created before January 1st, 2008 can be submitted. Please include the names of the creators of the graphics when making submissions.
Outstanding Character Development
Each series that would like to be included here will be asked to submit a link to their series forum. They will be asked to include links to character profiles and a few episodes that judges will specifically look at. Judges will look at how well the writer develops the characters, and how easy the writer lets the reader get to know and understand them.
Outstanding Use of Music
Each series will submit links to episodes or other areas of their forum they use music to help readers better understand or follow their series.
Oustanding Opening
Each series can submit a link to or embed the video they use as an opening for their series or episodes. Each series must submit the video created during 2008 or that they used during 2008. If the opening was created before 2008 it is not eligible unless the video was edited for use in 2008. It the series used more than one opening during 2008 that series can submit up to 2 of them for consideration. Please include the Producer of the series name and the person who created the video.
Outstanding Video Promo
Each series will be allowed to submit up to 3 Promos for consideration in this category. Right now we plan to divide these up into 3 categories: Network Promos, Fan Fiction Promos, and Original Series Promos. All videos must have been created and used in 2008. Each network can submit up to 3 Promotional Videos. The Director or Founder of the Network must make those submissions. Please include the Series Producer or Network Director/Officer(s) along with the name of the person who created the video.
By Monday night at Midnight a special section will be created for The SOFF Awards in the Awards & Honors section of SoapsWEB. Individuals can begin at that time making submissions, and will be allowed to continue until January 31st, 2009. All entries must have occurred during 2008 - not before and not after.
You can now make submissions to the awards at:
http://s15.zetaboards.com/SoapsWeb/forum/3003550/
Each category has the specifics of what you need to do explained.
Current Soap Rankings
1) AMC; 2) OLTL; 2) GH; 4) Y&R; 5) ATWT; 6) B&B; 7) GL; 8) Days.
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