AnimeSuki Forum - View Single Post - Signature of the Month Contest Generic Discussion Thread

**Solace** · 2009-07-01, 05:03

This post is to answer some questions I've received about my actions in the Voting Thread.

1. It has come to my attention that P.G.'s entry also breaks the rules of the theme, if I were to apply the reasoning that was used for ~Eps entry (too many colors). This would mean that if I were to disqualify both entries, or reduce them in rank, that I would be the winner of the contest.

What happened that things got this messed up? Well it wasn't out of bias, nor was it laziness, or favoritism. Here's what happened - Human error.

In both Eps and P.G.'s entries, the extra colors (due to the subdued nature of the theme itself) weren't immediately apparent. Both myself and escimo missed the extra colors, it's as simple as that. By the time they were noticed, voting was well underway. In fact it wasn't noticed that there was an extra color in P.G.'s entry until after the contest was over.

There is no in depth review process that goes on during the entry thread. Each entry is not held to the utmost scrutiny to make sure it is following every rule. That would be exhausting for what is essentially volunteer work. The theme creator has their inputs, KiNA compiles a list using the Final Entry tag, and I give the list a look over to make sure nothing obvious stands out in the entries. If something does stand out, I PM the contestant and try to work something out before the voting thread goes up.

In this case it was just human error and I've already apologized for it. My "solution" to demote Eps to second and PG to first was because I felt that Eps losing first place was enough of a "consequence" for breaking the theme while still recognizing his efforts and the votes he gained. I know it felt unfair to remove the winning title so I extended the ability to partake in the theme creation process as a sort of consolation and apology for my mistake.

However, due to the fact that P.G.'s entry also broke the rules of the theme as originally outlined, my solution backfired. I've pondered what to do about this for the last few days, and I think the only fair solution is to leave next months theme creation up to the entire community.

I don't want to claim the title of winner, because I don't want to hear whines of my supposed bias. Do I defer to fourth place? Really it just becomes a mess of "what is right" at that point. The only fair solution is to let the community decide what they want to do for next month. In short, there is no one winner in last months contest. That is the fairest solution in my mind. No one is penalized for rule breaking, and everyone has a say in what they think the next months theme should be.

In the end, this contest is first and foremost about fun and improving your skills. I know at least a few of you felt challenged and had fun last month. That's the real prize. Getting votes, picking a theme, those are nice but the real reward is the journey from idea to final entry. It sounds cheesy I know, but it's the truth.

2. The SOTM will be undergoing a review. As the contest has progressed over the last year and a half, it is important to sometimes look back and learn from our successes and mistakes. The first thing on the plate is theme creation and rules. There are other aspects that will follow, and as always if there are any comments, questions, or concerns about any aspect of the contest feel free to bring them up in this thread.

Thanks.

2009-07-01, 05:03	Link #237
Solace (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻ Moderator Join Date: Mar 2006	This post is to answer some questions I've received about my actions in the Voting Thread. 1. It has come to my attention that P.G.'s entry also breaks the rules of the theme, if I were to apply the reasoning that was used for ~Eps entry (too many colors). This would mean that if I were to disqualify both entries, or reduce them in rank, that I would be the winner of the contest. What happened that things got this messed up? Well it wasn't out of bias, nor was it laziness, or favoritism. Here's what happened - Human error. In both Eps and P.G.'s entries, the extra colors (due to the subdued nature of the theme itself) weren't immediately apparent. Both myself and escimo missed the extra colors, it's as simple as that. By the time they were noticed, voting was well underway. In fact it wasn't noticed that there was an extra color in P.G.'s entry until after the contest was over. There is no in depth review process that goes on during the entry thread. Each entry is not held to the utmost scrutiny to make sure it is following every rule. That would be exhausting for what is essentially volunteer work. The theme creator has their inputs, KiNA compiles a list using the Final Entry tag, and I give the list a look over to make sure nothing obvious stands out in the entries. If something does stand out, I PM the contestant and try to work something out before the voting thread goes up. In this case it was just human error and I've already apologized for it. My "solution" to demote Eps to second and PG to first was because I felt that Eps losing first place was enough of a "consequence" for breaking the theme while still recognizing his efforts and the votes he gained. I know it felt unfair to remove the winning title so I extended the ability to partake in the theme creation process as a sort of consolation and apology for my mistake. However, due to the fact that P.G.'s entry also broke the rules of the theme as originally outlined, my solution backfired. I've pondered what to do about this for the last few days, and I think the only fair solution is to leave next months theme creation up to the entire community. I don't want to claim the title of winner, because I don't want to hear whines of my supposed bias. Do I defer to fourth place? Really it just becomes a mess of "what is right" at that point. The only fair solution is to let the community decide what they want to do for next month. In short, there is no one winner in last months contest. That is the fairest solution in my mind. No one is penalized for rule breaking, and everyone has a say in what they think the next months theme should be. In the end, this contest is first and foremost about fun and improving your skills. I know at least a few of you felt challenged and had fun last month. That's the real prize. Getting votes, picking a theme, those are nice but the real reward is the journey from idea to final entry. It sounds cheesy I know, but it's the truth. 2. The SOTM will be undergoing a review. As the contest has progressed over the last year and a half, it is important to sometimes look back and learn from our successes and mistakes. The first thing on the plate is theme creation and rules. There are other aspects that will follow, and as always if there are any comments, questions, or concerns about any aspect of the contest feel free to bring them up in this thread. Thanks.