Challenge Guidelines
Because not every work that is nominated by the members of the IYFG meets the requirements of the guild, a system where a member could anonymously challenge a work was set up.
A shorter and more concise FAQ page can be found here.
General
• No challenges of any kind are to be made on list at any time. All challenges to nominated stories or to the disqualification of any story are to be addressed in a direct email to one or more of the moderators (moderator email addresses are listed at the bottom of this document).
•A form to challenge fics anonymously can be found here.
• In accordance with Guild policy, the author of a nominated fic may request the withdrawal of his/her fic from the competition at any time, for any reason, without interference from the Guild.
• Challenges can be made at any time during the quarter up until the day after seconding ends, as long as they are handled properly (as per the following guidelines)—however, the sooner a challenge is made, the better. This allows the Challenge Committee sufficient time to deliberate and make an informed decision.
• Challenges can be made for any reason, as long as they are handled properly (as per the following guidelines)—however, in order to be sustained, a challenge must either be deemed by the Challenge Committee to have a basis in one or more of the given “valid reasons to challenge a nomination/disqualification,” or it must alert the Challenge Committee to a valid reason that has been thus far overlooked. (For the purposes of the latter situation, the Challenge Committee shall be responsible for determining whether or not a given challenge constitutes a “valid reason.”)
Valid reasons to challenge the nomination of a fanfic to the IYFG:
• The story employs incorrect grammar and/or spelling to an extent that it displays blatant linguistic carelessness, or that it hinders one’s enjoyment, understanding, and/or artistic appreciation of the story.
• The story is written in such a way that, although perhaps grammatically correct, it lacks the minimal narrative devices necessary for an intelligent and capable reader to follow the basic action of each scene, significantly hindering one’s enjoyment, understanding, and/or artistic appreciation of the story. This does not include cases in which any form of minimalism or misdirection is clearly and effectively being employed as a specific literary technique, but rather only cases in which it demonstrates a distinct lack of literary skill and attention on the part of the author.
• The story contains passages that have been plagiarized from another source (see the Guild’s definition of “plagiarism”).
• The story’s author has been confirmed by a reliable source to have committed plagiarism at some point within the last two years, but has not yet received punishment for the given offense from the Guild.
• The story’s author is currently under a nominations ban from the Inuyasha Fan Guild.
• The story has been nominated to a category for which it does not meet the proper technical qualifications, in accordance with the official category definitions.
• The story does not meet the nomination requirements for the present quarter in terms of update timing.
• The story was either nominated or seconded by the author him/herself, constituting a violation of Guild nominations policy.
• The story requires a statement confirming that the nominator/seconder is 17 years of age, and such a statement is either missing, or has been falsely given. (“CYA” statements are required for all stories that are rated MA and/or nominated in the Best Lemon Category.)
Challenge procedure
If you wish to challenge the nomination of a fanfic for one of the given reasons, send an email to one of the Challenge Moderators (emails can be found here) including the title of the fic being challenged, the name of the author, a link to the story, and an explanation of the reasons for challenging. If possible, please include specific examples/excerpts that demonstrate the reason for the challenge. If the challenge is one of plagiarism within the story being challenged, you must indicate the specific material that has allegedly been plagiarized and its original source. If the challenge is against an author who has been convicted of past plagiarism, you must provide either evidence of that past plagiarism or evidence of/links to discussions from whatever other list/site/organization first discovered and ruled on the previous incident.
These challenges are not to be made on list, but are only to be emailed directly to the Challenge Moderators (emails can be found here). If you are uncomfortable dealing with the Challenge Moderators for any reason, you may send the challenge directly to one of the other List Moderators.
Challenging a disqualification
If you believe that a story has been disqualified unfairly, you are welcome to challenge this disqualification. In order to challenge a disqualification you must submit to the Challenge Moderators (emails can be found here) an email including the title of the fic you find to be unjustly disqualified, the name of the author of said fic, a link to the story, and a detailed explanation of the reasons you feel this fic is not guilty of the charges for which it was disqualified. In cases involving plagiarism, substantial evidence and a convincing and detailed argument explaining why the content in question does not constitute plagiarism (in accordance with the Guild definition of the term) will be necessary.
If you believe that a story’s disqualification no longer applies because the author has updated, changed, or otherwise modified the piece and the problems that led to the original disqualification are no longer there, you can appeal the disqualification. In order to appeal the disqualification you must submit to the Challenge Moderators (emails can be found here) an email that includes the title of the fic you are appealing, the name of the author of said fic, a link to the story, and a request to appeal.
Challenges to disqualifications are not to be made on list, but are only to be emailed directly to the Challenge Moderators. If you are uncomfortable dealing with the Challenge Moderators for any reason, you may send the challenge directly to one of the other Moderators.
If you wish to express your disappointment with the disqualification of a fic, but do not feel you have the grounds to make a formal challenge, you are more than welcome to do so off list, or even to submit an email to one or all of the Moderators (emails can be found here) —however, we ask that you do not send such emails to the list at large. Also, while we encourage you to express your opinions freely and welcome your input, please do not inconvenience the Moderators with repeated emails on a single issue once both the matter and your complaint have been thoroughly and sufficiently addressed.
Valid reasons to challenge a disqualification
• New evidence demonstrates that the author has not committed the act or acts of plagiarism for which the story in question was disqualified.
• There currently exists on the internet an edited version of the story in question in which the infractions for which the story was disqualified have been corrected/eliminated.
• New evidence demonstrates that the technical charges for which the fic was disqualified (e.g. update timing, miscategorization, etc.) do not apply.
About the construction of the Challenge Committee
The Challenge Committee is composed of twenty members: the seven List Moderators, and thirteen other responsible and qualified Guild members. When a challenge is received, the members of the Challenge Committee examine the evidence provided and the fic in question, deliberate with the other members, and arrive at a final ruling through the use of a poll. A Challenge Committee poll is only considered valid if at least twelve members have voted, and a fic is only disqualified if a majority of the voting members deem this to be the appropriate action. In cases dealing with plagiarism the Challenge Committee must achieve a 2/3 majority vote in order for the charge to be sustained and punishment implemented. The Challenge Committee makes its rulings based on the criteria stated above, without regard for the subjective artistic qualities of the work or the members’ personal inclinations in terms of pairing, genre, subject matter, etc.
Moderator Emails
FrameofMind FrameofMind1701@aol.com
Patchcat swpatchcat@earthlink.net
Psyco_chick32swpatchcat@earthlink.net
RosieB Eagl2021@yahoo.com
General Mod Account: iyfgmoderator@gmail.com
Challenge Mod Account: IYFG.CC@gmail.com
