What are the basics?

The Inuyasha FanGuild goes through a nomination and voting period four times a year, or once per quarter for 19 different categories.You can find the categories and their definitions on this page. During the 4th quarter, we vote on the Best Completed Multi-Chapter Story award. In the 1st quarter, we vote on the Hidden Treasure Award.

Each quarter is divided into three main components. A nominating period kicks off the proceedings. Once nominations are closed, there is a seconding period. At the end of the seconding period, voting begins. There is a separate poll for each category. You can vote once in each category and can change your vote at any time while the poll is open. Polls close automatically.

Who can nominate, second, or vote?

Any member can nominate; any member can second. All members are heartily encouraged to vote.

What is eligible to be nominated?

There are very few exceptions on what you can or cannot nominate so long as you remember a few rules:

• Nominated works must be available on a public site (no membership required to view). Some examples of acceptable hosting sites can be found here.
• Spelling, grammar, and presentation are important. If the work is illegible, members may move to ignore the nomination until the fic has been fixed.
• Works must have been updated (i.e. a new work or a new chapter) within the quarter of the nomination period.
• Works cannot be on the Forbidden List for that quarter. The list is posted on the Yahoo! Group at the beginning of each quarter. It includes banned authors, authors who do not wish to be nominated, and the 1st place winners from the previous quarter. Fics from the last quarter cannot be nominated in the category where they placed 1st, but can be nominated for other categories.

Are there any other rules for nominations?

• You cannot nominate your own work.
• You can nominate only one story per category.
• You cannot nominate the same story into more than three categories.
• You cannot nominate the same author into more than six categories.
• You must provide a note stating you are an adult (17+) if you are nominating a work in the Best Lemon Category or one that is rated MA.
• You may only nominate during the specified nomination times as posted on the Yahoo! Group.

How do I Nominate?

Send an email to the list. The subject line should include the word Nomination or Nominating, and include the relevant time period (Third Quarter 2007, etc.).
In the body of the message, “I am over 17″ is required if the nomination contains a work rated MA or is for Best Lemon.

Category: (the award category, see Category Note below)
Title: (the story’s title)
Author: (the story’s author)
Rating: (the story’s rating, see Rating Note below)
URL: (the story’s web address; it appears in the address bar on your web browser)
Nominated by: (your name as person nominating; pen name, nickname or screen name is fine)
Also nice but not necessary: alternate links, if you know them, particularly if the story has split ratings.

Three categories require additional information. In the Characterization category, please indicate the specific character you are nominating the work for. In the Original Character category, please indicate the specific original character you are nominating the work for. In the Yaoi/Yuri category, please indicate whether the work is yaoi or yuri for the comfort of our readers.

Category Note:
The nominator decides whether a story qualifies as, say, drama as opposed to comedy based on the definitions of each category. (It is possible for a single story to be nominated for both.) Don’t worry about what it says on the archive. Serial Fic and Oneshot are defined and mutually exclusive, as are Canon Fic and Alternate Reality/Universe. Short-Short nominees must abide by the word count limit.

Rating Note:
The IYFG recognizes the ratings system used by fanfiction.net (as designed by FictionRatings.com): K, K+, T, M, MA. All recommendations and nominations should be given using this system. For those unfamiliar with the system, a guide is provided here.

Are there any rules for Seconding?

There are even fewer rules for seconding than there are for nominating.

• You can only second works that have been nominated.
• You may only second during the specified times as posted on the Yahoo! Group.
• You cannot second your own work.
• You cannot second your own nomination.
• You may only second one work in each category.
• You must provide a note stating you are an adult (17+) if you are seconding in the Best Lemon Category or one that is rated MA.

How do I Second?

Send an email to the list. The subject line should include the word “second” or “seconding” and include the relevant time period (Third Quarter 2007, etc.).

The body of the text needs only to say something easily recognizable along the lines of: I second [title] by [author] for [category].
You can also use this format:

Category:
Title:
Author:
Seconded by:

A “CYA Statement” is required if you are seconding in Best Lemon, or if the fic in question is rated MA. “I am over 17″ is all we ask for.

How do I vote?

This is the simple part! Sign into Yahoo! Groups and go to the Polls section of the list home page:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/iyfanguild/polls.

There is one poll for each category; click on the categories you wish to vote in. In the new window, click the circle next to the appropriate title and then click Vote. You can change your vote at any time until the poll closes.

You also have the option of registering a “no award should be given” vote in any category where you feel there are no appropriate choices. Should 75% or more of the populace choose this option no places will be awarded in that category.

My question isn’t here!

Please feel free to email the moderators at IYFGmoderator@gmail.com with any questions not answered on this page.