We think we have worked out a pretty fair way to judge your stories. And in the interests of transparency, here it is.
After closing date, the entries will be divided up between the Selectors.
Each story will be read by at least two of the Selectors, to avoid unconscious personal bias for or against a particular genre, style or subject getting in the way.
Selectors will NOT read stories written by friends or family members. |
Each Selector will submit a shortlist, each story accompanied by a short note on why it is worth considering, plus any weak points, and recommendations for improvement.
Since each story gets read at least twice, there are likely to be common recommendations. These automatically get promoted to Stage Four. If the numbers are around 40 at this stage, Stage Three will be eliminated. |
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The stories that only one Selector liked now get a third opinion - they're divided up among the Selectors again, but read by Selectors who haven't seen them before.
Selectors recommend a Yes or No, with a note as in Stage Two.
If the total number (including stories already selected in Stage Two) of stories is around 40 at this point, the judging moves to Stage Four. If not, the so-far-unselected stories get a fourth opinion from Selectors who have not read them before.
After the fourth read, if less than 35 stories have been selected, the Editors may choose to reduce the number of stories to be published.
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The shorlist of around 40-45 stories will be pruned to 35 based on consensus from the Editors. These 35 stories will be divided up between the Editors, and each editor, armed with the notes generated by the Selectors in Stages Two and Three, and input from the other editors, will work with her/his set of authors on a one-to-one basis to polish up the entries.
The fine-tuned entries will then get another read by at least one of the other editors for additional input.
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