h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The judges need to be selected carefully. People who actually can identify a decent piece of writing. If we have two categories, I'm thinking we need separate judges for them. If we can find enough people who are willing. We'll need an odd number so there won't be a lot of tie votes.

Rev Nick has volunteered to be a judge for prose, but not for poetry.

Thanks, Nick.

Depending on the number of submissions you'll get, you'll need lots of judges for this project.
I'd volunteer, but I don't think I'd be any good at judging.

We should have at least 3 judges for each category. We need to decide exactly how many categories.

Just imagine you get, say, 500 submissions for a ctaegory, do you think three judges would be sufficient to deal with the amount?

It would, perhaps, have to depend on how many submissions there are. To then try to create enough categories, and seek judges adequate for each. You yourself have quite a varied taste in reading, B'Elana. So to be involved in perhaps 2, 3 or more categories still wouldn't be so trying. My own reading tastes seem to exclude only outright fantasy and romance. So I could be of assistance in perhaps several directions.

In brief(er), this IS still an idea that is in bud. Much to be thought out, planned for, and try to meet eventualities before they happen. Before it is all sprung forth as an actual competition.

Hyp says:

>>People who actually can identify a decent piece of writing.<<

I think that rules me out. All I can tell is whether or not a text appeals to me.

You have quite a lot of experience of personal reading, and now as a Scout. Whether a piece appeals to your personal interests or not, I'm sure that you are eminently qualified to recognize a well thought out and written entry, as opposed to a haphazard dash-together measure of words.

Yes, maybe. But I still think that those involved in the UG as well as in the EG are much better qualified.

The idea is still in its infancy, and many ideas yet to ponder. One will be a way to reach folks of every level ... PR, EG, UG and even casual ASK and other forum folks. This site must have an amazing membership count by now, and quite a lot are more passive than even I. But with more to offer than can be guessed at. I'll step back for a bit for now, and ponder.

I don't think I could be a good judge. I'd be worried that a piece might be well written, but if it didn't interest me I wouldn't be able to bring myself to finish reading it.

I nominate Jordan.

There are a lot of people who would make good judges. Shall we wait for volunteers or begin asking people to participate? Pin and Waz would both be great choices. And there are many others, if we can get them interested. Of course judges will be ineligible to enter the contest.

I'd be happy to judge prose. I have no poetry experience to speak of. I guess guidelines for judges will need to be thought about as well as guidelines for authors...

Could we really get 500 entries?

Fb

Thanks, Fb. So we have Nick and Fb so far for prose.

I realize that the Prez initially asked for volunteers rather than nominations, so I hope she'll forgive me.

It's often said that if someone is crazy enough to want to hold elective office, that's a pretty good sign that they're not fit enough for service (the same goes with most firearms in my mind, but that's another matter). So in the spirit of encouraging the modest, here are a few community members (off the top of my head) who I think should be approached about being judges once this gets underway. I'll just start off with judges for the EG/non-fiction category.

Gnomon - A master of clarity, concision and technical matters especially, and one of the most prolific writers for the Edited Guide.
Mu Beta/B - Creator of the Entry of the Month Post Column, longtime EG writer and notable smartass (a term in this instance used endearingly).
Skankyrich/Rich - Founder of the h2g2 researcher's group, Post Editor, AViator, and just about everything else you can think of.
Pinniped - A brilliant writer, a crusader for change in PR and the EG, a scout, etc...
Personally I'd like to ask Felonious Monk, but I don't think he's around, or would accept, and he tends (whether intentionally or not) to make things unnecessarily contentious.

For the UG category, I'd just take a look at the current and past participants in the AWW and UG, especially Waz, minorVogonpoet, Pin and dmitri. Perhaps Ben would be interested. I've noticed her poking around recently.

I'd like to reiterate again that these nominations are only being made of people who I believe are too modest to volunteer, and are off the top of my head at 2:30 AM. Your absence from this list does not necessarily mean I believe you're unqualified/immodest/unintelligent.