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LMFA: Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Light My Fire Awards?
The Light My Fire Awards are designed to honor outstanding Sentinel fanfiction, artwork, and websites available online.
Which stories are eligible for the awards?
Stories must be available online, in their entirety, and must fit into one of the specified categories. There are divisions for Gen and Slash with multiple categories in each division.
Are there any restrictions on when a story was posted? Can I nominate even really old stories?
All stories are eligible regardless of when they were first posted or published as long as they are readily available online with a working link between January 1st, 2007 and December 30th, 2007.
Which pieces of artwork are eligible for the awards?
All Sentinel-related artwork that is made available online, in its entirety, is eligible under this section. Thumbnails and watermarked art will not be eligible. Thumbnails are defined as reduced version of a picture, often (though not always) of poorer resolution. Art that is only available offline in its entirety are not considered eligible due to the nature of the LMFA being an internet-based award. If there is sufficient demand for including offline art, the Committee will consider including this for next year.
Which websites are eligible for the awards?
All websites made by a fan(s) of The Sentinel, and significantly dedicated to The Sentinel or its characters or actors, are eligible. Websites may contain fanfiction, artwork, or information. There is no restriction on the rating of the website content. The major Sentinel archives (852 Prospect and Cascade Library) are not eligible for this Section of the Awards.
How does the whole thing work?
Online Nominations will will open on January 1st, 2007 and we will accept nominations up until July 15th, 2007. We will take a short break to prepare the ballot and then open nominations for the 2008 Awards.
The nominations will be tabulated and the top five (5) stories nominated in each category will qualify for listing on the Awards Ballot. The nominees will be contacted, and any necessary adjustments made to confirm to the Rules, and the finalized Awards Ballot will be posted on the LMFA website. Votes will be accepted both online and via email during the voting period as specified in the Awards Schedule.
After the voting is closed, the votes will be counted, the winners notified and the list of winners posted on our Results Page. Further details on the procedure are available on the Rules page.
Is there a prize?
Just the recognition of your story's excellence by the online Sentinel fanfic community (and a nifty award graphic available for your website).
What are the divisions and categories?
In the "Fanfiction" section, there are two divisions, gen and slash. "Art" has three divisions, Gen, Romatic or Erotic, and Explicit Erotic. "Website" has two divisions, design and content. For a listing of the categories please see the Category Definitions page.
Do I have to know which division and category a story fits in to nominate it?
Online Nominations are structured so that you must nominate a story or series in a specific division and category. If for some reason we can't determine which category a nomination is for, such nominations will not be considered.
Who is eligible to nominate?
If you read Sentinel Fanfic online you are eligible.
Can I nominate my own story/art/website?
Yes, certainly!
Who is eligible to vote?
Anyone who reads Sentinel Fanfic online is eligible to vote.
Can I vote for my own story/art/website?
Yes, if you think it's the best in its category.
Would we have to get the author or artist's permission to nominate?
No, all stories are eligible for nomination. The LMFA Committee will then contact the authors who qualify for the Awards Ballot to check whether or not they wish to participate in the awards.
Can I nominate a whole series or only one story from it?
If a series fits a category, the entire series may be nominated. If a story from a series can stand on its own and fits in one of the categories, it may be nominated in that category. There is also a category for Outstanding Series.
What about stories that are posted at the archive in chapters -- do they count as one story (of the length of all the chapters) or as a series?
If each part can stand on its own as an individual story, then it can be considered a series, even if the individual stories are called "Story X Chapter 1" and so on. If a long story has been broken into smaller parts by the author or the archivist simply for ease of reading, then it is not a series.
What about unfinished stories or WIPs? Can I nominate them?
Not at this stage. If you feel strongly about it, you can suggest that category for next year's awards.
May I nominate more than one story per category?
You may nominate as many different stories as you like in each category.
I can't find the category for this story and I really want to nominate it! What do I do?
Guess! The categories are quite self-explanatory, and if you're still unsure, you can check the Category Definitions page. We've set this up so that each story should potentially fit into at least one category. Remember also the story length categories! Your story should at least fit there.
There are some categories or divisions that I don't read in, may I skip those and leave them blank?
Yes. You are welcome to nominate or vote only in the categories (or divisions) you choose.
You said these are an online awards, but I really like this timed-out zine story I just read. Can I nominate it?
Yes, you may nominate timed-out zine stories if the entire story is now available online.
How do I know who is a new author?
A New Author is someone who has not published Sentinel fiction prior to January 1, 2004. It takes a bit of an educated guess if the author does not have dates published on their website, but do the best you can. You may want to use the "search by date" function on 852 Prospect, or the New Authors page at Cascade Library. Or try emailing them -- they would probably be thrilled to know someone wants to nominate them! If you are still unsure if they are new or not, and feel strongly about the nomination, then you may wish to consider nominating them for the Outstanding Author category instead.
What do I do if an author does not have a personal webpage where their stories are listed?
In that case, please provide the name or url of an archive where their stories can be found.
How do I figure out the length of a story?
Copy the entire story into a text editor or word processor, save as text (not a Word document), then check the file size by clicking on Files > Properties. If the story is archived at 852 Prospect, then the file sizes listed there are also acceptable.
Are you going to include every story that's nominated?
In each category the five (5) stories that received the most nominations will make it to the Awards Ballot. There may be more than five stories if there is a tie, or less than five stories if there weren't enough nominations for that category.
I don't want to take part in these awards.
If you are an author, let us know and we'll put you on our exclusion list.
I can't make my mind up between two stories on the Ballot. Can I vote for both?
Sorry, no - you'll have to decide.
How can I ensure my story is considered for nomination?
Make sure it's available on the Internet, and nominate it yourself.
Can I change my mind after I have nominated?
You can always add categories or nominate more stories while nominations are open. We do prefer that you not change a nomination after it's been made, but in extentuating circumstances, email the Committee and we'll see if we can come up with a reasonable solution.
Can I change my mind after I have voted?
Yes, certainly - as long as voting is still open. After the voting period closes, your vote stands as-is. Just log back in and revote. However, please note: revoting in a single category within a division resets all of your votes in that division. Therefore, if you change your vote in the "Case and Action" category in the Slash Division, you must resubmit your entire ballot for the Slash Division.
Are members of the Awards Committee eligible for an award?
Yes. The winners are determined independently by public nomination and voting, with the Committee checking only for ballot stuffing. Additionally, a Committee member may not participate in the tallying for any division she may be eligible for. We feel that by using this system, there is no advantage for committee members, so if they have stories available on the Internet, then yes, they're eligible.
I want to help on the Committee - how do I join?
Email us at lmfawards@yahoogroups.com and one of the moderators will get in touch with you.
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