Thread "2015 DD Awards: Planning" in forum "Networking & Community Projects*"

Posted at 2:09PM, Sep. 26, 2014

Planning ~ Now - July

FYC Senario Contest ~ April/May (official dates TBA)

FYC Pages Accepted ~ June - July 12

The Drunk Duck Award Design Contest
Submissions ~ June 7 - 14
Voting ~ June 15 - 17

Drunk Duck Awards Voting Opens ~ July 5 - August 2

Tie Breakers (as needed) ~ August 3 - August 8

Finalists Announced/Volunteers Assigned ~ August 9 - August 15

Judging ~ August 16 - September 25

Emergency Wrap Up ~ September 26 - October 11

The Ceremony Begins ~ October 12

Original Post: Feel free to provide feedback and ideas here.

First of all, I would like to thank everyone for their hard work this year. This was the smoothest that the awards had ever run during my tenre as the MC. We weren't exactly turning volunteers away, but people were quick to offer help when asked. So, thank you.

One idea that was brought up after all the nominees was finalized as the reinstatement of the Best Newcomer Award. This used to be a user award, but it was removed due to all the system crashes. If people are starting to come back again, I have no problem reinstating this award. I believe the suggestion was to also add this for a comic too. That, I'm a little less sure of, but will certainly be open to discussion on.

I will also provide you with a word of wisdom that my dad always says, "If you think you can do better than me, than do so." Seriously, I love running these awards, and I will keep running them as long as you let me. However, if anyone wants to give them a try I will offer my support and sage wisdom.

Posted at 5:09AM, Sep. 28, 2014

Hard to complain since this is a community thing. It's as good as we all make it. :)

The only thing that felt a little off was the category that only had ONE comic in it. And it won. Surprise. Best 3D comic had two comics but by the same creator which also is kinda odd.

If there is little or no interest in one category maybe just skip it altogether in the contest? What point is there in winning a contest if there is only one person competing?

Posted at 6:09PM, Sep. 28, 2014

I cut out Best Manga because it didn't have any category with more than one vote in it. I decided to let Romace and Antagonist go through.

Romance would be one that would be on the chopping block because it hasn't had a lot of strength behind it lately.

As far as 3D goes there is no limit on how many comics by an author can be in one category. It has happened before, but there were a couple of other nominees in the mix.

Posted at 4:09AM, Sep. 29, 2014

You could replace 'Best Romance' with 'Best Drama' - that'd allow a few more categories to apply… maybe… (the word 'drama', sadly, doesn't have the best connotations these days…)

Posted at 11:09AM, Sep. 29, 2014

I agree with a "best drama." It has been suggested and shot down for several years, but I think we have many good "dramas" on DD that don't fit other categories (and most "romance" fit this as well).

Posted at 3:09PM, Sep. 30, 2014

Best drama as defined by what it isn't? Not a adventure, fantasy, sci-fi, manga, philosophical, superhero, horror etc is best drama? If it's none of the above it's best drama. But watch as all of the above are nominated in best drama.
Best Romance in a Comic. should be emphasized to include any realtionship in any comic not a romance comic. Too many think it has to be about twue wuv like the Barbara Cartland Chronicles or something. To choose an example you could nominate Oscar and Penelope from Typical Strange for best romance in a comic. That was what I was going to vote for anyway.
Didn't this category evolve from best couple? And that got all messed up as any duo could get nominated but all too often didn't. All the character awards are under utilized. So it was changed to best romance and voters thought it had to be a romantic comic as opposed to a comic with a romantic relationship in it.

Unless the Barbara Cartland chronicles or Harlequin Comix come here I think it's the best we could do.

Posted at 4:10AM, Oct. 9, 2014

That is the title of that award.

PBandJ: Rather than having a category of "Romance" which, to bravo's point, does tend to bring up thoughts of the old romance comics. Perhaps a simple re-titling to "Best Romance In A Comic" or something like that.

Posted at 3:10PM, Oct. 9, 2014

I think "Best Newcomer" award for a comic is a really neat idea! What would be the criteria - maybe started after the DD Awards the previous year?

Posted at 6:10PM, Oct. 9, 2014

It is called Best Romance in a Comic

Posted at 9:10AM, Oct. 13, 2014

Niccea wrote:
It is called Best Romance in a Comic

Yes, but my point is everyone reads it as Best Romance Comic. And thereby looks for a Romance comic as opposed to loking at romantic relationships within a comic that is ostensively not just about that romance.

For a bad example Wes and Nancy from Interstellar Bloodbeasts. It's a horror comic but their romance is in there. Or my favorite Penelope and Oscar in Typical Strange. It's a great (non-)relationship that just breaks me up and really adds flavor to the comic.

Posted at 5:10PM, Oct. 15, 2014

Sorry bravo, quote button did not work, I was responding to PBandJ's post about renaming it. I will put this on my to do list when we get closer to next year. It may do better to revamp the discription to make it a little more clear.

Posted at 7:10AM, Oct. 17, 2014

We tried to replace Best Romance with "best couple" but that didn't work. People wanted it to be "best duo" which is a different thing altogether. So they kept Best Romance and added best duo. I think it really lost its purpose through compromise, and both categories ended up kinda weak.

I don't think a drama is a "oh if it's not anything else, it's a drama" category. Drama is truly it's own thing. If it wasn't, I'd not be so quick to roll my eyes and change the channel when I see "drama" in the description of a movie or series. Drama is just as defined as horror or thriller. It is based on the emotional state and goals of the story. *Most* romance stories are also dramas, but some are comedies and some are adventures. Certainly there is overlap, like there is with any genre, but drama is definitely it's own thing. It's usually a story focused on a real world setting and is character-driven with a focus on emotions. Courtroom dramas, medical dramas, crime dramas, romantic dramas, high school dramas… They are not unrelated catch-all. You have a very similar mood and pacing to them and a shared purpose just as in any genre. While I'm not one who likes dramas, I certainly know people who do, and they seek them out. (My mind defines them as characters being all angsty and whining about all the problems in life instead of doing something about them. Or stories that have to solve problems through crying and yelling instead of with big guns or magic.)

Posted at 7:10AM, Oct. 17, 2014

I think having a "best drama" genre and a best romance (or couple) in the CHARACTER section (NOT a best duo) might be feasible.

I push for best drama every year, so I'm prepared to be shot down again. At least until we try it and see if it fails.

Posted at 6:10AM, Oct. 19, 2014

You did a great job at defining "drama" and saying what it is and making the case, but will it work?. You may have a clear view of what it is and what you want in that category but my fear is that no one else will. They'll nominate just about anything that doesn't obviously fit into any other genre and probably a great number of comics that are obviously sci-fi, horror and even manga. It may not be intended as a catch-all but it will end up as a catch-all.

I think if Casablanca or Gone with the Wind were Drunk duck comics what category would I vote for them in? It would have to be best drama, so you may have a point. But we need a good clear definition.

But look at the comic defiition menu on the search page. It lists drama as tone of the comic not as a type of story-telling. So if it isn't a comedy it's a drama. That means the this very site has this broad catch-all definition of drama that will include anything that isn't a comedy or a mixture. So would that have to change if we are going to have a category that doesn't include everything that isn't a comedy?

It comes down to establishing a definition. We do that and make it universal across the site I say go with the award. Short of that it won't work.

Posted at 7:10PM, Oct. 19, 2014

Worth a try. We've never tried it. We have "humor" and "adventure" categories. (Adventure is less defined than drama, in my opinion. Pretty much any comic can and does get nominated, but we've had the category for years.) Admittedly, humor is not the same thing as comedy in the strictest literary terms, but it is interpreted as such. None of the award categories are exclusive.

As I recall, last year (or the one before?) we had "slice-of-life/autobiography." It didn't get enough good candidates. We dropped it, I think. Someone suggested replacing that category with drama, but there wasn't enough interest. I really think they are all very closely related and can be a category (slice-of-life, romance, biography). I think "drama" best describes it and would be inclusive enough to get competition for an award.

The DD site categories have never been particularly strong or well-defined. That's why we stopped trying to base the awards on them years ago and started tweaking things.

We could call it drama/slice-of-life/romance or something to catch the intent better. I'd hate for the exceptional DD comics that fall exclusively to those genres to lose out. I think they are similar enough to combine. (If they aren't similar enough, combining can make things difficult for judging. Honestly, many "slice-of-life" fall squarly in the "humor" category, but the dramatic ones fit nothing else unless they are "romance." )

Posted at 5:03PM, Mar. 15, 2015

Hey guys! Get geared up because we will begin again soon. I won't start harassing for announcements until April.

Posted at 3:03PM, Mar. 19, 2015

Guess it is getting to that time.
I think it might be worth tryin gsomething a little different with the presentations this year, I have no idea what but something to make it a little different could be good.

Posted at 7:03AM, Mar. 20, 2015

If you come up with something different let us know. I generally haven't messed with the presentations too much because some really good pages come out of them. I would be concerned if they got restricted too much, we might lose the zip.

Posted at 1:03AM, Mar. 22, 2015

how about an awards quackcast radio play with people creatirs playing characters?

Posted at 5:03PM, Mar. 22, 2015

In addition to or in leiu of pages?

Actually I like the idea of having something to keep the excitement drummed up in July and August when the voting and judging is going on and the comic is rather blank. Might be fun to squeeze in a radio play at that time.

Not taking your idea or your fire. Been trying to find a way to keep the excitement going in July and August.

Posted at 1:03AM, Mar. 23, 2015

definitely in addition. pages are essential, this is a comic site after all.

Posted at 7:03PM, Mar. 24, 2015

So here is a list of things to go over for our planning:
Categories - Romance vs Drama (two categories enter one leaves)
Quackcast Tie-in - Something better than just me reading out the winners. Possibly a Radio Play.
FYC Senerio - Thinking of having a quick contest to decide what the FYC plot should be.

Posted at 12:03AM, Mar. 25, 2015

Would it be best romance/drama within a comic or best romance/drama comic?
The former suggests it just be an aspect and the latter a central focus.

Posted at 10:03AM, Mar. 25, 2015

HippieVan suggested best New Comic as a category - did that get shot down?

Posted at 4:03PM, Mar. 25, 2015

KimLuster wrote:
HippieVan suggested best New Comic as a category - did that get shot down?

Not yet. I just used the Drama/Romance debate to start out the category discussion. It was a major problem that happened last year. Manga, Best Romance within a Comic, and Best Antagonist. The Manga category had no comic that got more than one vote. The other two had only comic with more than one vote, but there were too many one votes to host a tie-breaker.