In order to be able to announce next year's judges at the ENnies ceremony at Gen Con, I want to hold the elections for the 5 positions shortly.  

Just like we did for this year's Nominees will be asked to submit a completed form and have another individual second their nomination.  In addition, each candidate will be asked to answer up to ten questions to help establish their platform.  I hope to encourage discussion over multiple boards as well, but thought that the basic 10 questions could help save some time.

So.
If you've been thinking of being a judge, I highly recommend you read Master of the Game's blog about his experience this past year to get an idea of the scope of work.  Talk it over with your significant other.  Then watch //www.ennieawards.com for more details.  Judges do not need to be affiliated with any board, although they might find it helpful to drum up support using the various RPG boards out there.
If you're interested in the process, think of a question or two you think it is important for each judge to answer.  I will pick the best and include them as part of the entry form.  I will try to watch as many boards as possible, but can't guarantee I'll have a chance to visit them all, so please consider emailing denise@ennieawards.com with your question suggestions.

Timeframe:
-Declaration of candidacy will begin July 16th (the day voting begins for the 2007 ENnies products and publishers)
-The final nominees list will be posted July 30th, the day after the last day of voting for the 2007 ENnies products and publishers.
-Voting runs August 6-12th.

Already?

Just seems like yesterday we had the last selection.

Not sure if I can throw my hat in this far ahead of time. :confused:

Quote from: McrowAlready?

Just seems like yesterday we had the last selection.

Not sure if I can throw my hat in this far ahead of time. :confused:

The idea is to be able to announce the 2008 panel at the ENnies.  Hopefully a few of the judges will be in attendance and will be able to take home with them a preliminary pile of material to evaluate.  This should reduce some of the crunch time stress and let them get started on their reading.

Even if you're not planning on running, I hope you might help generate some of the questions you'd like the candidates to answer.

Starting August 6th, we will be opening the polls again to select the judges for the 2008 Awards. The winners will be announced at the ENnies ceremony at Gen Con Indy on Friday the 17th of August, 2007. Choosing the judges this early facilitates shipping product and gives them additional time to evaluate each submission.

Judging products is hard work requiring thousands of pages of reading and extensive consultation with other judges on the panel but it can be deeply rewarding, giving fans exposure to new products they might not otherwise have considered and allowing them to influence the hobby as a whole by highlighting excellence in the industry. Nevertheless, this is not a responsibility to take on lightly. Because of the substantial demands it places on one's volunteer time, it is important to think through one's family, relationship, employment and other volunteer commitments before agreeing to stand as a candidate. For more information on one judge's experience, we invite you to investigate "In My Judgement".

If you think that you would be able to devote the time and energy needed to adjudicate the hundreds of products publishers will submit this year, please consider nominating yourself for a judging spot for this year's awards. Or, if you know of another individual who you think would be a strong addition to our judging panel, please consider submitting his or her name for nomination.

Nomination forms are available for download from http://www.ennieawards.com/voting.html (and while you're there, you might as well vote for your favourite fan sites, products and publishers for this years' Awards!

I'm thinking of giving it a shot this next year.  Its far enough ahead that I can plan accordingly.

Quote from: Zachary The FirstI'm thinking of giving it a shot this next year.  Its far enough ahead that I can plan accordingly.

If you can take the workload, go for it Zachary!

-clash

Quote from: flyingmiceIf you can take the workload, go for it Zachary!

-clash

Thanks, buddy.  I'm going to go ahead and throw my hat in the ring.  I'll do my best to be as fair and impartial as possible, while bringing my love of and experience in RPGs and the hobby to this contest to give each product as best an evaluation as I can.  It'll be a lot of work, but with my new schedule, I've got the time for it now.

Zachary, I'm 100% behind you.  Rock, rock on!

Thank you!  And please, if any of you see any judge Q&A threads on any board that I miss or may not have seen, please let me know--I want to be as open, direct, and public as possible in this.

Nominations for the coveted five seats on the judging panel for the 2008 Gen Con EN World RPG Awards are coming in already.  Those received that meet all the requirements have been uploaded to http://www.ennieawards.com/judgenominees.html
where I invite everyone to look them over.  Of course, you're welcome to ask them additional questions, and if a thread gets started on any particular board, if someone tells me about it I'll link to it.

Don't forget, if you're planning on running, you have until Monday, July 30th to submit your application.  Please be sure to read through the instructions clearly, since any omission could result in untimely delays in the posting of your information (and could also be a sign of your inability to comprehend and follow simple rules, which does not bode well for a judge!)  The sooner you get your application in, the sooner I can upload it and the sooner fandom can get to know you better.

Voting begins August 6th and runs for one week only.  Results will be announced at the ENnies ceremony Friday, August 17th at Gen Con Indy.

Quote from: Zachary The FirstThank you!  And please, if any of you see any judge Q&A threads on any board that I miss or may not have seen, please let me know--I want to be as open, direct, and public as possible in this.

Has anyone nominated you yet, Zachary? If not I will.

-clash

Quote from: flyingmiceHas anyone nominated you yet, Zachary? If not I will.

-clash

Yeah, I think we're good!  Thanks!

I've finished my application and questions, and am just working on typing them up!

Just e-mailed in my questions and answers.  I'll be starting a Q&A thread soon in addition to the questions that will be on my nominee profile; hopefully, we can get a few more of the noms to come over & participate.  If not, I'll still be happy to answer whatever I can.