Leaky's Contests, The Basic Rules, FAQ, and Tips and Hints |
 Apr 5 2007, 05:50 PM
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Leaky's Newest Prefect  Posts: 969 Joined: 4:13am January 13, 2006 Location: in the Contests Kitchen!   |
Welcome to the home of TLC's Contest Endeavor!
In this post we have (almost!) everything you'll need to know about entering one of Leaky's contests! You can check out the rules which will apply to every contest we run, and also read the FAQs, if there's anything else you want to know. General Rules:
Frequently Asked Questions Why Leaky Contests? The contests are another way for Harry Potter fans to enjoy the series and have fun getting to know each other. It also gives fans an outlet for their creative side! Who is eligible to enter Leaky's Contests? Anyone aged 13 or over (from any country) is eligible to enter our contests. You do not have to be a member of the Leaky Lounge. Leaky’s Staff are also eligible to enter, as long as they are not part of the judging process. Can more than one person work on an entry to a contest? Unless specified within the contest rules, collaboration with others is not acceptable. This includes having them write or create any piece of your work, enhancing your work that is out of the ordinary "proofing" for grammatical and/or spelling errors, etc. Any entries found to include the work of others will be disqualified immediately. English is not my first language; can I have someone edit my piece for spelling and grammatical mistakes? Yes, you may. In fact, anyone may have someone edit their piece for only spelling and grammatical mistakes. It is the smart thing to do and the Contest Team really appreciates it when the simple mistakes of spelling and grammar are fixed. Editors are not allowed to help you enhance your entry through writing any of your work, pointing out where your story could be better written or clarified, etc. This will be deemed as a collaboration and disqualified unless collaborations are allowed for the contest. Can a fellow contestant edit my entry? Yes, he/she may as long as his/her own entry is submitted before he/she receives the piece to edit. This is to ensure that the editor does not take your idea, changes their entry after reading yours, etc. Is there a limit to the number of entries allowed per person for each contest? There will be a limit of entries per person to make the contest fair for everyone. This limit will be specified within each contest. In what form should the entry be sent? Entries may be sent by e-mail as an attachment, which is preferred, or in the body of the message. Please double-check the rules for each individual contest in regards to file format, but in general: • Text files should be submitted in .doc or .rtf formats. • Image files can be submitted in .jpg, .png or .gif formats. Please note that the entrants are responsible for the quality of the files we receive. What information should be included with my entry? • You must include the name you wish to be credited by (Leaky Lounge/Screen Names are acceptable). • Please include your preferred e-mail address. • Mailing addresses or telephone numbers are unnecessary. Will I receive a confirmation email after I enter? No. Unless there is a problem with your entry or you are a winner, you won't receive an email from us. How strictly should the contest's rules be followed? There are varying consequences depending on the rule broken. Some rules, such as the PG-13 rating, result in an automatic disqualification if broken. Other rules, such as word count, will receive a penalty issued during the judging process. The further from the rules you stray, the worse the penalty will be. How closely does my entry have to follow canon in the Harry Potter books? Canon will be judged on how closely you stick to the information that is in the series (not interviews). The closer you stick to canon, the more points your entry will receive in regards to canon. Large canon mistakes (this also includes misspelling characters' names) might result in an automatic rejection, even if the entry is well written. Each entry will be judged individually based on canon and some errors may be viewed as larger mistakes than others by the Judges. How long between contests? There will be approximately one month between the announcement of one contests and the next. This is subject to change depending on the popularity and complexity of each contest. How many winners will there be per contest? All contests will have general 1st, 2nd, and 3rd placing. Additional categories and placing may be included depending on the contest. When will we find out if we've won? If you win, your name will be announced on Leaky's main page and we will also send you an e-mail informing you that your entry has placed. What do we win? First place winners will receive a Custom Apprentice Wand from Wizard Wood Wands. All winning entries will be announced on Leaky's main page and posted on the Contest's webpage. All winners who are members of the Leaky Lounge will receive a nifty button saying "Contest Winner" to be placed underneath their location information when they post and, lastly, MyLeaky points will be distributed to those who win: 200 points for First Place, 150 points for Second Place, 100 points for Third Place, and 50 points for Honorable Mentions. What is being done to ensure that the judging process is carried out fairly? Keeping contests and the judging process fair is of the greatest importance to Leaky's contest endeavor. In addition to keeping entrants' names anonymous, detailed rubrics are followed to avoid voting for favorites. Who is judging the contests? The contest Judges are composed of a set number of dedicated and fair-minded members of the Leaky Staff. Their identities will remain anonymous in an effort to keep the contests as unbiased as possible. From time to time, there will be Guest Judges. Where can I view past winners and contests? You can view all previous contests and winners on our webpage here and in our archives here. Where do we send questions/queries about the contests? If the answer to your question is not found in the FAQ, you may post in the "Feedback/Queries" thread, or email us at contests@the-leaky-cauldron.org. So, what are you waiting for? Good luck! 
This post has been edited by mjk: Jul 7 2009, 03:49 PM -------------------- "Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should it mean that it is not real?" Avatar:iconseeyou |
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Sep 19 2007, 11:15 PM
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Exclusive distributor of The Dungbomb Protection Kit  Posts: 2,632 Joined: 10:52pm March 5, 2007  |
PG-13 CLARIFICATION
The Leaky Lounge requires all entries to abide by a PG-13 content rating. Please remember, establishing a rating is subjective, if you have a question about content, feel free to PM any member of the Contest Crew. The following are some examples of exceeding the PG-13 guidelines. These are only examples, all questionable material will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. * Any depictions/descriptions of illicit drug abuse is prohibited. * Realistic, intense, and persistent violence is not allowed, literary or visual. * Nudity or vivid descriptions of sexual activities will be disqualified. * Hard language not found in the text of the Harry Potter series is not allowed, and any expletives used in a sexual context will result in disqualification of the entry. Thanks for helping us keep Leaky a fun place for everyone! This post has been edited by Pyxis: Oct 3 2007, 11:23 AM |
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Jul 31 2008, 07:44 PM
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Trapped in a Gringott's Vault Posts: 2,903 Joined: 1:49pm October 25, 2005 Location: Monterey, CA |
Tips and Hints to Create an Even Better Entry:
This post has been edited by mjk: Aug 1 2008, 02:08 AM -------------------- Click the image for the latest contest and winners.  |
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