Rules

1: The primary focus of all stories must be the relationship between Buffy and Spike. Secondary pairings such as Willow/Tara, Xander/Anya etc, are all acceptable, but must not be the main storyline.

2: Stories must fit the categories they are nominated in. Please read over the category descriptions before nominating a fiction. Any story nominated in the wrong category will not be included.

3: Make sure to fill the nomination form out completely.

4: A single fic can be nominated in up to three categories. Best Author and Best New Author are not included toward the total number of categories. PLEASE NOTE: Special categories for Round 5 do not count toward the total category numbers. This means a fic can be nominated in three categories PLUS ONE special category. If this is unclear at all, email me at spark_and_burn_awards@yahoo.com.au

5: A maximum of two fics per author can be nominated per category.

6: Nominations can be made by readers or authors. E-mail confirmations of the nomination will be sent out to authors once they have been approved.

7: Winners and runner-ups of fiction are ineligible to be nominated again in that category.

8: Fics do not have to be complete to be nominated. Obviously the more of a story, the easier it will be to judge. Please ensure the story nominated meets the minimum chapter requirement if it is still a WIP. (Check the categories page for specific requirements.)

9: All-human stories (fantasy/au) can be nominated in all categories except for Best Alternate Reality.

10: Fics must be archived at either a personal website, an automated posting website (such as ff.net, Elysian Fields, Spuffy Realm, The Bloodshedverse, Sweet Temptation to name a few) or on a LiveJournal. Any story of more than one part or chapter archived on LiveJournal must be easily followed, such as on the memories page.

11: Fiction posted in groups (MSN, Yahoo, etc.) are not eligible as not all judges may have access to these facilities.

12: Any fic not accessible during the judging period will be disqualified.

13: Nomination buttons are available. Linking to Spark and Burn Awards with a button is a great way of notifying your readers that your work is being recognised. Link buttons are not compulsory but it would be nice if one could be uploaded where the nominated fic is located.

14: Only individual stories can be nominated; sequels are considered new stories and must be nominated separately.

15: No more than fifteen stories will be accepted per category. Once this limit has been met all other nominations will be disregarded.

16: A minimum of five stories per category are required for that category to be included in judging for a round. If the minimum is not met any nominated fics will be pushed over into the next round.

17: All stories archived at any of the Dark Solace sites (and other sites of the judging staff) can be nominated. However inclusion of these stories in nominations is pending judging assignments.

18: When filling out the nomination form and asked if you read the rules, put "Oh... My head."

19: Any nomination in violation of any of the rules will be deleted.

If you have any questions about any of the preceding rules, please contact me.

Spark and Burn Awards (c) Amy