Kingdom A&S One Year Competition

[Heather Swann <heather@pop.net>]

Poster: Heather Swann <heather@pop.net>

Salutations, Gentles All!

I just want to say a few words about the Kingdom A&S Festival One Year
Competition.

Warning:  This may turn into a soapbox, but I'll try to keep it short
and to the point.

Since the One Year Competition, I've gotten a bunch of email telling me
what was wrong with it, what was upsetting about it, asking what it was
and why folks hadn't heard about it......let's just say rather a lot of
email.  Actually, to be more accurate, let's say a boot to the head.

This being the case, I figured it was easier to put my answers out here
so as to answer the same questions for those folks who have not yet sent
me email, thus saving them some trouble.

First, let me tell you what I knew about the competition:

I knew what I sent out as my announcement on the Merry Rose about two
and a half weeks ago.  How long ago did I know that information?  About
two and a half weeks ago.  It was basically my rewording of what
Brigette had originally sent out as an announcement.  I knew the
competition had been announced at least once in the Acorn, and once on
the Merry Rose prior to my announcement two and a half weeks ago.  I
don't know anything more about how it was advertised or the information
was put forth.  Brigette sent me email about three proposed entries.

Due to modern life conflicts, Brigette was not able to convey the
intended prize to the event or get it shipped there in time.  As a
substitute, I purchased two Barnes & Noble gift certificates for a first
and second place prize out of my own pocket (for those of you concerned
that event monies might have gone to pay for them) so we'd have
something to give out.  Brigette still has the original prize to ship to
the winner whose name presumably former KMOAS Celynen has.

I took on this competition at the last minute so that those who had
worked on entries all year would not be suddenly disappointed by a
cancellation and for no other reason.  I have always loved the arts &
sciences in Atlantia, and started in the Society as a local A&S officer.

There were three judges including myself, along with an advisory judge
in a case where we needed the fourth person's knowledge.  We used the
standard judging forms and the guidelines given for following them. 
After consideration, I think this competition should be judged
differently in future, and  I think these forms should be reworked a bit
for competitions in general.

After judging, we handed the forms over to KMOAS Celynen for tallying. 
Neither I nor any of the other judges would have known the winners until
they were announced, and I personally still don't know since I missed
Court.

I did not choose the space for the competition.  I had asked for a
corner of the hall, but by the time I got there, everyone had set up in
the middle of the hall.  I do not know why this was so.  I apologize for
not arriving earlier, but my transportation did not get there sooner.  I
apologize for not arriving before noon, and in a tired state.

There seems to have been some confusion as to what sort of thing should
have been entered in the one year competition as opposed to the regular
competitions.  I'm sorry if that was the case.  I don't know how that
was decided.  We simply judged the entries in the main hall that had
cards for the one year competition.

Just because it makes me feel better to say it, I would like to note
that I don't think this is the way Brigette, Celynen, or myself would
have run this had we had time to organize and set things up differently,
and I wouldn't run it this way in the future.

No, I don't know if the current KMOAS wishes to run this competition
again next year.  I'd suggest we might try it as a display next year.

I think that covers all the comments/questions I've received.

Thank you for your patience.  I didn't mean to rant, but I wanted to
make clear some things that were obviously not clear to folks.
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