Morrus said:
If it's not a set date, then by definition it can't be a standard period of time.
I'm talking about the standard period of time
for review of the submissions, not a standard period of time
for the submissions to be made. IMO, the former is more important to allow adequate time for a fair review by the committee members.
Morrus said:
The reasoning for the set date is so that everybody knows when the deadline is each year - because it's the same as it was the previous year, and the year before that. Easy to remember. No publishers saying "Oh, oops, I thought the deadline was xxxx... is it still OK if we send our entries in?" and stuff like that.
No matter when the date for the submissions deadline is set, some people will miss it.
As it is now, the date hasn't been set until half the submission period has elapsed and few people have found it difficult to make the effort and verify the deadline. By setting the date based on one month and one week prior to the first day of Gencon each year, the deadline is automatically set by default as soon as the dates for Gencon are announced, which if I am not mistaken, is announced by Gencon of the previous year. It seems to me that would plenty of time for anyone who cares to figure it out even if they cannot follow simple links to where you post the exact date of the deadline. Setting the date and posting it on your own pages could now happen much sooner and without any need to arbitrarily choose a date by simply taking the date of next year's Gencon, adding a week prior to it for voting, then backing it out by one month for the submission deadline and review period. No great feat there.
One of the biggest points of contention among the publishers who voiced their opinions of the process after the close of the ENnies last year was that certain publishers gained advantage simply because their products were more popular, which often reflected their advertising budgets, ability to saturate the market, and other factors not necessarily related to the actual quality of the materials submitted. While, admittedly, once products have been nominated, the voters will always vote more heavily for what they actually know. That is not something that the ENnies process can really address in an effective way.
However, the nominations process can address and effect this contention for either good or ill. If the amount of time given for reviewing of submitted materials is not standardized to an adequate length of time, there will be years in which the process is rushed, and of course this will have the effect of allowing materials to be prejudged based on what the particular members of the committee have personally purchased rather than their being able to fairly review all of the material and make their recommendations based on fair and equal review of all submitted materials.
We seem to agree that some standards being set would be helpful to the process, but you seem to feel that the deadline for submissions is more important than the amount of time needed to give fair consideration to the submissions. I was understanding what you meant, but perhaps I wasn't making myself clear with what I meant. Hopefully I've expressed it more clearly this time.
). I am really looking forward to doing the reading and loosing the sleep if I get picked. I am also in the military (on a boring land billet for the USCG 
stupid Yeoman) so I know what deadlines mean. I have discussed what the commitment would require of me with my wife if I was nominated and she is happy as a pig in ... well happy. She has also seen me take on these endevors and knows that I would make a good canidate. She is also very supportive when I say things like, "Well I probably wont get picked, but if I do." she will respond with "And why wouldent they pick you, I will vote for you." (god I got lucky!) Well enough babbeling, I just wanted to talk to someone about this competition, my nervs are in a bunch about this 
)
