The policy is based on the idea that K-Com doesn't have time to scour the internet (or even the boards) for eligible stories, and then try to hunt down the authors to see if they want them included, or not. Some other fandoms do it that way, I'm told, but since we've got such a splendid archive system, this seemed a lot easier.
And then can you imagine the howls that would go up if K-Com missed some stories?
These boards are great, but in past years there was a fair amount of antagonism and fractionalism, with accusations of bias being tossed about. It got very unpleasant, and K-Com was often a target.
This way, the responsibility is on the author -- submit it to the archive and it will be eligible, this year or next, based on upload date. You want to fiddle with the elibility year, or skip the archive, just send an email. K-Com will be happy to oblige you.
PJ
