Hey FoLCs!
We’ve been working diligently behind the scenes (well, with a bit of a break over the holidays!) to make sure the eligible stories list is accurate and discussing the category list at length! And now we’re finally ready to announce the categories and the schedule for this year’s Kerth Awards.
We’re hoping to get activities up and running soon, so stay tuned on that!
2023 Schedule:Activities: These will start soon and will end when the nomination period starts on March 12th.
Nomination period: From March 12th to March 26th, we’ll have a nominations form up for everyone to submit their favorites for each category!
Post Nominee Shortlist: April 4th
Voting period: From April 9th to April 23rd, the official ballot for final votes will be open.
Ceremony: Saturday, April 29th at a time yet to be determined (but we’ll do our best to accommodate the majority of FoLCs across the world).
And what you’ve all been waiting for—the category list for 2023!
Best Super-Short Story (1-10kb) Best Short Story (11-50kb)Best Mid-Length Story (51-200kb)Best Long Story (201+kb)Best Comedy StoryBest Dramatic Story Best Waffy StoryBest Revelation Best Episode Adaptation (rewrite/fix-it/in-betweenie)Best Elseworlds/AU StoryBest Kiss Best Original Character/Supporting CharacterBest Challenge ResponseBest Overall StoryBest Commenter/Feedback GiverBest Original FanartBest Super-Short Story (1-10kb) These are stories that are up to approximately 1800 words.Best Short Story (11-50kb) These are stories that are approximately 1800 to 9000 words.Best Mid-Length Story (51-200kb)These are stories that are approximately 9000 to 36,000 words.Best Long Story (201+kb)These are stories that are longer than approximately 36,000 words.Note: These length categories will be officially counted by kb. But since we know that a lot of people have a better understanding of word count these days, we’ve provided the approximate range for each category. Please note that these are approximate based on the average of 5.5 bytes per word (and rounded), and because they are averages, they won’t always correspond directly with the actual word count of the stories. Best Comedy StoryThese are the stories that made you laugh out loud this year. Whether they’re full of puns or totally absurd or just a series of hilariously unfortunate events, the purpose of these stories is to amuse the reader and make them laugh.
Best Dramatic StoryDramatic stories keep us on the edge of our seats. They’re filled with exciting and suspenseful events and can be similar in tone to the show's episodes or tackle a more serious subject matter. They will generally, though not always, contain a significant A-plot.
Best Waffy StoryAh, those Warm and Fuzzy Feelings. These fun, feel-good stories are full of the cozy, happy moments that make us smile and the romantic moments that make us swoon.
Best Revelation Clark Kent is….Superman?! No matter how many revelations we read, the readers always want more. This category honors the best of them – whether that means shocking, hilarious, or tear-jerking. Although Lois is most often the one to discover Clark’s secret, any fic that reveals Clark’s secret to any character is eligible in this category.
Best Episode Adaptation (rewrite/fix-it/in-betweenie)Episode Adaptations alter the events of, or start from a specific point in, a particular episode. This includes full episode rewrites, alternate endings, and in-betweenies that fill in the little moments we didn’t see on screen. .
Best Elseworlds/AU StoryAlternate Universe and Elseworlds stories tell the tale of Lois and/or Clark in a world other than the one we saw on television. This includes stories about the Alt-Clark and his Lois that we met on the show and new versions of our favorite characters wholly created and imagined by the author. This category includes stories set pre-Pilot, stories set outside of Metropolis, stories set outside of the years the show ran on television, and stories where major changes have been made to the backstory/nature of the characters. This category also includes Crossover stories.
Best Kiss “Since the invention of the kiss there have been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind.” Which kiss left them all behind this year?
Best Original Character/Supporting CharacterThe show may be called Lois and Clark, but sometimes another character really steals the show. This award honors characters other than Lois or Clark whom an author has taken extra care to make shine. This includes any of the original supporting cast – good or evil – as well as new original characters. Characters are eligible whether they are the star of their own story or a supporting character in Lois and Clark’s story who captures the audience’s heart.
Best Challenge ResponseThis award honors the extra creativity required to craft a story around a certain set of parameters. This includes all stories written in response to challenges and ficathons posted on the Lois and Clark Fanfic Message Board (any challenge regardless of the year it was posted; but only story responses that were posted in 2022 are eligible).
Best Overall StoryThe best of the best. Your very favorite. The one story you would recommend first to a new reader. The story you come back to again and again. All stories posted this year are eligible for this award.
Best Commenter/Feedback GiverPublic feedback is the lifeblood of this community. Whether it’s the brief but unfailing encouragement of our most faithful readers or the gushing comments with detailed feedback or the hilariously absurd predictions and suggestions about where the story is headed…feedback threads are every bit as entertaining to read as the stories. This award honors the FOLCs who take time out of their busy days to leave feedback for authors. Without them, there would be no stories – they keep the writers writing and the readers reading.
Best Original FanartThis new category honors the artists among us. Any original piece of fanart – banners, posters, trailers, music videos, etc – made and shared in 2022 is eligible.
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A few notes as we wrap up...
A note about Best New Author: Although we do not have enough new authors this year to field a competitive category, we want to honor this beloved category and the new authors still joining our fandom after all these years. Instead of voting on and awarding a single Best New Author, we’ll be featuring each of this year’s new authors during the ceremony with their own introduction segment. These segments will be scattered throughout the ceremony and will highlight each new author's portfolio of work this year and introduce them to the fandom as a whole.
Stay tuned for a post about fanart as we make our best attempt to collect all the eligible fanart!
And, finally, please feel free to let us know here if you have any questions, concerns, or comments!
Have a question? Ask it here! Or you can PM any of the K-Com members or reach out on Discord too! You can also send an email to us here:
Kcom@kerthawards.comThe Kerth Committee
(Sara, Michael, Annie, and lovetvfan)
Other 2023 Kerth posts…Kerth Announcement Post / IndexEligible stories listOfficial Kickoff Post (Schedule and Categories)Eligible Fanart and Opt-In OpportunityTake the Poll: Ceremony Dates and TimesOfficial Nominees for 2023 Nominations Closed and THANK YOU!Call for VolunteersVoting Has Started2023 Ceremony Information — Where and HowVoting Has Closed OFFICIAL CEREMONY TIME AND SCHEDULEThe Winners! That’s a Wrap!Activities25th Annual Kerth Awards 2023: Activity—Writer’s Year in Review25th Annual Kerth Awards 2023: Activity—Reader’s Year in Review25th Annual Kerth Awards 2023: Activity—Kerth Challenges
