AFFA competition FAQ
This is the general FAQ pertaining to the AFFA Competition, and should be read in conjunction with the AFFA Competition Rules. Information specific to a particular Competition, such as the actual competition dates, the Nominations Listing and Winners Listing can be accessed on the pages relevant for each year’s Competition.THE AFFA COMPETITION IN DETAIL
- When is the AFFA Competition held?
- What is a ‘Host Site’?
- Why was the AFFA Competition held in 2008 called the 2007 AFFA Competition?
- What is the ‘Nominations Window’?
- What is the ‘Preparation Window’?
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What is the ‘
- What is the ‘Voting Window’?
- How do I submit my Nominations?
- How do I submit my Votes?
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What time-zone is the AFFA Competition associated with? For example;
- One of the stories nominated is only available on a membership restricted site I do not have access to. Is it eligible for the AFFA Competition? And if so, how can I read it to compare it with the other stories nominated?
- I don’t want my work to be reposted on a temporary website for the AFFA Competition. How do I stop it from occurring, and will it affect my work’s eligibility?
- There is a story I wish to nominate that was recently re-posted on a new site, but I am aware it was first posted on a different site last year. Can I still nominate it for this year’s AFFA Competition?
- There is a great story that is set with the same world as the TMNT, but does not actually include any of the turtles. Can I still nominate it?
- A story I wish to nominate is broken up into chapters, but all of the chapters are included together in the same post. Can I still nominate it for ‘Best Multi-chapter’?
- Can I nominate a piece of poetry / a drabble / a script / a round-robin story / a ‘crack’ fic?
- What happens if only one story or piece of artwork is nominated for a Category?
- Can I tell an author/artist that I have nominated them? If I don’t, how will they know?
- While I enjoy some Adult material, the subject of some of the AFFA Categories I do not wish to read. Can I still participate in the competition without having to read all of the Categories or Nominated works? Can I skip Nominating or Voting for a particular Category?
- In the event my work is re-posted temporarily upon the AFFA Competition Website, will all the warnings I included in my original posting of the work be included?
- How will I know when and which of my works have been nominated? Can I deny permission for only some of my works to be included?
- A work I nominated was rejected due to it having an invalid rating. Can I ask the author / artist to revise their rating?
- A work I wish to nominate has an invalid rating, and the author / artist does not wish to revise their rating. Is there any other way I can nominate their work?
- I don’t want my works to be included in the AFFA Competition. How can I prevent them being nominated?
- I DO want my works to be included in the AFFA Competition. How can I make sure they get nominated?
- How many times can I submit Nominations per Competition?
- Can I nominate my own works?
- How many times can I submit a Voting Ballot per Competition?
- Can I vote for my own works?
- Are the AFFA Competition Staff allowed to nominate and vote?
- Are the votes kept secret?
- What happens if two works receive the same number of votes?
- How will I know when and which of my nominated works have won or placed in the AFFA Competition?
- I believe one of the works nominated is a copy or very similar to another work I’ve seen by that was created by different person, but no credit has been given to the original creator. Is this considered acceptable behavior by the AFFA Competition Staff?
- Someone has repeatedly spammed me in relation to the AFFA Competition / has made what I consider to be inappropriate comments regarding the works I had nominated in the AFFA Competition, or how they fared. What, if anything, can I do about it?
GENERAL / AFFA HISTORY
- When did the AFFA Competition begin?
- Who were the Host Sites for the 2006 AFFA Competition?
- Who were the Host Sites for the 2007 AFFA Competition?
- Who are the Host Sites for the 2008 AFFA Competition?
- What do the AFFA Competition Certificates look like?
- Who can submit artwork for the AFFA Competition Certificates? What are the rating restrictions for the artwork?
- The AFFA Competition Logo looks familiar. Where is it from?
- What are the FFA / FanFiction Awards? Are they the same as the AFFA?
THE AFFA COMPETITION IN DETAIL
When is the AFFA Competition held?
The AFFA Competition is held once a year, usually starting in January. The dates for each competition are made available upon the AFFA Competition Website, and are usually published on the participating Host Sites during the proceeding December. The Competition itself lasts for seven weeks.
A Host Site is any forum and/or web-site that allows the AFFA Competition to be advertised, and updates regarding the competitions’ progress to be posted, for any given year.
Why was the AFFA Competition held in 2008 called the 2007 AFFA Competition?
Each AFFA Competition covers the works posted within the previous calendar year. Therefore the competition held in January 2008 was actually the 2007 AFFA Competition, since it covered the works posted during 2007.
What is the ‘Nominations Window’?
The dates for the Competition are broken down into four separate ‘Windows’, each Window lasting either one or two weeks. The entire Competition itself lasts for seven weeks.
The first Window, lasting for two weeks, is dedicated to Nominations only. During this time people may submit their nominations for works to be included in that year’s competition. This is also the time when permission is sought from Authors/Artists who have been nominated for their works to be included in the AFFA Competition. If this permission is not received, or is denied, the work is not included in the AFFA Competition. Authors/Artists are given up to an additional week, during the ‘Preparation Window’, after the close of nominations to give or decline their permission.
Please try to get your nominations submissions in asap. When you nominate a work the AFFA Competition Staff must find a way to contact the author / artist and then gain their permission to include the work(s) you have nominated within the time-frame of the Nomination and Preparation Windows. The more time you give the AFFA Competition Staff to do this the better, since if permission is NOT received for whatever reason (ie the author / artist could not check their messages and respond in time), the work(s) you nominated CANNOT be included in the AFFA Competition.
For more details on Nominations see the Nominations Rules.
Nominations may only be submitted using the Online Nomination Form.
What is the ‘Preparation Window’?
The dates for the Competition are broken down into four separate ‘Windows’, each Window lasting either one or two weeks. The entire Competition itself lasts for seven weeks.
The second Window, lasting for one week, is dedicated to the Preparation and finalization of the Nominations List. This time is utilized by the AFFA Staff to complete their investigations all of the nominated stories to make sure they are eligible, and organize posting the temporary stories upon the AFFA Competition Website. It also gives those nominated late in the Nominations Window more time to reply to their permission request, if needed.
If the Nominations List is finalized and everything else set to go before the end of the Preparation Window the Reading Window will be opened earlier, possibly giving voters more time to read all of the entrants.
The dates for the Competition are broken down into four separate ‘Windows’, each Window lasting either one or two weeks. The entire Competition itself lasts for seven weeks.
The third Window, lasting for two weeks, is dedicated to reading the nominated stories only. This time is set aside to allow people a reasonable amount of time to read each story that has been nominated, without any other Competition-related distractions. It also allows the AFFA Competition staff time to prepare for the Voting Window.
Please note, in the event the Nominations Listing is finalized and ready to post prior to the nominal start of the Reading Window, the Reading Window will be opened earlier to give readers even more time to peruse all of the Nominated works they wish to. In this case, the Reading Window will still close as per the Competition Timetable published for that given year. (ie, the Reading Window will not close any earlier than originally scheduled.)
The dates for the Competition are broken down into four separate ‘Windows’, each Window lasting either one or two weeks. The entire Competition itself lasts for seven weeks.
The fourth Window, lasting for two weeks, is dedicated to Voting. During this time people may continue to peruse the nominated works and also submit their votes for works included in that year’s competition. The results of the Voting are published as soon as possible after the close of the Voting Window, usually within 48 hours.
For more details on Voting see the Voting Rules.
Voting Ballots may only be submitted using the Online Voting Ballot Form.
How do I submit my Nominations?
To complete this form correctly you must;
Enter your internet username in the field provided for ‘Your name’. Please note that the AFFA Staff do keep track of aliases used by members of the TMNT Fandom. We will not accept a second Nomination Submission from any one person, whether submitted under the same name as the initial submission, or under a known alias. Your Nomination Submission will be rejected if a name is not entered in this field.
Enter your email address in the field provided for ‘Your email’. This is necessary in order for the AFFA Competition Website to send you a confirmation that your submission has been sent in successfully. And for the AFFA Staff to be able to contact you, in the event there are any issues arising from your Nominations Submission. Your Nomination Submission will be rejected if a valid email address is not provided in this field.
Select the name of any turtle supplied in the drop-down menu. By selecting any name you confirm to the AFFA Staff that you are 18 years of age, or older; that you understand and accept the rules of the AFFA Competition; and that you are not a bot. Your Nomination Submission will be rejected if the ‘no choice’ option remains selected in this field.
For each Category there are two fields provided for you to submit your Nominations. Please Submit one work per field. A maximum of two works per Category can be Nominated. There is no requirement to submit two Nominations for every Category. There is no requirement to submit Nominations for all of the Categories. Where you wish to submit only one, or no, works for a given Category, please leave the un-required fields blank.
Please enter the details for each work you wish to Nominate, in the appropriate field provided beside the Category you wish to Nominate it for, in this format;
Full title of the work (chapter reference, if needed) – name of the Author/Artist of the work – a link or reference to the location of the work
For more details on Nominations see the Nominations Rules.
TBA
What time-zone is the AFFA Competition associated with? For example;
Since the AFFA Competition is a global event, it is not linked to any particular time-zone. This does allow a bit of ‘slack’ in the Competition deadlines for most. For example, once the time occurs for any given Competition Window to open in any part of the world, it is considered open for all. Likewise, a Competition deadline is not considered to have passed, until it has passed for the entire world. This means you can readily comply with the Competition timetable without having to relate it to a possibly different time zone. It also means that, if you live in a place where a midnight deadline (for example) has already passed for your time zone, but another time zone has not yet passed it, you may still make submissions to the AFFA Competition ‘on time’.
One of the stories nominated is only available on a membership restricted site I do not have access to. Is it eligible for the AFFA Competition? And if so, how can I read it to compare it with the other stories nominated?
Stories from anywhere online that meet the other entry criteria are all eligible for the AFFA Competition. The stories nominated that are only available on membership restricted sites are temporarily hosted upon this AFFA Competition Website for the purpose of this competition, and to allow all stories to be equally accessible to all AFFA Competition participants. These stories usually continue to be available for approximately two weeks after the winners are announced, to allow those who didn’t get a chance to read them during the competition, or who would like to re-visit them, a chance to do so.
I don’t want my work to be reposted on a temporary website for the AFFA Competition. How do I stop it from occurring, and will it affect my work’s eligibility?
Permission is sought from every nominated author/artist to temporarily re-post the works on the AFFA Competition Website; for the duration of, and a brief period after, that year’s AFFA Competition. In the event this permission is denied, all of the work(s) from that author/artist are removed from the AFFA Competition for that year. This is to ensure all nominees are placed upon a level playing field, and that all Competition Participants have equal opportunity to access all of the works nominated.
Please note however, that works are only temporarily re-posted upon the AFFA Competition Website for the purposes of the Competition in the event the works are posted ONLY on member restricted sites at the time of the Competition. Therefore, if you wish to retain control of how your work is posted, we suggest cross-posting your AFFA eligible works to an Adult work-friendly, non-member restricted site, such as the TMNT/Usagi Yojimbo fanfic archive site Pizzas and Scrolls. This option allows you total control over the formatting, notes and warnings you wish to use for your works, as well as giving your works the benefits of greater exposure to a wider audience, and thus the possibility of gaining more feedback and fans.
There is a story I wish to nominate that was recently re-posted on a new site, but I am aware it was first posted on a different site last year. Can I still nominate it for this year’s AFFA Competition?
With the exception of the final written works category (Hawtest of the Hawt), all other categories are only open to those stories posted, or updated with NEW material (ie not re-writes), for the first time on-line on or after the 1st January within the specific AFFA Competition Year and/or before or on 31st December within the specific AFFA Competition Year. Please do not nominate stories for any other category that you are aware have been posted on an alternative site outside of these dates. They will be ineligible for the AFFA Competition.
There is a great story that is set with the same world as the TMNT, but does not actually include any of the turtles. Can I still nominate it?
Yes. Unless specifically stated within a category description, the nominated stories do not necessarily have to include one of the TMNT, only be set within their ‘reality’. For example; if you have discovered a fine bit of writing detailing April and Irma exploring their femininity together, such a story would be eligible for nomination for ‘Most Sensual Supporting Character’, ‘Best Yaoi / Yuri’ and whichever other categories would suit the story. Hmm… probably not ‘Best Use of a Tail’. XD
A story I wish to nominate is broken up into chapters, but all of the chapters are included together in the same post. Can I still nominate it for ‘Best Multi-chapter’?
Yes. AFFA Competition Staff go on the authors' designation of chapters. Therefore multi-chapter stories that are designated as such, even if the entire story is contained within the same post are still considered 'multi-chapter' for the purposes of this competition.
Can I nominate a piece of poetry / a drabble / a script / a round-robin story / a ‘crack’ fic?
Yes. The AFFA Competition is open to any style or genre of written work.
What happens if only one story or piece of artwork is nominated for a Category?
In the event that only one work is nominated for a particular Category, that work will be deemed the winner.
Can I tell an author/artist that I have nominated them? If I don’t, how will they know?
Yes, you may inform those you have nominated yourself. However, the AFFA Competition Staff do attempt to notify every author and artist whose work receives a nomination, to gain permission to enter their work into the AFFA Competition. If an author or artist cannot be contacted by AFFA Competition Staff, refuses the inclusion of their works, or fails to reply to the request prior to the close of the Preparation Window, those works will be withdrawn from the AFFA Competition for that year.
While I enjoy some Adult material, the subject of some of the AFFA Categories I do not wish to read. Can I still participate in the competition without having to read all of the Categories or Nominated works? Can I skip Nominating or Voting for a particular Category?
You do not have to nominate or vote for every Category. If there is a Category within the AFFA Competition you do not wish to read, there is an option to not submit a nomination or vote available for every Category upon the Nomination and Voting Ballot Forms. No one is expecting you to read material you may find distasteful or disturbing. And there is no need to vote for the works that are competing directly against your own either.
If you are worried that your tastes in works may be too extreme / tame / weird for this competition, know that the AFFA Competition Staff are not judgmental types, and no-one else will know what you nominated or voted for unless you tell them. The greater the range of input we have to the competition, the richer it will be! And everybody's opinion is relevant and valued.
In the event my work is re-posted temporarily upon the AFFA Competition Website, will all the warnings I included in my original posting of the work be included?
Yes. The AFFA Competition encourages warnings to be included on all Adult Works. Therefore the AFFA Staff do endeavor to recreate works, including all of the Authors’ original notes and warnings, as accurately as possible when there is a requirement they be reposted upon the AFFA Competition Website.
Please note that works are only temporarily re-posted upon the AFFA Competition Website for the purposes of the Competition in the event the works are posted ONLY on member restricted sites at the time of the Competition. Therefore, if you wish to retain control of how your work is posted, we suggest cross-posting your AFFA eligible works to an Adult work-friendly, non-member restricted site, such as the TMNT/Usagi Yojimbo fanfic archive site Pizzas and Scrolls. This option allows you total control over the formatting, notes and warnings you wish to use for your works, as well as giving your works the benefits of greater exposure to a wider audience, and thus the possibility of gaining more feedback and fans.
How will I know when and which of my works have been nominated? Can I deny permission for only some of my works to be included?
The AFFA Competition Staff do attempt to promptly notify every author and artist whose work receives a nomination, to gain permission to enter their work(s) into the AFFA Competition. However, the permission requested covers ALL eligible work by the author / artist for that years’ AFFA Competition. If permission for one work is denied by the creator, ALL of that author’s / artist’s works will be removed from that year’s AFFA Competition.
Therefore, the permission request is only sent out once, when the first nomination for any work by a particular author / artist is received by the AFFA Competition Staff. Therefore, the permission request does not include the details of the particular work that triggered the permission request. This saves time and work on behalf of the AFFA Competition Staff, and saves nominees being potentially spammed with numerous nomination notifications, be they for the same or differing works.
It also makes the AFFA Competition itself more exciting, as the final Nominations List is revealed to both nominators and nominees at the same time. The Nominations List is revealed as soon as it is finalized, at the latest within the last 24 hours of the Preparation Window. The Nominations List is posted upon the AFFA Competition Website, and links to the List are then posted upon the Host Sites for any given year.
Please note; if an author or artist cannot be contacted in regards to giving permission for their works to be included in the AFFA Competition, has not made their wishes known to the AFFA Competition Staff prior to the Competition, refuses the inclusion of any of their works, or fails to reply to the request prior to the close of the Preparation Window, those works will be withdrawn from the AFFA Competition for that year.
A work I nominated was rejected due to it having an invalid rating. Can I ask the author / artist to revise their rating?
Where a work is nominated with an invalid or unclear rating (ie less than ‘M’, or equivalent) the nomination will be rejected by the AFFA Competition Staff. If you wish to nominate a lower rated work, it is your responsibility to contact the creator of the work to ask if they would be happy to change the rating to make the story eligible for the AFFA Competition. Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES is an author or artist to be harangued into making such a decision if they are unwilling to. Such action will be dealt with in accordance with the AFFA Bullying Policy.
A work I wish to nominate has an invalid rating, and the author / artist does not wish to revise their rating. Is there any other way I can nominate their work?
The AFFA Competition cannot accept any work that is rated less than ‘M’ (or equivalent). However, there is another annual competition held within the TMNT Fandom, which does cater for all fanfiction rated up to, and including, ‘M’. The FanFiction Awards (FFA) are held at the Stealthy Stories Forum each year, usually in January. You can also find information pertaining to the 2008 FanFiction Awards on a journal dedicated to it upon Live Journal.
I don’t want my works to be included in the AFFA Competition. How can I prevent them being nominated?
It is not possible to prevent a work from being nominated. However, the AFFA Competition Staff do attempt to notify every author and artist whose work receives a nomination, to gain permission to enter their work into the AFFA Competition. If an author or artist cannot be contacted, refuses the inclusion of their works, or fails to reply to the request prior to the close of the Preparation Window those works will be withdrawn from the AFFA Competition for that year.
If you wish your works to be permanently excluded from the AFFA Competition you may add your name to the AFFA Competition Ongoing Permission Denied Register found within the Member Restricted section of the AFFA Forum. If you do not wish to become a member of the AFFA Forum, you can have your name added to this register by sending a message to the AFFA Competition Staff with your request.
Adding your name to the ‘AFFA Competition Ongoing Permission Denied Register’ will result in any nomination of your works being automatically rejected for all AFFA Competitions from that point on. Therefore you will not be notified of any nominations your works may receive, nor will you receive any other AFFA Competition specific emails or PMs directly from AFFA Competition Staff. Your username will be made available to Competition Participants each year (nominators and voters), so Participants are aware that nominations for your works will not be accepted into the AFFA Competition, preventing possible frustration.
You can remove your name from the ‘AFFA Competition Ongoing Permission Denied Register’ at any time, if you wish.
I DO want my works to be included in the AFFA Competition. How can I make sure they get nominated?
It is not possible for the AFFA Competition Staff to guarantee a particular work will be nominated. The best way to ensure your work is nominated is to create a great piece of eligible work and hope for the best. There is a trend that those who receive nominations are more inclined to submit nominations in themselves. Therefore submitting your nominations early may increase your chances of one of your works being nominated in return.
The AFFA Competition Staff do attempt to notify every author and artist whose work receives a nomination, to gain permission to enter their work into the AFFA Competition. If an author or artist cannot be contacted, refuses the inclusion of their works, or fails to reply to the request prior to the close of the Preparation Window, those works will be withdrawn from the AFFA Competition for that year. Therefore, please check your messages regularly during the AFFA Competition Nominations Window, to ensure you do not miss your chance to respond to a request to include your works.
If you wish any of your nominated works to be permanently included in the AFFA Competition you may add your name to the AFFA Competition Ongoing Permission Granted Register found within the Member Restricted section of the AFFA Forum. If you do not wish to become a member of the AFFA Forum, you can have your name added to this register by sending a message to the AFFA Competition Staff with your request.
Adding your name to the ‘AFFA Competition Ongoing Permission Granted Register’ will result in any nomination of your works being automatically accepted for all AFFA Competitions from that point on. You will continue to be sent a permission request in the event you receive any nominations for a given Competition, so you are just as aware as every other competitor that one or more of your works have been nominated. However, your works will be included in the Competition regardless of whether you respond to the permission request or not.
You can remove your name from the ‘AFFA Competition Ongoing Permission Granted Register’ at any time, if you wish.
How many times can I submit Nominations per Competition?
Only one submission of an Online Nominations Form per person per Competition is allowed, unless there are mitigating circumstances. AFFA Competition Staff do keep a record of all nominations, and who submitted them, so please do not try to submit nominations twice. Under normal circumstances AFFA Competition Staff will not accept any second submission of nominations from any one person. However, the Online Nominations Form does allow you to Nominate up to a maximum of two works per Category per Competition.
If there are mitigating circumstances arising from your nominations submission, the AFFA Competition Staff will contact you to arrange a re-submission. Please note however that the following circumstances DO NOT qualify as ‘mitigating circumstances’;
- A work you have nominated has already received a nomination for the same Category.
- A work you have nominated does not receive permission from its’ creator to be included in the competition.
- You decide you would like to adjust your original nominations submission.
- You decide you would like to add another, or delete a work to your original nominations submission.
No. The AFFA Competition is a contest where the merit of each work is decided upon by your peers. Anyone who nominates their own work will have their entire Nomination submission rejected and omitted from the competition, no exceptions.
How many times can I submit a Voting Ballot per Competition?
Only one Voting Ballot submission per person is allowed. AFFA Competition Staff do keep a record of all votes, and who submitted them, so please do not try to vote twice. We will not accept any second ballot from any one person. No exceptions. You cannot change your vote once submitted. Be certain of your choices.
No. The AFFA Competition is a contest where the merit of each work is decided upon by your peers. Anyone who votes for their own work will have their entire Voting Ballot rejected and omitted from the competition, no exceptions.
Are the AFFA Competition Staff allowed to nominate and vote?
The AFFA Competition Staff, and those involved with running the Host Sites, are allowed to participate in the AFFA Competition, subject to the same rules and restrictions as all other participants.
All information relating to AFFA Competition participants, Nomination submissions and Voting Ballots is kept confidential by the AFFA Competition Staff, and those involved with running the Host Sites, as far as is practicable. AFFA Competition Staff, and those involved with running the Host Sites, are not responsible for any information pertaining to the AFFA Competition published by other individuals.
The actual number of votes any particular work receives in the AFFA Competition is not made public, merely the placing it achieves within the Winners List (ie
What happens if two works receive the same number of votes?
In the event that two works within a Category receive an equal number of votes, they will be considered ‘tied’ and share in the accolade. Where the votes are enough for the works to be eligible for First, Second or Third placement, both works will receive a Certificate stating the placement they achieved. (ie both will be listed as ‘First Place Winner’ on their respective Certificates.)
How will I know when and which of my nominated works have won or placed in the AFFA Competition?
The Winners List is posted upon the AFFA Competition Website as soon as possible after the close of voting, usually within 24 hours. Links to the Winners List are then posted upon the Host Sites for any given year. Winners can also be notified via email or PM, when requested.
I believe one of the works nominated is a copy or very similar to another work I’ve seen by that was created by different person, but no credit has been given to the original creator. Is this considered acceptable behavior by the AFFA Competition Staff?
No, this is plagiarism. As per Wikipedia: ‘Plagiarism is the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work.’
Works found to be plagiarized are not eligible for the AFFA Competition. For more information refer to the AFFA Plagiarism Policy.
Someone has repeatedly spammed me in relation to the AFFA Competition / has made what I consider to be inappropriate comments regarding the works I had nominated in the AFFA Competition, or how they fared. What, if anything, can I do about it?
You can report the abuse to the AFFA Competition Staff, as this kind of behavior is not tolerable. For more information refer to the AFFA Bullying Policy.
GENERAL / AFFA HISTORY
When did the AFFA Competition begin?
The first AFFA Competition was held in January 2007, covering the Adult TMNT stories posted during 2006. Therefore, this inaugural competition was known as the ‘2006 AFFA Competition’.
Who were the Host Sites for the 2006 AFFA Competition?
The host sites for the 2006 AFFA Competition were Stealthy Stories: Naughty Fanatics Unite (where the idea for the competition was first spawned) and Mikey’s Adult Forum. Links to all of these sites can be found upon the AFFA Links Page.
Who were the Host Sites for the 2007 AFFA Competition?
The host sites for the 2006 AFFA Competition were Stealthy Stories: Naughty Fanatics Unite and the Live Journal communities TMNT_Adult, Turtlecest and Turtleslash. Links to all of these sites can be found upon the AFFA Links Page.
Who are the Host Sites for the 2008 AFFA Competition?
The host sites for the 2008 AFFA Competition are Stealthy Stories: Naughty Fanatics Unite and the Live Journal communities TMNT_Adult, Turtlecest, Turtleslash, Turtlehet and TMNT_arts. Links to all of these sites can be found upon the AFFA Links Page.
What do the AFFA Competition Certificates look like?
All of the past AFFA Competition Certificates can be found in the AFFA Certificate Gallery.
Who can submit artwork for the AFFA Competition Certificates? What are the rating restrictions for the artwork?
Anyone may submit certificate artwork to the AFFA Competition, although claiming a certificate to submit for is run on a ‘first come, first served’ basis each year. You can claim a Certificate you wish to submit artwork for at any time, not just during the AFFA Competition itself. New artwork for each Certificate is encouraged each year.
There are no restrictions placed on the content of the artwork submitted for the AFFA Certificates, other than they be submitted in JPEG format. They can be of any rating, in any style. In the past Certificates have featured penciled line-art, digitally rendered art, a photograph, any form of visual art is acceptable. Existing art can also be used; it does not have to be created specifically for this competition. So long as it’s yours, and you think it suits the category you submit it for.
You can claim a Category to submit artwork by sending a request to the AFFA Competition Staff at any time of the year.
The AFFA Competition Logo looks familiar. Where is it from?
The AFFA Competition Logo was derived from a PG-13 rated partially illustrated text created by Tab. You can find the original work on the public boards at the Stealthy Stories Forum.
This particular image has been associated with the AFFA from the first competition held in 2007. When it was decided to award certificates to the winners the AFFA Competition Staff put out a call for artwork. We did get a response from a couple of artists, namely Sewer Slider and Kismet, who both contributed wonderful artwork applicable to a small number of the Certificates. However, we were left wondering how we could produce Certificates for all of the other Categories. Of the 16 Categories in the first AFFA Competition, there were 11 left in need of artwork. So we searched for something that said "TMNT" and "Adult" at first glance, but was not overly specific or explicit.
It was then that the AFFA Competition Staff approached Tab to ask her permission to utilize a panel from her work mentioned above. To our great joy Tab not only agreed to the use of her art as is, she has allowed us to recolour it for specific Certificates in the 2007 awards (namely to reflect each of the turtles' favourite colours for the 'Best Specific Turtle' Awards) and to the green tones used in the present AFFA Logo for all of the other Category Certificates we needed.
The 'green silhouette', as we have come to call this image, still stands as our main default Certificate image, when no other art is available for a specific Category. Given its' history with the AFFA Competition, we felt it was the natural choice to become the Competition Logo. It has been modified, and is used for the purposes of the AFFA Website, Forum and Competition, with very kind permission from Tab.
We do ask that you do not use the AFFA Logos or Avatars in any way or form without prior express consent given by the AFFA Staff. We do keep Tab informed of just where and how her art is utilized, and wish to continue to do so.
As of April 2008 the AFFA Logos or Avatars are also used on the Host Sites to make formal AFFA Related Posts. This helps to distinguish when the AFFA Staff are posting on behalf of the Competition, or are making personal posts.
What are the FFA / FanFiction Awards? Are they the same as the AFFA?
The FanFiction Awards (FFA) are held at the Stealthy Stories Forum each year, usually in January. The FFA caters for fanfiction that is publically available only, and is rated up to and including ‘M’ (or equivalent) but is not sexually explicit.
The FFA and the AFFA are not co-administered, or otherwise officially connected, in any way. However this does not exclude anybody from being involved in either, or both, competitions. In fact, the AFFA and FFA Staff encourage participation in both competitions, where possible.
You can also find information pertaining to the 2008 FanFiction Awards on a journal dedicated to it upon Live Journal