It's that time of the year again. The siren's call of the ENnies has been sounded and the question goes out; who will answer? Do you think you have what it takes to be an ENnies judge? Do you have the fortitude to stand up against the barrage of RPG products, the reflexes to navigate the plethora of text and toys, and the will to emerge with the finest goods produced during the year? If so, then this is a great opportunity for you!

Starting on July 1, 2010, people will be able to throw their hats in the ring and nominate themselves. The last day for nominating will be July 11, so you'll have plenty of time to make your decision. Voting for the judges will take place alongside voting for products and the winners will be announced at the ENnie Awards ceremony on August 6, 2010. Keep any eye out for my next post with a link to the form.

If you want more information about the current judges, please visit the judges page on the ENnie Awards site: http://www.ennie-awards.com/about/judges.asp. Also, all current judges will be following this post, so feel free to ask questions of them.

If you are thinking about running, here's a list of criteria you'll need to remember. All judges must:

• be at least 18 years of age as of August 6th, 2010 and able to enter into a legal contract;
• not have any professional relationship with any RPG publisher during the period from January 1st, 2009 to August 1st, 2011. Such relationships include unpaid work and work on free products;
• declare any relationship with any publisher (including EN Publishing, except for the Ceramic DM line) in which they receive money, product, or special consideration in exchange for their services;
• be able to read English and communicate clearly therein.

If you have a relationship with a publisher, even as a playtester, it is important that you notify the ENnies board of this so that they may determine whether you are eligible to seek a judge position.  In  cases of rule violation, conflict of interest, misrepresentation, or other factor(s) detrimental to the awards, the Board of Directors retains the right to alter the composition of the judging panel at any time.

Physical location is irrelevant - so long as you can accept packages year-round.

When you apply, you will be expected to fill out a questionnaire to help people best gauge how well they think you'll work as a judge. Here a couple of sample questions:

• What styles and genres of RPGs do you enjoy most? Are there any styles or genres that you do not enjoy? Which games best exemplify what you like?  Do you consider yourself a particular system’s, publisher’s or genre’s “fanboy/girl”?
• How would you like to see the ENnies change (categories, policies, etc)?  What should remain inviolate?

If you want to run, here is what is expected of you. All judges shall:

• access the ENnie Awards boards/e-mailing lists (for the purposes of corresponding with judges and interacting with directors and staff);

  • weekly on the designated ENnies forums and sharing an accurate list of what products they have received;
  • daily on the designated ENnies forums during judge deliberations (expected dates for 2011: June 1 - July 1);

• act in a professional and impartial manner;
• sign a non-disclosure agreement;
• in the event that they are removed from office, bear the expense of returning and/or forwarding the products received for review;
• pay any customs duties charged for submissions;
• if they attend Gen Con – Indy, work a minimum of two hours at the ENnies booth;
• if they attend Gen Con – Indy, attend the awards ceremony smartly attired;
• report to the Submissions Coordinator and Business Manager.

And, besides being able to say "I'm an ENnies Judge!" what else do you get? Judges:

• upon completion of reviewing, retain for personal use or otherwise dispose of products reviewed;
• receive a free Gen Con Indy 4-day pass.

Tony Law
ENnies Assistant Business Manager
[email]tony@ennieawards.com[/email]

For any of you that are thinking about it, it has been a good time.  The staff and other judges have both been awesome and the quality of submissions has been top-notch.  This was the first year that I threw my hat in and I'm definitely going for it again next year.  I encourage ANYONE that is interested to take a look.  You will read through tens of thousands of pages of text and you're going to listen to days worth of podcasts, but if you see that as a bonus rather than a drawback then step right up!

And the time is now, folks! If you want to throw your hat into the ring, fill out the application here: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dGhVWVR3YWY4Z19nN0lXMEo2MWlkeFE6MA..

You can visit this page at any time to view the applications for those that have already nominated themselves: http://www.ennie-awards.com/blog/?page_id=675

It will be updated as the applications come in.

Excellent, quite a few contenders already (including me!).

Read what we have to say, ask questions here or elsewhere, and decide for whom you wish to vote.

Hi! I am Princesskeyblade (PKB for short) and I am running for ENnies judge!

Any questions feel free to ask!

Thanks everyone.

Please, no more posting to this thread.

Best, Ron

Effectively immediately, Kennon Bauman has withdrawn his name as a 2011 ENnies Judge Nominee and has made the following statement:

"I respectfully withdraw my nomination as a potential ENnies judge for the 2010 season. I believe strongly in the integrity of the ENnie Awards, and wish no harm to come to their reputation or prestige, even among a vocal few, as a consequence of any action I have undertaken. I campaigned honestly and openly, and I see no evidence of any breach of confidence or immoral conduct on anyone's part. I would like to fervently thank those who have supported me thus far, and wish the remaining candidates the best of luck in the coming season. I'm sure I'll be talking to many of you before next year's electoral season, but for those who I don't -- see you then."
--Kennon C. Bauman