Categories

I thought it would be nice to have drabbles for people to get their feet wet, and longer fic also. There are 2 main categories: Drabble (100 words exactly), and Longer fic (1000 words+). Then there are 3 levels. I haven't decided on names yet. You can all send suggestions.

Level 1 is for authors who haven't won a J/C Voyager contest yet. Level 2 is for authors who have won in Launching Pad a maximum of two times. Level 3 if for authors who have won no more than two awards in other J/C Voyager contests. (Winning = 1st or 2nd place. Authors placing 2nd might still be eligible if the contest owner gave out extra awards. See definitions below. Ask me if in doubt.)

Rules

• The rating for your story must be clearly indicated at the top of the page containing your story, not just on your index page.
• Stories may be new or old - but the specific story may not have won before in any contest. (I'm ignoring my "Haiku" contest for the purposes of establishing eligibility.)
• Level 1 - The author may not have placed first or second in any J/C Voyager fic contest. (You may still be eligible if the contest owner gave "extra awards".)
• Level 2 - The author may have placed first or second in 1 or 2 previous Launching Pad contests. (Obviously, this level will start to make more sense after Launching Pad has run several times.)
• Level 3 - The author may have placed first or second in up to 2 other J/C Voyager contests. (You may still be eligible if the contest owner gave "extra awards".)
• Extra awards definition. Anything beyond 1 award for every 3 stories entered is extra. If there were 3 stories entered and the owner gave 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, only 1st would count for the purposes of Launching Pad eligibility. If there were 4 stories entered then 1st and 2nd would count.
• Prizes will be awarded as follows - 1st if there are at least 3 entries; 1st, 2nd if there are 4 to 6 entries; and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd for categories with 7 or more entries.
• Stories must be Janeway/Chakotay in nature. Other m/f pairings may be included, but the focus must be J/C.
• There will be no set subject for the stories. In short, you can write about pretty much whatever you want; however, Mary Sue, rape, excessive violence and slash are excluded. But then, that shouldn't be a problem since the fic will be G - PG13.
• The overall length of the story depends on the category. Drabbles are 100 words exactly. Entries in Longer Stories must be at least 1000 words.
• An author may enter 1 story per category. You may enter any level for which you are eligible - different stories for each category. For example, an author who has not won anything yet can enter all three levels if they wish. Once the Reading/Voting starts, stories may not be withdraw, but I will make corrections.
• If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask. E-mail me at anne3rose@yahoo.com. And if I manage to contradict myself on different pages the rules page takes precedence.

Banners

Dakota made some lovely banners for Launching Pad. Please use these banners to link back to Launching Pad at http://annerose.cjb.net/contests/launching_main.html