Hollywood has finished its big night, but the most prestigious awards are still to come. That’s right. We’re talking about the 6th Annual LAMMY Awards!

The LAMMY’s honor the talent, dedication and expertise that exists within our blogging community. They represent the time of year when we, just like Hollywood, put on our classiest gowns and tuxedos to show our admiration and respect for our peers. While no one starts blogging just to win awards, there is nothing quite like the thrill of being recognized for work well done. Particularly for new or younger bloggers, often living in places where cinema lovers are underappreciated, these awards may be the first time they have had public, communal recognition for their efforts. And even for those who don’t win, the simple act of submitting a blog for consideration can often lead to more readers, followers and subscribers. For all of these reasons, it is our hope that the 6th Annual LAMMY Awards will be the most positive and supportive season ever.

When the first LAMMY Awards took place, the LAMB was a small but energetic community of roughly 75 blogs. Today we boast 1550 sites and represent a wide diversity of interests, styles and personalities. The LAMB has grown, and this year we are implementing several changes that reflect that growth:

• We are presenting all of the rules and timelines up front, despite their length, so that everyone can plan accordingly.
• We are expanding the scope and number of categories to encompass a more diverse range of blog types.
• We are experimenting with a four stage process of submittals, nominations, final voting and evaluation to assure that everyone is given a chance to be considered and heard.
• We will have two moderators this year, Joel of Deny Everything and David of Never Too Early Movie Predictions, both of whose sites, along with The LAMB and its two podcasts, The LAMBcast and The Film Pasture, will be ineligible for awards consideration in any category in order to help keep everything running smoothly, professionally and impartially.
• And with your help, we hope to have the largest voter turnout in LAMMY history.

Scroll down to read the complete list of rules, categories, prizes and six ways you can begin todaay!

NOTE: We’ve also created a video to help explain some of the rules. It’s not a replacement for reading them, but may help clarify things. Find the video HERE.

THE RULES:

The LAMMYs will occur in four distinct stages: 1. Submissions Stage, 2. Nominations Stage, 3. Final Voting Stage, 4. Evaluation Stage.

1. Submissions Stage

The purpose of the Submissions Stage is to cast a wide net in determining which of our 1550 member sites are eligible for each award. This is a new step in the process, added based on feedback from the past several years that it was impossible for voters to be familiar with every blog in our “large association”. The Submissions process takes its origins from the idea of an eligibility committee that could assure that quality blogs are not overlooked. Only instead of assigning a handful of people for this task, it will function as a committee of the whole, so that everyone is able to participate.

Here’s how it works: Everyone is encouraged to check out the LAMB Table and visit as many member sites as your schedule allows. As you do so, we hope that you will be reminded of the awesome work that people have done this year, and also have a chance to discover new blogs that you might have missed.  

A Folder will be created in the LAMB Forums with a separate thread for each of the 18 award categories. When you find a blog that you think should be considered for an award, go to the appropriate thread and use the following steps for submissions:

1. Each submission should include the Blog Name, LAMB Number and a Link. You are also encouraged to include a SHORT Statement (no longer than 100 words) of why the blog should be in consideration for that award. If the category honors a specific writer or type of post, be sure to specify which one you are nominating.
2. Eligibility rules vary by category. Some categories require specific types of content, while others honor a particular writer or type of post. Please make sure that your submittal reasonably meets those rules. (Note that The LAMB, The LAMBCast, The Film Pasture, Deny Everything and Never Too Early Movie Predictions are ineligible for all categories.)
3. Read the thread carefully to make sure that the blog has not already been submitted in that category. The Submissions Stage is not a place where multiple votes count. If a blog has already been submitted by someone else, then it will already appear for consideration in the Nominations Stage.
4. You MAY submit your own blog. (Don’t be shy!)
5. When submitting someone else’s blog, please consult with the blog owner first. They may be preparing a submittal statement of their own, or may not wish to take part for some reason. We want this to be an honor, not something that someone feels pressured into.
6. Each LAMB member may submit a maximum of five names in each award category. (This keeps someone from simply listing every blog in existence.) LAMB sites that have multiple contributors are also limited to five names per category, so organize yourselves accordingly.
7. You are free to abstain from any category without losing your ability to submit in another category, or your right to vote at a later stage. Feel free to participate in as many or as few areas as you feel comfortable and qualified.
8. We intentionally placed this Submissions process into the forums, a place where your name is attached for all LAMBS to see. Our hope is that this will discourage people from simply naming their five best friends (who are already able to submit their blogs on their own, after all), and encourage people instead to do their research and submit names that truly deserve attention in the given awards category.

The timeline for the Submissions Stage follows:
Monday, February 25, 2013 Submissions Stage Opens.
Sunday, March 17, 2013 Submissions Stage Closes.

This allows Three (3) full weeks for members to research and coordinate their submissions.

2. Nominations Stage

The Nominations Stage will follow a process similar to what has happened in the past, with the exception that only blogs submitted during the Submissions Stage will appear on the nominations ballot. The hope is that this will make voting less daunting, and also allow members to actually visit all of the eligible blogs in each category before casting their votes.

This is also the period when positive campaigning is allowed and encouraged, not only for your own blog, but especially for the great work of others who you think should be considered. In addition to user-initiated posts on member blogs and twitter (use #LAMMY2013 ), we will also be continuing the popular practice of posting For Your Consideration Banners on The LAMB site.

1. Voting will occur through SurveyMonkey, an online system which uses multiple choice answers, with eligible blogs appearing in randomized order for each voter so that no one gets an unfair advantage from being first on the list.
2. Unless something patently and egregiously fails to meet the qualification standards, all blogs submitted during the Submissions Stage shall appear on the ballot.
3. Voting is open to current LAMBs only (#1-1550). One ballot per site; if your site has multiple contributors, you need to consolidate and submit as one ballot. Each ballot will require that you enter your site name and LAMB number to demonstrate that you are an eligible voter.
4. You may vote for up to five (5) nominees in each category. All five of your votes are equal; you do not need to rank them.
5. Unlike in past years, you are allowed to vote for your own site. (We figure you’ll cancel each other out anyway.)
6. Ballots with more than 5 selections in any category will have the votes for that category (but only that category) disqualified.
7. You may abstain in any category that you wish without hurting your votes in other categories, or your right to vote in a later stage. You may also use less than your five votes in any category if you wish.
8. Those who did not participate in the Submissions Stage are still eligible to vote in the Nominations stage. We are hoping for record voter turnout.

The timeline for the Nominations Stage follows:
March 18-19, 2013: Eligibility lists are assembled by the moderators.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013: Eligibility Lists Are Published on The LAMB site.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013: The formal campaigning period begins, including the daily posting of FYC Banners on The LAMB site. (Note that members could begin preparing their campaign strategies and creating their banners even earlier than this if they so desired, but they will not be posted on the LAMB site until this date).
March 20-21, 2013: Moderators prepare nominations ballots.
Thursday, March 21, 2013: Nomination Balloting Opens
Wednesday, April 3, 2013: Nomination Balloting Closes
Thursday, April 4, 2013: FYC Poster Tournament begins.
April 4-15, 2013: Moderators tabulate nomination votes
Monday, April 15, 2013, 9:00 am EST: Announcement of the LAMMY Nominees on the LAMBCast. (Tune in to hear!)
Tuesday, April 16, 2013: 9:00 am EST: Official LAMMY Nominee list published on the LAMB site (plus possible press release) — Note that we intentionally hold the printed list for one day so that people will listen to the LAMBCast. We encourage members to support the LAMBCast ratings by not independently publishing the list prior to this time.
April 16, 2013: Nomination banners sent to LAMMY Nominees (Again, we hold them a day so that you can be surprised when you listen to the LAMBCast.)

This allows two (2) full weeks for researching the eligible blogs, public campaigning and nomination balloting.

3. Final Voting Stage

The final voting stage is where we vote for the winners.

1. Voting will occur through SurveyMonkey, an online system which uses multiple choice answers, with eligible blogs appearing in randomized order for each voter so that no one gets an unfair advantage from being first on the list.
2. Voting is open to current LAMBs only (#1-1550). One ballot per site; if your site has multiple contributors, you need to consolidate and submit as one ballot. Each ballot will require that you enter your site name and LAMB number to demonstrate that you are an eligible voter.
3. You may vote for only one (1) winner in each category. The ballot will not allow you to vote for more than one.
4. You may vote for yourself.
5. You may abstain in any category that you wish without hurting your votes in other categories.
6. Those who did not participate in the Submissions or Nominations Stages are still eligible to vote in the Final Voting stage. We are hoping for record voter turnout.
7. In the event of a tie for the win in any category, the moderators will contact all members who voted for one of the other nominees, and allow them to cast a run-off vote for the winner.
8. In the event of a tie for the runner-up in any category, both members will be awarded the runner-up prize.

The timeline for the Final Voting Stage follows:
April 3-16, 2013 Moderators prepare ballots.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013: Final Vote Balloting Opens
Tuesday, April 30, 2013: Final Vote Balloting Closes
April 30 – May 6, 2013: Moderators Tally Final Votes
Monday, May 6 to Wednesday, May 15, 2013: LAMMY Winners Announced through video presentations, two per day.
Thursday, May 16, 2013: Official LAMMY Winner list published on the LAMB site (plus possible press release).
May 16, 2013: Winner banners sent to LAMMY Winners (We intentionally hold them until the video presentations are over so that people will watch the videos)

This allows one (1) full month from the announcement of the nominees until the announcement of final winners so that nominees can be celebrated in their own right, and two (2) full weeks for people to cast their Final Vote.

4. Evaluation Stage

Hopefully everything will go well with the LAMMYs this year, and our final evaluation can simply say: “Brilliant. Don’t change a thing.” On the off chance that there is room for improvement, however, we want to make sure that you know how to reach us, and that we leave a record so future moderators can learn from our mistakes.

1. A thread will be created in the LAMB Forums marked LAMMY 2013 Evaluation. All concerns, large or small, are welcome to be posted there.
2. We are both available on Twitter, and can be found at @LambThe, @NeverTooEarlyMP, and @JoelBurman for public discussion or direct messaging. You can also email us at [email protected] and [email protected] .
3. When something can be fixed on the go, we will try to do so as quickly as possible, bearing in mind that we both have other, non-LAMB related responsibilities in the real world.
4. We will try to acknowledge mistakes and areas for improvement as we go, even if we are unable to fix them in the moment.
5. The Forum thread will remain open throughout all stages of the event, as well as for several weeks afterward for those who want time to gather their thoughts.
6. A final report will be published on the LAMB site and in the forums no later than one month after the final awards have been presented. The report will summarize problems, suggests areas of improvement, and gives statistics for each stage of the event.

The timeline for the Evaluation Stage follows:
Monday, February 25, 2013: Evaluation Thread Open.
No Later Than June 15, 2013: Final Evaluation Report posted to LAMB site and forums.

THE CATEGORIES:

Best Blog (10 Nominees)
Award given for outstanding achievement in movie blogging. Eligibility is open to all current LAMBS (#1-1550), except for those that are official products of The LAMB (The LAMB site, The LAMBcast, The Film Pasture) and those associated with this year’s moderators (Deny Everything, Never Too Early Movie Predictions).

Best Podcast (5 Nominees)
Award given for outstanding achievement in movie podcasting. Eligible submissions must have broadcast at least 5 episodes and be a member of The LAMB Podcasting Network. (You may sign up to join the Network during the Submissions Stage and still be eligible.) To assist voters, it is recommended that your 100 word submission statement include a link to your best episode of the year. Note that The LAMBcast and The Film Pasture are ineligible.

Best Vlog (5 Nominees)
Award given for outstanding achievement in movie vlogging (aka video blogging). Eligible submissions must have broadcast at least 5 episodes. To assist voters, it is recommended that your 100 word submission statement include a link to your best episode of the year.

Best Movie Reviewer (10 Nominees)
Award given for outstanding achievement in reviewing movies. This award is given to an individual who reviews films on a blog, podcast or vlog. Eligible submissions should specify both the name of the individual reviewer and the LAMB site(s) they review for. If a site has multiple reviewers who review films independently of one another, then each reviewer is eligible for this award. Reviewing teams who present at least 50% of their reviews together as a team are eligible to submit as a single team, so long as no member of that team is also submitting individually.

Best New LAMB (10 Nominees)
Award given for outstanding achievement by a LAMB that has been welcomed to the flock since last year’s LAMMYs. Sites eligible are #1276-1550. This award is intended for new members of the LAMB community. Veteran members who have expanded their blogs into podcasts or vlogs, those who have moved from one blog to another, or those who have joined with other bloggers to form a new venture are not eligible for this award, even if their new site has been given a new LAMB Number.

Best Design (5 Nominees)
Award given for outstanding achievement in Blog Design. Eligible blogs may be built from scratch or expanded from a template. To assist voters, it is recommended that your 100 word submission statement include information about your design vision, organizational strategies, or the unique artistic or technological elements employed.

Best Ratings System (5 Nominees)
Award given for outstanding achievement in the creation and implementation of a movie ratings system. Eligible submissions may include those who put a unique spin on the traditional 5-star system, or those who have invented something completely different. Blogs, podcasts and vlogs are all eligible in this category.

Best Classic Film Blog (5 Nominees)
Award given for outstanding achievement by a classic movie blog, podcast or vlog. Eligible submissions must dedicate at least 75% of their content to topics related to classic film. For the purposes of this category, classic film shall be defined as films released in 1965 or before.

Best Horror Blog (5 Nominees)
Award given for outstanding achievement by a horror movie blog, podcast or vlog. Eligible submissions must dedicate at least 50% of their content to topics related to the horror genre.

Best Film Festival and Convention Coverage (5 Nominees)
Award given for outstanding achievement in film festival and convention coverage by a blog, podcast or vlog. Eligible submissions may include sets of film reviews from a particular festival/con, interviews conducted at film festivals, film festival travel guides, or chronicles of one’s experiences as a festival attendant or organizer. Sites that have covered more than one festival or convention in the past year may submit each event’s content as a separate entry. Coverage of hometown or college film festivals, as well as international festivals and conventions, are all eligible.

Best Awards Coverage (5 Nominees)
Award given for outstanding achievement in movie awards coverage. Eligible submissions may include blogs, podcasts or vlogs that provide special coverage of the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes, the Cesars, the Goyas, the Vijays, the BAFTAs, the Genies, the Ophirs, the FIPRESCI prize or even the MTV Awards or the Razzies. (Coverage of The LAMMYs is ineligible for this category.) Sites which cover multiple awards ceremonies may submit their coverage of each ceremony as a separate entry. Awards coverage does not need to be the only thing you do to apply for this award. Seasonal as well as year-round coverage is welcomed.

Best Movie Genre Blog (5 Nominees)
Award given for outstanding achievement by a blog, podcast or vlog that specializes in a particular genre or type of movie. Eligible submissions must include the genre as a significant part of the site’s theme, and dedicate at least 50% of their content to that type of movie. Examples include: foreign films, documentaries, short films, animated films, independent films, science fiction films, comic books, westerns, musicals, etc. If a site’s theme is best classified as classic, horror, festival or awards films generally, that site should submit in the other categories and is not eligible here. However, a site dedicated to Westerns, for example, would be eligible here and might also be eligible in the classic film category.

Best Movie Element Blog (5 Nominees)
Award given for outstanding achievement by a blog, podcast or vlog that specializes in a specific element of the movie experience. Examples include sites dedicated to a specific actor, actress or director; sites dedicated to a particular filmmaking craft like cinematography, costume design, film editing, or set decoration; sites chronicling one’s own experiences as a scriptwriter, producer, projectionist, movie theater employee or hollywood assistant; sites dedicated to the technology of film preservation or 3-D innovations; sites that focus on food in the movies, or musical scores, or movie posters and paraphernalia, or reading the books that movies have been adapted from. Eligible submissions should include the element as a significant part of the site’s theme, and dedicate at least 50% of their content to that element of the movie experience.

Best Blog-a-thon/Meme (5 Nominees)
Award given for outstanding achievement by a blog, podcast or vlog in the creation of an original blog-a-thon or meme. This award goes to the originator of the blog-a-thon or meme, not to the participants, and not to someone who carried on or re-initiated another’s idea. Blog-a-thons must have occurred since the last LAMMY awards. Annual events are eligible, so long as the originator is still running them. Events which are run by more than one moderator are eligible so long as at least one of the originators is a current LAMB member. Eligible submissions must include a direct link to the blog-a-thon or meme (not just to your home page).

Best Running Feature (5 Nominees)
Award given for outstanding achievement in a running feature. Entries may include articles, games or any type of recurring coverage of a specific topic. They may happen on a weekly, monthly, seasonal or occasional timeline, so long as they consist of at least five (5) posts in the the past year. Eligible submissions must include a direct link to the feature (not just to your home page).

Funniest Writer (5 Nominees)
Award honoring the funniest LAMB member. This award may be given to an individual or to a comedic team. Eligible submissions should specify both the name of the jester and the blog, podcast or vlog they are associated with. Slapstick, sarcasm, parody, deadpan, highbrow, lowbrow, bathroom, risque, morbid, observational, situational, quirky, understated and extravagant entries are all acceptable. Entrants are encouraged to be funny at least 50% of the time.

Most Knowledgeable Writer (5 Nominees)
Award honoring the most knowledgeable LAMB member. This category honors the contributor to a blog, podcast or vlog who consistently demonstrates their encyclopedic understanding of movie history, their academic insights into film theory, or their general intelligence of all things cinematic. Eligible submissions should specify both the individual brainiac and the LAMB site with which they are associated.

Best Community Builder (5 Nominees)
Award honoring the individual who has done the most this year to create a sense of community among LAMB members. This category encompasses traditional blogging techniques such as leaving quality comments, creating forums for discussion, inviting guest postings, or running a hugely successful blog-a-thon; expands into the use of social media like Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Letterboxd; and can recognize a range of contributions from mentoring new bloggers to creating new applications or ways of staying connected, to simply being a welcome presence in the community at large.

THE PRIZES:

Winners of each category will be eligible to place a banner such as one of the banners below on their sites with the name of the category have won, originally created and generously provided by the LAMMYS “sponsor” RIPE Creative. Runner-Ups in each category will also receive a banner. Additionally, all nominees will receive a banner noting how many nominations they achieved. Banners and code will be emailed using the timeline articulated above.

Six Ways You Can Begin Today

1. Check out the LAMB Table and visit as many member sites as your schedule allows.
2. Head over to the LAMB Forums and begin submitting blogs for consideration in each category.
3. Help us spread the word to all Lambs that the LAMMYs have started. Twitter users can use the tag #LAMMY2013 .
4. Get a head start on preparing your campaign strategies and FYC posters.
5. Let us know of any questions or concerns.
6. Most important – Have fun and good luck to you all!   

Tags: 2013 LAMMYs, The LAMMYs