This page contains a lot of information you may or may not have ever wanted to know about the Clitorides Awards.
What good are Clitorides Awards? Isn't this just another popularity contest?
The Golden Clitorides Awards were created by «Maria Gonzales» and «John A» with the purpose of helping promote good stories and good authors, and, at the same time, stroking the ego of the authors. :) Several moderators took turns handling the awards. As of 2007 2014, this site was created in order to promote stability for the awards and to bring the erotica writing community together.
It was also suggested that there is a dearth of "acceptable reviewers", and the various awards serve to spotlight stories that someone felt were worthy of a read. (Maria herself stated that this was one of her chief goals) :-)
Why "Clitorides?" And what are clitorides, anyway?
Without going into the Great Debate over pornography versus erotica versus literature versus story telling versus you name it, these are awards for ADULT fiction. We needed an ADULT word to signify that. I wasn't present for the debate over the name, but I'm happy with the choice.
The word "clitorides" is simply a plural of the word "clitoris."
Who the hell is this "Maria Gonzales" you keep mentioning?
You never heard of Maria Gonzales? What are you, some kind of hermit?! Try to picture the most beautiful, most gorgeous, sexiest brunette Latina you have EVER laid your eyes on. Talented, witty, enticing... got that image in your mind? Got it? Okay, that's Maria dancing topless on the table with her. Yeah, the short one.
(Drum riff with rim shot) Seriously, Maria is an intelligent, charming woman who is chiefly responsible for instiga... initiating the Golden Clitorides Awards among other things. Visit her website - you'll be glad you did. It's at http://www.asstr.org/~MariaGonzales/.
What kinds of stories are eligible?
Any complete and freely accessible sex story on the net, posted in their entirety or concluded during the award year or within the first week of the next year, is eligible. Stories in progress aren't eligible. No-sex stories aren't eligible either.
A story must have a verifiable link. If the story can't be linked to directly, or requires a payment of some kind to access, then it's not eligible.
A story must have a posting date or completion date. We need to verify when the story was posted or concluded to know whether it's eligible.
For Classic Clitorides nominations, a story has to be completed for at least five (5) years, and not won a clitoride before.
What about stories at pay sites?
The key is "freely accessible" on the net and free portions of pay sites are not excluded. Stories for which the reader must pay are not eligible. Should the story be published outside the pay site, however, as many pay sites allow after a contract period, then yes, unless the free period is a ploy.
Who's eligible for Best New Author?
Any author who posted their first completed erotic sex story or for the first time concluded an erotic sex story during the nomination year is eligible.
Who's eligible for Author of the Year?
Any author who posted a completed erotic sex story or concluded a previously started erotic sex story during the nomination year is eligible.
Who's eligible for the Lifetime Achievement Award?
Authors who made a significant contribution to the written erotica world. Active or retired, an author must have started posting at least five years prior to the awards year to be eligible, or is deceased.
So how do I nominate a story for the annual Golden Clitorides Awards?
It's simple. Click the 'Nominate' link in the site's navigation bar and fill the form. If you're not logged in, the form will ask for your email address. The form is simple enough to guide you through the nomination process. If you're registered with WLPC, but not logged in, the site will ask for your password. If you're not comfortable registering with WLPC then the site will send you a confirmation message to the email address you entered. You must act on the info in the confirmation message. If you don't, your nominations won't count.
Can I nominate more than one story?
You can nominate as many eligible stories as you like. The nomination form will accept as many stories or authors as you want. Of course, the site will only accept one nomination per story from each email address.
Do I have to register to nominate stories?
Yes. A WLPC account is required.
Okay, my favorite stories got nominated. How do they become finalists?
The ten most-nominated stories in a category become finalists.
What if I got nominated and I want to withdraw from the awards?
Non-participation is the prerogative of any author. The author's wishes will be respected.
How do I know if my nominee became a finalist?
When the nomination period is over, the voting will start and finalists will be listed for voting.
Okay, my favorite story became a finalist. How do I vote for it?
There will be a voting page here on the site.
Hey, who won? How do I find out?
The Winner will be announced here in this website.