Best Adventure - Short Form
Awarded for a product that is primarily an adventure, adventure ideas, or seeds that are intended to be completed in 1-2 sessions.
Overview of the Process
These awards are limited to Role-Playing Game (RPG) products, RPG games, RPG accessories, and RPG related items. Only products submitted are eligible for review and nomination. Below is the process with additional FAQs.
Currently, the ENNIE Awards has 22 nominated categories. They are included at the bottom of this page.
How do you receive products?
There are two ways we receive products; either physically or electronically.
Every year at Gen Con, we approach publishers and remind them that they can submit their products at the ENNIES booth for the next year. This will not only give the judges ample time to review their products but it will save the company itself on shipping; it really is in the best interest of the publisher to do it. Some publishers take us up on that offer and some do not. Some want to but don’t have any copies left to submit, which is great for them so we don’t complain.
If a publisher is submitting physical products, they can use the pre-formatted labels to put on their boxes. A link to the labels is provided upon completion of the submission form. They then ship their products to each judge and our Submissions Coordinator.
If a publisher is submitting electronic products they should fill out the submission form first before sending anything. They should then e-mail their electronic submissions to our Submissions Coordinator unless a link was provided on the submission form.
How do you keep track of products?
When someone, whether it be a judge or the Submissions Coordinator, receives a physical product, they update a spreadsheet we use to keep track of submissions. There are two benefits to doing this; one, it lets other people know to expect a package soon and, two, we can make sure that everyone receives the products the publishers have sent and don’t have to worry about missing products.
When the Submissions Coordinator receives an electronic entry, they will also update the spreadsheet. They will then upload the product to a Dropbox to which each judge has access. They can then download it, updating the spreadsheet when they do, and start to review it.
What then?
At this point, each judge reviews products in their own way. It is left up to them to determine how exactly to do that. We have a private group set up for them to discuss products amongst themselves. Monthly meetings are held to facilitate discussion of the submissions throughout the judging time frame. They are given a date by which all of the nominations must be finalized in order to give us time to prepare for announcement to the public and for the voting booth. Submissions are usually slow and steady until about February/March, at which point they come in waves. We remind publishers throughout the year to submit their products as early as possible to allow the judges ample time to review them but we still have publishers who wait until close to the submission deadline. The deadline is always posted under Important Dates.
After the submission deadline, the judges have roughly two months to come up with a list of nominees. Discussions throughout the year help but these last few months will see a large increase in communication as judges come to a consensus on products. Once the deadline for said consensus is reached, we take that info and prepare for the announcement to the public.
So how come some categories are non-existent during the final nominations?
We get this question a lot. For example, if you look at the list of categories, you’ll see Best Aid / Accessory – Digital. But if there are not at least five quality candidates that the judges deem worthy of a nomination, then the software that is nominated will get rolled up in to the parent category of Best Aid/Accessory (combining Digital and Non-Digital). This is why we want so many people to submit. We would rather have a category of all like products. But if we don’t get enough, we have to make it a best product category instead. So if you see a product you like, contact the publisher and ask them to submit! If they don’t submit it, the judges can’t review it and possibly nominate it.
What happens after the nominees are announced?
At this point, the judge’s job is effectively done but the staff’s gets tougher. ENNIES staff start the process of getting the voting booth ready; going to great lengths to make sure everything is up and running and works properly both on the voter’s end and on the back end.
We also encourage as many people as possible to run for the next year’s ENNIES judge and update the website as the applications come in. We also make sure people know they can nominate any publisher for Fan Favorite Publisher and post the form online for it.
After voting, we take all of the winners and compile them. We create all of the material, such as the nominee’s certificates, the winner’s certificates, the booth flyers, and the ceremony program. Throughout the year, we also work with Gen Con on the logistics of the booth, ceremony room, etc. and we finalize the process. We get all the paper printed up and frame all of the winner’s certificates.
All of this, electricity for the booth, setting up the cocktail reception, printing, frames, medals, and other miscellaneous expenses are why we have a Silent Auction as well as the Dream Dates; it’s not cheap.
Additional FAQs
Q: What Products are eligible to submit?
- Products submitted for consideration must be samples of those primarily available to the general public.
- Products must be first published (available for sale at some point) with the current year’s submission timeframe.
- Products must be primarily in English, as the judges are not required to speak and read beyond English. Products not in English will be reviewed to the best of the judges ability for categories not requiring translation, such as the art categories.
Q: How is it decided which products are nominated under which category?
- The judges must come to a consensus when it comes to nominations. They decide which products are nominated under certain categories. A publisher can request to not be nominated under a specific category, but they can’t request to be nominated under a specific category.
Q: Is there a place I can go to see what has been submitted?
- Of course! We have a running list of submissions at the top of the page.
Q: I’m interested in being a sponsor but I am also interested in submitting my product. Would there be a conflict of interest?
- No. We have had sponsors in the past who were also companies who had entered their products. You just need to be aware that there is absolutely no favoritism when it comes to the ENNIE Awards. Being a sponsor in no way, shape, or form guarantees a nomination, much less a win.
Q: How come “Product X” wasn’t submitted?
- A lot of people ask us why their favorite products were not submitted. The answer is that we have no control over it. If you want a publisher to submit a product, then you need to contact them and convince them to do so.
Q: I’m not a publisher but I don’t think the publisher whose product I like/worked on is going to submit it. Can I submit it for them?
- Yes! Authors, artists, and other contributors to products, as well as fans, are allowed to enter products that meet all the submission requirements, provided:
- The product meets all the submission requirements;
- The required number of copies are supplied; and
- Proof the publisher does not object to the entry of the product is provided.
Q: I sell my product in both Physical and PDF format. Can I submit in PDF format only?
- Yes.
Q: How many times can I vote?
- Once. It is very important that the democratic principle of “one person, one vote” be followed. If you have already voted for products and/or judges, then please do not vote for them again from a different computer. Also, please do not ask people to vote multiple times to pad the votes for a certain product or judge.
Q: Someone has already voted at my location and I’m trying to vote, but it’s telling me that I have already done so. Why is that?
- If you are voting from home or work where someone else may have already voted, the IP address will be recorded and no further attempts will be permitted from that IP address. If this is the case, you need to find another method of accessing the Internet and vote using that connection.
- In other cases, those whose computers get dynamic (changing) IP addresses may be told they voted even though no one from their home or workplace did so already. In this case, we recommend waiting a day and trying again as your computer may be given a different IP address. Just remember, even if you do have access to multiple IP addresses, we follow the democratic principle of one person, one vote.
Q: I saw the ceremony and noticed that there are no longer custom songs played. Why is this no longer done?
- In the past, each publisher was asked to submit a song to play if they are announced as a winner in a category. Due to copywrite laws and our streaming via YouTube, we are no longer able to use them. All music used is open licensed.
Q: What happens to the submitted products after judging is complete?
- The judges reserve the right to dispose of all products entered (upon completion of the judging) as they deem appropriate. This includes donating items back to the ENNIES to support the silent auction which funds the ENNIES and reward volunteers for their assistance. The sixth copy of each entry shall be used as a library copy for reference by the Board of Directors during judging, and may be disposed of under the same provisions as the judge’s copies.
Categories
Partners
