Ditmar running guide
From Australian sf information
This article details David Cake's "Ditmar running guide", first distributed in 2007, edited in 2010 to reflect the new Ditmar running system.
Contents |
The Guide
This guide is intended as a practical restatement of the procedure set out in the rules, coupled with some practical experience about how to make the process less painful. It is intended both as procedural reference for the Standing committee, and for the Natcon committee.
Ditmar procedure
The Ditmar nomination and ballot procedures are now dealt with by a sub-committee of the Standing Committee of the Natcon, selected at the Natcon Business Meeting yearly. But some Ditmar related tasks are performed by the Natcon con committees.
Suggested Ditmar timeline
- 1 year out
- appoint a Ditmar sub-committee. The Ditmar committee consists of everyone in the Standing Committee who does not exclude themselves from the Ditmar committee. The standing Natcons should ensure that they have an active, involved appointee to the Standing committee.
- At least 3 months out
- select someone to create physical awards. This is a job for the Natcon committee. The two constraints are it should feature the 1-4-9 dimensions of the 2001 monolith in some manner, and it should feature the southern cross. Conventions are free to make a unique award for their convention, or to seek to recreate a popular past design. The most regular creator of Ditmar awards is Lewis Morley.
- At least 9 weeks, usually 10 weeks, from the convention
- open nominations. It can be much longer before the convention is necessary - though it creates issues for future conventions if this forces opening of nominations into the year prior. Announce nominations as widely as possible - mailing lists such as the eidolist and the natcons list are recommended, plus a web announcement, and of course email to a members list if it exists.
- At least 30 days after opening of nominations
- close nominations.
- ASAP after close of nominations
- contact nominees to confirm eligibility. It is strongly recommended that if any problems or issues are found at this point, that the Ditmar sub-committee seek advice from people who have relevent Ditmar experience, especially recent Ditmar experience. It is really helpful if all Natcon standing committee members make themselves available during this week. The nomination ballot count is performed in this period, and can be a very difficult task.
- About 1 week after close of nominations
- announce the nominations publicly. It might be advisable to announce nominations a few days before opening of voting and release of ballots, just in case any problems are discovered after public release of nominations. Again it is advisable to release such information widely, and it is advisable to include details of how to join the convention and become eligible to vote.
- At least 30 days, usually about 5 weeks, before convention
- release ballots, open voting. The trend is very much towards use of online web forms where possible.
- At least 30 days after the opening of voting
- close postal ballots.
- About 3 days later
- close ballots for all forms of voting, count ballots, get A4 certificates printed. A consideration is to make the period of postal voting relatively free from state bias.
Note
The rules currently do not say when voting must end, it can be at any point before the actual giving out of awards according to the rules. Usually the issue is time to get the awards engraved, which means a few days before the convention.
