Criminal Minds Case!fic Fest Rules
This fest for multiple pairings or gen fic within the Criminal Minds fandom, with a focus on case-related works. This year's fest will be anonymous, with a reveal after all the fic and fanart have posted. All fiction and fanart MUST be new and written/created specifically for this fest. It should NOT be posted anywhere else until after the Reveal, which will be in August.
The Case!Fic Fest will be a prompt-based fest. On May 2, a post will go up where anyone can submit prompts for stories or art you would like to see in the Criminal Minds fandom. You can submit up to ten prompts. Each prompt should include the following information:
Pairing: express what pairing if you have a preference, or gen fic if you'd rather
Case: specify case details you'd like to see
Additions: list three items/concepts/words to include in the story (typically this is optional for the author)
Scenario: what would you like to see happen?
Squicks: list things you really don’t want to see in this fic
Maximum Rating: FRC (G) to FRAO (NC-17), or leave that up to the author/artist. Criminal Minds fandom primarily uses the Fan Rating System, which can be found here.
Fiction:
• Stories should have a minimum of 1000 words.
• Experience shows that stories at the 8000 word length are read the most.
• All submissions must be beta-read and free of spelling mistakes. The name of the beta(s) should be included in the story information. There will be a post for betas to volunteer their services, should you find yourself in need of a beta.
• All submissions will be checked before posting and, if necessary, returned to the author with comments. We reserve the right to make general spelling, canon spelling and minor grammatical changes and will send an amended version of the document back to the author.
• All work should be a stand-alone and MUST not be part of another series or a sequel.
• Your finished story must be supplied as a Word document with the “.doc”, ".docx", or ".txt" suffix. It should be supplied complete with all LJ coding, such as bold and italic, and appropriate warnings. This site can be a resource for those with coding questions.
To submit fiction for the fest, please use the following header:
Title:
Author:
Pairing or Gen:
Prompt #:
Rating:
Word Count:
Summary:
Warning(s): (highlight to read)*Here's What You GetYOUR WARNINGS HERE*
Beta: Disclaimer: This piece of art or fiction is based on characters and situations created and owned by Touchstone Television, The Mark Gordon Company, CBS Television, and ABC Studios. No money is being made, no copyright or trademark infringement, or offence is intended. All characters depicted in sexual situations are above the age of consent.
Fanart:
• This should be a stand-alone piece, but can be a series of icons, wallpaper, video, or other media.
• To submit artwork for the fest, please use the following header:
Title:
Artist:
Prompt #:
Rating:
Warning(s): (highlight to read)*Here's What You GetYOUR WARNINGS HERE*
Beta: Disclaimer: This piece of art or fiction is based on characters and situations created and owned by Touchstone Television, The Mark Gordon Company, CBS Television, and ABC Studios. No money is being made, no copyright or trademark infringement, or offence is intended. All characters depicted in sexual situations are above the age of consent.
Here's a quick timeline for fest activities:
May 2: Prompt submission begins
May 9: Prompt submission ends
May 10: Prompt Claiming begins
July 3: Fic submission deadline
July 22: Anonymous posting begins
Beginning of August: Reveals!
Joining the Comm:
Anyone taking part in the cm_casefiles prompt fest should add cm_casefiles to their friends' list to allow them to keep up with updates, etc.
Deadlines and problems:
While deadlines are not carved in stone, please try to keep to them. Still, this is not an exchange fest, so we won't haul you to Supermax if you cannot manage the deadline or have to drop out of the fest. But please let us know as soon as possible, so we can re-arrange the posting schedule. Also, keep in mind that prompters love to see their prompts come to life in a story or work of art. ♥
If you are having problems in getting your submission finished in time, please contact us sooner rather than later. We will do our best to help. The mods can be reached at: cmcasefiles@gmail.com.
Your excited mods,
the-gubette and daftfear