Crowdfunding: Connecting Creators and Patrons

Welcome to the official landing page for the 2023 Rose and Bay Award, honoring excellence in cyberfunded creativity, aka crowdfunding. This page gathers together important information about the award, its functions, and its participants. You can also revisit the 2024 Landing Page, 2023 Landing Page, 2022 Landing Page, 2021 Landing Page, 2020 Landing Page, 2019 Landing Page, 2018 Landing Page, 2017 Landing Page, 2016 Landing Page, 2015 Landing Page, 2014 Landing Page, 2013 Landing Page, 2012 Landing Page, 2011 Landing Page, and 2010 Landing Page.


What Is the Rose and Bay Award?

The Rose and Bay Award was launched by ysabetwordsmith (Elizabeth Barrette) in January 2009, and quickly gained additional volunteers. This award focuses on a growing business model known as "crowdfunding" or "cyberfunded creativity," which directly connects creative people and patrons of the arts online. This award recognizes exemplary projects and enthusiastic patrons. It currently features six categories: Art, Fiction, Poetry, Webcomic, Other Project, and Patron. (Other Project includes any cyberfunded creativity that isn't art, fiction, poetry, or webcomic -- or that spans more than one category -- such as movies, music, etc.)

The award period for eligible activities spans January 1-December 31, 2024.
The nomination period spans January 1-January 31, 2025.
The voting period spans February 1-February 28, 2025.

These are the handlers for the 2025 award season:

Art: fuzzyred Nominate art! Vote for art!
Fiction: curiosity Nominate fiction! Vote for fiction!
Poetry: fuzzyred Nominate poetry! Vote for poetry!
Webcomic: ysabetwordsmith Nominate webcomics! Vote for webcomics!
Other Project: ysabetwordsmith Nominate other projects! Vote for other projects!
Patron: curiosity Nominate patrons! Vote for patrons!

These are the winners for the 2025 award season:

Art: "Anubis & Bastet ☆ Pharaoh's Guardians ☆ Plush" by Kayla AKA
Fiction: "Feathering the Nest" by dialecticdreamer.
Poetry: TIE between "The Neurodiversiverse: Alien Encounters - A Sci-Fi Anthology" by Thinking Ink Press and "The Haiku Foundation" by The Haiku Foundation
Webcomic: "Bronwyn: Short Story Collection" by Isaac George
Other Project: "The Mending Circle" by Martin Nerurkar
Patron: mama_kestrel for "Magpie Monday" by dialecticdreamer

There are also images for promoting the Rose & Bay Award. These include icons, buttons, and banners.

These are the winners for the 2024 award season:



Handling a category entails the following responsibilities:

1) Posting the "nomination" post for that category, on or near January 1. See examples from 2024.

2) Watching the nominations as they appear in comments. Make sure nominations are complete and nominees are eligible. Prod people to fill in missing details. Ask people to move misfiled nominations to a different category. Post an outside nomination for someone if they can't get their comment to post for some reason. Quash any arguments that may arise. If there are issues over how something should be filed, etc. then talk that over with ysabetwordsmith and we'll figure it out. Handlers are also welcome to post updates or nudges to boost participation.

3) Posting the "voting" post on or near February 1. See examples from 2024. Set the voting poll to non-transparent. Voting will be popular (with checkboxes) rather than singular (with radio buttons) so that voters can indicate all the projects they like within a given category.

4) Similar oversight as for the nomination post. Just keep an eye on the voting post.

5) On or near March 1, tally the votes for your category and announce the winner. Here is an example from 2013. The winners from 2024 were announced in a single post.


Award Rules

1) In order for a project to be nominated in the Art, Fiction, Poetry, Webcomic, or Other Project categories:

• It must be "cyberfunded creativity" aka "crowdfunding." That means it must be creative material marketed directly to an audience online, with money involved somehow. There are many variations of this business model; all are welcome; and if you're not sure a project qualifies, you may ask. See "5 Steps to Crowdfunding Success" for a discussion of key features that identify a crowdfunded project.

• At least part of the project must be visible online without charge. If the project is normally visible only to paying subscribers or the like, and the creator wishes for it to be eligible, then s/he may offer temporary or partial access for voting purposes. (If the available material is temporary and/or partial, it needs to say that at the top of the screen, to avoid annoying visitors who might otherwise think they're about to see a complete and permanent piece.)

• Duplicate nominations of the same project by different people are not allowed. If someone nominates a project which has already been nominated, they will be notified and asked to make another selection. This maximizes the number of projects which may be submitted for the Rose & Bay Awards.

2) In order for a person to be nominated in the Patron category,

• The person must have made a financial contribution to a creative project. This distinguishes patrons of the arts from the general audience. However, money is not the only consideration: Patrons may also be admired for their feedback, word of mouth promotion, suggested improvements to crowdfunding models, taste in items sponsored, etc. -- and these are good ways to choose between patrons if you're not sure which to pick.

• The receiving project must qualify as "cyberfunded creativity" aka "crowdfunding." That means it must be creative material marketed directly to an audience online, with money involved somehow. There are many variations of this business model; all are welcome; and if you're not sure a project qualifies, you may ask. See "5 Steps to Crowdfunding Success" for a discussion of key features that identify a crowdfunded project.

• For the Patron category only, duplicate nominations will be accepted/encouraged. The same patron can be nominated by multiple creators and/or by the same creator for multiple projects. This has two benefits. Links are included to each project on the nomination comment. Voters may follow those links and find new projects to enjoy. Also, the information that a patron has supported multiple creators/projects might prove useful for undecided voters.

3) A project or person which wins one year is not eligible in the same category for the next year. After that, it is eligible again. The 2024 winners are therefore not eligible for the 2025 award season. These are the winners for the 2024 award season:

Art: "Anubis. Thin Places - vol. 2 of the artbook" by Joanna Karpowicz
Fiction: TIE "Final Friday" by nsfwords and "Magpie Monday" by dialecticdreamer.
Poetry: "MAKE 100: Hār - a limited edition poetry pamphlet" by Katie Ford-Thomas.
Webcomic: "The Fujoshi Guide to Web Development" by enigmalea.
Other Project: Runoff Vote
Patron: librarygeek for the Poetry Fishbowl

4) This award will go by calendar years. So in order to be eligible for the 2025 award season, a project or patron must have been active on or between January 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024.

5) For the 2025 season, nominations will be made in comments to each category's nomination post (beginning in January). A nomination consists of the project title, creator name, award category, a link to the project page, and a summary. The summary should include several sentences describing the project's content (theme, characters, plot, etc.), presentation (media, frequency, etc.), and crowdfunding approach (money handling, audience interaction, etc.). Example:

Project Title: "Awesome Content"
Creator Name: A.J. Muse
Link: http://awe.some.content.com
Category: Other Project
Summary: "Awesome Content" is a story about A.J. Muse's three ferrets, told in a combination of music and fiction, illustrated by photos. It is funded by donations and photo sales. Updates twice weekly on Music Mondays and Fiction Fridays.

6) You may nominate a maximum of three projects per category. You are not required to make that many nominations or to cover all the categories. Please make each nomination in a separate comment; that way, if a problem occurs with one nomination it will not affect any others. You may NOT nominate your own project, nor yourself as patron.

7) Nominations for each category will be collected by the handler of that category. (See list of handlers above.)

8) Participation is voluntary. If a creator wishes to withdraw their project from any category, or a patron wishes to withdraw from the Patron category, simply contact the category handler. In case of withdrawal, the person who made the withdrawn nomination may then nominate another project or patron instead.

9) Voters are strongly encouraged to browse the nominees before making a final decision; that's what the links are for, and the purpose of this award is to promote the splendor of crowdfunded projects. If you don't have time to explore widely or you already have a firm favorite, that's okay too.

10) Voting will take place via Dreamwidth polling in the crowdfunding community, open to all. Polling is by popular vote, with checkboxes; you may vote for all of the projects in a category that you admire. (There may need to be more than one poll question per category, and radio button runoffs, if the number of nominees is high. DW has a limit to how many options there can be per question in a poll.) You ARE allowed to vote for your own project, or for yourself as a patron.

11) Winners will be announced after the polling is completed.

2025 Winners

To be announced in March 2025.


Special Thanks To ...

The following people have volunteered their ideas, time, services, goods, and other resources to make the 2025 Rose and Bay Award successful. Please give them a round of applause.

Continued thanks to haikujaguar for the original logo art, and karen_wehrstein for the earlier nominee badges as well as the general icon, button, and banner designs.


How You Can Help

Rose and Bay depends on everyone's participation and enthusiasm to make it a success. Here are some ways you can help that happen:

• Make some nominations in January . Leave yours in a comment to "nomination open" post of the appropriate category. (See list above.)

• Mark the voting period on your calendar. Make sure you come back to crowdfunding in February to place your votes.

• Promote the Rose and Bay Award by blogging about it, emailing your friends, posting it on social networks, or any other method you can imagine. Everyone is encouraged to spread the word as far as possible whether you are a creator of crowdfunded projects, a patron of the arts, or a curious onlooker. You may link to this landing page, and/or the "nomination open" posts for individual categories when those appear in January.

• If you're a patron or audience member, highlight your favorite cyberfunded projects from 2024 and direct people back to the award. You may link to this landing page and/or the "nomination open" posts for individual categories when those appear in January. Are you following other patrons whose tastes match your own to see what they sponsor or recommend? Mention them too! This makes it easier for people to find eligible nominees.

• If you're a creative person, let your audience and patrons know which of your projects are eligible for the Rose and Bay Award, including a link to the relevant nomination page(s). You may link to this landing page and/or the "nomination open" posts for individual categories when those appear in January. Do you have an "honor wall" or other place acknowledging your patrons? Mention that too! Let your fans know there is a way for them to honor your project and the patrons who make it possible. Have you been running a creative project this year, but not involved money yet? You still have time to make it crowdfunded by putting out a tip jar or any other monetizing option. Finally, make sure that your project is readily identifiable as cyberfunded creativity; see the article "5 Steps to Crowdfunding Success" for suggestions.

• If you're not a member of the Dreamwidth community crowdfunding yet, consider joining. We welcome new members who are patrons of the arts, producers of crowdfunded projects, or curious onlookers. This is a good place to network and find out what's happening in the wonderful world of cyberfunded creativity.

• Add "crowdfunding," "cyberfunded creativity," and/or "weblit" to your Interests. This makes it easier for creative people and potential fans to find each other.

• Place an appropriate image on your website; there are general ones for promoting the Rose and Bay Awards.

Thank you for your time and attention.

The 2024 Landing Page is up.  The call for category handlers is here.

So far, fuzzyred has volunteered to manage Other Project and Patron.  Ideally I'd like to get someone else on Poetry.  While the Poetry Fishbowl won last year and is not eligible, someone might still nominate an individual work of mine, so I try to avoid handling the Poetry category.

Is anyone else up for covering a category or two?  It's not a lot of work and is a big help.

Welcome to the official landing page for the 2023 Rose and Bay Award, honoring excellence in cyberfunded creativity, aka crowdfunding. This page gathers together important information about the award, its functions, and its participants. You can also revisit the 2023 Landing Page, 2022 Landing Page, 2021 Landing Page, 2020 Landing Page, 2019 Landing Page, 2018 Landing Page, 2017 Landing Page, 2016 Landing Page, 2015 Landing Page, 2014 Landing Page, 2013 Landing Page, 2012 Landing Page, 2011 Landing Page, and 2010 Landing Page.


What Is the Rose and Bay Award?

The Rose and Bay Award was launched by ysabetwordsmith (Elizabeth Barrette) in January 2009, and quickly gained additional volunteers. This award focuses on a growing business model known as "crowdfunding" or "cyberfunded creativity," which directly connects creative people and patrons of the arts online. This award recognizes exemplary projects and enthusiastic patrons. It currently features six categories: Art, Fiction, Poetry, Webcomic, Other Project, and Patron. (Other Project includes any cyberfunded creativity that isn't art, fiction, poetry, or webcomic -- or that spans more than one category -- such as movies, music, etc.)

The award period for eligible activities spans January 1-December 31, 2023.
The nomination period spans January 1-January 31, 2024.
The voting period spans February 1-February 28, 2024.

These are the handlers for the 2024 award season:

Art: ysabetwordsmith
Fiction: ysabetwordsmith
Poetry: nsfwords
Webcomic: nsfwords
Other Project: fuzzyred
Patron: fuzzyred

These are the winners for the 2024 award season:



There are also images for promoting the Rose & Bay Award. These include icons, buttons, and banners.

These are the winners for the 2023 award season:



Handling a category entails the following responsibilities:

1) Posting the "nomination" post for that category, on or near January 1. See examples from 2023.

2) Watching the nominations as they appear in comments. Make sure nominations are complete and nominees are eligible. Prod people to fill in missing details. Ask people to move misfiled nominations to a different category. Post an outside nomination for someone if they can't get their comment to post for some reason. Quash any arguments that may arise. If there are issues over how something should be filed, etc. then talk that over with ysabetwordsmith and we'll figure it out. Handlers are also welcome to post updates or nudges to boost participation.

3) Posting the "voting" post on or near February 1. See examples from 2023. Set the voting poll to non-transparent. Voting will be popular (with checkboxes) rather than singular (with radio buttons) so that voters can indicate all the projects they like within a given category.

4) Similar oversight as for the nomination post. Just keep an eye on the voting post.

5) On or near March 1, tally the votes for your category and announce the winner. Here is an example from 2013. The winners from 2023 were announced in a single post.

Award Rules

1) In order for a project to be nominated in the Art, Fiction, Poetry, Webcomic, or Other Project categories:

• It must be "cyberfunded creativity" aka "crowdfunding." That means it must be creative material marketed directly to an audience online, with money involved somehow. There are many variations of this business model; all are welcome; and if you're not sure a project qualifies, you may ask. See "5 Steps to Crowdfunding Success" for a discussion of key features that identify a crowdfunded project.

• At least part of the project must be visible online without charge. If the project is normally visible only to paying subscribers or the like, and the creator wishes for it to be eligible, then s/he may offer temporary or partial access for voting purposes. (If the available material is temporary and/or partial, it needs to say that at the top of the screen, to avoid annoying visitors who might otherwise think they're about to see a complete and permanent piece.)

• Duplicate nominations of the same project by different people are not allowed. If someone nominates a project which has already been nominated, they will be notified and asked to make another selection. This maximizes the number of projects which may be submitted for the Rose & Bay Awards.

2) In order for a person to be nominated in the Patron category,

• The person must have made a financial contribution to a creative project. This distinguishes patrons of the arts from the general audience. However, money is not the only consideration: Patrons may also be admired for their feedback, word of mouth promotion, suggested improvements to crowdfunding models, taste in items sponsored, etc. -- and these are good ways to choose between patrons if you're not sure which to pick.

• The receiving project must qualify as "cyberfunded creativity" aka "crowdfunding." That means it must be creative material marketed directly to an audience online, with money involved somehow. There are many variations of this business model; all are welcome; and if you're not sure a project qualifies, you may ask. See "5 Steps to Crowdfunding Success" for a discussion of key features that identify a crowdfunded project.

• For the Patron category only, duplicate nominations will be accepted/encouraged. The same patron can be nominated by multiple creators and/or by the same creator for multiple projects. This has two benefits. Links are included to each project on the nomination comment. Voters may follow those links and find new projects to enjoy. Also, the information that a patron has supported multiple creators/projects might prove useful for undecided voters.

3) A project or person which wins one year is not eligible in the same category for the next year. After that, it is eligible again. The 2023 winners are therefore not eligible for the 2024 award season. These are the winners for the 2023 award season:



4) This award will go by calendar years. So in order to be eligible for the 2024 award season, a project or patron must have been active on or between January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2023.

5) For the 2024 season, nominations will be made in comments to each category's nomination post (beginning in January). A nomination consists of the project title, creator name, award category, a link to the project page, and a summary. The summary should include several sentences describing the project's content (theme, characters, plot, etc.), presentation (media, frequency, etc.), and crowdfunding approach (money handling, audience interaction, etc.). Example:

Project Title: "Awesome Content"
Creator Name: A.J. Muse
Link: http://awe.some.content.com
Category: Other Project
Summary: "Awesome Content" is a story about A.J. Muse's three ferrets, told in a combination of music and fiction, illustrated by photos. It is funded by donations and photo sales. Updates twice weekly on Music Mondays and Fiction Fridays.

6) You may nominate a maximum of three projects per category. You are not required to make that many nominations or to cover all the categories. Please make each nomination in a separate comment; that way, if a problem occurs with one nomination it will not affect any others. You may NOT nominate your own project, nor yourself as patron.

7) Nominations for each category will be collected by the handler of that category. (See list of handlers above.)

8) Participation is voluntary. If a creator wishes to withdraw their project from any category, or a patron wishes to withdraw from the Patron category, simply contact the category handler. In case of withdrawal, the person who made the withdrawn nomination may then nominate another project or patron instead.

9) Voters are strongly encouraged to browse the nominees before making a final decision; that's what the links are for, and the purpose of this award is to promote the splendor of crowdfunded projects. If you don't have time to explore widely or you already have a firm favorite, that's okay too.

10) Voting will take place via Dreamwidth polling in the crowdfunding community, open to all. Polling is by popular vote, with checkboxes; you may vote for all of the projects in a category that you admire. (There may need to be more than one poll question per category, and radio button runoffs, if the number of nominees is high. DW has a limit to how many options there can be per question in a poll.) You ARE allowed to vote for your own project, or for yourself as a patron.

11) Winners will be announced after the polling is completed.

2024 Winners




Special Thanks To ...

The following people have volunteered their ideas, time, services, goods, and other resources to make the 2023 Rose and Bay Award successful. Please give them a round of applause.

Continued thanks to haikujaguar for the original logo art, and karen_wehrstein for the earlier nominee badges as well as the general icon, button, and banner designs.


How You Can Help

Rose and Bay depends on everyone's participation and enthusiasm to make it a success. Here are some ways you can help that happen:
crowdfunding in January to make your nominations.

• Promote the Rose and Bay Award by blogging about it, emailing your friends, posting it on social networks, or any other method you can imagine. Everyone is encouraged to spread the word as far as possible whether you are a creator of crowdfunded projects, a patron of the arts, or a curious onlooker. You may link to this landing page, and/or the "nomination open" posts for individual categories when those appear in January.

• If you're a patron or audience member, highlight your favorite cyberfunded projects from 2021 and direct people back to the award. You may link to this landing page and/or the "nomination open" posts for individual categories when those appear in January. Are you following other patrons whose tastes match your own to see what they sponsor or recommend? Mention them too! This makes it easier for people to find eligible nominees.

• If you're a creative person, let your audience and patrons know which of your projects are eligible for the Rose and Bay Award, including a link to the relevant nomination page(s). You may link to this landing page and/or the "nomination open" posts for individual categories when those appear in January. Do you have an "honor wall" or other place acknowledging your patrons? Mention that too! Let your fans know there is a way for them to honor your project and the patrons who make it possible. Have you been running a creative project this year, but not involved money yet? You still have time to make it crowdfunded by putting out a tip jar or any other monetizing option. Finally, make sure that your project is readily identifiable as cyberfunded creativity; see the article "5 Steps to Crowdfunding Success" for suggestions.

• If you're not a member of the Dreamwidth community crowdfunding yet, consider joining. We welcome new members who are patrons of the arts, producers of crowdfunded projects, or curious onlookers. This is a good place to network and find out what's happening in the wonderful world of cyberfunded creativity.

• Add "crowdfunding," "cyberfunded creativity," and/or "weblit" to your Interests. This makes it easier for creative people and potential fans to find each other.

• Place an appropriate image on your website; there are general ones for promoting the Rose and Bay Awards.

Thank you for your time and attention.

Voting is now CLOSED for the Other Project category of the 2023 Rose and Bay Awards. Thank you for your participation! Voting is now open for the Other Project category of the Rose and Bay Awards. These awards honor excellence in cyberfunded creativity (aka crowdfunding), and this category recognizes exceptional creators of eclectic content. Everyone is encouraged to vote. Please read the complete details below, and then make your vote in the following poll. For more information about this award, visit the 2023 landing page.

The 2022 winner was "A Mending" solo roleplaying craft-game by Shing Yin Khor.

What Is the Rose and Bay Award?

The Rose and Bay Award focuses on a growing business model known as "crowdfunding" or "cyberfunded creativity," which directly connects creative people and patrons of the arts online. This award recognizes exemplary projects and enthusiastic patrons. It currently features six categories: Art, Fiction, Poetry, Webcomic, Other Project, and Patron. (Other Project includes any cyberfunded creativity that isn't art, fiction, poetry, or webcomic -- or that spans more than one category -- such as movies, music, etc. The categories and their handlers are listed below:

These are the handlers for the 2023 award season:

Art: fuzzyred
Fiction: nsfwords
Poetry: fuzzyred
Webcomic: ysabetwordsmith
Other Project: ysabetwordsmith
Patron: nsfwords

The award period for eligible activities spans January 1-December 31, 2022.
The nomination period spans January 1-January 31, 2023.
The voting period spans February 1-February 29, 2023.

Voting Rules

1) Voters are encouraged (but not required) to browse the nominees before making a final decision; that's what the links are for, and the purpose of this award is to promote the splendor of crowdfunded projects. If you have not already explored the nominees, please refer back to the Other Project nomination post.

2) Voting will take place via Dreamwidth non-transparent polling in this community, open to all. Everyone is eligible to vote; if you do not have a Dreamwidth account, you may leave a comment below with your full name and your vote. In each category, you may vote for as many entries as you consider worthy of the award. (There may need to be more than one poll question per category, and runoffs, in categories with a high number of nominees.) You may vote for your own project, or yourself as a patron.

3) Winners will be announced after the polling is completed.


How You Can Help

The Rose and Bay Award depends on your enthusiasm to make it a success. Here are some ways you can help that happen:

1) Cast your vote! Watch for the voting polls to appear for the other projects, and vote in those too.

2) Promote the Rose and Bay Award by blogging about it, emailing your friends, posting it on social networks, or any other method you can imagine. Everyone is encouraged to spread the word as far as possible whether you are a creator, a donor, or a curious bystander. Here is some art for promoting the Rose and Bay Award.

3) If you're a patron or audience member, link to your favorite nominees and then direct people to the relevant voting pages.

Welcome to the official landing page for the 2023 Rose and Bay Award, honoring excellence in cyberfunded creativity, aka crowdfunding. This page gathers together important information about the award, its functions, and its participants. You can also revisit the 2022 Landing Page, 2021 Landing Page, 2020 Landing Page, 2019 Landing Page, 2018 Landing Page, 2017 Landing Page, 2016 Landing Page, 2015 Landing Page, 2014 Landing Page, 2013 Landing Page, 2012 Landing Page, 2011 Landing Page, and 2010 Landing Page.


What Is the Rose and Bay Award?

The Rose and Bay Award was launched by ysabetwordsmith (Elizabeth Barrette) in January 2009, and quickly gained additional volunteers. This award focuses on a growing business model known as "crowdfunding" or "cyberfunded creativity," which directly connects creative people and patrons of the arts online. This award recognizes exemplary projects and enthusiastic patrons. It currently features six categories: Art, Fiction, Poetry, Webcomic, Other Project, and Patron. (Other Project includes any cyberfunded creativity that isn't art, fiction, poetry, or webcomic -- or that spans more than one category -- such as movies, music, etc.)

The award period for eligible activities spans January 1-December 31, 2022.
The nomination period spans January 1-January 31, 2023.
The voting period spans February 1-February 28, 2023.

These are the handlers for the 2023 award season:

Art: fuzzyred Nominate art! Vote for art!
Fiction: nsfwords Nominate fiction! Vote for fiction!
Poetry: fuzzyred Nominate poetry! Vote for poetry!
Webcomic: ysabetwordsmith Nominate webcomics! Vote for webcomics!
Other Project: ysabetwordsmith Nominate other projects! Vote for other projects!
Patron: nsfwords Nominate patrons! Vote for patrons!

These are the winners for the 2023 award season:



There are also images for promoting the Rose & Bay Award. These include icons, buttons, and banners.

These are the winners for the 2022 award season:

Art: "Abstraction with Light" by Chunbum Park
Fiction: "Magpie Monday" by dialecticdreamer
Poetry: "Different Just Like Everyone Else" by Liam Fleming
Webcomic: "How to Be a Werewolf" by Shawn Lenore
Other Project: "A Mending" solo roleplaying craft-game by Shing Yin Khor
Patron: Shirley Barrette, patron of the Poetry Fishbowl by ysabetwordsmith

Handling a category entails the following responsibilities:

1) Posting the "nomination" post for that category, on or near January 1. Here is an example from 2022.

2) Watching the nominations as they appear in comments. Make sure nominations are complete and nominees are eligible. Prod people to fill in missing details. Ask people to move misfiled nominations to a different category. Post an outside nomination for someone if they can't get their comment to post for some reason. Quash any arguments that may arise. If there are issues over how something should be filed, etc. then talk that over with ysabetwordsmith and we'll figure it out. Handlers are also welcome to post updates or nudges to boost participation.

3) Posting the "voting" post on or near February 1. Here is an example from 2022. Set the voting poll to non-transparent. Voting will be popular (with checkboxes) rather than singular (with radio buttons) so that voters can indicate all the projects they like within a given category.

4) Similar oversight as for the nomination post. Just keep an eye on the voting post.

5) On or near March 1, tally the votes for your category and announce the winner. Here is an example from 2013. The winners from 2022 were announced in a single post.

Award Rules

1) In order for a project to be nominated in the Art, Fiction, Poetry, Webcomic, or Other Project categories:

• It must be "cyberfunded creativity" aka "crowdfunding." That means it must be creative material marketed directly to an audience online, with money involved somehow. There are many variations of this business model; all are welcome; and if you're not sure a project qualifies, you may ask. See "5 Steps to Crowdfunding Success" for a discussion of key features that identify a crowdfunded project.

• At least part of the project must be visible online without charge. If the project is normally visible only to paying subscribers or the like, and the creator wishes for it to be eligible, then s/he may offer temporary or partial access for voting purposes. (If the available material is temporary and/or partial, it needs to say that at the top of the screen, to avoid annoying visitors who might otherwise think they're about to see a complete and permanent piece.)

• Duplicate nominations of the same project by different people are not allowed. If someone nominates a project which has already been nominated, they will be notified and asked to make another selection. This maximizes the number of projects which may be submitted for the Rose & Bay Awards.

2) In order for a person to be nominated in the Patron category,

• The person must have made a financial contribution to a creative project. This distinguishes patrons of the arts from the general audience. However, money is not the only consideration: Patrons may also be admired for their feedback, word of mouth promotion, suggested improvements to crowdfunding models, taste in items sponsored, etc. -- and these are good ways to choose between patrons if you're not sure which to pick.

• The receiving project must qualify as "cyberfunded creativity" aka "crowdfunding." That means it must be creative material marketed directly to an audience online, with money involved somehow. There are many variations of this business model; all are welcome; and if you're not sure a project qualifies, you may ask. See "5 Steps to Crowdfunding Success" for a discussion of key features that identify a crowdfunded project.

• For the Patron category only, duplicate nominations will be accepted/encouraged. The same patron can be nominated by multiple creators and/or by the same creator for multiple projects. This has two benefits. Links are included to each project on the nomination comment. Voters may follow those links and find new projects to enjoy. Also, the information that a patron has supported multiple creators/projects might prove useful for undecided voters.

3) A project or person which wins one year is not eligible in the same category for the next year. After that, it is eligible again. The 2022 winners are therefore not eligible for the 2023 award season. These are the winners for the 2022 award season:

Art: "Abstraction with Light" by Chunbum Park
Fiction: "Magpie Monday" by dialecticdreamer
Poetry: "Different Just Like Everyone Else" by Liam Fleming
Webcomic: "How to Be a Werewolf" by Shawn Lenore
Other Project: "A Mending" solo roleplaying craft-game by Shing Yin Khor
Patron: Shirley Barrette, patron of the Poetry Fishbowl by ysabetwordsmith

4) This award will go by calendar years. So in order to be eligible for the 2023 award season, a project or patron must have been active on or between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022.

5) For the 2023 season, nominations will be made in comments to each category's nomination post (beginning in January). A nomination consists of the project title, creator name, award category, a link to the project page, and a summary. The summary should include several sentences describing the project's content (theme, characters, plot, etc.), presentation (media, frequency, etc.), and crowdfunding approach (money handling, audience interaction, etc.). Example:

Project Title: "Awesome Content"
Creator Name: A.J. Muse
Link: http://awe.some.content.com
Category: Other Project
Summary: "Awesome Content" is a story about A.J. Muse's three ferrets, told in a combination of music and fiction, illustrated by photos. It is funded by donations and photo sales. Updates twice weekly on Music Mondays and Fiction Fridays."

6) You may nominate a maximum of three projects per category. You are not required to make that many nominations or to cover all the categories. Please make each nomination in a separate comment; that way, if a problem occurs with one nomination it will not affect any others. You may NOT nominate your own project, nor yourself as patron.

7) Nominations for each category will be collected by the handler of that category. (See list of handlers above.)

8) Participation is voluntary. If a creator wishes to withdraw their project from any category, or a patron wishes to withdraw from the Patron category, simply contact the category handler. In case of withdrawal, the person who made the withdrawn nomination may then nominate another project or patron instead.

9) Voters are strongly encouraged to browse the nominees before making a final decision; that's what the links are for, and the purpose of this award is to promote the splendor of crowdfunded projects. If you don't have time to explore widely or you already have a firm favorite, that's okay too.

10) Voting will take place via Dreamwidth polling in the crowdfunding community, open to all. Polling is by popular vote, with checkboxes; you may vote for all of the projects in a category that you admire. (There may need to be more than one poll question per category, and radio button runoffs, if the number of nominees is high. DW has a limit to how many options there can be per question in a poll.) You ARE allowed to vote for your own project, or for yourself as a patron.

11) Winners will be announced after the polling is completed.

2023 Winners

To be announced in March 2023.


Special Thanks To ...

The following people have volunteered their ideas, time, services, goods, and other resources to make the 2022 Rose and Bay Award successful. Please give them a round of applause.

Continued thanks to haikujaguar for the original logo art, and karen_wehrstein for the earlier nominee badges as well as the general icon, button, and banner designs.


How You Can Help

Rose and Bay depends on everyone's participation and enthusiasm to make it a success. Here are some ways you can help that happen:
crowdfunding in January to make your nominations.

• Promote the Rose and Bay Award by blogging about it, emailing your friends, posting it on social networks, or any other method you can imagine. Everyone is encouraged to spread the word as far as possible whether you are a creator of crowdfunded projects, a patron of the arts, or a curious onlooker. You may link to this landing page, and/or the "nomination open" posts for individual categories when those appear in January.

• If you're a patron or audience member, highlight your favorite cyberfunded projects from 2021 and direct people back to the award. You may link to this landing page and/or the "nomination open" posts for individual categories when those appear in January. Are you following other patrons whose tastes match your own to see what they sponsor or recommend? Mention them too! This makes it easier for people to find eligible nominees.

• If you're a creative person, let your audience and patrons know which of your projects are eligible for the Rose and Bay Award, including a link to the relevant nomination page(s). You may link to this landing page and/or the "nomination open" posts for individual categories when those appear in January. Do you have an "honor wall" or other place acknowledging your patrons? Mention that too! Let your fans know there is a way for them to honor your project and the patrons who make it possible. Have you been running a creative project this year, but not involved money yet? You still have time to make it crowdfunded by putting out a tip jar or any other monetizing option. Finally, make sure that your project is readily identifiable as cyberfunded creativity; see the article "5 Steps to Crowdfunding Success" for suggestions.

• If you're not a member of the Dreamwidth community crowdfunding yet, consider joining. We welcome new members who are patrons of the arts, producers of crowdfunded projects, or curious onlookers. This is a good place to network and find out what's happening in the wonderful world of cyberfunded creativity.

• Add "crowdfunding," "cyberfunded creativity," and/or "weblit" to your Interests. This makes it easier for creative people and potential fans to find each other.

• Place an appropriate image on your website; there are general ones for promoting the Rose and Bay Awards.

Thank you for your time and attention.

Welcome to the official landing page for the 2021 Rose and Bay Award, honoring excellence in cyberfunded creativity, aka crowdfunding. This page gathers together important information about the award, its functions, and its participants. You can also revisit the 2021 Landing Page, 2020 Landing Page, 2019 Landing Page, 2018 Landing Page, 2017 Landing Page, 2016 Landing Page, 2015 Landing Page, 2014 Landing Page, 2013 Landing Page, 2012 Landing Page, 2011 Landing Page, and 2010 Landing Page.


What Is the Rose and Bay Award?

The Rose and Bay Award was launched by ysabetwordsmith (Elizabeth Barrette) in January 2009, and quickly gained additional volunteers. This award focuses on a growing business model known as "crowdfunding" or "cyberfunded creativity," which directly connects creative people and patrons of the arts online. This award recognizes exemplary projects and enthusiastic patrons. It currently features six categories: Art, Fiction, Poetry, Webcomic, Other Project, and Patron. (Other Project includes any cyberfunded creativity that isn't art, fiction, poetry, or webcomic -- or that spans more than one category -- such as movies, music, etc.)

The award period for eligible activities spans January 1-December 31, 2021.
The nomination period spans January 1-January 31, 2022.
The voting period spans February 1-February 29, 2022.

These are the handlers for the 2022 award season:

Art: fuzzyred Nominate art! Vote for art!
Fiction: fuzzyred Nominate fiction! Vote for fiction!
Poetry: nsfwords Nominate poetry! Vote for poetry!
Webcomic: scrubjayspeaks Nominate webcomics! Vote for webcomics!
Other Project: ng_moonmoth Nominate other projects! Vote for other projects!
Patron: scrubjayspeaks Nominate patrons! Vote for patrons!

These are the winners for the 2022 award season:

( Read more... )

Voting is now CLOSED for the Other Project category of the Rose and Bay Awards. Thank you for your participation.

The 2019 winner is "The Good Fight" by various artists. 


Voting is now open for the Other Project category of the Rose and Bay Awards. These awards honor excellence in cyberfunded creativity (aka crowdfunding), and this category recognizes exceptional creators of eclectic content. Everyone is encouraged to vote. Please read the complete details below, and then make your vote in the following poll. For more information about this award, visit the 2019 landing page.

The 2018 winner was "Potlatch" by ndnplayers games.


What Is the Rose and Bay Award?

The Rose and Bay Award focuses on a growing business model known as "crowdfunding" or "cyberfunded creativity," which directly connects creative people and patrons of the arts online. This award recognizes exemplary projects and enthusiastic patrons. It currently features six categories: Art, Fiction, Poetry, Webcomic, Other Project, and Patron. (Other Project includes any cyberfunded creativity that isn't art, fiction, poetry, or webcomic -- or that spans more than one category -- such as movies, music, etc. The categories and their handlers are listed below:

Art: ysabetwordsmith Nominate art! Vote for art!
Fiction: ysabetwordsmith Nominate fiction! Vote for fiction!
Poetry: ysabetwordsmith Nominate poetry! Vote for poetry!
Webcomic: ysabetwordsmith Nominate webcomics! Vote for webcomics!
Other Project: ysabetwordsmith Nominate other projects! Vote for other projects!
Patron: ysabetwordsmith Nominate patrons! Vote for patrons!

The award period for eligible activities spans January 1-December 31, 2018.
The nomination period spans January 1-January 31, 2019.
The voting period spans February 1-February 28, 2019.



Voting Rules

1) Voters are encouraged (but not required) to browse the nominees before making a final decision; that's what the links are for, and the purpose of this award is to promote the splendor of crowdfunded projects. If you have not already explored the nominees, please refer back to the Other Project nomination post.

2) Voting will take place via Dreamwidth non-transparent polling in this community, open to all. Everyone is eligible to vote; if you do not have a Dreamwidth account, you may leave a comment below with your full name and your vote. In each category, you may vote for as many entries as you consider worthy of the award. (There may need to be more than one poll question per category, and runoffs, in categories with a high number of nominees.) You may vote for your own project, or yourself as a patron.

3) Winners will be announced after the polling is completed.


How You Can Help

The Rose and Bay Award depends on your enthusiasm to make it a success. Here are some ways you can help that happen:

1) Cast your vote! Watch for the voting polls to appear for the other projects, and vote in those too.

2) Promote the Rose and Bay Award by blogging about it, emailing your friends, posting it on social networks, or any other method you can imagine. Everyone is encouraged to spread the word as far as possible whether you are a creator, a donor, or a curious bystander. Here is some art for promoting the Rose and Bay Award.

3) If you're a patron or audience member, link to your favorite nominees and then direct people to the relevant voting pages.