The editor and reader nomination period of the 2008 Million Writers Award for best online short story is now closed. The complete list of editor nominations can be seen here, while reader nominations are on this page.
A "mysterious, anonymous benefactor with an obsession for spreadsheets" (in his words) sent me a wonderful analysis of the nominations so far. According to his analysis, there are 537 nominated stories by 458 authors from 189 different publications. The publications with most nominations are:
- Eclectica Magazine, 31 nominations
- Storyglossia, 20
- MendaCity Review, 9
- Thieves Jargon, 9
- Word Riot, 9
- Helix, 8
- Pindeldyboz, 8
- Clarkesworld Magazine, 7
- FRiGG Magazine, 7
- Night Train, 7
- Thuglit, 7
- AGNI Online, 6
- Narrative Magazine, 6
- Underground Voices Magazine, 6
The preliminary judges have been screening these nominations, along with looking for stories which may have escaped the notice of nominating readers and editors. These preliminary editors will compile the list of notable stories, which will be released in a few weeks. I will then select the top ten stories of the year from this notable list; the public vote for the top story will occur shortly after that.
I want to thank everyone who took part in this nominating period. And, as always, a big thanks goes to the Edit Red Writing Community for sponsoring the contest, which means there is a $300 prize for the overall winner.