Million Writers Award
We've now entered the last two days for nominations for the 2011 storysouth Million Writers Award! Thanks to everyone who has already nominated a story; if you haven't nominated a story, then get cracking. The deadline is March 15.
The prizes for this year's award are:
Thanks to our wonderful donors, we've now raised $1000 dollars in cash and prizes for the winners of the 2011 storysouth Million Writers Award! That means this year's award will feature our biggest prizes ever!
Thanks to everyone who donated. We literally couldn't have done it without you.
The donations break down into $900 in cash prizes plus a $100 gift certificate from ThinkGeek. The specific prizes for this year's award are:
If anyone still wants to donate a few dollars, feel free to do so. We'll simply increase the prize amounts even more. Because these donations do not go through Spring Garden Press (storySouth's publisher), donations are not tax deductible. But please note the entire donated amount is used for prize money, minus the small fee PayPal deducts for transmitting the money.
Again, many thanks to everyone who donated for this year's award. You are amazing!
Current 2011 Donors
$100 donations
- Clapboard House
- Anne Leigh Parrish
- Spring Garden Press (publisher of storySouth)
- StarShipSofa
- $100 gift certificate from ThinkGeek
$75 donations
- One anonymous donation
$50 donations
- Rick Groszkiewicz
- kaffe in katmandu
- One anonymous donation
$20-49 donations
- Richard Bowes
- Larry Eisenberg
- Menda City Press
- Three anonymous donations
Other donations
Don't forget Hugo nominations are due March 26. Here are my recommended stories, works, and people, which I nominated a few moments ago. Those are the same works I nominated for the Locus Award; the deadline for that award is April 15.
Finally, editor and reader nominations for the Million Writers Award are due March 15. Complete information on nominating works can be found here. Almost 30 online magazines have already nominated stories, along with numerous readers. I'm also working on an update about this year's prize money, but here's an advance look: Thanks to donations we'll be offering the most prize money we've ever had! So don't forget to nominate your stories!
Thank to generous donations, the 2011 storySouth Million Writers Award now has over $500 in total prize money, along with a $100 gift certificate from the great people at ThinkGeek. At the moment, this means the prize money for the award breaks down as
If we receive additional donations, I will raise those prize amounts and create a third place prize, which would be similar to what we've offered the last few years. So if you can donate a few dollars, please consider doing so.
I should also note that nominations from editors and readers are rolling in. Don't forget the deadline to nominate stories is March 15.
The storySouth Million Writers Award is now open. I will be running the reader and editor nominations from this blog; the main award page on storySouth will be where the notable stories and top ten stories are posted.
For background information on the award, please see my introduction to the award and the award rules. The award is for any fictional short story of at least a 1,000 words first published in an online publication during 2010. By "publication," I mean an online magazine or journal with an editorial process (so self-published stories are not eligible).
The deadline for nominations is March 15, 2011. The list of notable stories of the year will be released by April 1, 2011, with the top ten stories released by the first of May. Voting on the top stories of the year will last for one month after the top ten stories are released.
Donations Needed for Prize Money!
Here's the big thing: We need donations to fund this year's prize money. Last year there were three cash prizes: $400 for the overall winner, $200 for the runner-up, and $50 for the honorable mention/third place. The majority of this prize money was raised through donations from writers, editors and readers. I hope we can reach these amounts again.
I have already put forth $50 for this year's prize money and storySouth has donated $100. If no additional donations come in, that will be the prize money for the 1st place winner. But I'm optimistic we can quickly raise much more than that.
Please note that since these donations do not go through Spring Garden Press (storySouth's publisher), donations are not tax deductible. However, your entire donated amount will be used for the prize money, minus the small fee PayPal deducts for transmitting the money. All donors will have the option of having their name and donation listed on the Million Writers Award page. Donors may also remain anonymous.
To donate, go here.
Thanks to everyone who has taken part in the award in previous years, and I hope you enjoy it again this year. I will be posting updates on this blog throughout the award process. For more frequent updates, be sure to check out my Twitter account.
The 2011 Million Writers Award is now open for nominations. This page is for EDITORS to nominate three short stories published in their online magazine. Individual nominations are here.
Nominations will be accepted through March 15, 2011. As always, there is no fee to nominate a story and no fee to take part. To nominate stories from your online magazine or journal, please first read the rules then use the format below to place your nominations in this page's comment box. Failure to use this format can result in nominations not being considered.
To post nominations people will need to log into this site using either Facebook, Twitter, Typepad, or another social media account. If anyone experiences problems please contact Jason Sanford.
If you like what we're doing with the Million Writers Award, please consider making a donation to increase the amount of prize money we can offer.
Correct nomination format
Enter all editor nominations in the comment box at the bottom of this page
Interzone
http://ttapress.com/interzone
Story 1: "Flying in the Face of God" by Nina Allan
http://ttapress.com/downloads/flying-in-the-face-of-god.pdf
Story 2: "The Shipmaker" by Aliette de Bodard
http://ttapress.com/downloads/the-shipmaker.pdf
Story 3: "Plague Birds" by Jason Sanford
http://www.jasonsanford.com/files/plaguebirds.pdf
Note: The above stories from Interzone are not eligible for this award since Interzone is a print magazine. However, Interzone is an amazing magazine which recently published a special issue on the fiction of Jason Sanford. Since Jason runs the Million Writers Award, he decided to use this spot to plug Interzone. He also urges people to subscribe.
When I founded the online journal storySouth ten years ago, the literary establishment didn't believe online magazines were legitimate places to publish fiction. In fact, many of these heads-in-the-sand fools also believed that the internet was a passing fad.
Now these same people are tweeting each other links to their favorite online stories. It's amazing how the literary world can change in a decade.
Because the world of online publishing has changed so much, last year I asked if the Million Writers Award was still needed. The response from editors, writers, and readers was a massive "Hell yes!" As everyone pointed out, the award brings needed attention and exposure to new and emerging writers while also showcasing the best online magazines.
So here we go again, launching the 8th annual edition of the storySouth Million Writers Award.
However, just because people like our award doesn't mean we're sitting on our haunches. Several major changes have been instituted to ensure the award process continues to run smoothly.
The literary world has changed massively in the last decade and I'd like to think storySouth and the Million Writers Award played a part in shaking up the old ways of doing things. It'll be interesting to see what the coming decade brings.
Sincerely,
Jason Sanford
The purpose of the 2011 storySouth Million Writers Award is to honor and promote the best fiction published in online literary journals and magazines during 2010.
To make a nomination, go here.
The Reason
The reason for the Million Writers Award is that most of the major literary prizes for short fiction (such as the Best American Short Stories series and the O. Henry Awards) have traditionally ignored web-published fiction. This award aims to show that world-class fiction is being published online and to promote this fiction to the larger reading and literary community.
How It Works
The Million Writers Award takes its name from the idea that we in the online writing community have the power to promote the great stories we are creating. If only a few hundred writers took the time to tell fifteen of their friends about a great online short story--and if these friends then passed the word about this fiction to their friends (and so on and so on)--this one story would soon have a larger readership than all of the works in Best American Short Stories.
To help promote online stories, the Million Writers Award accepts nominations from readers, writers, and editors (and the volunteer preliminary judges who assist with the award). There is no entry fee.
Prizes
Last year there were three cash prizes: $400 for the overall winner, $200 for the runner-up, and $50 for the honorable mention/third place. There were also non-cash prizes. All of this prize money was raised through donations from writers, editors and readers.
The 2011 Million Writers Award is starting off with an award base of $150, which has been donated by Jason Sanford and Spring Garden Press (storySouth's publisher). To help raise the amount we can give for prize money, we are seeking additional donations. To donate, go here.
Please note that since these donations do not go through Spring Garden Press (storySouth's publisher), donations are not tax deductible. However, the entire donated amount will be used for prize money, minus the small fee PayPal deducts for transmitting the money.
All donors will have the option of having their name and donation listed on the Million Writers Award page. Donors may also remain anonymous.
Please note that the all prizes will be transferred to the winners by PayPal. In order to receive the prize money, winners must have a PayPal account.
Best Online Publication Award
In addition to the award for best fiction, the online magazine or journal that ends up with the most stories selected as "Notable Stories of the Year" will be honored as the year's best publication for online fiction.
Why Should I Do This?
The general gripe among writers is that no one pays attention to quality writings, while bad or mediocre writings get lots of attention because they are published in prestigious magazines or written by authors who are good at gaining media attention. This award is about countering this trend by promoting the best online writers and stories.
The Rules
1) Only stories first published in online literary journals, magazines, and e-zines that have an editorial process, during the 2010 calendar year, are eligible for nomination. This means that an editor must have selected the story for publication. Self-published stories are not eligible. Stories published in the online versions of print journals or magazines are not eligible even if the story was first published in their online edition. Stories reprinted online, but originally published in a print edition, are not eligible.
2) Anyone may nominate ONE story for the award. This means that readers of magazines can nominate one story and that writers can nominate one their own stories, provided the story was published in 2010 in an online magazine. Editors of online magazines and journals can nominate up to THREE of the stories published in their magazine during 2010.
3) To be eligible for nomination, a story must be longer than 1,000 words.
4) In addition to nominations from writers, readers, and editors, the Million Writers Award also uses preliminary judges to nominate stories for the award and to screen nominations from writers, readers, and editors. The names of the preliminary judges will be released after the award has been announced.
5) From all of the nominees, the judges will select the "Notable Stories of the Year." From this list of notable stories, Jason Sanford and two other judges will chose the top ten stories of the year. The overall winner of the year's award will be selected by a public vote from among the top ten stories of the year. The public vote will use a secure voting system.
6) The online journal or magazine gaining the most "notable story" selections will be named as the Million Writers Award publication of the year. The editors will also select one publication as the Million Writers Award new magazine or journal of the year. Other awards for excellence may also be given out, if the editors feel there is a reason for doing so (such as highlighting a journal or magazine for doing something new or unusual which added to the overall prestige of online publishing).
7) Nominations of stories will begin February 15, 2011 and end March 15, 2011. The list of notable stories of the year will be released by April 1, 2011, with the top ten stories released by the first of May. Voting on the top story of the year will last for one month from May 1 through May 31.
8) Any attempt by writers to distort or manipulate the public vote will result in the disqualification of their respected stories. Writers are allowed to promote their own stories during the vote and to ask others to vote for them. Attempts to repeatedly vote for their own story or to compromise the secure voting system will result in disqualification. The editors of storySouth have final authority to determine if any writer is attempting to distort or manipulate the public vote and the editors' decisions regarding disqualification are final and can not be appealed.
To Nominate a Story
To nominate a story, readers and editors will submit their name, a valid e-mail address, the name of the nominated author, the name of the magazine or journal, and a URL hyperlink to the story. The URL must go directly to the story's page in the online magazine or journal that originally published it. Links to author home pages where the story is posted are not eligible. DO NOT e-mail the entire story to any storySouth editor or to Jason Sanford. Doing so will guarantee that a story is not considered for the award.
How Can I Help?
If you want to help promote this award and online writers in general, please pass the word about this contest or link to this page. Also, please consider supporting the Million Writers Award by making a donation to help increase the award money we give out.
For more information, please e-mail Jason Sanford at lapthai@yahoo.com.
Don't worry, I haven't forgotten—the 2011 storySouth Million Writers Award for best online short story will kick off very soon. I'm still working on some final touches to changes in the award process. Until those are ready to announce I'm putting out the call for volunteer judges. These judges help screen the nominations, select the notable stories of the year, and (for some of the judges) another exciting duty I'll detail when I officially launch the award.
As always, I hope to select a group of judges from across the literary genres.
To apply, e-mail me your writing, reading and/or editing experience at lapthai (circle a sign) yahoo (dot) com—be sure to tell me why you'd make a good literary judge.
Earlier this year the storySouth Million Writers Award completed its seventh straight year of recognizing online fiction and the great literary magazines and journals which embrace the digital medium. Overall the award has been very well received, with large numbers of editors, writers, and readers participating each year as stories from across all literary genres compete for top honors. And thanks to our very supportive donors, we've given away over $2500 in money and prizes to the winning writers.
But now I wonder if we still need the award. And if it is needed, should the award change with the times?
Before I explain why I'm asking these questions, let me give a little background on the award. When I helped found storySouth in 2001, I quickly discovered that many people didn't see online magazines as legitimate publications. This attitude was summed up by the editor of one of the well-known "year's best" anthologies, who claimed he couldn't consider anything from our journal. To him, storySouth wasn't a real publication because we didn't print a paper edition.
In response, I created the Million Writers Award. I saw the award as a way to give online publications and authors the attention and recognition the literary establishment had arrogantly decided we didn't deserve.
But the publishing landscape has changed dramatically over the last decade. Today, few dispute online publications can be the equal of print publications. In fact, while print magazines and journals have seen declining circulations in recent years--and are betting their future on electronic distribution via the Kindle and other ebook readers--online magazines are stronger than ever.
One thing I've loved about running the Million Writers Award is giving recognition to new and upcoming writers. Even though print magazines are embracing e-publishing out of necessity, many are still not overly receptive to new and emerging authors. As a result, purely online magazines and journals have continued to be the fertile ground on which many of tomorrow's big name authors gain their first publications and recognition. It's no coincidence that the authors highlighted by the Million Writers Award are often emerging authors. The award reflects the reality that online publications are very receptive to new voices.
That's the background. Now I return to my initial question...is the Million Writers Award still needed?
As I mentioned, many print magazines are now transitioning to electronic distribution via the Kindle and other ebook readers. Even those magazines which retain a print edition are now often also distributed in an electronic format. Where does this leave an online fiction award? Is an online fiction award even relevant in a world where most fiction is either available online or can be downloaded from an electronic system?
Or perhaps the award simply needs to change. Should it exclusively honor new and emerging authors who are published online? Should it allow any e-published magazine to compete, even if that means allowing The New Yorker in the mix via their Kindle edition? Or should the Million Writers Award simply go away, happy to have done its little part in raising the profile of so many authors and online publications?
I honestly don't know the answers to these questions. Since the online writing and publishing community has been so receptive to the award, I hope people will let me know their thoughts on this issue by either posting below or contacting me.
Every year I've heard complaints because the storySouth Million Writers Award for best online short stories excludes flash fiction. "This is discriminatory!" some writers cry. "This is an affront to literature!" other authors moan.
Maybe. But that's how the award was established, and that's the way it is. The good news, though, is that for the last three years flash fiction has had its own Micro Award to bring attention to worthy stories. Founded in 2007 by author Robert Laughlin, the Micro Award recognized outstanding flash fiction from both print and electronic media. Robert served as the award's administrator and financial supporter until earlier this year, when he retired the award.
But now Robert has told me some exciting news: The Micro Award lives again!
Alan Presley is the award's new administrator and he recently unveiled the updated Micro Award website. The 2011 award will be presented on Feb. 17, 2011 with a prize of $500. Submissions for the 2011 award will be accepted from Oct. 1, 2010 to Dec. 31, 2010. For more information, please see their website.
Thanks to Robert Laughlin for all the great work he put into establishing the Micro Award, and best of luck to Alan on making the award an even bigger success in the years ahead.
This year's Million Writers Award is now complete. The winners are:
First Place (Overall winner): "Hospitality" by Summer Block (from Wheelhouse Magazine)
Runner Up: "Eros, Philia, Agape" by Rachel Swirsky (from Tor.com)
Honorable mention (third place): "Ditch" by Eric Beetner (PDF download, from Thuglit)
Thanks to everyone who took part in this year's award, whether by voting, reading, or nominating stories. To see the complete vote breakdown, go here.
Thanks to our generous donors, this year the prizes are:
Congrats to all the winners. I'll be contacting you shortly about prize distribution. For more information on the award, please see the main Million Writers Award page.
Don't forget the public vote for the storySouth Million Writers Award ends at 11:59 pm Eastern time on May 31, 2010. To vote, go here.
When I posted the ten stories people are voting on, I didn't have time to post my expanded short list of stories. These are the stories from the 2009 Million Writers Award notable stories which caught my eye but didn't quite make my top ten. Thanks to the several people who reminded me about posting these selections.
Million Writers Award short list
Anderbo
http://www.anderbo.com/
- "Alabamer Pianers" by Robert Warner
http://www.anderbo.com/anderbo1/afiction-043.htmlBarrelhouse
http://www.barrelhousemag.com
- "An Open Letter to Fans of Southplains Football" by Stephan Clark
http://www.barrelhousemag.com/word/?p=901Cha: An Asian Literary Journal
http://www.asiancha.com/
- "Improv" by Drew Calvert
http://www.asiancha.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=496&Itemid=221Chiaroscuro (ChiZine): Treatments of Light and Shade in Words
http://chizine.com
- "The Angel of Fremont Street" by Shira Lipkin
http://chizine.com/angel_of_fremont_street.htmEclectica Magazine
http://www.eclectica.org
- "Semolinian Equinox" by Svetlana Lavochkina
http://www.eclectica.org/v13n1/lavochkina.htmlThe Edge of Propinquity
http://www.edgeofpropinquity.net
- "Inspirations" by Seanan McGuire
http://www.edgeofpropinquity.net/library.asp?id=256Fantasy Magazine
http://www.fantasy-magazine.com/
- "In Dreams Tangible" by Su-Yee Lin
http://www.fantasy-magazine.com/2009/10/in-dreams-tangible/- "Light On The Water" by Genevieve Valentine
http://www.fantasy-magazine.com/2009/10/light-on-the-water/A Fly in Amber
http://www.aflyinamber.net/
- "A World in Rubber, Soft and Malleable" by Aaron Polson
http://www.aflyinamber.net/?p=480Front Porch Journal
http://www.frontporchjournal.com
- "Try Mailing This to Alpha Centauri" by Aaron Gilbreath
http://www.frontporchjournal.com/issue110_fiction_gilbreath.aspGuernica Magazine
http://www.guernicamag.com
- "The Genius Meetings" by Elizabeth Crane
http://www.guernicamag.com/fiction/1194/geniusmeetings/JMWW
http://jmww.150m.com
- "Maki's Dead" by Kevin Spaide
http://jmww.150m.com/Spaide.htmlJoyland
http://www.joyland.ca
- "Sissy" by Zoe Whittall
http://www.joyland.ca/stories/toronto/sissyNecessary Fiction
http://www.necessaryfiction.com
- "Things I Know About Fairy Tales" by Roxane Gay
http://www.necessaryfiction.com/stories/roxane-gay-things-i-know-about-fairy-tales-Plots with Guns
http://www.plotswithguns.com
- "Ill Nature" by Kyle Minor, Plots With Guns:
http://plotswithguns.com/6minor.htmPrick of the Spindle
http://www.prickofthespindle.com/
- "What Darla Does When the Tooth Fairy Dies" by Ann Rosenquist Fee
http://www.prickofthespindle.com/fiction/3.2/fee/what_darla_does.htmSFReader.com
http://sfreader.com
- "On a Clear Day You Can See All the Way to Conspiracy" by Desmond Warzel
http://sfreader.com/contest-2008-1.aspstorySouth
http://www.storysouth.com
- "The Cancer Diet" by Daniel Wallace
http://storysouth.com/2009/03/the-cancer-diet.htmlStrange Horizons
http://www.strangehorizons.com
- "Nira and I" by Shweta Narayan
http://www.strangehorizons.com/2009/20090316/nira-and-i-f.shtml- "The Shangri-La Affair" by Lavie Tidhar
http://strangehorizons.com/2009/20090119/shangri_la-f.shtmlThoughtcrime Experiments
http://thoughtcrime.crummy.com
- "Friar Garden, Mister Samuel, and the Jilly Jally Butter Mints" by Carole Lanham
http://thoughtcrime.crummy.com/2009/Mints.htmlToasted Cheese
http://tclj.toasted-cheese.com/
- "Stowaways" by Kimberley Idol
http://tclj.toasted-cheese.com/2009/9-4/idol.htm
A few items of note:
With the Million Writers Award's public vote running, I've been thinking recently about the blood feud between the literary fiction and genre fiction communities--and how online fiction seems to be ending said feud.
You can read my thoughts on the matter at SF Signal.
The public vote for the storySouth Million Writers Award is now open. All writers and readers are welcome to take part in the vote, which will last until 11:59 pm Eastern time on May 31, 2010.
Please note this isn't my regular email. After you email, you will receive a Yahoo Auto Response with the link and password. If you have any problems with the system, please contact me.
I apologize in advance for any hassles, but writers and readers get really worked up about literary awards and I believe this system will prevent any attempts at ballot stuffing. And before anyone asks whether I'll be able to identify individual voter choices, no, I will not. Your vote will be between yourself and your favorite literary god(s).
As a reminder, here are this year's top ten stories, from which the top stories will be voted on:
Thanks to our generous donors,
this year the prizes break down as follows:
Instead of waiting until tomorrow, I decided to go ahead and release my picks for the Million Writers Award top ten stories of 2009. Here they are:
I selected these stories from the 190 notable stories of 2009, which were picked by the Million Writers Award preliminary judges. Obviously there were many great works on that list, despite my complaint the other day about depressing stories. In a few days I'll name some of the other stories from the notable list which caught my eye but didn't quite make the top ten.
The public vote for the overall winners--meaning people will vote for their favorite story from the ten listed above--will begin on Sunday and run through the end of this month. Thanks to our generous donors, this year the prizes break down as follows:
For more information on the award, please see the main Million Writers Award page.
UPDATE: I'm having difficulty with the vote system I was going to use, so I have to switch to a backup one. I'll try to have the vote up and running by the evening of May 17. My apologies for this delay.
I have finished reading the 190 Million Writers Award notable stories, so my picks for the top ten online stories of the year will be released on Saturday, May 15.
The public vote for the overall winners will begin the following day. After seeking feedback in recent weeks on this public vote, I have decided to limit the vote to 16 days. This means the public vote will run from May 16 through May 31. Based on feedback from people, I believe this will be enough time for everyone to read the top ten stories and vote.
Don't forget that thanks to our generous donors,this year the prizes break down as follows:
For more information on the award, please see the main Million Writers Award page.
After reading the 190 notable stories of 2009 for this year's Million Writers Award, I have one question for all the writers and readers out there: What's with all the depressing stories making the rounds?
Don't get me wrong. I love depressing stories when they're well done. (Note to readers: cliches about life to follow.) After all, life isn't an endless refrain of Don't Worry, Be Happy. Without falling into the valleys of life, you can't understand why the peaks are so f'in high. Ups and downs, good and bad, happiness and tragedy--they're all part of the whole being alive and human gig.
So I do enjoy stories and books on depressing subjects and situations. A perfect example is Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, which is not only one of my all-time favorite novels but also a damn-depressing book. To balance that out, I also love uplifting books like Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Not that this novel is a happy happy book either--I mean, the main character loses everyone he loves and spends months in a lifeboat with a tiger. But despite the bad things that happen in Life of Pi , there is a glimmer of hope to the story. You finish the book feeling that life isn't all bad. That good things are possible.
And that's all I ask from my reading--that some of the stories give me that glimmer of hope.
But as I read those 190 notable stories, I felt under siege by the forces of depression. Incest. Violence. Murder. Betrayal. Anger. Extremely unhappy endings and beginnings and middles. There were very few uplifting stories on the list. I wondered what had happened to stories like the wonderful "FridayAfternoons on Bus 51" by Sruthi Thekkiam, which I picked for the Million Writers Award top ten a few years back.
While I haven't done a happy/depressing analysis of the previous Million Writers Award notable story lists, my sense is that this is the most angst-filling list ever. And perhaps this is only natural. The world has been going through a bad run of late, what with the economic near-collapse, wars, and so on. So perhaps it is only natural that the stories being published recently are overall darker in tone than a few years ago.
Again, don't take me wrong. In a few days, when I release my 10 favorite stories from the notable list, most of those stories won't be happy happy. In fact, it's possible all of them will feature a dark display of anger, violence, murder, betrayal, and evil deeds. I'm picking the best stories possible. If they're all depressing, so be it.
Still, is it too much to ask for a few rays of sunshine once in a while?
As I mentioned last week, I'm evaluating different public voting options for this year's Million Writers Award. I'm now almost finished reading 190 f&!#ing stories :-) so I should be able to release the top ten stories of the year, and start the public vote, around May 15th.
However, the costs to run the public vote look to increase in all the options under consideration. Basically, there are a few good online systems for holding the vote, but all of them cost way more than I've paid in previous years. Under these options, I can pay for a month to month subscription. The catch, though, is that the voting for the award usually runs exactly a month. Adding in setup and vote testing to a one-month vote means I'd have to pay for two months. Ouch.
Would anyone care if the public vote for this year's award ran for three weeks instead of four? That way a one month subscription to a voting system would cover the entire process. Just FYI, I've always paid for this voting system out of my own pocket--meaning all donations go purely toward the prize money--and I'd prefer to keep it this way. I've also noticed that most people vote for their favorite story in the first few weeks.
So are there any concerns if we go with a three week vote?