A key element of these awards is the fact that the winners are being recognized by their peers. Thus, in order to participate in The Diarist Awards, you must keep an online journal. (There are other award programs that reflect the feelings of readers.)

Although you can review the process in detail, basically it is this: The open nomination period lasts two weeks. After nominations are closed, the nine-member award panel -- which rotates with each award cycle -- takes all submissions and narrows them down to a handful of finalists. The finalists are then presented for an open vote.

We are currently in the open nomination phase. In order to ensure these awards have the highest possible level of credibility, there are a few restrictions and guidelines in place. These are explained in detail here, but the key points are:

• Those who nominate must include a name, e-mail address and valid URL to their own journal.
• Votes missing any of the above elements will be discarded.
• The nomination form allows nominations in up to three categories per submission, but you may submit only one or two at a time as well.
• Duplicate votes will be discarded. (You may use the site or entry vote forms more than once, just avoid duplicate votes in individual categories.)
• Duplicate or mass submissions are subject to disqualification.
• Diarists are discouraged from actively seeking nominations through others.

We strongly recommend you put considerable thought into your nominations, starting with a review of the different award categories. In fact, if this is your first visit to this page, we suggest you hold off for a few days to allow you some time to surf the web a little more and make sure you identify the best possible candidates. Note that you will also need to have specific information -- including exact entry and site URLs -- so making this extra effort will worthwhile.

Nominated entries should have been written or posted between October 1 and December 31, 2003; older entries are eligible only for the "Outstanding Entry" award. Nominees for "Best New Journal" must have started after July 1, 2003. Sites that are no longer online are eligible only for the "Legacy Award" (Hall of Fame).

There is a form for entry-specific awards and one for site awards. Please resist the temptation to submit your nominee with both forms  entry awards are intended recognize the writing of a specific piece (independent of the site), whereas site awards reward consistent, overall quality.

Entry Nomination Form

Site Nomination Form