Now Mikal knows why I want nothing to do with judging or deciding finalists for the contest. I just do the grunt tech work afterwards

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I had a chat with Michael Underwood at Anime Expo this year while waiting for seat tickets. This problem actually occurs everywhere, even big cons like that. Their comedy category apparently was stacked with many AMV-Hell-type parodies, so much so that he ended up using two of them with the other five traditional comedies, even though there was technically a rule against it. He contemplated if they should change up the categories to include things like parodies in a separate category since they were just overwhelmed.
Its even harder for smaller conventions like this one, where there aren't as many entries to judge. No two creators are alike, and style and interpretation can vary from person to person. Any video could potentially do well in two or more categories depending on who watches them.
The solution isn't easy. We could try to stick to a formula that is fixed and even, but sometimes videos end up in categories the creator wasn't expecting. We could try to do like we did in 2008 and not have a fixed limit on categories, but then we could end up with 6 action, 5 comedy, and 11 dramas, and as good as those dramas may be, its a little tough to sit through all that.
I will say this, having finally gained a sneak peek into the contest.... trust me, its good. Damn good. Freaking AMAZING, actually ^_^. Every one of you has really outdone yourselves this year, and we can't thank you enough for coming back each year. Goes without saying (duh), but this contest wouldn't exist without you. All we do is set the stage - you guys are the entertainment.
Anyway, enough of my fluff. Gotta get back to work. Time's ticking 'till Friday night!!