The rules are as delicate as sakura petals, ensuring fairness and respect throughout the competition.

Participants Guidelines for the Sakura Awards:-

1. Payment Finality: Entry payments are non-refundable. Once submitted, entries cannot be withdrawn. Violations may lead to disqualification.

2. Consistent Username: Use the same username throughout the contest for tracking and transparency. In case you need to change it, write your old username, new username, the title of the book and the category here.        >>>

3. Active Participation: Stay active on Wattpad during the contest. Notify the host if you need to take a break.

4. Respectful Conduct: Treat everyone—participants, organizers, and readers—with respect. Any misconduct will result in consequences.

5. Original Content Only: All submissions must be your original work. Plagiarism will lead to immediate disqualification. No translated works either.

6. No AI-Generated Work: Submissions must be entirely human-written. AI-generated content is strictly prohibited and will result in disqualification.

7. Content Compliance: Ensure your story adheres to Wattpad's content guidelines.

8. Final Judgments: Judges' decisions are final. No appeals or disputes will be entertained as all of them will go through the host.

9. No Story Removal: Once you submit your story, it must remain on Wattpad for the duration of the contest. You have to be active too.

10. Language Requirement: Stories must be written in English.

11. Chapter Minimum: Each story must have at least 4 chapters, excluding prologues, disclaimers and/or epilogues.

12. Submission Format: Follow the specific submission format provided. Incorrect submissions may be rejected. Also, your forms should be neat and not messy.

13. One Entry Per Story: Each story can only be submitted to only one genre. The maximum number of stories that can be submitted per author is 3.

14. Follow: Follow your judge when assigned. Failure to do so will result in disqualification.

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Judges Guidelines for the Sakura Awards:-

1. Impartiality: Evaluate all entries fairly, without bias or personal opinions. Focus solely on the merit and creativity of each story. 

2. Timely Evaluation: Stick to the timeline provided. Ensure that all feedback and evaluations are completed promptly and thoughtfully.

3. Clear Evaluation Criteria: Follow the established criteria to assess different aspects of each story, such as plot, character development, writing style, and originality.

4. No External Assistance: Do not seek or accept external help that could compromise the integrity of your evaluation. Keep all assessments independent.

5. Conflict of Interest: If you have any personal or professional connections with a participant, disclose this to the host before the evaluation begins to avoid potential bias.

6. Professional Conduct: Maintain professionalism in all interactions and communications. Your conduct reflects the integrity of The Sakura Awards.

8. Active Participation: Stay active on Wattpad throughout the contest period. If you anticipate a prolonged absence, notify the host in advance to ensure smooth judging.

9. Respect and Courtesy: Treat all participants, organizers, and fellow judges with respect. Any inappropriate behaviour will result in removal from the judging panel.

10. Feedback Requirements:

- Detailed Feedback (400 words) Provide constructive feedback that addresses the strengths and areas for improvement in each story. Aim to help participants grow as writers.

- Review (200 words): Offer a concise review summarizing your thoughts, focusing on what stood out and how the story could be enhanced. You should include your opinions as well.

11. Confidentiality: Keep all entries and evaluations confidential. Do not discuss or share your assessments with anyone outside the judging panel until the results are officially announced.

12. Communication: Stay in contact with us through our socials.

13. Community Involvement: Join the community unofficially to participate in judging.

- You'll just have to DM theicycard on Discord to join your server & add our hiring book to your public reading list.

- This involvement gives you a chance to judge for future contests and awards for our community. 

- Fill out the form in this book to judge in the awards.

- Give editing access to [email protected] to the Google Docs you'll use to judge the books.

14. You cannot be a judge in the category/genre your book is in.