Back in 2016, I created POTM with little expectation of it being as big of a success as it has become. Because of its unexpected popularity over the years, it has required the feature to change and evolve each round. We saw a big change to the winner articles in 2020 when they went from their original article format to a roundtable format. While that format was fun, it was time for a big change to bring the feature to new heights. As such, the 2021 round will see a whole new format for winner recognition, but we’ll get to that in a minute. First read through the 2021 rules and then check out what you can expect for the new winner recognition for all 2021 monthly winners.
PLEASE READ ABOUT ALL OF THE CHANGES BEFORE PROCEEDING TO THE NOMINATION FORM.
Readers’ Choice Performer of the Month
Nominations:
There will be no significant change to this aspect of the feature for the Readers’ side. The nomination round will open up at 6 pm ET on the first day of each month and close at 6 pm ET on the fourth day of each month.
The nominees that make it to the site poll will be entirely fan chosen. Performers can only be nominated for a single episode. That episode number will also factor into which performers make it into the Top 5. If a performer has 100 nominations, but only 25 of those are for the same episode and another performer has 50 nominations but they are all for the same episode then that performer will make it over the other.
Everyone can still make up to 5 nominations for any actor or actress who delivered an outstanding performance in the award month. The form is still the same, so you will have to fill it out separately for each nominee up to five nominees. Fill the form out entirely for each submission or your nominations will not count.
Voting:
The polls will only be open for 2 days. Voting will start at 6 pm ET on the fifth day of every month and close at 6 pm ET on the seventh day.
There is one difference in this section for the 2021 round. After you are done voting there will be an optional form you can fill out. That form will allow you to submit a short description of what you think makes the performer and the performance they won for so special. By filling out that form you do have a chance of having your thoughts shared as a part of the new winner recognition.
Rules:
-A person can only nominate 5 performers per month. Those 5 performers must all be different. Anyone trying to submit the same performer for all 5 of their allowed nominations will have all of their nominations disqualified. The submission form has been completely changed, so please be sure to fill it out correctly. If any spots are not filled in your submission will not count.
Readers’ Choice Performer of the Month
Nominations:
There will be no significant change to this aspect of the feature for the Readers’ side. The nomination round will open up at 6 pm ET on the first day of each month and close at 6 pm ET on the fourth day of each month.
The nominees that make it to the site poll will be entirely fan chosen. Performers can only be nominated for a single episode. That episode number will also factor into which performers make it into the Top 5. If a performer has 100 nominations, but only 25 of those are for the same episode and another performer has 50 nominations but they are all for the same episode then that performer will make it over the other.
Everyone can still make up to 5 nominations for any actor or actress who delivered an outstanding performance in the award month. The form is still the same, so you will have to fill it out separately for each nominee up to five nominees. Fill the form out entirely for each submission or your nominations will not count.
Voting:
The polls will only be open for 2 days. Voting will start at 6 pm ET on the fifth day of every month and close at 6 pm ET on the seventh day.
There is one difference in this section for the 2021 round. After you are done voting there will be an optional form you can fill out. That form will allow you to submit a short description of what you think makes the performer and the performance they won for so special. By filling out that form you do have a chance of having your thoughts shared as a part of the new winner recognition.
Rules:
-A person can only nominate 5 performers per month. Those 5 performers must all be different. Anyone trying to submit the same performer for all 5 of their allowed nominations will have all of their nominations disqualified. The submission form has been completely changed, so please be sure to fill it out correctly. If any spots are not filled in your submission will not count.
-Only 1 episode can be nominated per performer. That episode will help determine which performers make it to the poll. Simply just put the episode number in the form. The contest will be working off the understanding that the episode number is for the current season.
-A performer can only win 1 time per year.
-A show can only be represented by 2 winners per year. For example, if a performer from a show wins in January then another performer from that same show wins in February then no other performer on the show will be eligible again for the rest of the year.
-In the event the same performer wins both the staff and reader voting that particular month will only have 1 winner.
-During voting the results will remain hidden. The results will be revealed in the recognition video.
-Performers on streaming shows that release the full season all at one time are eligible for 2 months, so the month the season releases and the following month. That gives people more opportunity to watch and nominate performers from those shows.
-Performers on streaming shows can’t be nominated for a full season. Nominations must include just a single episode number.
-Voice performers from live-action shows are eligible as long as they had a significant part in the episode they appeared in.
-Voice performers from animated shows are eligible.
-Guest stars are eligible.
-Performers from movies that aired originally and exclusively on a streaming service are eligible for 2 months.
Staff Choice Performer of the Month
Nominations:
This has changed slightly to accommodate the time needed to work on the winner recognition. The nomination period for the Staff side will only run for two days starting on the first and concluding on the second.
Voting:
All the nominees will be entered into a spreadsheet where we will then rank them and the winner will be the one with the largest number of votes. The results will be shared in the results post at the end of the voting round. Voting for Staff will now run from the third to the fourth of each month.
Winner Recognition
This is where the biggest changes will occur. We will no longer be doing dedicated winner articles. Instead, those winner articles will be replaced by a separate video for the Reader and Staff sides. The videos will look at the Top 5 nominees from each side that get the most votes. The winner will then be revealed in the video and get extensively talked about including excerpts from voters regarding why they think the winner deserved the recognition. We will still have a small written announcement to accompany each video, but the primary form of winner recognition will be the videos.
Performer of the Year
Performer of the Year will be handled mostly like past years with the exception that to vote in POTY you will be required to vote using a social media account. The winner will still receive a full-length article. The big difference is that there will also be a video that will discuss the Top 5 that receive the most votes as well as highlight the winners. The POTY winners will be the only ones going forward that will receive a full-length article as part of their winner recognition.
2020 Staff Choice Performer of the Year: Linda Cardellini
2020 Readers' Choice Performer of the Year: Katherine Barrell
December 2020 Winners:
Readers' Choice: Olivia Cheng (Ah Toy) - Warrior
Staff Choice Performer of the Month
Nominations:
This has changed slightly to accommodate the time needed to work on the winner recognition. The nomination period for the Staff side will only run for two days starting on the first and concluding on the second.
Voting:
All the nominees will be entered into a spreadsheet where we will then rank them and the winner will be the one with the largest number of votes. The results will be shared in the results post at the end of the voting round. Voting for Staff will now run from the third to the fourth of each month.
Winner Recognition
This is where the biggest changes will occur. We will no longer be doing dedicated winner articles. Instead, those winner articles will be replaced by a separate video for the Reader and Staff sides. The videos will look at the Top 5 nominees from each side that get the most votes. The winner will then be revealed in the video and get extensively talked about including excerpts from voters regarding why they think the winner deserved the recognition. We will still have a small written announcement to accompany each video, but the primary form of winner recognition will be the videos.
Performer of the Year
Performer of the Year will be handled mostly like past years with the exception that to vote in POTY you will be required to vote using a social media account. The winner will still receive a full-length article. The big difference is that there will also be a video that will discuss the Top 5 that receive the most votes as well as highlight the winners. The POTY winners will be the only ones going forward that will receive a full-length article as part of their winner recognition.
2020 Staff Choice Performer of the Year: Linda Cardellini
2020 Readers' Choice Performer of the Year: Katherine Barrell
December 2020 Winners:
Readers' Choice: Olivia Cheng (Ah Toy) - Warrior
Staff Choice: Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian/Din Djarin) - The Mandalorian
Please note that a performer can now only win once per year and a show can only be represented by two winners per year. No exceptions will be made for any performer or show, so please use thoughtful consideration when making your nominations. You will have to fill out the submission form for each nominee you submit. You can submit the document up to 5 times, but each entry must be for a different performer or all of your other nominations will be disqualified. The Top 5 most nominated actresses and Top 5 actors will be placed in the poll next week to determine the Readers' Choice Performer of the Month.
After you place your nominations take a moment to use the comments section to discuss your nominees with others. Episode number for the nominees is critically important, so discuss with others why you think a performer deserves to be recognized for a specific performance within a single episode.
Nominations will run until February 4th at 6 pm ET. The poll will post on February 5th at 6 pm ET.
Enter the episode number as 101 or 1.01. Either will work on the form and both will be accepted.
Please note that a performer can now only win once per year and a show can only be represented by two winners per year. No exceptions will be made for any performer or show, so please use thoughtful consideration when making your nominations. You will have to fill out the submission form for each nominee you submit. You can submit the document up to 5 times, but each entry must be for a different performer or all of your other nominations will be disqualified. The Top 5 most nominated actresses and Top 5 actors will be placed in the poll next week to determine the Readers' Choice Performer of the Month.
After you place your nominations take a moment to use the comments section to discuss your nominees with others. Episode number for the nominees is critically important, so discuss with others why you think a performer deserves to be recognized for a specific performance within a single episode.
Nominations will run until February 4th at 6 pm ET. The poll will post on February 5th at 6 pm ET.
Enter the episode number as 101 or 1.01. Either will work on the form and both will be accepted.
