Being nominated is as important to the process as being voted the winner. Take the category of back design for example. I think Tycoons is worthy of being nominated. Problem is no one had nominated Gatorbacks and I can only pick one. Will someone nominate or second either? Both could very well not be nominated at all, because of those who are turned off by the process.
Second... There are a few decks that I did not buy. Those decks had parts that were very good and parts that made me not buy them. However, in the funded decks area, I have no clue if some of those decks were ever shipped. I'd still consider nominating some, but can't. Only those that bought them or remember reading about them being delivered would know.
I think if your going to do this the right way, you need to make it easier. Create a list of eligible decks that can be nominated. Allow people to pick more then one, maybe two selections per category. Even with allowing two selections, that odd ball nomination falls off. We need to cover the deserving decks, despite those who don't participate. I don't see that about to happen here. We have time... but I just don't see the regulars getting "ALL" the deserving nominations in. Some will be forgotten, some will get left off simply because we assumed it was in already. It's a very unstable and frustrating processes to me.
OK, here's a thought that may make the process simpler. I will chart all decks nominated and seconded in the first post of the award topics. I'm checking nightly anyway for the 100,000th post contest and nominations are coming in at a slow but steady pace, it seems.
Eligibility is simple - distributed in 2014, period. For commercially-made decks, this means "available for purchase" and pre-orders don't count - it has to be in stock and shippable. For crowdfunded project decks, this means either "available for purchase" (it is often the case that retailers get the decks before backers; pre-orders still do not apply) or received by backers - even if it's just one backer.
If you have doubts about when a deck was released, often checking the deck's topic will help, as will checking the updates and comments on the project page, FB page, etc.
If you're concerned about your TWO favorite decks not getting nominated, post about it. Ask someone to nominate one of them so you can nominate the other. It's nearly 57 days until the nominating process ends - start now and I really doubt you'll have a problem finding someone who agrees about the greatness of one of the decks and is willing to assist you in time.
In my personal opinion, if you like one better than the other, wouldn't you want to promote that one over the other one? You could end up ruining the chances for your favorite deck to win. It's a bit like campaigning for two different candidates vying for the same elected office... But again, that is simply my personal opinion, not any statement of fact.
If this does not work for you, please let me know right here and I'll see what else can be done to make the process more enjoyable. If you're seeking a major change in the competition's structure, it would help to know you're not the only one dissatisfied by having others post who agree with you.
I've said it before, this is YOUR board (the collective you, not just Card Player). Without you, this place wouldn't exist, let alone thrive as it has. I serve here because the people here appreciate my presence - if I was nearly universally hated, there's no way I'd still be holding any staff position; it would be bad for the forum and I'd be removed. (Actually, I'd probably resign before it went that far.) So I'm really only a guest here, as are the rest of us (except for the board owner, of course). I do my level-headed best most of the time to be a fair and reasonable person and to make the members here want to return, over and over.
