| 1.) | You can't win if you don't perform. Stage a performance between June 1 and May 31 of a given performance season.
The Metro DC Dance Awards ceremony is always in late September as something of an informal kickoff the current performance season. It celebrates and brings awareness of dance to the community, and hopefully inspires artists and audiences to participate. Thus the "window" for eligible performances is the prior year - for example the 8th Annual Metro DC Dance Awards in September 2008 will consider performances between June 1, 2007 and May 31, 2008.
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| 2.) | Publicize your event….and the awards.
Make a small mention in your program to ardent followers and the casual audience members that if they like what they see, they should save the program and nominate your work online at www.mdcda.org The online form walks them through entering the details and takes less than 30 seconds. It can be done anonymously if they wish.
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| 3.) | Document (videotape) your performance!
While a videotape is not required in order for your work to be considered or win an award, it is vital to helping the Selection Committee who will be ultimately evaluating the nominees. If the committee contacts you for some recording of the work, but there isn't one, then they have to rely on whatever vague recollections Committee members may have of your work, and that makes it that much harder to describe how great it was to the rest of the Committee. This is the most critical step you can take to ensure yourself a chance at winning an award.
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| 4.) | Get Nominated!
All it takes is one nomination to get into the process. You can even nominate yourself. A common misunderstanding, though, is that the number of nominations matter - it doesn't. You can be nominated once or 50 times, it has the same effect of getting your name on the list. (Nominations are not a popularity contest.) Click here to nominate online.
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Now here is where the process leaves your control.
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| 5.) | Getting to be a finalist...
All nominees in each category are checked for eligibility and subject to voting on the Ballot - a plurality in each category move on to being a Finalist. See the Awards Process page for more details this round of voting.
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| 6.) | And the winner is...
The winner of each category is determined by Selection Committee vote. Again, please refer to Awards Process page for more details, but this is where Step 3 above (Document your performance!) is critical - while the Selection Committee members try to get to as many performances as possible, if they can't review your work, it makes it that much harder to keep yourself in contention!
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