Meet the judges:

Stephanie: Writer. Hanson fan.

Krystal: My name is krystal and I’m a hanfic junkie. I first got into hanfic when a girl I met at the Albertane show in Nashville emailed me some links to Hanson stuff, one of which was “this weird story written about them!” That would be “Walls” to you and me. And the rest is history. Hanfic is probably what kept me here during 2 year drought #1 and 3 ½ year drought #2. I love the treasure hunt aspects of it. And I love watching young writers get better; probably why I read even the ones that a lot of folks snub. I’m into plot and character more than grammar. Though, it’s the rare treat when you get both, all rolled up into one marvelous gob of Hansony goodness! This my darlings, is why I am a judge in the Various Artists 2005 Awards! (and because the site is sort of mine since the Queen Mother of Hanfic handed it down to Stephanie and I…)

Barbara: I am a Hanson Fiction writer; and although I don't write much anymore, I still like to read Hanfic. I launched 'Just Like You', my first Hanson fiction website, in December of 2001. It later became 'Turn the Page', and it remained online until just recently. I enjoy dabbling in website design; and have, on occasion, designed sites for friends. I'm not the obsessed Hanson fan that I used to be, and I haven't read much Hanfic recently; but I love to read, and I'm looking forward to finding some new gems to enjoy.

Miriam I'm Miriam, and I read. A lot. At age 9, once I ran out of reading tips from friends, I decided to read the entire school library. From A-Å(I'm Danish). I had to stop at L, when I graduated. The librarian told me that I had managed to read over 5000 books. Books and stories are still my passion. I'll read anything; I have a rule, that I am not allowed to discontinue reading a book unless it's more than 750 pages. I have learned that books can get very good after page 300. I have learned not to judge a book by it's cover.

These rules also applies to fan fiction. However bad the layout of the host is, however badly written the first 15+ chapters are, sometimes, just sometimes, you find a pearl in the haystack - and it makes it all worthwhile. I'm looking forward to reading your pearls!

Rhoda: Greetings fellow Fansons! I am Rhoda, longtime Fanson, newly-discovered Hanfic junkie. I'm also a writer - not just for Hanfic, but for pretty much anything that pops into my weird little mind. If all goes well, I'll be publishing my work (on my own, most likely) sometime in the next year or ten.

Besides Hanson and fanfic, my other obsessions include (in no particular order): movies, Tolkien, Vertigo graphic novels, Neil Gaiman, science fiction of the old skool, Nine Inch Nails, Harry Potter, vampires and dragons. I generally read up to six books in a given month, sometimes more, depending on how into the story I get and how much spare time I have. I'll be reading all your entries with as much fervor as I can muster!

Zeeba: My name is Zeeba. I have always admired writers for their ability to dream up an idea and share it with others in the simple form of the written word. I am an avid reader; anything from the romance of a high-powered New York woman to the adventures of a young wizard.

The first Hanfic I read because I found a link on the Hansonline.com message boards. I loved it. Since then I have searched the web for other stories that intrigue me the way that one did.

So I was really excited to be asked to be a part of this experience, because I love the way Hanfic writers can work with the same basic characters yet achieve such diversity as a result.

Gina:  When I was introduced to Hanson fiction world back in 1998, I had no idea that it would become such an influential factor in my life. But it has. Trying my hand at writing Hanfic was what made me realize how much I love to write and how lost I would feel without it. As many writers do, I started out on rather shaky footing, cranking out story after story with similar characters and plotlines. I took a break from the fanfic world for several years, only to return in November of 2004 with many ideas and sources of inspiration. I'd like to say that I've come a long way since then. And I've been writing ever since.

Jennifer: 'm Jennifer, reader, Hanson fan. For my intro into Hansonfiction (I had never even heard of fanfiction!) I was lucky enough to stumble upon Llama's fiction, so I was reading the cream of the crop from the beginning.

I'm probably more of an action/adventure or slice-of-life fiction lover, but a well-written love story will still get me every time.

Ella: The long and winding road...: My first memory of wanting to be a writer was when I was ten years old. I started reading Stephen King's "Insomnia", and despite the fact that I'm pretty sure I wasn't his intended demographic for that novel, I got sucked in. It amazed me, even then, that he could create such a real yet fantastical world with his words. I remember thinking, "This is what I want to do."

Unfortunately, I never followed through -- the fiction I wrote for my classes over the years was bland, uninspired, subpar. I had a friend who was a terrific writer, and I was always inevitably compared to her -- and always fell short. I couldn't understand why something I wanted to do so badly wasn't turning out the way I wanted it to, because I'd never had that problem before. If you work at something, you get better... or at least, that's what I'd always heard. But in high school, I gave up. I figured, if I'm not any good at it, I shouldn't be doing it, right?

Cut to college. I chose journalism as a major, interestingly enough -- a dry, formulaic style of writing that a trained monkey could probably do. The more news stories I wrote, the more I disliked it. I felt constricted by the form and unimaginative tone. So it was by chance one night that I stumbled across a Hanson fan fiction -- while searching for silverchair fiction, actually -- and on a whim, decided to read it. I was hooked, and spent the majority of my online time for the next few weeks reading more.

Hanfic, I discovered, is full of fantastic writers. I was amazed by these fans and their ability to take three 'characters' we already thought we knew and mold them into something original. And I got that stirring feeling again, after reading a small mountain of fic -- the "This is what I want to do" feeling. And so, in September of 2001, I did just that. I began my own Hanson fiction... and I've realized something, in the four years since then. To be a good writer, you have to know your characters. You have to care. And that was my problem before -- I'd never created anything I truly cared about, until Taylor and Alley came along. Those two have taught me far more about character development than any class ever could -- and I think it shows now, even in my 'original' fiction.

So to conclude, I'm Ella, 23, a writer, and long-winded. I want everyone to see that Hanfic is not always the fluff it appears to be, to the unititiated. There are authors out there who deserve to be recognized for all their hard work, and that's why I agreed to help out. And as for me, personally, I can give full credit to Hanfic for helping me become what I always wanted to be -- someone who can create new worlds with words. I hope that through these awards, many of you will read these stories and be similarly inspired.

J. Robinson:  I'm just a small town-girl with no prior writing experience who was unwittingly transformed into a some-time "romance" writer by three talented, long-haired musicians. I became hooked on Hanfic from its inception, and decided to try my hand at it with a little story entitled "Sasha's Gift." The rest is history, as they say. I am continously humbled by the reception my stories have received, and honored to be a part of a community of fine authors, universally inspired by Hanson. I'm excited to be a part of the VA Awards and can't wait to get reading. Good luck to all the nominees!