The Kerth Categories
Best Micro-Short Story (1-5kB)
These are stories that are up to approximately 900 words.
Best Super-Short Story (6-10kB)
These are stories that are up to approximately 900 to 1,800 words.
Best Short Story (11-50kB)
These are stories that are approximately 1,800 to 9,000 words.
Best Mid-Length Story (51-200kB)
These are stories that are approximately 9,000 to 36,000 or longer than 36,000 words.
Best Long Story (201+kB)
These are stories that are approximately 9,000 to 36,000 or longer than 36,000 words.
Best Comedy Story
These are the stories that made you laugh out loud this year. Whether they’re full of puns or totally absurd or just a series of hilariously unfortunate events, the purpose of these stories is to amuse the reader and make them laugh.
Best Dramatic Story
Dramatic stories keep us on the edge of our seats. They’re filled with exciting and suspenseful events and can be similar in tone to the show’s episodes or tackle a more serious subject matter. They will generally, though not always, contain a significant A-plot.
Best Waffy Story
A comforting hand on the lower back. Chocolate-brown eyes staring deeply into your soul. A perfect flight at twilight. Ah, those Warm and Fuzzy Feelings. These fun, feel-good stories are full of the cozy, happy, fluffy moments that make us smile and the romantic moments that make us swoon and kick our feet.
Best Revelation
Clark Kent is….Superman?! No matter how many revelations we read, the readers always want more unmaskings (un-glasses-ings?). This fan-favorite category honors the best of them – whether that means a revelation that is shocking, hilarious, or tear-jerking. Although Lois is most often the one to discover Clark’s secret, any fic that reveals Clark’s secret to any character is eligible in this category.
Best Episode Adaptation (rewrite/fix-it/in-betweenie)
Episode Adaptations alter the events of, or start from a specific point in, a particular episode. This includes full episode rewrites, alternate endings, and in-betweenies that fill in the little moments we didn’t see on screen.
Best Elseworlds/AU Story
Alternate Universe and Elseworlds stories tell the tale of Lois and/or Clark in a world other than the one we saw on television. This includes stories about the Alt-Clark and his Lois that we met on the show and new versions of our favorite characters wholly created and imagined by the author. This category includes stories set pre-Pilot, stories set outside of Metropolis, stories set outside of the years the show ran on television, and stories where major changes have been made to the backstory/nature of the characters. This category also includes Crossover stories.
Best Kiss
“Since the invention of the kiss there have been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind.” Which kiss left them all behind this year? Keep in mind, this category isn’t about best romance, per say, but specifically the best, swooniest, most toe-curling or most meaningful kiss that you just couldn’t forget!
Best Original Character/Supporting Character
The show may be called Lois and Clark, but sometimes another character really steals the show. This award honors characters other than Lois or Clark whom an author has taken extra care to make shine. This includes any of the original supporting cast – good or evil – as well as new original or crossover characters. Characters are eligible whether they are the star of their own story or a supporting character in Lois and Clark’s story who captures the audience’s heart.
Best Challenge Response
This award honors the extra creativity required to craft a quality story around a certain set of parameters. Here, the challenge of the challenge is how it acts as the integral lynchpin of the story, not just a footnote, within the responding fic. A creative twist can turn a little challenge into a fic with mega impact! This includes all stories written in response to challenges and ficathons posted on the Lois and Clark Fanfic Message Board (any challenge regardless of the year it was posted; but only story responses that were posted in 2025 are eligible). This also includes Discord dares and specific request fulfillments, and this year, our beloved Summer Ficathon.
Best NFic Story
Was it steamy? Sensual? Spicy? Romantic? Hot? Sweet? Blush-worthy? Sexy? All of the above? If you had to vote for a story based on just the nfic content alone, which one do you think is the best? Eligible stories are based on their being published in the nfic section or with adult-content maturity or explicit rating on AO3.
Best New Author
Each year we send some love to our newest authors to join the fandom, and this category honors one in particular. They may have written just one or might have managed more than a dozen! No matter how much fic they give us, we’re always grateful for new authors, especially after 30 years!
Best Overall Story
The best of the best. Your very favorite. The one story you would recommend first to a new reader. The story you come back to again and again. All stories posted this year are eligible for this award.
Best Commenter/Feedback Giver
Public feedback is the lifeblood of this community. Whether it’s the brief but unfailing encouragement of our most faithful readers or the gushing comments with detailed feedback or the hilariously absurd predictions and suggestions about where the story is headed…feedback threads are every bit as entertaining to read as the stories. This award honors the FOLCs who take time out of their busy days to leave feedback for authors. Without them, there would be no stories—they keep the writers writing and the readers reading.
Best Original Fanart
This newer category honors the artists among us who make creative content derived from the show. Any original piece of fanart – banners, posters, trailers, music videos, videos, podcasts, etc. – shared publicly for the first time in 2025 or by an artist that joined our community in 2025is eligible.