It's quite silly, really. The requirements to be nominated, I mean. At least 3 featured stories? 100+ subscribers? You might as well look through the Featured section to find an author/story that has those. I'm guessing that the 2012 AFF Awards is a way to reward those who have gained a huge fanbase over the course of their time here on AFF.

But what about the authors and stories that actually deserve the recognition? To be honest, when I was reading through the comments, I wasn't particularly impressed by the choices. I know those authors, and I've read those stories (descriptions and forewords for some). And my question is, why? There are so many others out there, albeit not as well-known, that should be recognized for actual potential.

Basically, I believe the 2012 AFF Awards is another popularity contest, like the old AFF system that features stories based on subscriptions, comments, and views (the current one is still a bit like it, I guess...), as it doesn't take into account the effort of the authors and the qualities of the stories, although I can't say the same for the other ones. If you read what the potential nominees are, you'll understand what I mean. Hint: they're all the ones ranked in the top 10 of the popular-whatever list. 

Seriously, the more I read the qualifications for nominees, the more annoyed I get. The rules need some modifications to include the minority of enlightening authors on this site.

However, these are just my beliefs, and I highly doubt the majority who advocate for cringe-worthy stories will think the same.