HAPPY NEW YEAR, ANIMATION SOURCE! 2012 will be one of the greatest years yet for the website, and the first event to kick it all off is the 1ST ANNUAL ANIMATION SOURCE CHOICE AWARDS!!!

For those of you who don't know what this is, the Animation Source Choice Awards (ASCA) are AS's equivalent of the Academy Awards, only for animation. There will be 20 categories this year (including 2 surprise ones), with 18 films of 2011 being eligible for a range of the categories, as well as TV shows, video games, and special categories!

Let's take a look at the 1st ASCA's:

Our categories are: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Voice Actor, Best Voice Actress, Best Sequel, Best Animation, Film Most Likely To Receive a Sequel, Best Score, Best Song, Fan Favorite, Favorite Character (Male), Favorite Character (Female), Best Animated Video Game, Best Animated TV Series, Best Non-Theatrical Film, Best Foreign-Release Film, Best Film of 1999, Best Digital Character of the 2000s, and Fan Prediction: Best Film of 2012.

Long list? Here's something to help you out: a full list of the categories and films! Now, keep in mind you aren't voting for the winner, just the shortlist. That is, for "Best Song", there are a total of six songs right now. After this preliminary voting session is done, 3 will be left. During the month of February, that is when you will be voting for the final winner! If that's not clear, please make a mention in the comments.

I'd like to stress that you should vote for what you feel deserves to win, not what you would like to win. Okay, now that everything is out of the way, I'll tell you how to vote:

1) Send me (Skulblaka_Shur'tugal) a Private Message. Want a shortcut? Click here. Make the topic line "Vote"

2) In the text area, where you would normally write a message, tell me what the categories are that you are voting in, and what your vote is for each category. Note: You can vote in as many categories as you want, but you may only vote once per category. You cannot change your vote. If you want to vote for one category now and one later, that's okay. Also, you cannot use multiple accounts to vote several times. If it is found out numerous accounts are being used, all votes from that person will be disqualified.

3) Let as many people know about this as possible. This is going to be a huge event, so be sure to tell all your friends!

Voting goes from now, January 1, through January 31. After that, you will be given a chance to vote again, but more on that when the date draws nearer.

If you have any questions, leave them as a comment. Also, check out the ASCA's official website, official YouTube page, and its section on the Animation Source Hub. Also be sure to "like" the ASCA's on Facebook.

Get to voting! Enjoy, have fun, and have a Happy New Year 2012!