ISML 2015世萌章程（流量党慎入

月月喵

ISML：国际最萌大会（简称：世萌；英文：International Saimoe League，ISML)

1楼：简体中文
2楼：English

  ISML 2015世萌章程

    年度章程是对宪章的补充，它规定了在宪章里没有提及的细节，包括该年世萌的具体组织，详细日程，额外的限制等等。这使得组织者能够在保持一贯核心价值的前提下，每年做出一些改变，使世萌始终保持活力。

I.投票政策与程序
  A.为了确保投票的真实性与唯一性，IP位址将会被纪录。
  B.投票者不能违反世萌宪章的第四条，在同一轮中通过多个IP位址投票。
  C.被发现违规投票的投票者，其IP或IP段可能会被禁止参加之后世萌官方举办的赛事，处罚期间长短由世萌工作人员决定。
  D.投票者可以通过电邮 admin@internationalsaimoe.com来修改选票（如果错误地投票）。修改选票请求中需包含投票IP，原来的选择，以及修改后的选择。

II.参赛者组别
  A.女性和男性角色会分别作赛。他们只会於表演赛里对赛。
  B.从预选赛开始，所有女性参赛者与候选者将会被进一步分为新星与恒星两组。
  C.所有女性角色从新星组开始。进入恒星组必须符合以下任意条件之一：
    1.获得过分组冠军（头饰）或者总冠军（皇冠）
    2.曾经参加过四年或者更久以前的常规赛（2011年或以前）
    3.曾经参加过两次或者以上的常规赛

III.冠军大赛
  A.所有世萌冠军的得主会於2015年季后赛期间参与一项单败淘汰赛。这包括2015年皇冠得主以及前得主们。
  B.除了2015年皇冠得主外，冠军大赛里的角色不能参与常规赛，除了上年从新星组诞生的冠军（意味著她从来没有进入恒星组）。
  C.如果存在此例外情况，该角色符合资格（经过提名阶段及预选赛后）参加常规赛并与其他参赛者对赛；不过，她不能参加季后赛第一阶段或季后赛第二阶段。

IV.自动参赛资格
  A.任何角色都不可直接晋级世萌常规赛。
  B.每项2014年季节番表演赛前2名没有晋级恒星组的参赛者将自动进入新星组预选赛。总数是8位参赛者。

V.提名阶段
  A.提名阶段将持续14天。
  B.角色的资格根据世萌宪章第叁章检验，并设下列附加条件：
    1.不会考虑任何角色於2014年12月31日之后才公佈的角色设定。
    2.进入新星或恒星组的角色必须是女性，拥有一个女性身体（只考虑角色是女性期间的部分），或者当该角色的性别是未知或不能定夺的时候定期展现女性特点。
    3.男性组同样根据上述条件考虑，除了是适用於男性和拥有男性特点的角色。
    4.任何同时可界定爲男性和女性的角色只能进入其中一组作赛；其主要性别会优先考虑。
  C.提名表格会分开女性角色和男性角色。
    1.新星组和恒星组最多可以提名14位角色。
    2.男性组最多可以提名8位角色。
    3.至少提名3位角色。
    4.所提名的角色至少要来自於3个不同的动画系列。
  D.同一个角色只允许提名一次。
  E.无效提名会单独去除，除非违反规则C而被废弃，否则不影响同一张票里其他提名的有效性。
  F.在提名阶段结束后，符合资格角色将会被分为新星与恒星两组。拥有最多票数的角色将获得预赛资格，直到名额被填满。
    1.每组可分配名额的数量为80减去以上定义的自动晋级角色数。
    2.工作人员会处理预赛资格排名末尾处出现的平票情况。如果可行的话，会优先考虑那些未曾参加上年世萌的角色。
  G.提名阶段将设一个额外表格以提名一项表演赛，冬季番表演赛的参赛角色。本表格接受2015年1月1日及以后出现，以及未曾参与2014年预选赛或任何2014年季度番表演赛的女性角色（根据章程V.B.2）。
    1.最多可以提名5位角色。
    2.32名角色会进入本赛事；参赛名单会以结合提名结果和最大化参赛动漫系列为优先。

VI.预选赛
  A.参加预选赛的选手被称为候选者。
  B.预选赛每组会有80位候选者。
  C.预选赛由5轮投票回合形成，以下详述。
    1.第一轮将有8组，每组10位候选者。每组最多可选3名角色。每组2位得最少票数的角色会被淘汰。
    2.第二轮将有8组，每组8位候选者。每组最多可选2名角色。每组2位得最少票数的角色会被淘汰。
    3.第叁轮将有6组，每组8位候选者。每组最多可选2名角色。每组2位得最多票数的角色晋级常规赛。
    4.第四轮将有6组，每组6位候选者。每组最多可选2名角色。每组2位得最多票数的角色晋级常规赛。
    5.第五轮将有4组，每组6位候选者。每组最多可选2名角色。每组3位得最多票数的角色晋级常规赛。其他候选者会被淘汰。
  D.第一轮至第四轮后馀下的角色会根据其上一轮的表现重新分组。
  E.每轮后如出现平局的情况会以下述条件排定名次：
    1.所有之前得票总和的平均值
    2.上一轮的排名
    3.提名阶段的排名
  F.种子排名赛会於第四轮开始并於第五轮结束后继续。
  G.冬季番表演赛会与第二轮同步开始。

VII.种子排位赛
  A.预选赛中会有以定夺常规赛种子排名为目的的特别赛程。
  B.这些赛事会於预选赛第叁轮，有角色晋级常规赛后举行，并於第五轮结束后继续截至种子排名程序完成。
  C.所有种子排位赛会有6位参赛者。每组最多可选2位角色。

VIII.常规赛
  A.参加常规赛的选手被称为参赛者。
  B.每组将会有36位参赛者将会参加常规赛的循环赛。
    1.所有组别常规赛的格式与赛程相同。
    2.每组之间在项鍊赛里将会有对赛，并稍后详述。
    3.额外选手会出场参加表演赛，这些表演赛会贯穿整个赛季，但不会对主赛结果有任何影响。
    4.参赛者会以在预选赛的成绩排位。
  C.常规赛分为5个阶段，顺序为：海蓝宝石，紫水晶，红宝石，绿宝石和黄玉。每阶段包含7轮。
    1.每轮每组将会举办18场比赛，总共54场。
    2.每位参赛者每轮均会有1位对手。
    3.每轮也会有表演赛。
    4.每轮投票会持续24小时。  
    5.比赛结果会在比赛结束至少12小时后在网站上公佈。
  D.在每轮比赛结束后，获得更多有效票数的参赛者为胜者，对手判定为败者。如果双方的有效票数相同则判定为平局；双方都会以平局被记录到成绩中，不设加时赛。
  E.一个排名系统会被用作记录参赛者整个常规赛每一阶段的成绩。
    1.首要排名指标为积分，参赛者根据每轮比赛的结果获得积分：
      a) 胜积3分
      b) 平局积1分
      c) 败积分为（自己得票/对手得票）
    2.积分也被称作进度强度（SOS）。
    3.第二个指标爲对手的积分衡量强度（PSAO），爲根据角色在该回合后可以得到的最高积分百分比调整的对手总积分。 (对手的积分衡量强度 = 对手总强度 * 积分百分比)
  F.比赛中不论分数如何参赛者不会有相同排名。如果某一轮后参赛者积分相同，将会采取下列程式进行排名：
    1.胜场数较多
    2.如果适用，双方比赛中的得胜者。
      i.此规则只在各阶段结束时、常规赛结束时计算
    3.对手的积分衡量强度（PSAO）较高
    4.票数差（VD）较大
    5.得票数（VF）较多
    6.工作人员决定
  G.在常规赛结束，并且所有平分选手的相互排位都确定后，每组排名前16位的参赛者会进入季后赛。
  H.於整个赛季期间参赛者会累积一个种子排名分数。这数值主要用作季后赛初步种子排名使用。
    1.所有角色开始时会有100分种子排名分数。
    2.每场之后，赢家会获得其对手N%的种子排名分数。落败者会失去其N%的种子排名分数。
    3.数值N於赛季第一场的值为1，然后每场递增1直至常规赛最后一场赛事（届时N等於35）。
  I.其他资料数值可能会被发佈和储存以作研究和分析用途。
  J.於常规赛结束时，两位男性组选手会获得特别奖项。
    1.获得最多种子排名分数的男性组选手会获得蓝宝石头冠。
    2.一场特别赛事会与黄玉垂饰争夺赛同步进行。本场次会有七名男性选手，根据以下资格决定人选：
      a) 未曾胜出钻石头冠的前权杖得主；
      b) 获得最高种子排名分数，并且今年未曾胜出垂饰或头冠以及没有参与该次黄玉垂饰争夺赛的选手。
    3.赢得本场特别赛事的选手会获得钻石头冠。
  K.每张选票都会被记录在资料库中。每轮结束后，在统计票数之前工作人员会验證并核实所有票的有效性。
  L.所有世萌宪章第4章声明的投票政策和程式均适用，并附加下列条款：
    1.投票者可以放弃一轮中的任何比赛，但每场至少要选择一定数量的角色。此数量会随每轮变更，并且会在投票时显示给投票者。
    2.投票者可以在规定时间内通过向工作人员提供自己的IP地址和改选请求来更改选票。
    3.不允许通过代理IP投票，并且这会成为封禁的理由。

IX.项鍊及垂饰赛
  A.每阶段7轮比赛结束后，会举行项鍊争夺赛，全体共同参加一轮投票来决定该阶段项鍊获得者。男性组的同等赛事称为垂饰争夺赛。
  B.每一阶段只有一条项鍊/垂饰。新星组和恒星组的选手将会共同参加比赛以获得项鍊。
  C.这一年没有获得过项鍊/垂饰的参赛者才有资格参加项鍊/垂饰赛。
  D.每一阶段总共会有7名参赛者根据阶段排名参加项鍊赛。
    1.新星组排名前叁名有资格的参赛者。
    2.恒星组排名前叁名有资格的参赛者。
    3.两组排名第四名二人之间以评分排名规则而排在前面的一位。
  E.每一阶段总共会有7名男性组参赛者根据阶段排名参加垂饰赛。
  F.这轮投票会持续24小时。
  G.投票者最多可以在每场项链/垂饰赛中投票予2位参赛者。
  H.这轮结束后，每位参赛者获得一个项鍊/垂饰分，分数为本阶段的PSAO除以3后与此轮的被投百分点的和，而百分点定义爲（角色得票 / 该回合总票数 * 100）。
  I.拥有最高项鍊/垂饰分的参赛者获得项鍊/垂饰。平局处理方法与常规赛相同。
  J.项鍊得主将确保获得季后赛第一阶段的一个名额。
  K.项鍊和垂饰争夺赛期间将会有其他同时举行的表演赛。
    1.表演赛不会影响参赛者的排位或者积分。

X.季后赛第一阶段
  A.在本阶段，每组16名选手将会进行四场单败淘汰赛比赛。男性组不设这阶段。
    1.两组季后赛第一阶段的格式与赛程相同。
    2.此阶段内不会有两组之间的比赛。
    3.名额会先给予该组的项鍊得主，然后以常规赛积分排名分配。
    4.额外的表演赛会贯穿整个季后赛，但它们不会对结果有任何影响。
    5.常规赛的时间限制，投票程式以及投票规则同样适用於季后赛。
    6.参赛者的排位将以常规赛的最后种子分数排名决定。第一轮将由以下规则排位元：1v16, 8v9, 5v12, 4v13, 6v11, 3v14, 7v10, 2v15
  B.参赛者按照单败淘汰赛的惯例规则晋级。
    1.新星组的胜利者将被宣佈为世萌2014新星组的冠军，并授予蓝宝石头饰。
    2.恒星组的胜利者将被宣佈为世萌2014恒星组的冠军，并授予钻石头饰。
    3.如果同一场比赛的两名选手的得票数相同，常规赛时双方比赛的胜者将被判定获胜。如果常规赛也是平局，常规赛最终排名高的将被判定获胜。
    4.於第一，第二和第三轮被淘汰的参赛者会参与相似瑞士制赛事的安慰赛。
  C.第一阶段结束后，每组的参赛者将会以如下标準排位：
    1.季后赛第一阶段胜利场数较多
    2.季后赛第一阶段对胜利场数大於或等於自己的对手的胜利场数较多
    3.馀下同排名参赛者之间的胜负差
    4.常规赛最终排名较高
  D.每组排名前8位的参赛者将晋级季后赛第二阶段。其他参赛者会被淘汰。

XI.季后赛第二阶段
  A.新星和恒星组中符合资格的参赛者将汇合参加单一的单败淘汰赛。 16位男性组的参赛者会参与单一的单败淘汰赛。
    1.额外的表演赛会贯穿整个季后赛，但它们不会对结果有任何影响。
    2.常规赛时的时间限制，投票程式以及投票规则同样适用於季后赛。
    3.女性赛首轮的比赛将根据季后赛第一阶段的排名按以下分组进行：1新对8恒, 5新对4恒, 7新对2恒, 3新对6恒, 6新对3恒, 2新对7恒, 4新对5恒, 8新对1恒。
    4.男性赛首轮的比赛将根据常规赛的最后种子分数排名按以下分组进行：1v16, 8v9, 5v12, 4v13, 6v11, 3v14, 7v10, 2v15
  B.参赛者按照单败淘汰赛的惯例规则晋级。
    1.被淘汰的选手将会进入安慰赛，安慰赛是单败淘汰赛，将决定3到16位的最终排名。安慰赛将会在季后赛第二阶段的过程中儘早进行。
    2.女性赛单败淘汰赛的最终胜利者将会被宣告为世萌2015冠军，并授予皇冠。她也会参加本年的冠军大赛。
    3.男性赛单败淘汰赛的最终胜利者会获得权杖。
    4.如果同一场比赛的两名选手的得票数相同，常规赛时双方比赛的胜者将被判定获胜。如果常规赛也是平局（或者没有对赛记录），常规赛最终排名高的将被判定获胜。如果仍然平局，则以常规赛的标準决定。

XII.表演赛
  A.表演赛由世萌官方举办，用来提高未参加本年度比赛的动画和在日本公共媒体中出现角色的认识。该比赛可能著重於世萌开始后上映的动画系列，或者之前知名度较低，以其他形式登场的角色。
  B.表演赛对正赛的结果没有任何影响。
  C.常规赛的每一轮都会同时举办一场表演赛。
  D.每一场项鍊争夺赛可能同时举办表演赛。
  E.季后赛的每一轮都会同时举办若干场表演赛。
  F.表演赛中投票或弃票不会带来任何好处或者损失。。

XIII.日程表
  A.这部分列举的所有日期都会在网站上容易找到的位置发佈。
  B.所有日期都可能会改变。世萌官方可能会在不修改本文档的情况下改变部分日程。无论如何，所有改变都会儘早在网站上公佈。
  C.所有比赛会持续24小时。如果由於系统故障导致投票无法进行，官方工作人员可能会延长比赛时间。如果比赛时间被延长，会在网站上公佈。
  D.提名阶段计画於格林尼治标準时间的2015年3月1日0时整开始，至2015年3月14日23时59分结束。
    1.如果因为系统故障导致的无法投票时间累计超过24小时，提名阶段将会被延长。
  E.预选赛计画於2015年4月19日开始，至2015年5月14日结束。
    1.所有此阶段的赛事会计画在格林尼治标準时间15时整开始。
  F.常规赛计画於2015年6月7日开始，至2015年10月15日结束。
    1.常规赛的所有比赛会计画在格林尼治标準时间15时整开始。
    2.海蓝宝石赛期从6月7日起，至6月25日止。
    3.紫水晶赛期从7月5日起，至7月23日止。
    4.红宝石赛期从8月2日起，至8月20日止。
    5.绿宝石赛期从8月30日起，至9月17日止。
    6.黄宝石赛期从9月27日起，至10月15日止。
  G.季后赛第一阶段计画於2015年11月1日开始，至2015年11月8日结束。
    1.所有此阶段的赛事会计画在格林尼治标準时间15时整开始。
  H.季后赛第二阶段计画於2015年11月15日开始，至2015年12月3日结束。
    1.所有此阶段的赛事会计画在格林尼治标準时间15时整开始。

XIV.法律声明
  A.发佈在网站上的该等资讯，包括但不仅限於人物传记，统计资料和版权资讯，并不能保證完全正确。世萌官方，包括其工作人员和所有者，对於因使用或错误使用这些被发佈在世萌的网站功能变数名称上的资讯所导致的损失不负法律责任。
  B.网站上列出的所有人物及动画作品在任何意义上均不属於世萌官方。所有版权和智慧财产权均属於各自的拥有者。
  C.在对投票的有效性进行检查时，工作人员不会对任何角色表现出倾向性。在某场投票结果公佈后的24小时内，任何世萌参与者都可以对此提出异议。一旦异议被官方接受，工作人员将会重新进行投票有效性检查，并对结果做出恰当的判断。在比赛结果公佈24小时后，结果将无法更改。
  D.虽然工作人员会尽可能严格地确认每一次投票的有效性，有时还是会出现一些纰漏。例如某些违规投票没有被发现，或是一些因违规被禁止IP的人找到了别的方法提交他们的投票。工作人员将会尽全力减少类似情况的发生。
  E.已公佈的日程表可能会在没有事先通知的情况下更改。但如果有更改的话，该次更改都会发佈在网站上。
  F.每一年，世萌官方和工作人员都试图提供一个公平的比赛系统，使得所有参赛者之间都有机会对赛一场。虽然常规赛整体的公平性得到了确保，但对每一个阶段而言却并不是这样。工作人员已经尽了他们最大，最真诚，最正直的努力去安排一个没有倾向，没有偏袒，没有歧视的，使每名角色的赛程强度相当的日程表。

XV.修正案
  A.一经认可和发佈，本文档的内容将不会再被更改。但它仍有可能被修正，修正案会更新或替代本档中的声明。
  B.任何投票者都有权利在比赛中任何时候提出修正案的提议，而工作人员将决定是否采用该提议。
  C.获得批准的修正案必须在网站上公佈。
  D.【2015年2月18日】容许前权杖得主参与常规赛的规则III. D予以废除。由於种子排名分数现有第二个用途，故规则VIII. H的用语予以更新。加进规则VIII. J（往下规则顺后一个英文字母），以详述赋予蓝宝石头冠以及钻石头冠的过程。
  E.【2015年2月22日】规则V. G加上一个附加条件（"...以及未曾参与2014年预选赛或任何2014年季度番表演赛"）以澄清冬季番表演赛的资格。
  F.【2015年3月1日】更新规则V. C. 1以容许新星及恒星组有14个提名，该数目是由12增加。更新规则V.C. 4以除去每个性别必须有三个动漫系列的提名的规定；现要求整个选票有三个动漫系列的提名。
  G.【2015年6月8日】加上规则VIII. E. 3以解释PSAO，亦即是把过去比赛中的SAO予以调整。PSAO爲以最大可得积分百分比调整的SAO。更新规则VIII. E. 3以及规则IX. H. 以PSAO取代SAO。

月月喵

ISML 2015 Charter

        The Annual Charter complements the ISML Constitution in defining values, schedules, additional limitations, etc. that have not yet been addressed. This allows ISML to be slightly different each year (keeping things exciting) while also retaining consistent core values.

I.        Voting Policies and Procedures
A.        IP addresses of voters will be logged to determine authenticity and uniqueness.
B.        A voter may not circumvent the Policies stated in Article IV of the ISML Constitution by using multiple IP addresses to cast votes in the same round.
C.        Voters found in violation of these procedures may have their IP addresses or subnets banned from voting in future ISML-hosted events for the remainder of the year. The length of ban is at the discretion of the Staff.
D.        Voters may change their vote (if cast in error) by contacting the Staff by email at admin@internationalsaimoe.com. Vote change requests must include the IP address from which the vote was cast, the original incorrect vote, and the requested new vote.

II.        Contestant Divisions
A.        Female and male characters will compete in separate tournaments. They may face each other in exhibition arenas only.
B.        Beginning with the Preliminary Period, female Candidates and Contestants are further separated into the Nova Division and the Stella Division.
C.        All female characters begin in the Nova Division and automatically transfer to the Stella Division upon achievement of any of the following:
1.        Recipient of a Division Championship or League Championship
2.        Contestant in Regular Season four or more years ago (2011 or earlier)
3.        Contestant in Regular Season two or more times

III.        Tournament of Champions
A.        All winners of the ISML Championship will participate in a single-elimination tournament during the 2015 Postseason. This includes the 2015 Tiara winner along with previous winners.
B.        Other than the eventual 2015 Tiara winner, characters in the Tournament of Champions will not participate in the Regular Season, except for the previous year’s Champion if she won from Nova Division (thus, had never been in Stella division).
C.        If such an exception exists, that character is eligible to participate in the Regular Season (by way of Nominations and Preliminaries) and face other Contestants; however, she will not be eligible for Postseason Phase I or Postseason Phase II.

IV.        Automatic Qualification
A.        No characters are permitted to advance directly to the Regular Season.
B.        The top two (2) Contestants from each of the ISML 2014 Seasonal Tournaments who have not advanced to ISML 2015 Stella Division are permitted automatic entry into ISML 2015 Preliminary Period, Nova Division. This is a total of eight (8) entries.

V.        Nomination Period
A.        The Nomination Period lasts fourteen (14) days.
B.        Character eligibility will be checked according to Article III of the ISML Constitution with the following additional conditions:
1.        Character data occurring after 31 December 2014 will not be considered.
2.        For entry into the Nova or Stella Division, the character must be female, must possess a female form (in which case only the instances when the character is female shall be considered), or must regularly exhibit feminine qualities when the character's gender is unknown or cannot be determined.
3.        The male division considers the same qualifications as above except with regards to male and masculine characters.
4.        A character who qualifies as both male and female may enter only one division only; the prevailing gender will take priority.
C.        The nomination form has separate sections for female characters and male characters.
1.        Voters may nominate up to fourteen (14) characters for the Nova and Stella Divisions.
2.        Voters may nominate up to eight (8) characters for male division.
3.        Voters must nominate at least three (3) characters.
4.        Voters must nominate from at least three (3) distinct anime franchises.
D.        Nominated characters must be unique.
E.        Invalid nominations will be discarded individually and will not void the entire ballot unless the discards result in a violation of any of the subsections of Rule C.
F.        At the end of the Nomination Period, characters with the most nominations in each Division will advance to the Preliminary Period until the allotted slots are filled.
1.        The number of allotted slots for each Division is eighty (80) minus the number of automatic entries defined previously.
2.        Staff will resolve any ties that occur in the last available slot(s). Priority consideration shall be given, if applicable, to those characters not selected for the previous year's Regular Season.
G.        An additional form for the Winter Seasonal Tournament, an exhibition tournament, will be available during the Nomination Period. This form accepts female characters (per rule V.B.2) with appearances on and after 1 January 2015 and who have not appeared in the 2014 Preliminary Period or any seasonal tournament in 2014.
1.        Voters may nominate up to five (5) characters.
2.        Thirty-two (32) characters will be accepted into the tournament; prioritization is a mixture of nomination results and maximizing the number of anime series represented.

VI.        Preliminary Period
A.        Characters participating in the Preliminary Period are referred to as Candidates.
B.        The Preliminary Period features eighty (80) Candidates per Division.
C.        The Preliminary Period consists of five (5) voting rounds, defined below.
1.        Round 1 consists of eight (8) groups of ten (10) Candidates. Voters may select up to three (3) Candidates per group. The two (2) Candidates who receive the least votes in each group are eliminated from the tournament.
2.        Round 2 consists of eight (8) groups of eight (8) Candidates. Voters may select up to two (2) Candidates per group. The two (2) Candidates who receive the least votes in each group are eliminated from the tournament.
3.        Round 3 consists of six (6) groups of eight (8) Candidates. Voters may select up to two (2) Candidates per group. The two (2) Candidates who receive the most votes in each group advance to the Regular Season.
4.        Round 4 consists of six (6) groups of six (6) Candidates. Voters may select up to two (2) Candidates per group. The two (2) Candidates who receive the most votes in each group advance to the Regular Season.
5.        Round 5 consists of four (4) groups of six (6) Candidates. Voters may select up to two (2) Candidates per group. The three (3) Candidates who receive the most votes in each group advance to the Regular Season. Remaining Candidates are eliminated from the tournament.
D.        Remaining Candidates after Rounds 1 through 4 are divided into new groups based on their performance in the previous round.
E.        Ties in any group after each voting round will be broken in the following order:
1.        Average Votes For (VF) total
2.        Ranking in the previous voting round
3.        Ranking at the end of the Nomination Period
F.        Seeding matches will begin in Round 4 and continue after Round 5 has concluded.
G.        The Winter Seasonal Tournament will begin at the same time as Round 2.

VII.        Seeding Matches
A.        Special matchups will occur during the Preliminary Period that will determine seeding in the Regular Season.
B.        These arenas will appear after Candidates have begun to advance to the Regular Season following Preliminary Period Round 3. They continue after Round 5 until the seeding process is complete.
C.        All seeding arenas will have six (6) Contestants. Voters may select up to two (2) Contestants per group.

VIII.        Regular Season
A.        Characters participating in the Regular Season are referred to as Contestants.
B.        Each Division consists of thirty-six (36) Contestants, who will participate in a round-robin tournament.
1.        The Regular Season's format and schedule are identical to all Divisions.
2.        Inter-divisional matchups will occur during the Necklace Showdown, described later.
3.        Additional Competitors will be present, participating in Exhibition Matches occurring alongside the primary matches but having no bearing on Regular Season results.
4.        Contestants are seeded based on results from the Preliminary Period.
C.        The Regular Season consists of five (5) Periods in the following order: Aquamarine, Amethyst, Ruby, Emerald, and Topaz. Each Period consists of seven (7) Rounds.
1.        Each Round features eighteen (18) matches from each Division for a total of fifty-four (54) matches.
2.        Each Contestant has exactly one opponent per Round.
3.        Exhibition Matches will be featured during the Round.
4.        Each Round will last twenty-four (24) hours.
5.        Round results will be available on the Website no sooner than twelve (12) hours after the Round's scheduled end.
D.        At the end of each Round, the Contestant who receives the greater number of valid votes in her Match will be declared the winner; the opponent will be declared the loser. If the Contestants have an equal number of valid votes, the match will be declared a draw; both Contestants will record a tie in their statistics, and no overtime match will occur.
E.        A ranking system for each Division will be utilized to track the Contestants' progress throughout the Regular Season and in each of the five Periods.
1.        The primary index for rankings will be League Points. Contestants are awarded League Points following each round depending on the result:
a)        A win awards three (3) points.
b)        A tie awards one (1) point.
c)        A loss awards fractional points calculated as (Votes For / Votes Against).
2.        League Points are also referred to as a Contestant's Strength of Schedule.
3.        A second index is the Point-weighted Strength of Schedule of All Opponents (PSAO). This is calculated as the sum of League Points for all of a Contestant's opponents adjusted by the percentage of maximum possible League Points after a given Round. (PSAO = SAO * Pt%)
F.        Contestants in the same Division may not have the same rank at any point in the tournament. If Contestants have the same amount of League Points after a given Round, tiebreaker procedures will be applied in the following order:
1.        Greater number of wins
2.        Winner of the tied Contestants' head-to-head match, if applicable
a)        This is calculated only at the end of each Period and at the end of the Regular Season
3.        Greater Point-weighted Strength of Schedule of All Opponents (PSAO)
4.        Greater Vote Differential (VD)
5.        Greater number of Votes For (VF)
6.        Selection by Staff
G.        At the end of the Regular Season after all tiebreakers have been applied, the sixteen (16) Contestants in each Division with the most League Points will advance to the Postseason.
H.        Contestants will accumulate a Seeding Score throughout the season. This value is used primarily for initial seeding in the Postseason.
1.        All Contestants begin with a Seeding Score of 100.
2.        After every match, the winner will receive N% of his or her opponent’s Seeding Score. The loser will lose N% of his or her Seeding Score.
3.        The value N begins at 1 for the first match of the season and will increment by 1 until the last match of the regular season (where N would equal 35).
I.        Other statistical values may be posted and kept for study and analysis.
J.        Special awards will be given to two male Contestants at the end of the Regular Season.
1.        The male Contestant with the highest Seeding Score will be awarded the Sapphire Crown.
2.        A special match will occur alongside the Topaz Pendant Showdown. It will feature 7 male Contestants subject to the following eligibility:
a)        Previous Lapis Scepter winners who have not yet obtained a Diamond Crown.
b)        Contestants with the highest Seeding Score who have not obtained a Pendant or Crown this year and who are not in the Topaz Pendant Showdown.
3.        The winner of this special match will be awarded the Diamond Crown.
K.        Every ballot submission will be recorded in a database. At the end of each Round, the Staff will validate and verify each submission before calculating totals.
L.        All Voter Policies and Procedures stated in Article IV of the Constitution apply with the following additions:
1.        Voters may abstain from any match in a given Round, but a ballot must have a minimum number of votes to be considered valid. This value differs depending on the Round and will be specified on each voting ballot.
2.        Voters may make changes to their submitted ballot in the allotted time by contacting the Staff with their IP address and change request.
3.        Votes submitted from a proxy IP are not allowed and are grounds for banning.

IX.        Necklace and Pendant Showdown
A.        After the end of the seventh Round in each Period, a free-for-all voting round called Necklace Showdown will occur to determine the winner of the Necklace representing that period. This round is known as the Pendant Showdown for the male division.
B.        There will be only one Necklace/Pendant awarded per Period. Nova and Stella Divisions will compete together for the same Necklace.
C.        Only Contestants who have not already won a Necklace/Pendant this year are eligible to participate.
D.        A total of seven (7) Contestants will participate in the Necklace Showdown based on their Rank for the Period.
1.        The three (3) highest ranked and eligible Contestants from Stella Division.
2.        The three (3) highest ranked and eligible Contestants from Nova Division.
3.        One (1) Contestant between the 4th-ranked Contestants in either Division determined by Regular Season tiebreaker rules.
E.        A total of seven (7) Contestants from the Male Division will participate in the Pendant Showdown based on their Rank for the Period.
F.        The voting round will last twenty-four (24) hours.
G.        Voters may select up to two (2) Contestants among the finalists on their ballots.
H.        At the end of the round, each Contestant receives a Necklace/Pendant Score, calculated as such:
N/P Score = (voting percentage in Round) + [(PSAO in Period) / 3]
...where voting percentage means 100 * (votes received / sum of all votes in arena)
I.        The Contestant with the highest Necklace/Pendant Score is awarded the Necklace/Pendant. Ties are resolved using the same procedure in Regular Season rounds.
J.        The winner of a Necklace is guaranteed a slot in Postseason, Phase I.
K.        Exhibition matches will be scheduled alongside the Necklace and Pendant Showdown.
1.        Results of exhibition matches will not impact the rankings or point totals of Contestants.

X.        Postseason, Phase I
A.        Sixteen (16) Contestants from Nova and Stella Divisions will participate in a single-elimination tournament. The Male Division does not have this phase.
1.        Phase I's format and schedule are identical to both Divisions.
2.        No inter-divisional matchups will occur in Phase I.
3.        Slots for each Division will be filled first by Necklace winners from that Division, then by Regular Season points rank.
4.        Additional Competitors will be present, participating in Exhibition Matches occurring alongside the Postseason rounds but having no bearing on their results.
5.        The same time limits, voting procedures, and voter policies from the Regular Season apply to Phase I.
6.        Contestants are seeded according to their final score ranks at the end of the Regular Season. The first round will feature the following matchups based on seed: 1 vs. 16, 8 vs. 9, 5 vs. 12, 4 vs. 13, 6 vs. 11, 3 vs. 14, 7 vs. 10, 2 vs. 15.
B.        Contestants advance through the bracket according to traditional single-elimination rules.
1.        The winner of the Nova Division tournament will be declared the Nova Champion of ISML 2015 and awarded the Sapphire Circlet.
2.        The winner of the Stella Division tournament will be declared the Stella Champion of ISML 2015 and be awarded the Diamond Circlet.
3.        If Contestants have the same number of votes at the end of a voting round, the Contestant who won the head-to-head match during the Regular Season will be declared the winner. If that match was also a draw, the higher-ranked Contestant according to the final Regular Season standings will be declared the winner.
4.        Contestants eliminated in the first, second, and third rounds will participate in consolation seeding matches organized similar to a Swiss-system tournament.
C.        At the end of Phase I, Contestants in each Division will be ranked from 1st to 16th by the following procedures:
1.        Most wins during Phase I
2.        Most wins against Contestants with the same number or greater number of wins within Phase I
3.        Win-Loss difference among remaining tied Contestants
4.        Regular Season ranking
D.        The top eight (8) ranked Contestants in each Division will advance to Postseason Phase II. The remaining Contestants are eliminated from the tournament.

XI.        Postseason, Phase II
A.        Eligible Contestants from Nova and Stella Divisions combine into one single-elimination tournament. Sixteen (16) Contestants from the Male Division will participate in a single-elimination tournament.
1.        Additional Competitors will be present, participating in Exhibition Matches occurring alongside the Postseason rounds but having no bearing on their results.
2.        The same time limits, voting procedures, and voter policies from the Regular Season apply to Phase II.
3.        The first round of the female tournament will feature the following matchups based on Contestant ranking at the end of Phase I: 1N vs. 8S, 5N vs. 4S, 2S vs. 7N, 3N vs. 6S, 6N vs. 3S, 2N vs. 7S, 4N vs. 5S, 8N vs. 1S.
4.        The first round of the male tournament will feature matchups based on final score ranks at the end of the Regular Season: 1 vs. 16, 8 vs. 9, 5 vs. 12, 4 vs. 13, 6 vs. 11, 3 vs. 14, 7 vs. 10, 2 vs. 15.
B.        Contestants advance through the bracket according to traditional single-elimination rules.
1.        Eliminated Contestants will be seeded into the Consolation Brackets, a series of single-elimination tournaments that will determine the final Postseason rankings from third place to sixteenth place. These matches will take place during the Phase II rounds at the earliest possible opportunity.
2.        The winner of the female tournament will be declared the Champion of ISML 2015 and be awarded the Heavenly Tiara. She will also participate in the Tournament of Champions this year.
3.        The winner of the male tournament will be awarded the Champion's Scepter.
4.        If Contestants have the same number of votes at the end of a Postseason, Phase II round, the Contestant who won the head-to-head match during the Regular Season will be declared the winner. If that match was also a draw, or did not occur, the higher-ranked Contestant according to the final Regular Season standings will be declared the winner. If a tie still remains, then the tiebreaker procedure from the Regular Season will apply.

XII.        Exhibition Matches
A.        Exhibition Matches are official ISML-hosted events designed to raise awareness of anime series and Japanese media characters who are not currently participating in the current year's contest. The matches may focus on anime series airing after ISML had begun or on other outlets possibly previously unknown to members of the Community.
B.        Exhibition Matches have no effect on the Main Tournament.
C.        At least one Exhibition Match will be scheduled during each round of the Regular Season.
D.        Exhibition Matches may be scheduled during each Period's Necklace Showdown.
E.        Several Exhibition Matches will be scheduled during the Postseason voting rounds.
F.        Voting or abstaining in an Exhibition Match carries no benefit or penalty.

XIII.        Schedule
A.        All dates in this section will be published on the Website for easy access by the Community.
B.        All dates are subject to change. ISML may change the schedule without updating this section of the document; however, any and all changes must be published on the Website as early as possible.
C.        All tournament matches will last for 24 hours. Staff may extend the time period if system errors prevent votes from being submitted during this period. All extensions will be reported on the Website.
D.        The Nomination Period is scheduled from 0000 GMT, 1 March 2015, to 2359 GMT, 14 March 2015.
1.        This period will be extended if system errors prevent nomination submissions for more than twenty-four (24) cumulative hours.
E.        The Preliminary Period is scheduled from 19 April 2015 to 14 May 2015.
1.        All matches in this period are scheduled to start at 1500 GMT.
F.        The Regular Season is scheduled from 7 June 2015 to 15 October 2015.
1.        All matches in this period are scheduled to start at 1500 GMT.
2.        Aquamarine Period will take place from 07 Jun to 25 Jun.
3.        Amethyst Period will take place from 05 Jul to 23 Jul.
4.        Ruby Period will take place from 02 Aug to 20 Aug.
5.        Emerald Period will take place from 30 Aug to 17 Sep.
6.        Topaz Period will take place from 27 Sep to 15 Oct.
G.        Postseason, Phase I is scheduled from 01 November 2015 to 08 November 2015.
1.        Matches are scheduled to start at 1500 GMT.
H.        Postseason, Phase II is scheduled from 15 November 2015 to 03 December 2015.
1.        Matches are scheduled to start at 1500 GMT.

XIV.        Legal
A.        The information presented on the website, including but not limited to biography information, statistical history, and copyright information, is not guaranteed to be completely accurate. ISML, including its staff and owners, cannot be held legally liable for any harm caused by the use or misuse of information contained within the pages located on the internationalsaimoe.com domain.
B.        The names of all characters and Japanese productions featured on the Website do not in any way belong to ISML. All copyrights and intellectual property belong to their respective owners. Images are used for identification purposes only.
C.        During vote-checking, Staff shall not show any favoritism to any Contestant during the validation process. Once voting results are released for a match, a member of the Community may appeal the results within 24 hours. Once an appeal is accepted by the ISML Commissioner, the Staff will repeat the validation procedures and make any appropriate adjustments. After 24 hours have passed, the result is final and cannot be changed.
D.        While the Staff will attempt to enforce the Voter Policies as strictly as possible, situations may occur where not all votes in violation of the Policies will be detected or where voters banned for Policy violations discover alternate methods to submit votes. Staff will work to the best of their ability to minimize the occurrence of these situations.
E.        All scheduled dates and times are subject to change without prior notice. However once changed, the Community will be notified on the Website.
F.        Each year, ISML and the Staff attempt to present a fair system of matches such that Contestants have a chance to compete against all other Contestants. While the fairness and parity of the Regular Season as a whole is guaranteed, the fairness and parity of each of the five Periods is not. The Staff have assured their best, honest, and virtuous effort to arrange a respectively even Strength of Schedule for all Contestants without bias or favoritism or discrimination.

XV.        Amendments
A.        Once approved and published, the contents of this document shall not be altered. It may only be amended, in which amendments may update or supersede the statements in this document.
B.        Amendments may be suggested by any member of the Community and are subject to approval by the Staff and Commissioner at any time during the course of the tournament.
C.        Approved Amendments must be reported on the Website.
D.        [18 February 2015] Rule III.D has been removed, which had allowed previous Lapis Scepter winners to participate in Regular Season. The wording of Rule VIII.H has been updated, because the Seeding Score is now used for a second purpose. Rule VIII.J has been inserted (shifting subsequent rules down one letter), describing the process to award the Sapphire Crown and Diamond Crown.
E.        [22 February 2015] Rule V.G was appended with an extra condition ("...and who have not appeared in the 2014 Preliminary Period or any seasonal tournament in 2014") to clarify eligibility for the winter seasonal tournament.
F.        [1 March 2015] Rule V.C.1 was updated to allow 14 nominations in the Nova and Stella divisions, increased from 12. Rule V.C.4 was updated to remove the restriction that 3 franchises must be represented per gender; instead it is a total of 3 franchises on the entire ballot.
G.        [8 June 2015] Rule VIII.E.3 was added to explain PSAO, an adjustment on SAO from previous tournaments. PSAO is SAO weighted by the percentage of maximum possible League Points earned. Rule VIII.E.3 and Rule IX.H were updated to replace SAO with PSAO.