The annual XYZZY Awards are here! The XYZZY Awards are given for the best works of interactive fiction released the previous year in a variety of categories (Best Writing, Best Puzzles, and so on).

Anyone can vote in the XYZZY awards; in this round, all games released in 2012 are eligible to become finalists. In the next round of voting, starting in April, the winners will be selected from the most popular finalists in each category.

Last year, there was quite a bit of controversy, as voters from the ChoiceScript community almost flooded the ballot box. The rules haven’t changed for this year, but the spirit of the rules are clear: please don’t vote in the XYZZY awards unless you’ve played at least a few games on the list, including games that aren’t written in ChoiceScript. If a bunch of ChoiceScript voters show up and vote in a bloc like last year, the competition organizers will discard offending votes without discussion.

It is against the rules to promote any specific game or platform if you discuss or link to the competition while it’s in progress.

Having said this, there are some fantastic games this year, including games written in ChoiceScript, Inform, Varytale, Twine, and StoryNexus, as well as nominees and winners of last year’s IFComp.

Click here to vote in the XYZZY Awards. May the best games win!