Navigating this vast sea can be difficult both for drama-hungry fans and the moneybags who might be able to support these productions’ next steps. But a few online aficionados of the art think they might have the solution: the Talkin’ Broadway Summer Theatre Festival Citations.

Last fall, Matthew Murray, the chief theater critic of TalkinBroadway.com, huddled with Andy Propst (editor of AmericanTheaterWeb.com) and Dan Bacalzo (managing editor of TheaterMania.com) at one of the off-Broadway awards. The three shared a common frustration: Each of them had fallen in love with shows that summer, but festival shows couldn’t be nominated. Talkin-Broadway senior editor Michael Reynolds remembers Mr. Murray singing the praises of “Altar Boyz,” a show that would go on to bigger things but couldn’t get the awards it deserved.

Mr. Murray brought the idea of festival citations to Mr. Reynolds, who in turn took it to his board. Now, joined by Peter Filichia (of TheaterMania and the Newark Star-Ledger) and Linda Tullberg (a Talkin’ Broadway staff member), Mr. Murray, Mr. Propst, and Mr. Bacalzo make up the jury for the newly created Citations. Instead of voting, each critic simply picks a best new play, best new musical, actor, and actress. A show need only sway one of the team to get an award.

The Citations’ main focus will be five festivals: the Fresh Fruit Festival, the Ice Factory, the Midtown International Theatre Festival, the New York Musical Theatre Festival, and the Fringe. But the Citations will be most useful in making sense of unwatchably huge festivals like the Fringe. The judges will be looking not just for the best shows, but those with the best chance of being taken to the next level of commercial production.

“We didn’t want it just to be for artistic integrity,” said Mr. Reynolds. “Those awards are a dime a dozen.”