This thread is exclusively for the discussion of the forum awards and the process around them. If you have any questions, comments, or thoughts, please feel free to contribute. We’ll definitely be evolving this each year as we learn and grow, so any feedback is greatly appreciated!
As noted in the rules for the awards, there will be no campaigning / advertising for the awards; any such posts will be deleted.
My first thought is that I am really against this.
This is essentially a popularity contest, and you are going to get people who are butt hurt by not winning/not even being nominated. Emotions run high whenever there is stuff on the line, even meaningless stuff like badges and I would not want to see this community shift its posting behaviour because of this contest. I thought one of the reason you can't see post counts anymore was to prevent the artificial inflation of the count, this just brings that mentality back. In the back the mind there is always going to be "I am not posting to be helpful, I am posting to WIN!".
I figure that just by posting this I have tanked my chances of winning anything because of the ill will it will generate, and that's probably not even a conscious choice for most people reading this (and I only really had a shot at one award, Bolster Allies, and then only if every one forgets Silverleaf's recent form).
Great points, Matchstickman! Definitely appreciate it. I seriously hope that the community is mature enough not to take offense at you raising this concern - I know I'm not offended or upset by it. I'd prefer we have honest, mature discussion, and we're usually pretty good about that. (And this is exactly why we created this thread.)
Before posting my thoughts on this, I'll let others chime in. It'll be good to hear if that's the dominant concern!
If this were done back in 2012 (or even 2011) I might actually have a shot at someting. But, for the most part, 2013 is when my involvement started to wane (at least as far as my internet presense), as well the size and diversity of the community increase dramatically.
I nominate Matchstickman for
Isolated Hero: As the first to dissent againt a popularity contest, he has earned it. Shun the non-believer!
I think it will be fine, I doubt anyone is too excited over gaining badges from this. Plus I think most of them are pretty obvious.
Although if there was a badge for Remorseless Provocation I'd work to earn it, I love that card.
Can we add some more though?
The villains of the forums need recognition.
Scum and Villainy: for the forumite who best exemplifies the Evils of Ronway.
Consider the Price of Victory: For the forumite most willing to argue things beyond the point where the argument was productive.
Unforgiving Wasteland: for the mod most likely to shut down a thread, or generally tell us all to behave.
Off the Rails: Forumite most likely to cause a thread to be split.
Ha. Funny, but definitely a bad idea. "Here's an award because a majority of people think you suck!"
I think its a nice idea even though I share a bit of Matchsticks hesitation. But there are a lot of positives to consider as well.
Id like to maybe see a rule where you can't vote for yourself. This should be about the community recognizing positive work of their peers, not themselves (love the no advertising rule).
I was kind of hoping for Consider the price of Victory. Oh well.
If we are going to do this should we make the nominating Private, and then do a vote with nominees and a short sentence or two as to why they deserve it, something like:
Off the Rails:
Nominee Silverleaf: For intentionally and gleefully participating in puns threads, Language debates, and potential invasions of other sovereign nations.
And then we'd all vote secretly as well. I have some I would have trouble deciding between, and publicly nominating feels awkward.
Nominating may absolutely be done privately if you want. Feel free to message a moderator (myself, Rabit, or arenson9), if you don't want to do it publically.
So many of you are hilarious. That's gonna be the hardest fought catagory.
Can't nominate yourself, I'd totally agree on, but not voting yourself probably means that most people nominated for a given award won't vote in it, which makes little to no difference to the result (and, indeed, if the result is that the humble choose to vote for others while other people decide to reserve their vote to improve their own chances, well then the former lot are getting fewer votes and that kinda sucks a little.
I had a point, I think… Right, yeah, I think you should let people vote for themselves, with the expectation that they will, although that being said I'm now kind of unsure, and wondering whether to delete this rambling post or post it as is…
Oh, crap, bracket.)
Isn't the nomination/vote the same thing here?
Nope. Voting will happen later!
The idea is an interesting one, but I can see Matchstickman's point. Surely forum members who have been around the longest, who are more well-known will be the only ones nominated and voted for?
Well, yes. It's hard to be known for being the funniest if you don't post funny things. I don't really see the point of correcting for that.
I think it'll be funny and fun as long as we keep it light with kinda tongue-in-cheek awards. I think most of us get along well enough to not foster negative feelings from who gets nominated and who doesn't, so I'd say let's give it a try. If it's a catastrophic failure, well then we can always shut them down.
I don't think we should let fear of catastrophic failure prevent us from having a little fun... especially when such a failure wouldn't even have seriously long-lasting negative consequences.
Exactly. This is meant to be a fun activity for the group. Don't take it too seriously. Just remember the good times from the last year, and let us know who brought them to you!
I think the system is fair, I might suggest that each person win only one award, don't know how that would work though.
Also: "Why do stop lights turn Red?"
"You would too if you had to change in the middle of the street!"
BOOM! beat that funny people!
Meh, I say let's give it a shot. I have no feelings that could be hurt. 
Some thoughts:
I think there must be at least two nominees for each category. I mean, you can't really vote if there is only one nominee and it feels wrong to just give the award to someone who runs unopposed, even if they may be the most deserving.
Don't tell anybody how many users voted and by how many votes the winner won. I know, it's a common sense thing, I am only mentioning it because that way it feels less like a popularity contest who those who are concerned by that.
I actually think all nominations should be made secretly, and that there should be a list updated with the names of those who have already been nominated for an award.
I don’t really feel qualified to nominate, BTW, but I am happy enough to join in the voting.
Why isn't there a catrgory for best looking, fire-flinging cultist?