MetaFilter posts tagged with awards

The Gernsback Continuum

Artw — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 22:58:08 -0800

The 2009 Hugo awards have been announced at Worldcon. Winners include Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book for best novel, Ted Chiang getting best short story and Elizabeth Bear getting best novelette. Best Related Book was snagged by MeFi's own jscalzi. The award for best semiprozine, which was to be scrapped, has been saved, this year being won by Weird Tales - a surprise upsets as it's main problem was that it had essentially become the Locus magazine award for best Locus Magazine. As well as the Hugos other awards such as the Prix Aurora award for best Canadian SF and the Chesley Awards for SF art have been announced, and Cory Doctorow accepted the Prometheus award for Libertarian SF. Convention reporter provides continuing coverage (the convention still has another day to run) and Starshipsofa spin-off Sofanauts has an excellent series of podcasts with regular Amy H. Sturgis and others reporting from the con.

"Science Fiction Fandom: your shortlists aren’t very good."

Major Clanger — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 02:01:28 -0800

"Science Fiction Fandom: your shortlists aren’t very good." Writer, critic and literary academic Adam Roberts has a problem with the shortlists for the 2009 Hugo Awards: in his view, they're unimaginative, conservative and profoundly lazy. Are his concerns valid? And even if they are, should anyone expect more from a popular nominated award voted on by people eligible only through having joined the current or previous World Science Fiction Convention? Given the existence of jury-selected awards such as the Nebula and Clarke, what's wrong with the Hugo letting ordinary readers and fans having the chance to vote for what they liked?

Awards can't save forests.

divabat — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 19:25:57 -0800

Awards can't feed the hungry. (via, with supporting links)

Nebula Best Short Story Nominees 2008

Artw — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 08:29:41 -0800

StarshipSofa has podcasted all of the Nebula Best Short Story Nominees for 2008, following on from podcasting all but one of the 2008 BSFA short story nominees. Previous StarshipSofa.

Colbert predicts the Oscars

twoleftfeet — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 21:14:37 -0800

Once again, Stephen Colbert predicted the winners in all of major Academy Award categories ten days in advance, using an unconventional methodology. Well kinda... there was one category where he waffled.

The children had stones already. And someone gave little Davy Hutchinson a few pebbles.

taz — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 04:58:11 -0800

How to raise money for the Shirley Jackson Awards? Why, a Lottery, natch. The Shirley Jackson Awards, established in 2007 to reward "outstanding achievement in the literature of psychological suspense, horror and the dark fantastic" is holding an online lottery beginning today and continuing through February 23 to raise funds for the program. Participants can buy $1 digital lottery tickets for any of 51 donated prizes from authors, editors, artists, and agents. Which prize will draw the most interest? Perhaps an autographed computer keyboard from Neil Gaiman? Or the chance to be Tuckerized in an upcoming work? [Tuckerization explained] Or ... star in a porn role? The lottery will be held on February 23rd at midnight. Items are being raffled off individually, and you may purchase as many tickets per item as you would like. For each item, one winner will be chosen using a computerized random number generator, and winning names and prizes will be announced on the website. By the way, the list of Shirley Jackson literary award winners from 2008 is here. A review of the top award winner for best novel, Elizabeth Hand's "Generation Loss" is here. If you've never read Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery" (gasp!), you can read it here, hear it here, or even watch it on youtube.

2008 Cliopatria Awards

marxchivist — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 09:26:43 -0800

2008 Cliopatria Awards announced. These awards are given for the best History Blogs. Winners this year include: The Edge of the American West (best group blog), Wynken de Worde (best new blog), and Northwest History ( best individual blog) by mefi's own LarryC. One winner I've enjoyed is Zunguzungu, this year's winner for best writer. I particularly like his essay on colonialism in Heart of Darkness, A Few Good Men, and The Searchers.

Hail To The King

Artw — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:39:21 -0800

The Wired Vaporware Awards, an institution since 1999 has taken some heavy hits this year, and has had to resort to some pretty naked padding to make a list (products in late beta whose release date has merely slipped? come on) – however, if there is anything that remains constant in these uncertain times we live in it is that one game rules the list, debuting in the No 2. slot in 2000, it then latched on to the top spot, with only editorial edict able to to shift it. Ladies and gentlemen, Duke Nukem - FOREVER.

Fifty knot winds with occasional furries.

markkraft — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 01:10:15 -0800

They said that Hurricane Ike could bring unimaginable disaster in its wake...
but no one could've predicted the full extent of the horror. (YouTube, 31 sec. or still photo) This unexpected furriness brought to you by this guy. Prankster(NSFW)? Jackass? Potential Darwin Awards recipient?!

2008 Weird-Ass Picture Book Awards

Fizz — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 07:14:55 -0800

The Weird-Ass Picture Book Awards, WAPB, are given to the books that make you go “Huhhh?” Awards are given for story, illustration, and cover art. The highest award goes to the picture book achieving outstanding weirdness in both illustration and text. The 2007 WAPBA went to The Fuchsia Is Now, by J. Otto Seibold, for its strange story and artwork. The interesting use of condoms as hats was clearly a deciding factor in this book’s selection. Dear Fish, by Chris Gall, won for both illustration and cover art. For storyline, My Father the Dog, by Elizabeth Bluemle, took the prize.

New prestigious Arabic award for fiction

stbalbach — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 19:08:26 -0800

IPAF (International Prize for Arabic Fiction) is a new prestigious $50,000 literary prize managed the Man Booker Prize in London and sponsored by Abu Dhabi's¹ crown prince of the United Arabs Emirates. The inaugural winner was announced on March 10: Baha Taher's Sunset Oasis (shortlist). English translations appear to be unavailable although some are in the works. This is the first international prize for Arabic literature, and it has stirred up some passions.

1. "It's no accident that the prize is based in Abu Dhabi ... [it] is going flat out to become the cultural center of the Middle East. The city is to host a new Guggenheim Museum designed by Frank Gehry, not to mention an outpost of the Louvre." (from last link)

photographs of wildlife

Flashman — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 03:48:59 -0800

Wildlife Photographer of the Year

2008 Animated Short Film Oscar Noms

jonson — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 11:31:26 -0800

The 2008 Oscar nominated animated shorts are online. Via.

Best history blog awards 2007

stbalbach — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 05:47:28 -0800

The Academy Awards of the history blogosphere have been announced for 2007. The newest edition of the Cliopatria Awards is now out.

Yahoo's new BravoNation

riffola — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 21:53:44 -0800

Yahoo's new BravoNation brings Xbox Live type achievements to the world outside of gaming. You can send or receive homemade awards from any user. They are banking on third party sites using their API to hand out bravo awards to people for doing various things. Our own waxpancake has the exclusive first look.

The software awards scam

Armitage Shanks — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 08:36:13 -0800

The software awards scam. I put out a new product a couple of weeks ago. This new product has so far won 16 different awards and recommendations from software download sites. Download it now from PC World!

Plastic Surgery Beauty Contest

jonson — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 15:05:38 -0800

Make Me Heal is an online community serving the needs of America's vast cosmetic surgery audience, with tips & tricks on what works best to heal scarring, etc, including an encyclopedia of terms. To promote their vision of "Celebrating Natural Beauty With Enhancement" they're hosting the first ever Plastic Surgery Beauty Enhancement Awards, with categories like Best Breast Augmentation (NSFW) and Best Male Liposuction." Contestants must submit before, during & after shots of the procedure, and site visitors can vote on their favorites.

Nova Swing

ninebelow — Wed, 02 May 2007 13:47:52 -0800

Nova Swing by M John Harrison has won the 2007 Arthur C Clarke Award. Named after the famous author and announced on the opening night of the Sci Fi London film festival the award is one of the most prestigious in science fiction. Everything you could possibly wish to know about this year's shortlist.

I (Y)am The Genius

humannaire — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 15:09:37 -0800

Yoshiro Nakamatsu aka Dr. NakaMats has invented everything, other than all the other stuff that the rest of us have invented. He has 3218 patents to his name. (Edison had 1093.) Among his many inventions? The compact disc, the compact disc player ('natch), the digital watch, a unique golf putter, the floppy disk (!), and a water-powered engine. Besides being the founder of the World Genius Convention (where the world first learned of ingenuity of ADR ceramic disks, for instance), Dr. NakaMats was voted by the US Science Academic Society as one of five greatest scientists in history - in the company of Archimedes, Michael Faraday, Marie Curie, and Nikola Tesla - and he plans to live until 144!

When the World is Running Down

augustweed — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 17:32:36 -0800

Rumors of The Police reuniting to perform at the 2007 Grammy Awards have been confirmed! I wonder which songs they will play?

2007 Independent Games Festival Finalists

stavrosthewonderchicken — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 23:40:50 -0800

2007 Independent Games Festival Finalists. Most have downloadable demo and full versions (on the PC, anyway). Share and enjoy.

everybody loves stuff

cubby — Sun, 02 Jul 2006 04:48:08 -0800

Best designed stuff of '06. The Industrial Design Excellence Awards. Winners include the 2 second tent, a new coffin and the hover creeper. Want more design? See what shaking in ecodesign, gadgetr y, or concept cars. Perhaps you just want to know what's cool or what those crafty Germans are up to. Then again, maybe it's all just too much to handle.

Not necessarily the best of the web.

insomnia_lj — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 13:17:55 -0800

2006 Webby Award finallists announced. So, if your favorite home/welcome page My Yahoo or Wonderbra? Two nominations for Metacritic. Other Meta-related sites, not so much... Best of the web?!

Release the nasty (please!)

rob511 — Wed, 22 Feb 2006 02:51:34 -0800

Say "cheese" — stinky, expensive, overprocessed American cheese. The venerable Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has revealed its set design for the Seventy-Eighth Academy Awards® Telecast. This year's edition is described as "an homage to old movie theaters" by designer Roy Christopher. "It's a no-holds-barred return to classic Hollywood glamour." Others may beg to differ.

Rick Moranis - Alt Country Balladeer

Parlour Tricks — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 07:43:40 -0800

Rick Moranis - Alt Country Balladeer. Whatever happened to Rick? The former SCTV star and 80s/90s movie comedian apparently doesn't miss "acting." His new album of humorous country songs is nominated for a Grammy.