2009 Fnord Awards - Results
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- Scott Alexander
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2009 Fnord Awards - Results
2009 was a year of changes and consolidation. It saw the end of Babkha, a micronation that served as a pillar of our sector since before the MCS even existed. It saw the end of the hated MicroHub, which for all of its flaws served as a continuation of the MNN tradition and one of our last links to the larger micronational world. It saw the organization of large chunks of the world into the Small Commonwealth and its Small Economy, which have escaped the pitfalls of so many other organizations by expecting less.
But apart from the broad trends, 2009 was a year like many others: a year of micronationalists, both new and old, coming up with great ideas, works of art, political plans, new projects, and all the other things that keep our hobby ticking and make it full of interesting surprises. Today we honor some of the people and nations that impressed us most and changed the way we think about micronationalism. Today we present the 2009 Fnords, micronationalism's oldest and most prestiguous continuously running awards ceremony [citation needed].
This year's Fnords will be special, in that Dr. Spangle has out of the goodness of his cybernetic heart arranged to spend his own money on real medals for everyone involved. If you win in today's ceremony, please consider giving Dr. Spangle your address so he can send you your medal.
Along with the Doctor, I need to thank all of this year's judges: Bjorn Ironfist of Stormark, Ryan of Shireroth, Emperor Edgard of Alexandria, and Guido Zambelis of Lovely. All very kindly endured my pestering and volunteered their own time to read through and investigate the very worthy entries. And with a few exceptions, all came to pretty much the same conclusions, giving us extra confidence as we present these metals today.
I also want to apologize in that voting in one of the categories got kind of messed up. This was my fault. Since it was a category with only one nominee, and the decision was a very easy one, I've officially decided as master of ceremonies to award the medal despite the voting mishap. Apologies for any inconvenience.
Finally, congratulations to all nominees for making it this far. Many categories had several worthy contenders, and I regret that we can only give one Fnord each.
This year's Most Promising New Micronation was pretty obvious to everyone even without an official awards ceremony. Their website is stunning, their level of protocol and formality brings back memories of Gotzborg and Hanover, and the history that brings them to Micras is as unusual as it is interesting. Congratulations to the Kingdom of Victoria, this year's Most Promising New Micronation. Victoria's website has also netted them our Award for Graphic Arts.
The Award for Leadership goes to Chris Mules. Chris was one of Antica's founders, survived the revolution from Dinarchy to Republic without losing any of the respect in which Anticans generally hold him, and served several terms as Speaker of the Assembly. Chris' nonconfrontational attitude and soft-spoken manner have not only allowed him to navigate the cut-throat world of Antican politics, but have also earned him admiration even from Antica's traditional rivals. Chris' great talent with leadership is most evident not from any position he holds (since he rarely inhabits the upper echelons of Antica's government anyway), but from the way he leads by example and the way all Anticans implicitly look to him for advice and direction.
The Jeremy Bellamy Award for Literature, this year's most hotly contested prize, goes to Ben Kern for Rauðbjörn's Saga. The victory was surprising, in that Ben declined his nomination this year, but the judges were so awed by his work that they decided to decline his declining. Rauðbjörn's saga tells a traditional Viking tale of death and revenge with a flair that might impress Snorri Sturluson himself. It is a credit to the Viking traditions of Stormark and to the literature of Micras, and we all look forward to seeing how it ends.
The Bill Dusch Award for Cultural Development goes to Aryeztur Mejorkhor. It takes only a quick look at the Wiki of Aryez to realize how seriously this Antican province, formerly a semi-independent client state, takes its culture. Aryeztur's projects, which currently include both Aryez and the Shirerithian Duchy of Goldshire, tend to look less like the simple themes preferred by so many micronationalists and more like entire con-civilizations, and this medal is a well-deserved recognition of the dedication he brings to his cultural development work.
Both the Josh Coales Award for Best New Idea and the Tony Au Award for Economics go to the Small Commonwealth this year, for its surprisingly successful project of unifying the micronational world in a series of treaty schemes. The Commonwealth, which includes Shireroth, Batavia, Stormark, Ashkenatza, Hurmu, Livlandia, Natopia, Nederlanden, Nelaga, and Gralus, allows members to sign as many or as few Commonwealth treaties as they want, from a simple document officially giving them member status but little else, to commitments on forum-based-weapon disarmaments, to international criminal courts and mutual defense. It has also made great strides in economics by unifying the currencies of nine nations. The Idea award will be collected by Commonwealth architects Erik Metzler and Ari Rahikkala, and the Economics award by Metzler and econ guru Andreas the Wise.
The Iain Jacobson Award for Journalism goes to Maximos for the Litovsker Tagblatt. Micronational journalism is hard for two reasons: first, you have to do it well, and second, you have to have the stamina to keep going on a semi-regular schedule. Max does his journalism really well, and he's been going strong since April with no let-up in sight. The Tagblatt has become a beloved micronational institution, with its black-and white pictures, pseudo-Hebraic lettering, humorous take on the real and made-up issues of the day, and painfully small text. We look forward to many more Tagblatts to come.
The Liam conToketi Award for Most Promising Micronationalist heated up around the end, but the judges eventually decided to give it to Andrew Allot. Allot (who confusingly sometimes goes by Isabelle) joined Shireroth in spring of this year, and almost immediately got involved in a revolt for control of Elwynn which ended with him as Duke. Since then, he's been Praetor, Minister of Information, and Minister of the Exterior, a position in which you've probably run across him contacting your country in his own flamboyant way. But possibly Allot's most lasting effect on Shireroth and the wider community has been his recruiting efforts: he's helped bring three of his real life friends into Shireroth in the past few months, giving it a much needed infusion of new blood.
The Shane Odlum Award for Overall Achievement goes to Nathan Shepard. Nate founded his namesake country of Natopia in 2002, and ruled over it for an astonishing seven years. The judges may have decided to recognize him this year because of his semi-retirement; Nathan recently passed the Natopian crown to Emperor Konrad in order to spend more time on grad school (wait...Nate is in grad school?!). He still serves as priest of his Butter-Cow based religion and as a major government figure. In honor of his victory, the Fnord Committee will be serving free juice and bagels at a reception after the ceremony.
Congratulations to all nominees and winners, and happy Emperor Norton Day.
But apart from the broad trends, 2009 was a year like many others: a year of micronationalists, both new and old, coming up with great ideas, works of art, political plans, new projects, and all the other things that keep our hobby ticking and make it full of interesting surprises. Today we honor some of the people and nations that impressed us most and changed the way we think about micronationalism. Today we present the 2009 Fnords, micronationalism's oldest and most prestiguous continuously running awards ceremony [citation needed].
This year's Fnords will be special, in that Dr. Spangle has out of the goodness of his cybernetic heart arranged to spend his own money on real medals for everyone involved. If you win in today's ceremony, please consider giving Dr. Spangle your address so he can send you your medal.
Along with the Doctor, I need to thank all of this year's judges: Bjorn Ironfist of Stormark, Ryan of Shireroth, Emperor Edgard of Alexandria, and Guido Zambelis of Lovely. All very kindly endured my pestering and volunteered their own time to read through and investigate the very worthy entries. And with a few exceptions, all came to pretty much the same conclusions, giving us extra confidence as we present these metals today.
I also want to apologize in that voting in one of the categories got kind of messed up. This was my fault. Since it was a category with only one nominee, and the decision was a very easy one, I've officially decided as master of ceremonies to award the medal despite the voting mishap. Apologies for any inconvenience.
Finally, congratulations to all nominees for making it this far. Many categories had several worthy contenders, and I regret that we can only give one Fnord each.
This year's Most Promising New Micronation was pretty obvious to everyone even without an official awards ceremony. Their website is stunning, their level of protocol and formality brings back memories of Gotzborg and Hanover, and the history that brings them to Micras is as unusual as it is interesting. Congratulations to the Kingdom of Victoria, this year's Most Promising New Micronation. Victoria's website has also netted them our Award for Graphic Arts.
The Award for Leadership goes to Chris Mules. Chris was one of Antica's founders, survived the revolution from Dinarchy to Republic without losing any of the respect in which Anticans generally hold him, and served several terms as Speaker of the Assembly. Chris' nonconfrontational attitude and soft-spoken manner have not only allowed him to navigate the cut-throat world of Antican politics, but have also earned him admiration even from Antica's traditional rivals. Chris' great talent with leadership is most evident not from any position he holds (since he rarely inhabits the upper echelons of Antica's government anyway), but from the way he leads by example and the way all Anticans implicitly look to him for advice and direction.
The Jeremy Bellamy Award for Literature, this year's most hotly contested prize, goes to Ben Kern for Rauðbjörn's Saga. The victory was surprising, in that Ben declined his nomination this year, but the judges were so awed by his work that they decided to decline his declining. Rauðbjörn's saga tells a traditional Viking tale of death and revenge with a flair that might impress Snorri Sturluson himself. It is a credit to the Viking traditions of Stormark and to the literature of Micras, and we all look forward to seeing how it ends.
The Bill Dusch Award for Cultural Development goes to Aryeztur Mejorkhor. It takes only a quick look at the Wiki of Aryez to realize how seriously this Antican province, formerly a semi-independent client state, takes its culture. Aryeztur's projects, which currently include both Aryez and the Shirerithian Duchy of Goldshire, tend to look less like the simple themes preferred by so many micronationalists and more like entire con-civilizations, and this medal is a well-deserved recognition of the dedication he brings to his cultural development work.
Both the Josh Coales Award for Best New Idea and the Tony Au Award for Economics go to the Small Commonwealth this year, for its surprisingly successful project of unifying the micronational world in a series of treaty schemes. The Commonwealth, which includes Shireroth, Batavia, Stormark, Ashkenatza, Hurmu, Livlandia, Natopia, Nederlanden, Nelaga, and Gralus, allows members to sign as many or as few Commonwealth treaties as they want, from a simple document officially giving them member status but little else, to commitments on forum-based-weapon disarmaments, to international criminal courts and mutual defense. It has also made great strides in economics by unifying the currencies of nine nations. The Idea award will be collected by Commonwealth architects Erik Metzler and Ari Rahikkala, and the Economics award by Metzler and econ guru Andreas the Wise.
The Iain Jacobson Award for Journalism goes to Maximos for the Litovsker Tagblatt. Micronational journalism is hard for two reasons: first, you have to do it well, and second, you have to have the stamina to keep going on a semi-regular schedule. Max does his journalism really well, and he's been going strong since April with no let-up in sight. The Tagblatt has become a beloved micronational institution, with its black-and white pictures, pseudo-Hebraic lettering, humorous take on the real and made-up issues of the day, and painfully small text. We look forward to many more Tagblatts to come.
The Liam conToketi Award for Most Promising Micronationalist heated up around the end, but the judges eventually decided to give it to Andrew Allot. Allot (who confusingly sometimes goes by Isabelle) joined Shireroth in spring of this year, and almost immediately got involved in a revolt for control of Elwynn which ended with him as Duke. Since then, he's been Praetor, Minister of Information, and Minister of the Exterior, a position in which you've probably run across him contacting your country in his own flamboyant way. But possibly Allot's most lasting effect on Shireroth and the wider community has been his recruiting efforts: he's helped bring three of his real life friends into Shireroth in the past few months, giving it a much needed infusion of new blood.
The Shane Odlum Award for Overall Achievement goes to Nathan Shepard. Nate founded his namesake country of Natopia in 2002, and ruled over it for an astonishing seven years. The judges may have decided to recognize him this year because of his semi-retirement; Nathan recently passed the Natopian crown to Emperor Konrad in order to spend more time on grad school (wait...Nate is in grad school?!). He still serves as priest of his Butter-Cow based religion and as a major government figure. In honor of his victory, the Fnord Committee will be serving free juice and bagels at a reception after the ceremony.
Congratulations to all nominees and winners, and happy Emperor Norton Day.
Scott Alexander | Autokrator of Archipelago (What is Archipelago?)
Illustrious Founder of the MCS, and sometime Special Cartographer
Illustrious Founder of the MCS, and sometime Special Cartographer
Re: 2009 Fnord Awards - Results
*raises a glass in honour of both winners and nominees*
Congratulations, all very worthy recognitions. And the medals spangle is buying look awesome! Lucky devils to be recieving them
Congratulations, all very worthy recognitions. And the medals spangle is buying look awesome! Lucky devils to be recieving them
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- Colonel Vilhelm
- Apollo Foundation Administrator
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Re: 2009 Fnord Awards - Results
I must thank the judges for this award, which shocks me for two reasons. Firstly, I declined the nomination, and yet here is the award. Secondly, I didn't think the FNORD Awards meant much, but I feel good for some odd reason. I must have been wrong. Thank you again.
Congratulations to all other awardees!
Congratulations to all other awardees!
Colonel Vilhelm von Benkern - Preserving the Memories (Regardless of whose those may be)
Pro at Cooking!
Antica
Pro at Cooking!
Antica
-
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Re: 2009 Fnord Awards - Results
Thank you very much! I graciously accept the awards on behalf of the Small Commonwealth and the SCUE.
Erik Metzler
Perennial Citizen of Shireroth
And Often the Kaiser...
- chrimigules
- Posts: 1102
- Joined: Sun Aug 19, 2007 7:04 am
Re: 2009 Fnord Awards - Results
Foghorn's going to be pissed that I got one and that he never for his KZFO ventures.
Thanks!
Thanks!
Коля лает «гав-гав».
- Björn Ironfist
- Posts: 82
- Joined: Wed Nov 04, 2009 10:48 am
Re: 2009 Fnord Awards - Results
That's what we were shooting for. "You know what would REALLY piss Foghorn off??"chrimigules wrote:Foghorn's going to be pissed that I got one and that he never for his KZFO ventures.
Thanks!
Gratz to all the winners. I look forward to seeing some pics of people with their shiny new medals once they arrive!
Save yourself the aggravation...
Pile your gold in front of the door
Set your house on fire
And just die now
Re: 2009 Fnord Awards - Results
I am in total shock. Thank you very much for this very important acknowledgment All I can say is that one third of my life is now validated
Currently playing:
Nathan, a person
Nathan, a person
Re: 2009 Fnord Awards - Results
Award gratefully accepted! No doubt the Tagblatt will be gloating over this for many moons to come!
-
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Re: 2009 Fnord Awards - Results
Congratulations to everyone. A great list of winners and nominees this year.
*chalks it up as a win that his name is still on one of the awards*
*chalks it up as a win that his name is still on one of the awards*
His Imperial Niftiness, Reynardine I
94th Kaiser of Shireroth
94th Kaiser of Shireroth
Re: 2009 Fnord Awards - Results
Many thanks~!
Re: 2009 Fnord Awards - Results
Congratulations to all from The Bovic Emperor of Natopia!
- Björn Ironfist
- Posts: 82
- Joined: Wed Nov 04, 2009 10:48 am
Re: 2009 Fnord Awards - Results
I think that green just gave me a detached retina...
Save yourself the aggravation...
Pile your gold in front of the door
Set your house on fire
And just die now
Re: 2009 Fnord Awards - Results
It seems a few people are allergic to colour, in some way, on this board.. as I got a similar response when I changed my text colour ages ago Though, I soon stopped it, as it was too much hassle to remember to keep pressing the colour at the side before I made a post.Björn Ironfist wrote:I think that green just gave me a detached retina...
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