Alternative History:2012 Stirling Awards

This is the nomination and voting page for the 2012 Stirling Awards that honor the editors and timelines of 2011. This is the second time the Stirling Awards have been held.

CURRENTLY THE AWARDS ARE ONLY OPEN FOR NOMINATIONS. If you want to make a nomination you need to link to the thing/person you wish to nominate and explain why it/they deserve the award. Only registered editors who have 100 or more edits can make nominations. Certain awards have additional rules or regulations, so please read the description carefully before supplying your nomination.

''Please REFRAIN from giving your opinion of anyone's nominations. That is what the voting is for.''

Voting will begin on January 1, 2012 and end on January 25, 2012. Results will be posted and awards handed out on January 26, 2012, the anniversary of the creation of this wiki.

=Writer Awards=

Best Male Writer
This award is for the best male writer on the wiki in 2011.

Nominations

 * 1) Lordganon- Editor and admin, also a great sounding-board for ideas. I particulary nominate him for the edits he has made to 1983:DD. Bobalugee1940 18:24, December 7, 2011 (UTC)
 * 2) KingSweden-Editor and admin. I chose him, because he created Napoleon's World TL and continues to add to it.Enclavehunter 05:59, December 10, 2011 (UTC)
 * 3) Fxgentleman - In my opinion the best researcher on the wiki. He also writes very well when he translates that research into an article. SouthWriter 21:18, December 19, 2011 (UTC)
 * 4) NuclearVacuum - Another great year in editing by Nuke. Lordganon 09:45, December 20, 2011 (UTC)
 * 5) Enclavehunter - He is one of the best contributors to this wiki that I know about. RandomWriterGuy 19:16, December 28, 2011 (UTC)

Discussions
I agree with KingSweden's nomination. I'm sorry LG, but in recent years pretty much no user has matched the unprecedented amount of work KingSweden has put in his timeline.

Yank 05:33, December 10, 2011 (UTC)

....And as I told Chris below, this is not the spot to state an opinion. That is what voting is for. Lordganon 08:12, December 10, 2011 (UTC)

Best Female Writer
This award is for the best female writer on the wiki in 2011.

Nominations

 * Smoggy80 - One of our Doomsday editors, and a creator of a few of her own timelines, Smoggy is an avid editor. She became a Lieutenant in the TSPTF this year, and has been a great help with things since. Lordganon 01:37, December 2, 2011 (UTC)

Discussions
Hmm...no offense to Smog, but perhaps we should combine the writers awards due to lack of gender diversity. Mitro 19:26, December 28, 2011 (UTC)

She won this award last year, maybe let someone else win this? VonGlusenburg (talk to Von!) 04:54, December 29, 2011 (UTC)

....Who, pray tell? Far as I know, she's the only "she" here. I agree that it should change for next year, barring another lady appearing around here. Lordganon 08:18, December 29, 2011 (UTC)

In the Best New Contributor category, Imperium Guy referred to 9 もりや すわこ as female, so I believe 9 is female too VonGlusenburg (talk to Von!) 17:05, December 30, 2011 (UTC)


 * I'm not a female, lol. -Kogasa [[Image:Symbol of Natori, Miyagi.png|23px|border]][[Image:宮城県.png|23px|border]][[Image:Flag of Japan.png|23px|border]] 17:14, December 30, 2011 (UTC)


 * Ah my bad lol, might want to tell Imperium Guy too lol VonGlusenburg (talk to Von!) 17:51, December 30, 2011 (UTC)

Best New Contributor
This award is for the best new contributor on the wiki in 2011. In order to be eligible their joining date must be in 2011.

Nominations

 * 1) Detectivekenny - He's been here since January 16th and he practically revolutionized map games. He took control of the Principia Moderni game and made sure it didn't go downhill. He introduced war algorithms into map games, which have been adapted into use by other map games. CrimsonAssassin 04:14, December 2, 2011 (UTC)
 * 2) 9 もりや すわこ - 9 joined this year but already has a few TL's under her belt. Her major timeline (World of the Rising Sun) is a good one. ~Imperium Guy
 * 3) Hidan43vr - To me, his new timeline is amazing. Lordganon 23:26, December 5, 2011 (UTC)

Best Writer in a Community Timeline
This award is for the best male or female writer on a community timeline in 2011. Acceptable community timelines are listed here.

Nominations

 * 1) Mister Sheen - Sheen's done an amazing amount of work on Great White South this year. In addition, he's messed around in a couple of the map games, done a little bit of Doomsday editing, done some work with Napoleon's World, and even joined the TSPTF. Lordganon 06:55, December 6, 2011 (UTC)

Best TSPTF Member
This award is for current members of the TSPTF. Brass, Lieutenants and Constables can all be nominated. No member of TSPTF can nominate themselves.

Nominations

 * 1) Lordganon - [[Image:1.png|23px]] Imperium Guy 08:50, December 2, 2011 (UTC) (Isn't it obvious why?)
 * 2) BrianD - Level headed and an excellent writer, Brian arbitrates disputes well. SouthWriter 21:04, December 19, 2011 (UTC)

Best Copyeditor
This award is for the editor who has done incredible copyeditting work in the year 2011.

Nominations

 * 1) Lordganon: Shall I say any more? Flag_of_South_Korea.png PitaKang- (Talk | Contribs) 00:25, December 7, 2011 (UTC)
 * 2) Katholico: Has fixed up a number of editing errors this year, and category work, too. Lordganon 01:54, December 24, 2011 (UTC)

Best Ban
This award is for the most deserving one year or more ban of 2011.

Nominations

 * 1) Eldwolf: He may have been on the wiki for a short while, but he's done more serious damage than possibly Catherine. After he was told he could only annex 3% of Portugal by LurkerLordB, he went and sent profane insults on that users talk page. When he was banned for three days as a result, he went on a rampage on Principia Moderni and later on the admins. RandomWriterGuy 00:19, December 3, 2011 (UTC)
 * 2) Rebelsoldier: He was a nice guy and his heart was in the right place. However, he did more damage than Catherine or Eldwolf could hope to do. Any map game he played on quickly turned into a quagmire of implausibility and he made sure things went his way in map games. While making sure things go well for you is a good goal, the ends don't justify the means. For months, his implausibility and sockpuppetry kept everyone who played map games on their toes. To this day, people are accused of being Reb. If you're reading this Reb, I'm sorry, but your army of ten was a lot more damaging than you think. CrimsonAssassin 02:31, December 3, 2011 (UTC)
 * 3) SayNoToTheism32: Probably the most determined and disturbing vandalism I saw this year, next to that anon mass vandal, lol. Lordganon 09:25, December 14, 2011 (UTC)

Discussions
I agree with nominating Eldwolf. I don't care why he joined Principia Moderni, as "I'm playing this to have fun" is no reason to throw out the rules of the game.

Yank 02:28, December 3, 2011 (UTC)

I know him IRL. If you want a psycological profile, just ask. CrimsonAssassin 02:47, December 3, 2011 (UTC)

Eldwolf is more insane than Reb. That's why I chose him. RandomWriterGuy 06:36, December 4, 2011 (UTC)

While the both of them are jerks, Pita, I think you can only choose one. Great to see you around by the way! CrimsonAssassin 00:55, December 7, 2011 (UTC)

Yup. I've removed both of them. Pita, you need to choose one. Lordganon 05:08, December 7, 2011 (UTC)

=Timeline Awards=

Best Timeline
This award is for the best TL that was created in 2011.

Nominations

 * 1) L'Uniona Homanus By Hidan43vr. The most detailed and well-written timeline started in a while. Lordganon 08:19, December 12, 2011 (UTC)
 * 2) World of the Rising Sun, by 9 もりや すわこ. Has decent enough of detail and description, as well as a few unique things.. -Kogasa [[Image:Symbol of Natori, Miyagi.png|23px|border]][[Image:宮城県.png|23px|border]][[Image:Flag of Japan.png|23px|border]] 12:53, December 28, 2011 (UTC)

Discussions
RWG, New Union is from 2010. Heck, it was even nominated for this category last year. I've removed it. Lordganon 08:26, December 4, 2011 (UTC)

Best Article
This award is for the best article created in 2011.

Nominations

 * 1) Fifth Global War (Byzantine Glory) - By Owner. By my guess, its the best one around here this year. Lordganon 04:59, December 14, 2011 (UTC)

Best OTL/non-AH Work
This award is for the best OTL/non-AH work that was created in 2011. The creator or principal contributor can only nominate a single one of their works.

Nominations

 * 1) ASB, Historical Fantasy, and Future History - A Blog post I made in November. Lordganon 23:44, December 30, 2011 (UTC)

Discussions
I suppose I should say that when I opened this up, somewhat, part of the intent was to allow blog posts to be included. As an fyi. Lordganon 09:45, December 25, 2011 (UTC)

Best Non-English Wiki
This award is for the best non-English alternate history wiki. Unlike the other awards, this one covers the lifetime of the wiki itself and not just work done in 2011. The administrators of these wikis may nominate them.

Nominations

 * 1) Альтернативная История, Russian counter-part. Has a good amount of articles, and is fairly active too. -Kogasa [[Image:Symbol of Natori, Miyagi.png|23px|border]][[Image:宮城県.png|23px|border]][[Image:Flag of Japan.png|23px|border]] 20:08, December 6, 2011 (UTC)
 * 2) Alternativgeschichte-Wiki - Our German-counterpart. Pretty active. Lordganon 00:35, December 13, 2011 (UTC)

Best Map Game
This award is for the best map game created in 2011.

Nominations

 * 1) Radioactive Tide - [[Image:1.png|23px]] Imperium Guy 10:42, December 1, 2011 (UTC)
 * 2) Fractured America - VonGlusenburg (talk to Von!) 11:34, December 1, 2011 (UTC)
 * 3) Greater Europe - Enclavehunter 04:27, December 2, 2011 (UTC)
 * 4) Axis vs Allies Revised - Great game, but turned into a quagmire of implausibility :( Flag_of_South_Korea.png PitaKang- (Talk | Contribs) 00:23, December 7, 2011 (UTC)

Discussions
Once again, RWG, PR was started in 2010 and is thus not eligible. Please look at the histories before you nominate anything else. I've removed it. Lordganon 08:28, December 4, 2011 (UTC)

To be technical, it was created in 2010 (Dec 21) but started in January 2011. It's okay that it's not eligible though. IMO in the future (2013 onward) we should go by starting date, because there as is the case here, the game was essentially recycled from a game that would have otherwise never started. But this is probably not the right place to discuss that so I will stop talking… Detectivekenny (Info; Talk) 05:36, December 6, 2011 (UTC)

When it "started" is irrelevant. It was created in 2010, not 2011. End of Discussion. Permanently. Lordganon 06:40, December 6, 2011 (UTC)

I think there should be an exception for Principia Moderni as it was created after nominations began last year and didn't start until 2011 and is easily one of the best map games on the wiki. Seeing as it wasn't elligible last year since it hadn't started yet, disqualifying it this year because the page was created too early means it never had a chance. Oerwinde 20:53, December 10, 2011 (UTC)

If someone had desired, they could have nominated it last year. Yet, no one did. Last year, it said "created" as well, so it would have been eligible. It had its chance, yet no one took it. No exceptions. Lordganon 07:50, December 11, 2011 (UTC)

No one nominated it because it had no content yet. It was essentially a placeholder for when the game started. Its like having an award for best addition to the skyline of a city and basing elligibility on start of construction. No one is going to nominate a hole in the ground.Oerwinde 09:23, December 11, 2011 (UTC)

Doesn't mean it could not have been so. And, I've seen the exact thing you describe happen, lol. We are not going to do exceptions. That defeats the entire concept, Oer. And why the dates are in here, at all. Lordganon 14:30, December 11, 2011 (UTC)

Well I think with the nature of map games the rules next year should change.Oerwinde 16:13, December 11, 2011 (UTC)

Got nothing to do with the nature of map games. Kenny resurrected a dead game three weeks after it died in 2010, which so happened to mean that it "started" in 2011. That it has been around so long is irrelevant.

At any rate, I'm done with this. We can discuss it next November.

Lordganon 16:26, December 11, 2011 (UTC)

LG, at this point, there is possibility that alone on your interpretation of the rules. Are you to the point that if the entire community told you that you were wrong, you would not budge? Detectivekenny (Info; Talk) 05:41, December 12, 2011 (UTC)

You're effectively saying that anything created in the month of December will never be considered for a Stirling Award (since, correct me if I'm wrong, most TLs don't reach an advanced state in just a couple of weeks). To rectify this, I think the Stirlings should be pushed back to January, or the cutoff changed to 30 November of each year. Barrel Nagurski 14:14, December 12, 2011 (UTC)

I agree, the cutoff should be the beginning of the voting process (as that is when no more nominations come) LurkerLordB 00:57, December 13, 2011 (UTC)

What if we made a Lifetime Achievement award for Map Games? CrimsonAssassin 01:08, December 13, 2011 (UTC)

That only solves the current problem, and not any future ones regarding timelines made late in the year. LurkerLordB 01:11, December 13, 2011 (UTC)

If a timeline is made late in a year, yeah it can't win Best ____ of the Year. However, if the author works really hard with a group of dedicated people, they have a year and one month to make it a great article. Raise support and BAM! It's a Lifetime Achievement. CrimsonAssassin 01:16, December 13, 2011 (UTC)

The only reason I took over PM instead of creating a new map game was because I read somewhere that it is recommended not to clutter up the site with so many new map games… I had no idea abiding by the rules would bite me in the back… Detectivekenny (Info; Talk) 02:20, December 13, 2011 (UTC)

I neither play nor follow any of these games. But the "created in" qualifier is a rather strict category to put on something. To be fairly judged a contestant should be on a more or less equal footing. In other media such awards are for completed projects, not concepts. When it comes to some things, which cross over from other years, the "best" should be judged on participlation and/or readership (fans) comparing the article(s) with other articles. Instead of "Best -- created in the year" the awards should be for simply "Best -- OF the year." But, as things go, the words "created in" are clear.

For fairness, the discussion should not 'wait until next November," but should be considered now. Otherwise, any creative minds, set free during the holidays, need to save any new projects for posting in January. For now, I would suggest that anyone with a really cool idea for a map game or other article, should create it in a "sandbox" and post it on January 1st. SouthWriter 04:08, December 13, 2011 (UTC)

Best 1983: Doomsday Article
This award is for the best article in our largest timeline - 1983: Doomsday - that was graduated in 2011. A list of articles graduated this year may be found on the Awards talk page.

Nominations

 * 1) San Francisco Bay Area by 'one hit wonder' Allium74. This article is a synopsis of the damage and development in central California. Some of the finest work on the wiki this year. SouthWriter 21:35, December 19, 2011 (UTC)
 * 2) Second Sicily War, by several users. The develpment of the article began on 2009, but finally this year was completed and graduated. For me seems a great work. --Katholico 16:34, December 21, 2011 (UTC)
 * 3) 2012 Superior Presidential Elections - a work of my own making. A current event, with a lot to come. Lordganon 01:54, December 31, 2011 (UTC)

Discussions

 * I admit, the Second Sicily War turned out to be a great work. Ironically, an event molded and formed over a period of over a year (as a developing, current event) was presented as a proposal only after it was nearly complete, in January, so it was not eligible last year! And so, an article about 2010 is eligible for the best graduated article of 2011. Ironic indeed. May the best article win. SouthWriter 16:56, December 21, 2011 (UTC)
 * Heh - it got listed on the proposal page in December when nothing was done, but I forgot about the template itself until I was half done in January, lol. Lordganon 08:10, December 22, 2011 (UTC)

=Content Awards=

Best Photoshopped Picture
This award is for the best photoshopped picture created in 2011. The creator can only nominate a single one of their pictures.

Nominations

 * 1) Qurikantja Rear View (VOE).png - Detectivekenny. Looks pretty realistic and shows an old city (Qorikancha) surviving till the modern day. -Kogasa [[Image:Symbol of Natori, Miyagi.png|23px|border]][[Image:宮城県.png|23px|border]][[Image:Flag of Japan.png|23px|border]] 20:14, December 6, 2011 (UTC)
 * 2) PopeAnthony.jpg - Image I made of Cardinal Carrera of Mexico City as Pope a few weeks back. Lordganon 08:43, December 21, 2011 (UTC)
 * 3) New_Atlantis_-_Side.jpg - I made this for an editor in discussing a time line about the disappearance of the Mediterranean Sea in the early days of the Roman Empire. SouthWriter 18:15, December 21, 2011 (UTC)
 * 4) Savanah-1983DD.png SouthWriter. An image of the bombed out city of Savannah from an upcoming article.--Vladivostok 09:14, December 28, 2011 (UTC)

Discussions

 * Have to say, I'm happy to see that at least one improvement is working, lol. Lordganon 11:01, December 22, 2011 (UTC)
 * Opps that was made 2010, my bad :P VonGlusenburg (talk to Von!) 23:46, December 27, 2011 (UTC)

Best Flag
This award is for the best fictional flag created in 2011. For reference see Category:Flags.

Nominations

 * 1) Flag of Mafia Underground Union (World of the Rising Sun).png - By 9 もりや すわこ. A very unique concept, this one. Lordganon 08:20, December 9, 2011 (UTC)
 * 2) Flag_664.png by Bobalugee1940. I find it well done and going straight to the point without being to cluttered. Fed (talk) 05:54, December 10, 2011 (UTC)

Discussions
Doc, that's from last year. It's not eligible. Lordganon 18:56, December 7, 2011 (UTC)

Ah. Alright. Didn't know that I can't post 2010 ones ;P Doctor261  (Talk to Doctor261) 04:42, December 8, 2011 (UTC)

It says that right in the little blurb under "best flag." Lordganon 08:56, December 8, 2011 (UTC)

You have no idea how hard it was to make that flag in paint, it took over an hour to get all the stars perfectly lined up and the Fleurs-de-Lis perfectly in the center. Bobalugee1940 14:52, December 13, 2011 (UTC)

Best Map
This award is for the best map created in 2011. World map, off-world map, city map or any kind of map is accepted.

Nominations

 * 1) United Arab Republic.png, by NuclearVacuum. An interesting map with a similar premise to the map that had won last year, and just a really nice map overall. ChrisL123 00:46, December 11, 2011 (UTC)
 * 2) Climate_of_Antarctica_(Great_White_South).png Also by Nuke. I find it interesting. Lordganon 09:10, December 16, 2011 (UTC)
 * 3) Divisions of New France (Montcalm Survives).png By ChrisL123. For me, looks very nice. :) --Katholico 04:42, December 31, 2011 (UTC)

Discussions
Wow! I am honored that my map of the UAR was nominated (especially since I only uploaded it less than a week ago). --NuclearVacuum (Talk) 05:11, December 11, 2011 (UTC)

Well you are one of the best map makers on the site. I always found your work to be very professional looking. Mitro 16:48, December 19, 2011 (UTC)

Best Template
This award is for the best template created in 2011. The creator can nominate their own work, once.

Nominations

 * 1) By Nuke. I like that the CoA's been put in it. Lordganon 00:31, December 16, 2011 (UTC)

Discussions
=Special Nominations=

Lifetime Achievement Award: Writer
This award is for the best male or female writer across the entire lifetime of the alternative history wiki. Once individual wins this award, they cannot win this award ever again. No editor can nominate him/herself.

Nominations

 * 1) Nik/Nik42 - The founder of the wiki. Lordganon 14:34, December 19, 2011 (UTC)
 * 2) NuclearVacuum - He's made loads of great articles, files, etc. and a hard working member of the TSPTF. A model member of this community VonGlusenburg (talk to Von!) 20:15, December 19, 2011 (UTC)

Lifetime Achievement Award: Timeline
This award is for the best timeline across the entire lifetime of the wiki. Once a timeline wins this award, it cannot win this award ever again. Nevertheless, this award can be held in conjunction with any other award.

Nominations

 * 1) Napoleon's World by KingSweden. This timeline is very detailed, and rarely goes past a couple days without a new article. Some of the work King has done on this is just insane with details. I mean, after Doomsday - heck, I wouldn't be shocked if it had passed it - it's probably the largest timeline on the wiki. Lordganon 08:02, December 2, 2011 (UTC)
 * 2) Superpowers by Red VS Blue. It's probably one of the - if not the most- detailed timelines in this wikia. Although it's not really active anymore, it's one of the best timelines the wikia has to boast (and the only nominee besides DD to get a vote as well last year). Fed (talk) 02:13, December 8, 2011 (UTC)
 * 3) Sundered Veil by Oerwinde. I usually do not like alternate history fantasy, but I have never seen such a believable world then the one Oer created in 2010. This is what ASB TLs should always strive for. Mitro 14:02, December 30, 2011 (UTC)

Discussions
I think that Napoleon's World is much better than Superpowers. The fact that KS is still updating it, unlike ___, makes it much more important. Not detail is too small to escape KS's notice.

Yank 19:29, December 19, 2011 (UTC)

Lifetime Achievement Award: Article
This award is for the best article on the entire wiki. Once an article wins this award, it cannot win this award ever again.

Nominations

 * 1) Roman Empire (Superpowers), by Red VS Blue - This is the longest finished nation article on the wiki, and justifiably so. I'm still impressed that this thing is so big that it's sections had to be made into their own huge articles. Lordganon 09:50, December 5, 2011 (UTC)
 * 2) Timeline (Superpowers), by Red VS Blue- This is the longest timeline I had ever seen in this wiki. The detail is magnificent and I just can't wait for this to be nominated. RandomWriterGuy 23:34, December 7, 2011 (UTC)

Lifetime Achievement Award: Flags and Coats of Arms
This award is for the most interesting, most ironic or most impressive flag or coat of arms in the archives of this wiki. The file must come under the form "File:XXXXXXXX". Once a flag or coat of arms wins this award, it cannot win this award ever again.

Nominations

 * 1) Flag of the Malaysian Union Russian America Expansion.svg, by Bofriu. Have to say, this looks nicely done. -Kogasa [[Image:Symbol of Natori, Miyagi.png|23px|border]][[Image:宮城県.png|23px|border]][[Image:Flag of Japan.png|23px|border]] 18:05, December 8, 2011 (UTC)
 * 2) Flag New League of Nations(1983 Doomsday).png, by Xi'Reney. The LoN flag from 1983: Doomsday. A Classic. Lordganon 08:17, December 11, 2011 (UTC)
 * 3) 83DD-GFedFlagRoyal.png, by Oerwinde. The Flag of the DD-nation the Greek Federation. Great design. Katholico 04:05, December 28, 2011 (UTC)
 * 4) 83DD-SACFlag.png by Oer. It is a proposal that cropped up for the flag of the SAC in 83DD. Although it never actually became canon, it's an awesome design. Fed (talk) 21:34, December 30, 2011 (UTC)

Discussions
I have to oppose that nomination; it's basically but with a star on it. Not that very original. ChrisL123 21:54, December 8, 2011 (UTC)

I didn't even see that. Thanks for letting me know, I changed it. -Kogasa 05:36, December 9, 2011 (UTC)

And your point is, Chris? That does not matter at all. You want to oppose a nomination? Then run something against it and vote for that instead. Don't criticize one like that again. Lordganon 06:54, December 9, 2011 (UTC)


 * I didn't criticize it. The only reason I opposed it is because I figured it was too OTL to be a Stirling Award winner. Kogasa could always nominate it again and then I could just oppose the vote when we begin voting. ChrisL123 20:20, December 9, 2011 (UTC)

Lifetime Achievement Award: Maps and Other Files
This award is for the most interesting, most ironic or most impressive map or other files in the archives of this wiki. The file can be a portrait, map, picture, etc. as long as it comes under the form "File:XXXXXXXX" and it is not a flag or coat of arms. Once a file wins this award, it cannot win this award ever again.

Nominations

 * 1) 2010world.png - King's NW World Map. He put a ton of work into this thing, and its one of the few maps that looks clean, everywhere. Lordganon 01:29, December 19, 2011 (UTC)
 * 2) No destiny europe.jpg by Animelover. This map looks really nice, and has a nice 'background' with it. -Kogasa [[Image:Symbol of Natori, Miyagi.png|23px|border]][[Image:宮城県.png|23px|border]][[Image:Flag of Japan.png|23px|border]] 17:25, December 19, 2011 (UTC)
 * 3) 1983ddworldmap.png by LG. The map is exceedingly detailed without looking cluttered, something very hard to do in a timeline as complex as 83DD. Fed (talk) 21:34, December 30, 2011 (UTC)