Alternative History:2017 Stirling Awards

This is the nomination and voting page for the 2017 Stirling Awards that honor the editors and timelines of 2016. This is the third 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 you think that it deserves the award. Only registered editors who have 200 or more edits and have been on the wiki for at least a month 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. If a nomination is "bad" it will not win.'' Simple.

Voting will begin on January 3rd, 2017 and end on February 2nd, 2017. Results will be posted and awards handed out on February 3rd, 2017.

=Writer Awards=

Writer of the Year
This award is for the best writer on the wiki in 2016.

Nominations

 * United Republic - Although his attention is very fleeting and he goes from one timeline to the next, he does very good work on the things he writes. Scraw
 * Tim - His Cygnia and all of the related work is probably one of the most original things I have seen on this wiki. He has also put an insane amount of work into this nation and has detailed articles for the most minute things. Scraw
 * Firesofdoom - Firesofdoom has been a very consistent writer and contributor to the wiki, from map games to timelines he's always working. LightningLynx89
 * Gillan1220 - Lordganon (talk) 08:57, January 2, 2017 (UTC)

Best New Contributor
This award is for the best new contributor to the wiki in 2016. In order to be eligible their joining date must be in 2016.

Nominations

 * Stepintime - He joined us in early January, and has since proven to be a great contributor. He has done extensive work in timelines such as Russian America and Washington Shot at Murdering Town!, as well as in his own timeline, Sea Dragons. He has put great effort in these timelines, and I think he deserves to be recognized with this award. -- Orange (talk) 23:54, December 6, 2016 (UTC)
 * AltHistoryVibes - Joined late October, so hasn't been here terribly long but has put out some good stuff and plenty of edits in a relatively short period of time. Deserves a nod in my opinion. FP Now 10% edgier!!!
 * Orange - Lordganon (talk) 09:01, January 2, 2017 (UTC)

Best Writer in a Community Timeline
This award is for the best writer on a community timeline in 2016. Acceptable community timelines generally are listed here, or have similar notices on their front pages.

Nominations

 * WikiBuilder1147/Tim - Let's be honest, it's barely fair to call GoN a community Tl at this point, because of the insane amount of work Tim has put into it. By far the best contributor to that, and indeed, any community timeline this year. ~Fires
 * Col. James Hsu - Seems to have a finger in every pie. Lordganon (talk) 08:51, January 2, 2017 (UTC)

Best TSPTF Member
This award is for the member of the TSPTF that has been the "best" in 2016. Only current members of the TSPTF can be nominated. Brass, Lieutenants and Constables can all be nominated. No member of TSPTF can nominate themselves.

Nominations

 * Monster Pumpkin, although he has since left us, there is really no reason why MP shouldn't recieve this award. Do I need to say more? He's MP.
 * Scraw - Level headed, smart, and good at resolving arguments; what more could you want in a TSPTF member? Not only that, but he's also an active contributor, and on chat on a daily basis. ~Fires
 * Nate - Probably the wisest person in the wiki, and he's amazing at keeping the peace. He is good at helping us all get along, and making chat a better place in general. ~Fires
 * Nuke - Lordganon (talk) 08:56, January 2, 2017 (UTC)

Best Copyeditor
This award is for the editor who has done incredible copyeditting work in the year 2016.

Nominations

 * EoGuy - Obligatory Eo nom. Lordganon (talk) 09:06, January 2, 2017 (UTC)
 * JorgeGG - ...And someone else. Lordganon (talk) 09:06, January 2, 2017 (UTC)

Discussions
I suggest we name this award after EoGuy.

I was going to do something like that but I couldn't figure out the exact wording. The EoGuy Award for Best Copyeditor? EoGuy Memorial Award? EoGuy Best Copyeditor?

16:43, December 2, 2016 (UTC)

I feel like a nice, simple, "The EoGuy Award" would suit the purpose pretty well, though "The EoGuy Memorial Award" is nice. ~Fires

Best Ban
This award is for the most deserving one year or more ban of 2016.

Nominations

 * User:Tr0llis - Legitimately one of the worst people I've ever had the displeasure of dealing with. Constantly lied, stalked Nuke and I, argued about everything he possibly could, and sockpuppeted. After he was banned, he organized an attack on the wiki using a subreddit, during which he posted pictures of me on the wiki. Cannot imagine anyone more deserving than this and I only wish I could unban him and restore his timeline just so I can experience the sheer joy it brought me to ban him and delete his stuff one more time. As if anyone's surprised, Curmudgeonly yours - Crim 11:00, December 2, 2016 (UTC)
 * User:Kostdanila - "How many socks does Kostdanila have? A thousand socks and one." Our lovely Kost has had the RECORD for most record in a few hours... It is one of the worst attacks we have had. I recommend Kost as our best ban of 2016. Deadly State of Mind (talk) 15:37, December 4, 2016 (UTC)
 * TbombTheAltHistorian - Lordganon (talk) 09:03, January 2, 2017 (UTC)

Discussions
=Timeline Awards=

Timeline of the Year
This award is for the best timeline of 2016. Any and all timelines are eligible, provided that large updates have occurred to the timeline in the last year.

Nominations

 * Russian America, by NuclearVacuum, a work that has been developed for several years. Other timelines have explored the subject matter but not in this context, depth and clean presentation. Achieving featured status this year and still undergoing noncontinuous expansion Russia America deserves to be the timeline of 2016- Stepintime
 * French Trafalgar, British Waterloo a great timeline made by Tbguy. Quite possibly one of the most detailed Timelines on this wiki, and deserves this nomination quite a bit. LightningLynx89
 * Guardians by Monster Pumpkin - Although it had its roots in something we were doing together, MP has taken it to great new areas. He continues to work on it constantly despite the fact that we do not see him much. Scraw 03:43, December 26, 2016 (UTC)
 * Of Lions and Falcons - Adopted and ran by JorgeGG. Lordganon (talk) 08:54, January 2, 2017 (UTC)

Best New Timeline
This award is for the best TL that was created in 2016.

Nominations

 * Joan of What? by WikiBuilder1147 and Mr.Orwell, what of the few timelines in 2016 that is consistently updated each day. He seems very dedicated to continuing his timeline. And I think he deserves more credit than he is given. LightningLynx89
 * Cast of Candidates by Lynx - Based on an ingenious idea, Lynx has done elections by having the users of the wiki vote and then developed his timeline for there. Not only is it original, it's also very fun. Scraw
 * The More Things Changed - By AltHistoryVibes. Lordganon (talk) 08:52, January 2, 2017 (UTC)

Best New Article
This award is for the best article created in 2016.

Nominations

 * Cygnia (Joan of What?) - By WikiBuilder1147. Lordganon (talk) 09:12, January 2, 2017 (UTC)
 * Felito Cruz (The More Things Changed) - By AltHistoryVibes. More because I find it funny than anything, really. Lordganon (talk) 09:36, January 2, 2017 (UTC)

Best New OTL/non-AH Work
This award is for the best OTL/non-AH work that was created in 2016. The creator or principal contributor can only nominate a single one of their works. This category includes all such items on this wiki, be it from blogs, the forum, or articles. The only exclusions are user pages and their extensions.

Nominations

 * The Sensual Sky Weekend, by Sky. I think there was something like 16 issues, all of them entertaining and fun. ~Fires
 * Nlenhardts Laaus - Somehow funnier than senusal sky weekends. ~Oct

Best New Map Game
This award is for the best map game created in 2016.

Nominations

 * Ninety-Five Theses (Map Game) - Most promising map game I ever played. It's automated algorithm, algorithmic vassalization, and colonization system ensured there were hardly any compliants or bad feelings on how the game was being run. The only reason it died was because the people in charge of tha automated algorithm became inactive. We need more map games like this. Oh, I didn't mean to push that button! † Oh, well leave a message I guess  00:12, December 4, 2016 (UTC)
 * Cross the Time Streams (Map Game) - Many have tried ISOT games, few have succeeded in getting off the ground. This game really made people come up with interesting ideas, and they did. A shame it didn't keep going. Scraw
 * Game of Nations - The nation creating game is a very old style, but this was perhaps the most successful in our history. Another game that made people be creative and come up with interesting ideas. Many people also became very detailed in their nations. Scraw
 * Rise of the Arabs (Map Game) - Lordganon (talk) 08:54, January 2, 2017 (UTC)

Discussions
=Content Awards=

Best New Photoshopped Picture
This award is for the best photoshopped picture created in 2016. The creator can only nominate a single one of their pictures.

Nominations

 * Official_portrait_of_President_Biden.png Made by one United Republic.
 * Swanstone_Herald_12-10-14.png I feel like I'm inappropriately stroking my ego by nominating my own stuff, but oh well. —  T  I   M  (TSW • AH • MGW • Contribs )

Best New Flag
This award is for the best fictional flag created in 2016. For reference see Category:Flags.

Nominations

 * Westralia-flag.svg by the one and only Tim - Deadly State of Mind (talk) 20:01, December 4, 2016 (UTC)


 * Banner of the Mongol Empire (SoS).png by our Lord and Savior, Scraw - Deadly State of Mind (talk) 00:28, December 23, 2016 (UTC)


 * Flag of Italy (PMIV).png - By Reximus55. Lordganon (talk) 09:34, January 2, 2017 (UTC)


 * Flag of Borealia (Russian America).svg - By Nuke. Yes, he did have the first version up long ago, but the 100% redesign is this year, so.... Lordganon (talk) 10:53, January 2, 2017 (UTC)

Best New Coat of Arms
This award is for the best fictional coat of arms created in 2016. For reference see Category:Coats of Arms.

Nominations

 * Lesser Coat of Arms of England (TFC).svg By Oct. Something very familiar yet different. Also good quality. Scraw 04:59, December 23, 2016 (UTC)
 * Coat of arms of the House of Stuart-Campbell.png by Tim. I feel particularly proud of this creation, and think it worthy of a Stirling. —  T  I   M  (TSW • AH • MGW • Contribs ) 06:39, December 23, 2016 (UTC)
 * Coat of Arms of Sonoma (Russian America).png - By Nuke Lordganon (talk) 09:39, January 2, 2017 (UTC)

Best New Map
This award is for the best map created in 2016. World map, off-world map, city map or any kind of map is acceptable.

Nominations

 * WorldEqualPopulation.jpg no one else is nominating, I'll go ahead and throw in my pride and joy: Each and every one of the 249 colored region has exactly equal population, or aproximately 29.9 million people using 2010-16 population distributions. I would have made it look nicer, but that plan hasn't come around yet. Should be good for reference on OTL relative populations. Oh, I didn't mean to push that button! † Oh, well leave a message I guess  02:25, December 5, 2016 (UTC)
 * 2016_Vice_Presidential_votes_Electoral_College_(RiP).svg interesting concept by Scraw.   04:13, December 26, 2016 (UTC)
 * Italy, 300 BC (Guardians).png By MP. Takes what on wikipedia is... poor at best, and made it usable. Lordganon (talk) 09:28, January 2, 2017 (UTC)

Best New Template
This award is for the best template created in 2016. The creator can nominate their own work, once.

Nominations

 * Template:TFC The timeline hasn't seen much work, but the template looks pretty good. ~Fires
 * Template:TBACnav The navbox for my timeline The British Ain't Coming, I think the colors, image, and organization go together quite nicely (I don't mean be egotistic, lol). -- Orange (talk) 19:29, December 11, 2016 (UTC)
 * Template:Lion Kings Fantastic, well made, nice colors, and a good timeline to boot. ~Fires
 * Template:PMIV New Turn PMIV's best template. Thank Scraw Oh, I didn't mean to push that button! † Oh, well leave a message I guess  00:18, December 23, 2016 (UTC)
 * Template:OfLionsAndFalcons - By JorgeGG. I like that it has things on both of the sides. Lordganon (talk) 10:25, January 2, 2017 (UTC)

Discussions
=Special Nominations=

Lifetime Achievement Award: Writer
This award is for the best male or female writers 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

 * NuclearVacuum - I nominate Nuclear Vacuum, his work for the past five years in creating collaborative projects such as Great White South, New Union, Venusian Haven and Russian America speak for themselves. Nuke has also rehabilitated abandoned projects, 13 Fallen Stars and Divided Japan for example. Most importantly Nuke creates an atmosphere of creativity, inclusion and order. Thank you Nuke, - Stepintime
 * Louisiannan - Lordganon (talk) 10:34, January 2, 2017 (UTC)

Lifetime Achievement Award: Timeline
This award is for the best timelines 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

 * Aztec Empire by Ed. This is one of my favorites, which follows the history of the world after the Aztec defeat the Spanish conquistadors. Not to mention it advances space technology - one of my favorite things to see in a timeline. It is very impressive and has a fair deal of page, and I think it is worthy of winning an award. 00:34, December 23, 2016 (UTC)
 * Step in a Different Direction - by Realismadder. To quote LG, "One of the best timelines on this wiki, and has been an introduction of many to the site." 00:34, December 23, 2016 (UTC)
 * Ætas ab Brian - by C II R. To quote Red VS Blue "With possibly the most intricate and numerous maps of any work here, Ætas ab Brian is an exemplary timeline for the wiki. Its articles contain details that other timelines ignore (like the little idiosyncrasies of the modern Roman culture) and its timeline is thorough from start to the point it has reached so far. Despite having a point of divergence out of science fiction, it follows through with it realistically (compared with many other timelines) and tends not to lose sight of events that could have far-reaching consequences. In short, I'm honored just to nominate this timeline for a lifetime award." 00:34, December 23, 2016 (UTC)
 * An Independent in 2000 - by YNot1989. Still remains really out there, but... Meh. It's one of our biggest timelines. Lordganon (talk) 10:36, January 2, 2017 (UTC)

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

Nominations

 * WCRB (1983: Doomsday) - Lordganon (talk) 10:43, January 2, 2017 (UTC)

Lifetime Achievement Award: Flags and Coats of Arms
This award is for the most interesting, most ironic or most impressive flags or coats 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

 * Coat of Arms of Hanover (Russian America).svg Looks awesome by Me
 * Flag of Bellinsgauzenia (Great White South).svg - Lordganon (talk) 10:44, January 2, 2017 (UTC)

Lifetime Achievement Award: Maps and Other Files
This award is for the most interesting, most ironic or most impressive maps and 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

 * 2000 AD Superpowers Map.png - Lordganon (talk) 10:49, January 2, 2017 (UTC)

Lifetime Achievement Award: Map Games
This award is for the best map games across the entire lifetime of the wiki. Once a game wins this award, it cannot win this award ever again.

Nominations

 * Map Game - First! Lordganon (talk) 10:51, January 2, 2017 (UTC)