Alternative History:2015 Stirling Awards

This is the nomination and voting page for the 2015 Stirling Awards that honor the editors and timelines of 2014. 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 1, 2015 and end on January 25, 2015. Results will be posted and awards handed out on January 26, 2015, the anniversary of the creation of this wiki.

=Writer Awards=

Writer of the Year
This award is for the best writer on the wiki in 2014.

Nominations

 * Mscoree - Helps a lot, has great timelines, makes amazing flags and maps. I should add more lol. - Octivian Marius 21:58, December 4, 2014 (UTC)
 * FirstStooge - By sheer number of pages alone in his timeline, First definately earns a nomination for Best Writer. Said pages are also quite detailed and make for good reads. —Bfoxius (talk)

Best New Contributor
This award is for the best new contributor to the wiki in 2014. In order to be eligible their joining date must be in 2014.

Nominations

 * Saturn120 - Sat has been an incredibly versatile user this year. He's got his own TL, and 2 others he's working on as collaborative projects, with Josh and Bfox respectively, and both of them- unlike my own- are actually being expanded. On top of that, he's also a plausible, inventive map game player, and a calming, stablilizing influence on chat, where more than once I have seen him talk down incidents that might have otherwise evolved into a ban or a TSPTF complaint, and God knows we get enough of those as it is. He's edited numerous Community TLs, including Central World (That IS a Community TL, right?) and the famous 1983:DD that made our wiki's name. I see a bright future ahead for THIS Padawan-  03:56, December 4, 2014 (UTC)
 * JoshTheRoman - Josh has been an extremely active wikian who shows no signs of stopping his work or slowing down even. And work he has, with the uberpopular community timeline Romanis Bellum (much more successful than some of my other ill-fated endeavours) being his primary project but also trying to stabalize the chaotic hellhole of China in PMIII and is going to go places here. —Bfoxius (talk)
 * Upvoteanthology Upvote has pretty much hit the ground running, having gained over a thousand edits in the span of a few months. He is defiantly one of the more levelheaded users on chat, and, unlike several long term users, accepts the fact that map games are still games and should not cause the problems they do. He pretty much learned everything in a few months, which took me a better part of a year to learn. He has almost hit 2,000 edits, and shows no signs of stopping. He has a list of users who he has worked with on his talk page as well as 3 time lines: Vikings in the New World, his more realistic timeline, Opposite Day, an ASB timeline, and Armies of Reality a joint timeline with fellow nominee JoshtheRoman. Upvote is a member of the Time Gods timeline group and Bellum Romanum, the most community driven non-community timeline we have. I can see him becoming one of the faces of this wiki

Discussions
Sorry Bfo, only one. Removed both for now. If it helps, I'm sure someone will nominate the other one. Lordganon (talk) 17:12, December 5, 2014 (UTC)

Best Writer in a Community Timeline
This award is for the best male or female writer on a community timeline in 2014. Acceptable community timelines are listed here, or have similar notices on their front pages.

Nominations

 * Mscoree - Simply because he was a major contributor to stuff like Yellowstone: 1936, and later Days After Chaos. Definitely has put in a lot of work into both. For Days After Chaos I remember him as being one of the main people to go to for information, or to work with to make your page. Frequently mediates arguments in the timeline, and works with people to make sure that ideas work and such. Basically he stands out as a good community timeliner, in terms of experience and leadership abilities. I remember fondly some of the first meetings for the timeline, in which Ms was always there on the forefront in discussion. Didn't originally think to make this nomination, but it seems well deserved, as when I look back on the year he is one of the only people who comes to mind who dedicated a lot of time to community timelines. Also, and most importantly, he is the most active contributor to Hitlerland, other than myself. Tr0llis (talk) 21:58, December 4, 2014 (UTC)
 * Imperium Guy /Imp - He contributes to many timelines and always gives a high level of quality to his work. His dedication to the Wiki continues to grow and his mark is seen in almost all big timelines. Big contributor to 1983DD and others. I just wish he would help out with my timeline as much as he does other timelines lol. VonGlusenburg (talk to Von!) 03:06, December 7, 2014 (UTC)

Discussions
Just like last year, Imp versus Mscoree. Fritzmet (talk) 13:55, December 7, 2014 (UTC)

I have got Von's WWI Tl on my list too. It's just toward the bottom hahaha. Imp (Say Hi?!) 15:44, December 7, 2014 (UTC)

Haha exactly Imp, lets get it higher up the list! If I have enough free time in my xmas break I will revisit the timeline and do some more work on it. VonGlusenburg (talk to Von!) 16:51, December 11, 2014 (UTC)

Best TSPTF Member
This award is for the member of the TSPTF that has been the "best" in 2014. 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

 * Fedelede - Excellent member of the TSPTF, who has been a great member of the community this year. When Fed returned to the wiki earlier this year he quickly was readjusted and distinguished himself as one of the more approachable members of the TSPTF, and has done a lot of great work to help new users and keep the site running. Although Fed and I may have had our differences at times, I still believe he is a great guy, and a great admin, and fully deserving of this award. Tr0llis (talk) 03:28, December 5, 2014 (UTC)
 * CrimsonAssassin - Crim has been a real good admin this year and can often be seen in chat doing stuff and/or resolving arguments. You will find him on the TSPTF talk page saying the hard-cutting important things that no one else will say and he is always quick to catch socks and vandals. S.C.R.A.W. 20:04, December 6, 2014 (UTC)
 * Monster Pumpkin - MP has been one of the most active TSPTF members throughout the year, he is very friendly to users and I consider him one of the most level-headed people on the wiki. Calm, friendly and patient and active, need I say more? Sky Green 24 (P, Q ) 18:24, December 8, 2014 (UTC)

Best Copyeditor
This award is for the editor who has done incredible copyediting work in the year 2014.

Nominations

 * EoGuy: Let's face it. Eo is the definitely the greatest copyeditor of this wiki. He has made almost 40 thousand edits and does it constantly and daily. Without him a whole ton of pages would be a mess. S.C.R.A.W. 23:02, December 4, 2014 (UTC)

Discussions
Scraw! Your beautiful signature! WHY? WHYYYYY????

23:11, December 4, 2014 (UTC)

I hate when it breaks up over two lines (based on my screen resolution), so I don't do it in bullet points.

19:59, December 6, 2014 (UTC)

Best Ban
This award is for the most deserving one year or more ban of 2014.

Nominations

 * Ratc3333- Perhaps the most destructive presence on the wiki since ye olde days of Owen and Catherine, Ratc infiltrated the map game circle and chat-based community, poisoning it with implausible scenarios, disrespectful behavior, and overall disruptiveness. This lasted for months before, finally, he was caught sockpuppeting and blocked. His ban for sockpuppeting launched a months-long witch hunt. It got so bad, in fact, that his Ratc account was disabled by wikia for his behavior. I've been waiting to make this nomination since he was banned. Ladies and getlemen, I give you the first nominee for the 2015 Best Ban award. Ratc3333.- Crim de la Crème 01:53, December 4, 2014 (UTC)
 * Kingtrevor11- Just to give Ratc at least one competitor. He harassed users, and after his ban he made several sockpuppets(4 IIRC), with his most recent one being today. Tech (talk)

Discussions

 * Ladies and Gents, I think we've got a winner!  04:04, December 4, 2014 (UTC)
 * Darn it Crim, I was going to nominate him! Anywho, I doubt this one will be that contested. —Bfoxius (talk)
 * Yeah, definetly the most deserving of this Crim. Saturn (Talk/Blog) 21:42, December 4, 2014 (UTC)
 * I think Trevor was pretty "good" but I still think that Ratc wins hands down

=Timeline Awards=

Timeline of the Year
This award is for the best timeline of 2014. Any and all timelines are eligible, provided that large updates have occurred to the timeline in the last year.

Nominations

 * The Old Boar Suffered - by Tr0llis and Mscoree. Very imaginative and expanded timeline, without going off the deep end in terms of ASB or bias. Very well written, with a lot of pages, considering it is a new timeline. Amazing work so far, and I am excited to read more. (Wasn't sure if Crim wanted to nominate this, but I went ahead and did it.) Fritzmet (talk) 13:58, December 7, 2014 (UTC)

Best New Timeline
This award is for the best TL that was created in 2014.

Nominations

 * Vikings in the New World by Upvote, definitely deserving imho. I am that guy (talk)
 * Romanis Bellum by JoshTheRoman and Mscoree. Very interesting read with very many articles written in a fairly short time. Quite a timeline. ChrisL123 (talk) 02:52, December 4, 2014 (UTC)

Best New Article
This award is for the best article created in 2014.

Nominations

 * United Kingdom (In Frederick's Fields) - by Fedelede. The UK. Ok, we've all read/made a page about this important nation before, right? What can be so neat about this basic article? Well, have you EVER made, let alone SEEN a page 75,000 bytes long dedicated to a single nation? I really don't think I have! Its the longest page on the UK on the wiki, longer than any page on the US, and ranked at the 267th largest page on the wiki. Ok, quantity =/= quality, but then you start to read the page, and you see Fed's genius. So far, the page has only touched upon British history since the late 1800s, and its quite rich and super-detailed. This is by far one of the best articles I have ever read, and its new and its here to stay, and it deserves your votes! 06:00, December 12, 2014 (UTC)

Best New OTL/non-AH Work
This award is for the best OTL/non-AH work that was created in 2014. 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

 * User blog:GunsnadGlory/Common Misconceptions of History: Thermopylae- Since we can nominate one of our own works, I'm going to shamelessly plug this article. In it, I explained why the battle of Thermopylae is often confused, why it's not a badass last stand, why the Spartans didn't really stand out in it, gave a list of all the last stands that were more badass, along with detailed descriptions, and then summarized with the immortal sentence "TL;DR. Don't. Believe. Anything. In. The. Movie. 300." Continuing my shameless self-aggrandizement, I will now go on to say that it was pretty well written, pretty entertaining, and, I dare say (hey, look, a smidge of false modesty), quite well received by the wiki. Cheers,  04:04, December 4, 2014 (UTC)
 * User blog:Mscoree/Alternate History Wiki Secret Santa and Giveaway- I just thought this was a really good idea from Ms that really gets us all in the festive spirit, and it shows that the wiki users can have fun aside from the whole history business. It's a nice touch, and it brings people together, through the power of crude dick pics via MS Paint or one of Sky's worryingly homoerotic haikus. Nice idea, fun to join in, and I hope this becomes a yearly thing, and a wiki-wide thing, with much more people than it currently has. Merry Christmas guys. - FP(problem?)
 * 1983: Doomsday in 100 Years - Sparked some interesting discussions on our wiki's flagship timeline. —Bfoxius (talk)

Discussions
Bfox, I think there is something wrong with your link. Mscoree (talk) 01:31, December 5, 2014 (UTC)

There always is. Anywho, it's fixed (I think).

Best Non-English AH 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 2014. The administrators of these wikis may nominate them.

Discussions
Have we already given this award out to all of the alt-history wikis now? If so maybe we should discontinue this award or expand its remit to include other types of wikis? VonGlusenburg (talk to Von!) 16:54, December 11, 2014 (UTC)

Best New Map Game
This award is for the best map game created in 2014.

Nominations

 * The Steam Age (Map Game) - Since PMIII is disqualified, I figured I'd give this one a shot. It's a steampunk themed map game created by Jbw during his short stint here. Continued for about a month before Jbw ended it and up and left. I am that guy (talk)
 * Zeitgeist (Map Game) - A new map game that shows promise. —Bfoxius (talk)

Discussions
Principia Moderni III isn't eligible. Mscoree (talk) 04:05, December 4, 2014 (UTC)

Wait a minute, when was the page created? Saturn (Talk/Blog) 04:12, December 4, 2014 (UTC)

Classic Principia Moderni, eh? Always starts at the wrong time for the Stirlings. Could try it for a Lifetime Achievement, even though it's not finished yet.

Scraw 04:32, December 4, 2014 (UTC)

Best New 1983: Doomsday Article
This award is for the best article in our largest timeline - 1983: Doomsday - that was graduated in 2014. A list of articles graduated this year may be found on the Awards talk page.

Discussions
=Content Awards=

Best New Photoshopped Picture
This award is for the best photoshopped picture created in 2014. The creator can only nominate a single one of their pictures.

Nominations

 * Denmark-Sweden_and_Vinland_flags_thin.png I figured since no one really made many photoshopped pics this year, I'd post mine. Vinland Flag.jpg Upvoteanthology  ( Talk | Sandbox )
 * Sergei Kirov portrait color.png by FirstStooge. I think I need to nominate my own picture for this year's award. Just search throughout internet, you will not find any portrait of Sergei Kirov in colour except this one. FirstStooge (talk) 09:08, December 8, 2014 (UTC)
 * A World of Difference Berlin 1992.png One of my Olympic logos. I did a set of these, but this one is my favorite. Based on the France 1992 Games. S.C.R.A.W. 00:41, December 9, 2014 (UTC)
 * Star_Wars_NotLAH_Remastered.png - By popular demand, here is the poster for Star Wars in Night of the Living Alternate History. Mscoree (talk) 02:13, December 9, 2014 (UTC)

Discussions

 * Ms, I'm not sure about that one. Redoing an old image and uploading it as a new file kind of seems like cheating. Also, I can't see any difference between old and new when placed side by side. {Scraw 02:20, December 9, 2014 (UTC)

The new file has alterations to some of the pixels, has been converted to a raster graphics format with lossless data compression, and has a different palette of colors. Other changes are less noticeable. Mscoree (talk) 03:06, December 9, 2014 (UTC)

Best New Flag/Arms
This award is for the best fictional flag or coat of arms created in 2014. For reference see Category:Flags and Category:Coats of Arms.

Nominations

 * Österisches_Reich_flag.svg By Hellerick. Neat design. ChrisL123 (talk) 02:52, December 4, 2014 (UTC)


 * New Charles V PM3.svg By Ms. A whole lot of detail put into this CoA, esp. For a map game. Saturn (Talk/Blog) 01:53, December 5, 2014 (UTC)


 * Flag of Aotearoa (Myomi Republic).svg By FirstStooge. Although I didn't want to nominate my own work before, I give myself a chance to participate in this year's award. This ATL flag of New Zealand probably is my best work I ever done. FirstStooge (talk) 10:33, December 8, 2014 (UTC)

Best New Map
This award is for the best map created in 2014. World map, off-world map, city map or any kind of map is acceptable.

Nominations

 * RusIFFLabelled.svg by Fedelede. Awesome map, very detailed, colourful, and eye-catching. Well done. ChrisL123 (talk) 02:52, December 4, 2014 (UTC)
 * Atlas of New Kamchatka (Venusian Haven).png by NuclearVacuum. Really detailed, especially for a map of Venus. Vinland Flag.jpg Upvoteanthology  ( Talk | Sandbox )
 * Mscoree's Contest Two3.png by Mscoree. It's extremely well done. It looks extremely rustic and like it might actually be from the medieval time period. Vinland Flag.jpg Upvoteanthology  ( Talk | Sandbox )
 * MotF102.1.png by Cour. I suppose if we're allowed to self-nominate, I'd like to offer up this one that I'm pretty proud of. Click on the image, and the timeline is posted under the description. Cour
 * Borealia, 1600 (Caesar of Rome).png A map by ChrisL123, and as usual, fantastic. The attention to detail is impressive. S.C.R.A.W. 00:31, December 9, 2014 (UTC)
 * PMIII Ireland Custom PNG 1400.png Nothing like self-promotion. Anywho, this is a map of Ireland circa 1400 I made for the Principia Moderni III map game. —Bfoxius (talk)

Discussions

 * On Nuke's map, I wonder what the light grey things say. Mscoree (talk) 04:07, December 4, 2014 (UTC)

Best New Template
This award is for the best template created in 2014. The creator can nominate their own work, once.

Nominations

 * by Guy, I have created numerous templates for my timeline, but this one is my favorite. I am that guy (talk)

by Upvote. I always thought this was my best template so far. Upvoteanthology  ( Talk | Sandbox )

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

 * Lordganon - I think we all owe LG a long due award for what he has done for 1983:DD, probably the best timeline ever created on althist. LG has over 50 canon articles that were and are still regulated by him. And these articles aren't just the first idea that popped into his head. No, these articles are highly detailed, even the stubs for their matter of content on those pages. LG definetly deserves this more than anybody on the wiki for his hard work. Saturn (Talk/Blog) 04:48, December 4, 2014 (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

 * Vegetarian World by Riction. Vegetarian World is one of my favorite timelines for showing a plausible and interesting world that would appeal to a modern day liberal progressive, an all around "fairer" world as described by the author. Besides, it also has well-made maps and who can't argue with that! —Bfoxius (talk)

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

 * CNN Broadcast, September 25, 1983 (1983: Doomsday) by Tbguy1992 - A truly haunting 1983 Doomsday article. —Bfoxius (talk)

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.

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

 * Europa (The Kalmar Union).png by Yan Hoek. One of the best maps of Europe (heck, of anything) that I've ever seen, with an unbelievably detailed Holy Roman Empire to beat! Awesome map. ChrisL123 (talk) 02:52, December 4, 2014 (UTC)
 * Hitlerland_Blank_Map_2.svg by Ms. The blank map version, to highlight the heavy level of detail in the hand drawn continent. A huge addition and help to Hitlerland this year. Tr0llis (talk) 11:33, December 12, 2014 (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

 * No Nukes - A great game which after a promising start, some actual good game play and a spell of inactivity; this game morphed into probably the funniest timeline on the Wiki. The brilliance of Snuggies make this game undeniably the best map game. VonGlusenburg (talk to Von!) 03:14, December 7, 2014 (UTC)