Call for Award Categories

[Hawkin]

1. Best Map (All categories)
2. Best Regional/World Map
3. Best Town/City Map
4. Best Building/Structure Map
5. Best Dungeon/Subterranean Map
7. Best Boardgame/Batlte Map

8. Most Realistic Map (Geography/Architecture consistency)
9. Best Colour Application (Includes uses of B&W?)
10. Best Labels and Texts

11. Honorable Mentions : Most Unusual/Unique Map

Taking your suggestions into consideration, it would cut down the award list to 12, which isn't a bad number at all. We could perhaps cut the B&W (#11) or mix it with the Best Colour (#9). I think the Most Unusual (#11) is a fairly nice category, but I've not been here long enough to know if many maps would fit this category so, perhaps simply have it as an Honorable Mentions?

[Deadshade]

I'd like to see a 'Most Imaginative/Most Unusual' type of award, for those maps that are just a bit different from everything else.

Completely second that. Would just replace "unusual" by "original".

[Amonite]

I'd like to see a 'Most Imaginative/Most Unusual' type of award, for those maps that are just a bit different from everything else.

I agree! A 'most original' or 'most creative' type category would be good.

[Falconius]

Also #2 should be best Regional/World/Space map or something. Or since regional are very common (possibly the largest overall category just on their own) should be split to A) World/space/other extremely small scale maps, and B) regional.

[ladiestorm]

what about an up and coming category? Or best mapper debut? Or Best New Mapper of 2016? A category for those of us that are new editions to the guild and mapping in general? Some of us newbies may not stand a chance against all the talent here, any other way!

[ladiestorm]

oh, and I REALLY like the most improved category... but I think for that one, there would have to be a comparison to base it on...

[Mar-Evayave]

I really like the "pen and paper y'all" category mentioned earlier.

[tilt]

A lot o exciting categories, as ladiestorm mentions it can be hard for a new cartographer to compete with the existing talent here, so a newcomer award might be prudent. Then again you seldom swing by and win the oscars with your first indie movie ... the thing I find that we have to take into account is finding some categories where its not the best illustration rather the best map that wins, it can be hard to look past the lovely packaging maps come in some times - and often the best map is also the 'prettiest' - but sometimes a challenge is won more for a nice illustration than an actual map.
That said I also agree that 10 categories should be tops or it will start to be a challenge in it self to run the award'show'

[Robulous]

Hard to define a "newcomer", but perhaps a category which excludes those who've won similar awards before?

[onez]

Here's my suggestions:


MAPS AWARDS
I. Best map (overall)
II. Best fiction map (fantasy, sci-fi, stempunk and whatnot)
III. Best non-fiction map (real world, historical, ...)

Entries in these categories are submitted by the users themselves.


TECHNICAL / SKILLS AWARDS
IV. Best linework
V. Best colour
VI. Best type/iconography/labels/...
VII. Best design (layout, readability, originality)
VIII. Best tutorial/process (some users are great teachers, that should be recognised)

CARTOGRAPHERS AWARDS
IX. Best newcomer cartographer (must have joined the Guild during the current year)
X. Career award

Entries in the above categories are nominated by a panel (have no idea how it should work though )