Our Community Awards have been a staple of this group for 15 years now. Although it has grown and changed somewhat over the course of these past years, it has maintained the same general structure. It’s important for the health and vibrancy of our community that we continue to honor those people who participate in our community with vigor and dedication.
That being said, our award structure has become a little cumbersome and confusing. Because the awards were originally almost entirely In Character, many of the awards descriptions were not written with the writer in mind, but moreso what their character did in the plot. As we’ve expanded our list of awards over the years, more Out Of Character descriptions have intermixed with what was already there, making our current list of awards a bit of a hodge-podge. While some prefer the IC presentation and manner of the awards, the mixture of OOC and IC is jarring and unnecessary. This has led to a great deal of discussion over the past few years regarding whether or not to give the awards (especially the Special and Staff awards) In Character or not.
Additionally, as our group has grown, more ways to contribute to the community have also arisen. Sometimes, these new ways of contributing have not necessarily been equally honored, despite the fact that they play an important role in growing our community.
To that end, in early 2011 the Captains Council considered a proposal to revamp our Community Awards. The proposal was discussed and reviewed, and ultimately approved by that body. Below is more information about what’s changed and how you can prepare for the 2011 awards ceremony.
Three Award Categories
There are now three clearly delineated awards categories, as follows:
- Service ribbons
- Badges
- OOC awards
Service Ribbons
For those who enjoy the In Character part that awards play, the Service Ribbons will fill this role. Many are probably already familiar with this type of commendation, having seen them in popular media regarding US Military officers, who wear them on the left breast of their uniforms.
We have a full complement of Service Ribbons which members will be eligible to receive starting January 1, 2012 OR during their 2011 Award Presentation, whichever comes first. These awards are then available throughout the year, and can be awarded by a CO at any time. New ribbons will be added as necessary, by the Captains Council.
You can see all the available Service Ribbons on the wiki.
Badges
Because there are many contributions to the fleet which are outside of the yearly purview of the awards ceremony, we also now have a third category of awards called “badges” that represent notable achievements or contributions to the group. Some have already been given out over the test period of the last year. Examples can be found on our wiki, and pictures can be seen on our forums (click “About Me” tab).
These awards will be given as they are earned.
OOC Awards
These are the awards you’ve come to know and love, given at the yearly ceremonies on each ship and in the group ceremony. However, now these awards have been tweaked to more clearly show their OOC purpose, and they will most be given in Out Of Character presentations.
There are a number of changes to the set of awards which are available for presentation, detailed below:
Retired Awards
- TOSMA 2
- The Barclay Bead
- The Purple Star
- The Merria Medallion
- Federation Peace Medal
- Andorian Battle Star
- Karagite Order of Heroism
The information about each of the retired awards is still available on the wiki, and previous award winners will still appear on the main list of award recipients.
New Awards
In turn, we have also added a number of new awards to the list:
- General Award – The Genesis Badge (The Most Improved Simmer Award): For officers who show conspicuous effort in improving their simming skills.
- General Award – The Russ Bar: The Russ bar is awarded to a writer whose knowledge of Trek lore is extraordinary. Named for Tim Russ, the actor who played Tuvok on Star Trek: Voyager, who was already a dedicated Star Trek fan before securing the role on the show.
- General Award – 3-year Member: For those who have been members continuously for three years.
- General Award – 5-year Member: For those who have been members continuously for five years.
- General Award – 10-year Member: For those who have been members continuously for ten years.
- Special Award – The Rising Star Award: For members who show great promise in many facets of their participation in the group, and to whom we look to as a future leader.
- Duty Post Award – The Semper Fidelis Award (Marine Award): For those StarFleet Marines who have shown great skill in protecting their crew, accomplishing their mission, avoiding tragic loss of life in the line of duty, and upholding the values of the UFoP in times of crisis.
- Staff Award – Staff Member of the Year Award: For staff members who have contributed tirelessly to the organization through any number of OOC channels, while maintaining excellence in simming on their vessel.
Awards 2011 Coming Soon!
The complete list of available awards, and images for each, are available on the wiki. Because we’re just about a month away from the opening of the nomination period, we suggest that you head on over to the wiki and get familiar with all of the available awards.
Once the nomination period opens, you’ll be able to nominate anyone in the group for an award, including your ship’s staff (CO, FO, etc.). We recommend that everyone nominate at least one other person for an award, just to help recognize the contributions of your peers!