2022 Defender Awards Nominations

[Minskiev]

Welcome to the 2022 Defender Awards!

It surprises me too, but it’s once again time for the Defender Awards. The awards celebrate all the glorious achievements of defenders throughout the year and defending itself. All NSers are invited to participate in this defender pastime to recognize defenderdom’s most dedicated members. I’m your host of the 2022 Defender Awards, Minskiev/walrus of the Rejected Realms.

The Defender Awards will take place this year on the Rejected Realms' forum, located at viewtopic.php?f=73&t=10032908. All registered accounts should be able to access it. Please telegram me or Frattastan IV if you have problems with the site.

If off-site participation is an issue for you, please telegram me your nominations and I will post it on your behalf.

This thread will serve as the announcement hub for the awards. In the voting stage, votes will be accepted via telegram to Minskiev as is the norm.

The Defender Awards will take place in three stages:

1)Players may nominate individuals and/or regions for each award as they see fit in this thread. Once a nomination has been seconded, it will be placed on the official voting ballot. Nominations will close at the end of October 31st.

2) Once the official ballot has been shared, nations will have another week to submit their votes.

3) After all of the votes have been tallied, the Winners will be revealed.

More instructions for the voting stage will be shared when the ballot is released.

Please make your nominations in good faith. Ones made in bad faith will be thrown out at my discretion and the nominator will not be welcome to submit votes later.

The Award Categories This Year Are

Defender of the Year Award

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The nation who has helped the defender cause the most in the last year.

The Ananke Award

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The nation who is the most effective at looking out for any invasions that are taking place.

The Anarchotopia Award

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The organization which has proved the most successful in preventing invasions.

The Blackbird Award

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The best invader group.

Sir Lans Award

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Updater of the Year.

The Operation of the Year

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The Best Newcomer Award

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The Worst Invasion/Operation Award

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The Best Defender Quote

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The Lifetime Achievement Award for Dedication to Defending

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The Meltdown of the Year

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The Numero Capitan/Dipes Award

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The nation who has best served the Intelligence cause.

The Belgium Award

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The nation/region that furthered our cause in the World Assembly Security Council the most.

The Worst Invader Group

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The Karputsk Award

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The nation who has excelled in leading liberations.

The Eluvatar Award

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For best tech contributions.

Best Defender Mentor

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The nation who has helped bring new members into the faction the most.

If you have any questions, you may ask them here or reach out to me on Discord (walrus#8689). Thank you.

Curious about the past winners for each award? Check out https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=1268967 for details.

[Minskiev]

Defender Awards Nominations:

Defender of the Year: Luca
The Anarchotopia Award: The Order of the Grey Wardens
The Blackbird Award: Lone Wolves United
The Worst Invasion/Operation Award: EmbassyRegionia
The Meltdown of the Year: Raiders in the SC before ER
The Numero Capitan/Dipes Award: Aav/United Calanworie
The Belgium Award: Quebecshire
The Worst Invader Group: The Masked Legion
The Eluvatar Award: Luca
Best Defender Mentor: Quebecshire

(copied from Minskiev's telegram inbox)

[Minskiev]

Defender Awards nominations:

The Ananke Award: Sulenia
Sir Lans Award: Luca/Refuge Isle
Lifetime Achievement Award: Haku
The Belgium Award: Quebecshire (second)

[Minskiev]

Karputsk Award: Merni
Sir Lans Award: Merni

[Karputsk]

DoTY: GK
Ananke: Sul
Karp: Queeb
Anarchotopia: LDF
Lifetime: Dyr (long long long overdue)

[Grea Kriopia]

The Ananke Award
Sulen, no contest.

The Blackbird Award
LWU, I think. “Best” can mean many things but LWU has been a consistent, creative, and respectable opponent this year

The Sir Lans/Updater of the Year Award
Sulen again, because their update stats are insane. They have been overwhelmingly present which has been greatly appreciated

The Operation of the Year
ALH I suppose. The energy around ALH was insane and we had it, even if the site brought us down in the end

The Best Newcomer Award
Varax and Pronoun. Varax deserves this nom - the Awards have a history of including people new to defending but not NS (see Haku winning newcomer in 2018). Her work during update and polished talent are something to be admired, and I think everyone could say Varax’s entrance to defending has been an asset. Pronoun, similarly, has done great work with things like Purée and growing into leadership. A tough choice this year, no doubt

The Worst Invasion/Operation Award
EmbassyRegionia. Coming into ER after England absolutely sucked from an officer perspective because liberators were exhausted and the workload was shafted on a small handful of commanders. We always try to do our best, to set goals and entertain our troops, but that was something I could do without repeating

The Best Defender Quote

Hame’s realistic standards:
“founder CTE just 6 years ago so might be reachable” - Hame

When liberators get told not to say “go” before big ops:
“ 김은찬 —
Um HS?
I got a question
What is the 'g word' they are talking?(sry if this could be offensive)”

The ASS jokes never end:
“Huh I went to check the banilst of ass because I don't ban many people and I thought it might be pretty short. But wow a lot more people are barred from my ass than I thought.” - Nak

The Lifetime Achievement Award for Dedication to Defending
Haku. His retirement is a hole hard to fill

The Meltdown of the Year
Stargate Raids

The Worst Invader Group
The Masked Legion

The Karputsk Award
Luca, Quebec. Luca is always a force to be reckoned with during liberations and carried a significant portion of libs with technical skill. Quebec has stepped up this year too, more recently, in leading roles in liberations that deserve a nod

The Eluvatar Award
Luca and Pronoun are both top picks for this after Eyebeast and Purée. Both helpful tools that will I’m sure be used for years on top of other contributions throughout 2022

Best Defender Mentor
#JusticeForHS. HS continued this year to shape some of brightest new defenders and is frankly overdue for this award.

[HumanSanity]

Defender of the Year Award: Grea Kriopia
Grea Kriopia has been the main engine behind every facet of the faction in the past year. From operational planning, outreach, foreign affairs, military training, culture, etc. No one else comes close in their all around stabilizing and beneficial actions for the faction.

Ananke Award: Sulenia
Speaks for itself. Sulen is consistently our primary spotter.

Anarchotopia Award: The Order of the Grey Wardens
TGW most consistently can field updaters on little to no notice for a major defense and their updaters are best trained for chasing on short triggers for those defenses. If the question is the organization most essential to preventing occupations in the first place, there's not any competition.

Seconding the LDF as well.

Blackbird Award: The Brotherhood of Malice
I don't think BoM's success as a raider org can be denied. BoM has made some lampoonable FA decisions, likely ones with long-term negative consequences for Raiding, but consistently they bring huge piling forces to occupations, organize their own raids, and maintain an aggressive posture.

Seconding the nomination of LWU as well.

Sir Lans Award: Sulenia
Sulen runs away with dedicated update attendance. Since becoming un-WA locked on 3-19-2022, Sulen has attended a total of 349 Libcord updates. There have only been 440 updates in that time. That's a 79.3% update attendance rate. And in pretty much all of those updates, Sulen is the primary spotter and takes on some leadership role beyond normal update participation. Sulen has more updates since 3-19-2022 than any other updater I can identify in Libcord has in the entire year and that excludes 3 months of TITO update attendance before joining TGW.

When I think about what makes the Updater of the Year, I think about consistency and reliability. Being Updater of the Year is not about being a superstar, it's about always being there when you're needed to do whatever the task of the day is and taking on the role that meets the need of the moment, whether it be in leadership or following. Sulenia is pretty much that: quiet but determined and a constant presence at update.

Best Newcomer Award: Seconding Pronoun and Varax

Lifetime Achievement Award: Kanta Hame, Numero Capitan
Kanta Hame has principally epitomized and personally ensured the success of TITO for many recent years and allowed TITO to continue to be one of the strongest and also most consistent organizations in the faction.

Numero Capitan is now retired but his contributions to intelligence, faction unity, and long-term planning also deserve recognition.

Numero Capitan: Tim

Karputsk: Grea Kriopia
Grea Kriopia has run organization for more liberations more consistently and with greater efficacy than anyone else this year, including at times with little or no assistance.

Eluvatar: Seconding Pronoun and Luca

Quote of the Year:

Regarding the Reliant punishments:
Tim — 05/27/2022
“very progressive of them to cover the main 3 pronoun sets in their ban”
“ns hitting those moderation diversity metrics”

I don't remember or care what this was regarding:
[TITO] Kanta Häme — 05/28/2022
i wonder can mods read those with out having a face like you have when you really need to take a dump but have to hold it

[TITO] Kanta Häme — 05/21/2022
YOU SHALL ALL LOVE GOTH GIRL STALIN or UWU YOUR WAY TO VAMPITE GULAG

[SDF/TGW] Luca — 12/27/2021
Oh yea, nitro is the new "you've won an iPad" because in 2021, no one even has $10

Seconding: “founder CTE just 6 years ago so might be reachable” - Hame

[Harjanika]

Defender of the year: Kanta Hame! Still turns up despite suffering with I-have-children-itis
Anarchotopia Award: TITO (defo not because I am from XKI)
Blackbird Award: Lily
Sir Lans Award: Kanta Hame
LAADD: Kanta Hame
Worst Invader Group: Obviously LWU. No Brainer
Defender Mentor: Guess who? That's right, KANTA HAME!

[Minskiev]

Belgium Award: PfS

(copied from Minskiev's telegram inbox)

[Wolflandil]

Defender of the Year: Grea Kriopia
The Ananke Award: Sulenia
The Anarchotopia Award: The Order of the Grey Wardens
The Blackbird Award: Brotherhood of Malice/Lily
The Worst Invasion/Operation Award: EmbassyRegionia
The Belgium Award: Quebecshire (The League)

[Pronoun]

Defender of the Year Award: Grea Kriopia

The Ananke Award: Sulenia

The Anarchotopia Award: TGW, LDF

The Blackbird Award: BoM, Lily, LWU

Sir Lans Award: Sulenia, Luca

The Operation of the Year: A Liberal Haven

The Best Newcomer Award: Purple Hyacinth

The Worst Invasion/Operation Award: EmbassyRegionia, the Mystical Council

The Best Defender Quote: when liberators get told not to say “go” before big ops, Tim regarding the Reliant punishments

The Meltdown of the Year: the 'Liberate EmbassyRegionia' thread

The Belgium Award: Quebecshire

The Worst Invader Group: will add later

The Karputsk Award: Grea Kriopia, Tim, Quebecshire

The Eluvatar Award: Luca

Best Defender Mentor: HumanSanity

[Minskiev]

Defender of the Year: Grea Kriopia.
The Anarchotopia Award: The Order of the Grey Wardens.
The Best Newcomer Award: Varax.
The Worst Invasion/Operation Award: The Mystical Council.
Lifetime Achievement Award: Haku. Also second Numero Capitan.
The Karputsk Award: Grea Kriopia.
Best Defender Mentor Award: HumanSanity.

(copied from Minskiev's telegram inbox)

[Minskiev]

Best Newcomer Award: Craig from NO LILY

(copied from Minskiev's telegram inbox)

[Quebecshire]

2022 Defender Award Nominations

Defender of the Year Award: Grea Kriopia.

The Ananke Award: Sulenia.

The Blackbird Award: Lone Wolves United.

Sir Lans Award: Seconding Sulenia.

The Operation of the Year: Seconding ALH.

The Best Newcomer Award: Seconding Pronoun and Purple Hyacinth

The Worst Invasion/Operation Award: Seconding EmbassyRegionia, fuck that one.

The Best Defender Quote: "Ohio sounds like a dystopia" - Ryccia, "The amount of Ohio people in this server is too high" - Grea Kriopia, "If a tree falls in a forest, but nobody hears it and there's no stump and the accused people don't even own axes, should they still be arrested for illegal logging?" - Nakari (regarding Reliant), "i permit a handful of raids and this gets rushed to the SC before all the walking dead remember why they got bored and quit in the first place" - Numero Capitan (regarding "On Raider Unity" SC declaration), "Do all the fucking raiders speak in that infuriating tone that makes it sound like they're practicing their switchblade skills and stroking their replica katana whilst they type" - Moorland

The Lifetime Achievement Award for Dedication to Defending: Seconding Dyr for bear boy, second Kanta Hame, nominating Altmoras.

The Meltdown of the Year: This is a tough one. I'm gonna nominate the Stargate raid(s), the Commend Tim-Opolis thread, and the Repeal "Condemn Reventus Koth" thread.

The Worst Invader Group: The Communist Bloc.

The Karputsk Award: Second Grea Kriopia and Luca.

The Eluvatar Award: Seconding Pronoun and Luca.

Best Defender Mentor: Seconding HumanSanity and Kanta Hame.

[Flying Eagles]

A few that I think are missing:

Nominate Quebecshire for Defender of the Year

Second g word and Nitro is the new “you’ve won an iPad” for Quote of the Year

Second Tim for Numero Capitan/Dipes

Second Tim for Karputsk

Second PfS for Belgium

[Minskiev]

Newcomer of the Year: Craig

(copied from Minskiev's telegram inbox)

[Purple Hyacinth]

My nominations/seconds:

The Ananke Award: Sulenia

Sir Lans Award: Sulenia, Varax, Merni, Quebecshire, Luca

The Best Newcomer Award: Pronoun, Varax

The Belgium Award: Quebecshire

The Eluvatar Award: Pronoun, Luca

Best Defender Mentor: HumanSanity, Quebecshire

[Astrobolt]

Some nominations and seconds for some categories:

Defender of the Year: Seconding Quebec, Seconding Luca

Sir Lans: Nominating Onfande. Perhaps not as well known as other nominees, but ever since joining TITO, they have had fantastic and reliable attendance not just for major defenses and liberations, but even for day-to day operations as well. After joining Command recently they have been a major contributor to TITO’s strength, running and leading almost all major updates, and helping lead most minors.

Best Defender Quote: Seconding Nakari regarding the Reliant punishments, Seconding Hame regarding Goth Girl Stalin

Meltdown of the year: Lots of options this year, but seconding commentary in Tim’s Commend Thread, Liberate ER thread, Repeal Condemn Koth thread, Nominating Reactions to the Exposure of Operation Ragnarok.

Worst Invader Group: Seconding TCB. Nominating BoM. (BoM specifically have made abysmal political and FA decisions which have directly changed the geopolitical landscape of NS, in favour of defending specifically and regional sovereignty more generally. While update strength might fluctuate over the years, geopolitical relations are a bit more stable, and BoM has likely ruined the medium and perhaps long term feature of raiderdom as a political force.)

[Kanta Hame]

Wheeeeeeee on a last minute. Was trying to see anything important missing.

Defender of the year
Nominating Sulenia. Speaks a little but works harder than anyone else. Since i always think this as who as individual would have had biggest impact if not being around and i honestly think that would be Sulen.
Seconding Luca

The Blackbird Award
The Plastic plant in corner of Max Berrys office. Only raider group un defeated in combat for 4 years of existence.

Sir Lance Award
Nominating Thedairos. Was in for nearly every update this year in TITO too before joining TGW

The Best Newcomer Award
Nominating Ofande and Tyranny of Sam
seconding Purple Hyacinth

The Lifetime Achievement Award for Dedication to Defending
Seconding Dyr

The Meltdown of the Year
Seconding Stargate raids

The Numero Capitan/Dipes Award
Seconding Aav and Tim

The Worst Invader Group
Seconding LWU. Reduced to training opponent.

[HumanSanity]

Second Onfande and Thedairos for Sir Lans

Nominate Moon for Belgium Award. Even though he's retired now, he wrote Commend Karputsk, a resolution thought impossible for years, and Commend Haku, one of the most well deserved commendations in recent defender memory, and both at truly exemplary quality.

[Wille-Harlia]

For Blackbird Award, seconding The Plastic plant in corner of Max Barry's office.

[Kazaman]

These are nominations on behalf of Balder. Some of these are seconds or further support, but to save time I didn't indicate that.

Defender of the year: Quebecshire
Ananke Award: Sulenia
Anarchotopia Award: TITO
The Sir Lans/Updater of the Year Award: Grea Kriopia
The Operation of the Year: A Liberal Haven
The Lifetime Achievement Award for Dedication to Defending: Kanta Häme
The Numero Capitan/Dipes Award: Quebecshire
The Belgium Award: HumanSanity
The Karputsk Award: Makasta
The Eluvatar Award: Haku
Best Defender Mentor: HumanSanity

[Astrobolt]

Another post:

Seconding Moon for Belgium Award

[HumanSanity]

Second TITO for Anarchotopia

[Minskiev]

Newcomer of the Year: Varax

(copied from Minskiev's telegram inbox)