03-31-2023, 09:56 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-26-2023, 07:52 PM by Baron1898. Edited 3 times in total.)
The S40 Gemini Media Awards
Recognizing Merit in the League
Recognizing Merit in the League
Welcome to the S40 Gemini Media Awards! My name is Baron1898, and I am thrilled to once again present some recognition for the best works of media created during the past season.
To say that I am thrilled with the current state of the media landscape is an understatement. The number of articles eligible for this year’s crop of awards is higher than last year’s by a significant number, thanks in large part to the hard work of many incredibly talented newcomers. Unfortunately, this made the task of reading through every piece and narrowing down only a single winner even tougher. Putting together a list of nominees was like pulling teeth. There were some incredibly inspired efforts this season, many of which are not featured in this article, and I encourage you to wander the forums at your own leisure.
But for the lucky few winners, I have one important update to discuss. The ever-generous Head Office, and the ever-cranky media head @JKortesi81, have seen fit to sponsor these awards! The individuals taking home a Gemini will now also be taking home an additional $3,000,000 to their bank account. Finally, the imaginary sim football awards now have imaginary sim football currency to make them a little less imaginary and a lot more league official. So if you want a slice of that cash, keep writing!
I would also like to bring attention to today, March 31, as International Transgender Day of Visibility. Over 1.6 million people in the United States, and millions more worldwide, are transgender, non-binary, or gender non-conforming. While we have made significant progress in recent years towards visibility and acceptance, we are also under a widespread onslaught of attacks by hateful bigots and extremists who wish to deny us basic human rights and dignity. I plead with you to honor the transgender lives fighting for freedom and equality with action by standing against hate, discrimination, and violence wherever it holds power. Transgender rights are human rights.
With that said, here are the rules once more.
- Any piece of written media published during Season 40 is eligible for an award. This runs from the end of Ultimus 39 to the end of Ultimus 40, or from February 3 to March 31. Pressers also qualify, although the nature of this type of article leaves it unlikely to contend. Graphics and podcasts do not qualify; I know nothing about the former and do not have enough time for the latter.
- There are four award categories: Best Article (Limited), Best Article (Series), Best Author, and Best New Author. Best Article (Limited) and Best Author have ten nominees, while Best Article (Series) and Best New Author have five. This year, however, Best New Author will have ten nominees as well!
- An article can only be considered for one of the two relevant categories. Any article published as part of an ongoing series, regardless of whether that series was started in Season 40, is only eligible for the latter category. The exception is any article intended to start a series that so far is the only entry.
- Articles published by groups (for example, the SFWG) are not eligible for awards. Articles that are just lists of statistics or players with no added contribution by the author are also ineligible. Finally, my own articles are ineligible for the obvious conflict of interest, although I can't see this clause becoming relevant any time soon thanks to my glacial rate of progress.
- Any author can qualify for Best Author. Quality as well as quantity of work is heavily rewarded. Only authors who joined the league in the last three draft classes (for this year, the S40, S41, and S42 classes) and who have never won Best Author or Best New Author before are eligible for Best New Author.
- Remember that this is all one gal's opinion. Every piece of media has creative value and brings something new to the table.
Best Article (Limited)
This category honors the media pieces from the past year that have risen above the competition to bring creative and professional content to the league at large.
And the nominees are…
@aeonsjenni, "Proposal for Changes to Player Regression"
- Aeonsjenni had a fantastic year in media, and this article is one of her highlights. The changes she proposes to the regression system are not only well-reasoned but presented beautifully, with accompanying models that clearly visually communicate how the regression systems in question affect career TPE earning.
- This is simply gorgeous. Expected points were simply all the rage this season, and infinite's model is built in service of a fantastic exploration of win probability and the biggest choked leads in league history. Like all of his articles, the presentation on display here is also superb to look at, especially the win probability charts and the general formatting of information.
- Among all the mock drafts published this year (many more of which were shortlisted but could not make the nominee cut), LtHudz's effort is a clear winner. Despite only covering the first eight picks of the DSFL Draft, their article dives deep into the strengths and needs of each team and which prospects would prove the best match while also displaying incredible polish for the user's second-ever piece.
- It's no secret that the winner of last season's Gemini for Best Author writes compelling media. His first on the list is a fascinating dive through sim history and the quirks of the index, detailing the circumstances that led to some of these incredible (or infamous) records. It is unsurprising that so many of the most unbreakable game records came from the old sim, when the league was smaller and the players had half a dozen multis.
- I could simply copy my summary from last year, but that wouldn't be fair to this year's installment of the NickyV season predictions. Unsurprisingly, the article goes very much in depth for each time, covers the players and transactions that dominated their offseasons, and projects towards the future with decent success. He even gave the Silverbacks a proper blurb this time!
- The first, but not the last, co-authored work up for a Gemini this year, the combined efforts of slate and Mojojojo resulted in this wonderfully objective analysis of a subjective topic that most league users put a minute of thought into for 1 TPE midway through the season. It's got delightful commentary from both authors, critique of both the locations and the graphics, and ranks them roughly in the same order that I do, which means it is correct.
- Did Troen properly justify putting a question mark in his title? Yes, certainly. Paying for a full career is hard when you aren't a capitalist pig like myself, and exactly how hard such an undertaking is proves to be a net $265 million hole in the bank. So Troen examines whether one can feasibly earn all that dough through the media world in a well-arranged piece that should prove invaluable to intrepid newcomers and recovering gambling degenerates alike.
- Alternatively, what if one wanted the experience of a fulfilling ISFL career without the hassle of all that TPE and all that money? Voxaroth is here to help. Their article goes over many archetypes that can be filled on the cheap and effective even at low ranges of TPE, helpfully bolstered by examples of the relevant player builds that one can build towards.
- I haven't the faintest clue who Ray Baker is. Thankfully, as a veteran both of the Kicker Mafia and of a player cult, I can appreciate this article anyways. Wizard makes an interesting statistical comparison between robot and human kickers with some wonderful tables, extending the analysis further to two particular DSFL kickers and proving without a doubt that kickers are people too.
- Pythagorean expectation is not a perfect metric by any means, and it's not the first exploration of it in league media, but Maglubiyet's Yeenoghu's article stands out both by taking a broad historical perspective and by examining the specific cases of the lucky and unlucky teams. The graph showing luck over time is also a stellar coda.
@infinitempg!
In a season filled to the brim with excellent articles, infinite's combination of statistical analysis, graphical presentation, and writing commentary is dazzling enough to come out on top. This is one of my favorite articles in recent memory, and although no one in the league needs the money less than infinite, that doesn't make him less deserving of the year's first Gemini.
Best Article (Series)
This category recognizes the media that has been published as part of an ongoing series of articles. United in theme or in branding, these media collections can tell stories and capture an audience through the use of sequenced publishing.
And the nominees are…
@aeonsjenni, "Expected Points"
- The depth to this project is outstanding. From the initial construction and refinement of the expected points matrix to the application of the concept towards individual EPA/target data in S39 and team EPA/play data throughout S40, not to mention a working gizmo with 13 seasons of data, aeonsjenni simply did an incredible job and clearly poured a lot of time into this.
- When you combine the talents of two very talented rookie writers, the result is this six-part chronicle of every draft prospect in the upcoming ISFL draft by position. Each article aims to highlight not only their TPE earnings but their personal contributions and efforts, detailed by blurbs from both authors for each and every prospect listed.
- It should be supremely evident by now that the rookies showed out in force. This series by CROney3 is a wonderful balance of personality and week-by-week analysis, showing the rationale behind his betting decisions and batting slightly above average on the season. The ending in particular provides a great summary of the year's bets, both in overview and sorted by categories.
- It can't all be rookies here! You could not ask for a more in-depth, thorough examination of every team in the league, including their available capital, recent decisions, and positional needs, as well as a two-round mock draft to round it off. This isn't just a list though – Memento's article really shines in the personalized analysis of every franchise and how they would go about the upcoming offseason.
- A weekly recap, TPE update, power rankings, and predictions article all rolled into a single package, wizard's series covers the DSFL throughout the entire year and into the playoffs. Wizard's reasoning for the game outcomes is sound, the incorporation of sim testing and statistical trends into the weekly predictions adds some punch, and the final prediction of Bondi Beach taking the Ultimini proved to be accurate!
@aeonsjenni!
Jenni's work with the EPA model is a colorful addition to the league's statistical analysis, bolstered by the variety of applications she found for her work throughout the year and the article series. This was an intrepid effort and a resounding success, one which merits a Gemini.
Best Author
This category honors authors whose work in the past year has contributed significantly to the media scene. These individuals have proven to consistently provide quality content for the press and include some of the most inspired and dedicated members of the community.
And the nominees are…
@aeonsjenni
- Everything aeonsjenni touched this year turned to gold. Setting aside the Expected Points series that won her a Gemini and the player regression piece that nominated her for another, she added stellar draft primers for both last year's and this year's draft that took different approaches to each other but that both featured high quality in analysis and presentation. Co-authoring an incredible breakdown of this year's draft class with wizard_literal didn't hurt either.
- Akoustique's articles are "dazzling" and "fantastic" in more than just name. Their output is consistently polished, aesthetically pleasing, and full of interesting commentary on topics from the draft to power rankings and player awards.
- The work of baz1757 showed a particular knack for highlighting the relative statistical performance of every team to their league peers, whether as a power ranking or as a team analysis. Their writing style is very thorough and analytical, and with a bit of presentational flourish I can see them contributing to the media landscape for seasons to come.
- CROney3 never failed to write an entertaining article. Their writing oozes wit and personality, from the Gemini-nominated ISFL Sportsbook series to a trio of entertaining articles, my favorite of which was their power rankings for the color rush fields.
- The premier article of ElMerchanto was such an impressive rundown of each DSFL franchise's needs and wants that it was the last article on my shortlist to be removed to hit ten nominees. Thankfully they didn't stop there, and their media output recently has shown an impressive depth of thoroughness in their draft re-grades and creativity when addressing a potential Activity Check reworking.
- Infinite won Best Article (Limited) for a spectacular dive into win probability, and that alone might merit a nomination for Best Author. That wasn't all he contributed to media this season though; his ongoing Scorigami and wealth distribution series, as well as his coverage of the awards runoff system, both showcased his talent for combining graphical displays and interesting analysis.
- LtHudz's mock draft set the gold standard for draft presentations going forward. That Gemini-nominated article aside, they also contributed a very thorough personal profile of their player and a poem full of draft references that I am too much of a league boomer to understand in any capacity.
- The theme of Memento Mori's output was length. The Draft Preview series proved an incomparable examination of all fourteen teams, but just as studious and well-written was their reflection on the long career of Hall of Famer Brandon Booker, which was both a comprehensive rundown of his career and a sentimental reflection of Memento's experience.
- Can nicky be the first repeat winner in Gemini history? Last year's Best Author was not quite as busy this time around, but still wrote three excellent articles not yet featured in this awards show, all of which featured the same trademark clarity of research and easy-going writing style that permeates his work.
- Wizard is the seventh rookie nominated for Best Author, one of only two users nominated for both Best Article (Limited) and Best Article (Series), and the most prolific author this year. His article output is an eclectic mixture of serious analysis, stupid jokes, and everything in between, and the piece on the Baltimore Hawks might be my guilty pleasure of the season. Co-authoring an incredible breakdown of this year's draft class with aeonsjenni didn't hurt either.
@aeonsjenni!
Aeonsjenni is the first person in league history to win two Gemini awards! I can say without exaggeration that I enjoyed everything she contributed to the media this year and I am eager to have her writing more content in the league long into the future. For such a consistent, voluminous output, the Gemini for Best Author is well deserved.
Best New Author
This category recognizes the newcomer authors on the block, whose early dedication and hard work shines through their content. This year, there are ten nominees for Best New Author.
And the nominees are…
@Akoustique
- A nomination for Best Author means a nomination for Best New Author is all but inevitable. I wonder whether Akoustique is French French, Canadian French, or is actually not French at all despite the French spelling and the Paris Ultimus bid.
- A nomination for Best Author means a nomination for Best New Author is all but inevitable. The mock draft they posted a few hours ago is really good, but I wish I didn't have to select the entire text to read it. (this is a joke I'm not trying to be mean)
- A nomination for Best Author means a nomination for Best New Author is all but inevitable. It is obvious why this category was expanded this year.
- A nomination for Best Author means a nomination for Best New Author is all but inevitable. In my opinion, the AC and PT system is best left the way it is for reasons elucidated in the thread by people like br0_0ker and soevil.
- Finally, a new face! Jdc had a lot of interesting ideas in their articles, from a mock rundown of sportsbook odds for the DSFL Draft to a positional report of rookies based on fantasy scoring. Their personable writing style shows a lot of promise.
- A nomination for Best Author means a nomination for Best New Author is all but inevitable. I hope LtHudz will return to the media scene sometime in the future.
- What an incredible entrance! To have such a community response on your debut article is crazy impressive, but somecoach's effort certainly justifies it – this is a great article, filled with interesting statistical examination, graphs and charts, and I am so excited to see if they will stick around the league.
- Another entrant whose best article was published in the past day, UptownCord has a varied catalog of articles that all approach entirely different topics and demonstrate clear upwards improvement. The recent article on each franchise's greatest draft pick was both thought-provoking and well-written.
- If you like DSFL coverage, WrittinDirectino is your friend. As they covered different aspects of the league throughout the season, they also showed continuous improvement in writing clarity and analysis and ended with a charming piece of Ultimini playoff hopes that is worth a read.
- A nomination for Best Author means a nomination for Best New Author is all but inevitable. I'm running out of one-liners.
@wizard_literal!
Narrowly beaten out by a draft classmate for Best Author, wizard will have to settle for a Gemini of his own. His impressive catalog of articles was varyingly in-depth, insightful and humorous, with excellent presentation and a grab-bag variety of different topics. No Wizard's Orb would be necessary to predict that their excellent contribution to the media world deserved the Gemini.
Congratulations to @infinitempg, @aeonsjenni, and @wizard_literal for your Gemini victories, and congrats to everyone else who was nominated or who contributed to the media scene in any fashion this year. I encourage anyone who hasn't read any of the media pieces mentioned above to take some time out of your day and peruse. I promise it will be time well spent.
And for all the new people who recently joined the league, or anyone who hasn't written media in a while, I hope you are inspired in some capacity to write something of your own. This award could soon be yours.
I'll see you in Season 41!
Transgender lesbian, S15 veteran, media extraordinaire, and the sim's punching bag. Fascists and bigots are welcome to fuck off.
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For Your Reading Consideration:
Before the Butchers | The Jungle
The Giving Tree | Volume II | Volume III
A Winter of Discontent | Volume II
The Rockiest Road | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | Finale
Two Essays on Unfree Agency: On Agents | On Contracts
Eclipse of the Honey Moon | Volume II
Gemini Media Awards:
S39 | S40 | S41 | S42 | S43 | S44 | S45 | S46 | S47
All Winners
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For Your Reading Consideration:
Before the Butchers | The Jungle
The Giving Tree | Volume II | Volume III
A Winter of Discontent | Volume II
The Rockiest Road | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | Finale
Two Essays on Unfree Agency: On Agents | On Contracts
Eclipse of the Honey Moon | Volume II
Gemini Media Awards:
S39 | S40 | S41 | S42 | S43 | S44 | S45 | S46 | S47
All Winners
— — —