Announcing the First Annual Global Marathon Swimming Awards

Dear Forum members:
When @loneswimmer and I founded this Forum seven months ago, one of our primary aims was to celebrate and promote marathon swimming and marathon swimmers. While many impressive swims and swimmers have been discussed here (see the Cheering Section), we think it's worth celebrating a few of these achievements in a more meaningful, lasting way.
With that in mind, we're excited to announce the first annual MARATHONSWIMMERS.ORG Global Marathon Swimming Awards.
In the next couple days, there will be a call for nominations in three categories:
GUIDELINES FOR NOMINATIONS
For Solo Swim of the Year nominations, please include as many details as possible about the swim you are nominating. The more details you include, the stronger the nomination. If there are details you don't know, other forum members are encouraged to fill them in.
Possible swim details include (but are not limited to):
Questions? Concerns? Other feedback?
When @loneswimmer and I founded this Forum seven months ago, one of our primary aims was to celebrate and promote marathon swimming and marathon swimmers. While many impressive swims and swimmers have been discussed here (see the Cheering Section), we think it's worth celebrating a few of these achievements in a more meaningful, lasting way.
With that in mind, we're excited to announce the first annual MARATHONSWIMMERS.ORG Global Marathon Swimming Awards.
In the next couple days, there will be a call for nominations in three categories:
- Solo Swim of the Year (Male) - the single most outstanding solo marathon swim by a male in 2012.
- Solo Swim of the Year (Female) - the single most outstanding solo marathon swim by a female in 2012.
- The Barra Award** - the marathon swimmer (male or female) with the most impressive body of work, considered as a whole, in 2012.
GUIDELINES FOR NOMINATIONS
For Solo Swim of the Year nominations, please include as many details as possible about the swim you are nominating. The more details you include, the stronger the nomination. If there are details you don't know, other forum members are encouraged to fill them in.
Possible swim details include (but are not limited to):
- Name of swimmer
- Description of swim
- body of water
- start location
- finish location
- date
- time to completion - Sanctioning organization (if applicable)
- Name of independent observer (if no sanctioning organization)
- Other supporting evidence, possibly including links to news reports, etc.
- Relays
- Stage swims
- Swims shorter than 10 kilometers
- Swims without an independent observer
- Uncompleted swims (DNF's)
- Swims that violate the generally accepted rules of traditional marathon swimming, e.g.,
- Use of any swim costume or device that improves speed, buoyancy, or heat retention (beyond that provided by a single porous, textile swimsuit, single non-neoprene cap, goggles, grease, and earplugs).
- Supportive contact with people or watercraft during the swim.
- Name of swimmer
- List of marathon swimming-related achievements in 2012. Not limited to solo marathon swims - could include relays, stage swims, organized races, community-building, leadership, "ambassadorship," etc.
- Brief comments: Why does this person deserve this honor?
- Nominations can be "seconded" by clicking "Like" on the nomination.
- From the community-generated list of nominees, a committee of seven forum members (to be announced) will select five finalists in each category for the final vote. Consideration will be given to the community support behind each nominee, as measured by "likes."
- Final voting will take place via private survey, and will begin as soon as the finalists are selected. Voting will remain open through December 31, and winners will be announced in the first week of January.
- Only forum members will be allowed to vote.
- Members will be allowed to vote only once in each category.
- No running vote totals will be announced.
- If there is evidence of vote-rigging (unusual numbers of new registrations, seemingly for the sole purpose of juicing vote totals), the Admins reserve the right to limit voting eligibility to those members registered before today (October 20, 2012).
Questions? Concerns? Other feedback?
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Comments
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
Thanks, Rob.
I want to clarify something that may not have been clear before.
You don't need to have every detail about a swim or swimmer to make a nomination. One of the main reasons we structured the nominations this way is that other forum members can chime in and fill in the blanks, if necessary.
By the same token - if you see a nomination that someone else makes, and you know additional details that haven't been mentioned yet - feel free to add to the story.
These awards are meant to be a collective, community-based process.
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams