Search the Community

I'm delighted to present the badges for this years award ceremony - including the all new, one time only 25th Anniversary Badge. This legendary badge recognises members who are active during the annual Awards Ceremony on the fleet's 25th year anniversary. All active members as of June 30, 2019, have earned this badge. See below for the full badge list. If you believe you should have earned the badge but are not listed, contact your CO. Learn more about badges and how to display them on your wiki pages here. And don't forget: Make sure you take our survey about the awards ceremony to let us how you think it went. The full ceremony has been posted on the wiki now, as with all previous ceremonies. Awards Chairperson Presented to a staff member that has held the position of Awards Chairperson for an Awards Ceremony. If more than one staff member holds the title, or is appointed an assistant or deputy, all receive the badge. Jarred Thoran, Columbia Jo Marshall, Gorkon Randal Shayne, Eagle Awards Committee Presented to any staff member that participates in the yearly Awards Committee to select Duty Post and Special Awards. Evan Delano, Veritas Theo Whittaker, Columbia Toni Turner, Duronis II Embassy Awards Ceremony Nominator (Standard) A player must submit at least 1 nomination for a fellow player during an awards ceremony, in any category. This badge can be earned multiple times, but is only awarded once per year. A player earning an elite or legendary badge will not also earn the lower levels in the same year. Awards Ceremony Nominator (Elite) A player must submit at least 5 nominations for fellow players in any category. This badge can be earned multiple times, but is only awarded once per year. A player earning an elite or legendary badge will not also earn the lower levels in the same year. Awards Ceremony Nominator (Legendary) A player must submit at least 10 nominations for players on more than 2 vessels in any category. This badge can be earned multiple times, but is only awarded once per year. A player earning an elite or legendary badge will not also earn the lower levels in the same year. 25th Anniversary Badge This legendary badge recognises members who are active during the annual Awards Ceremony on the fleet's 25th year anniversary. To be awarded, members must be active and in good standing on the date of June 30, 2019. This is a one time only award.

Welcome to day one of the annual Awards Ceremony! We’re very excited to present the General Awards. The General (Ship) Awards have been presented by each captain to their crew. The winners this year, as in previous years, were chosen by the fleet’s commanding officers (or in cases where the commanding officer was also nominated, the first officer was called in to decide) from the nominations made by you! This is your chance to see how each of the other ships did and see who picked up what award. The Order of Starfleet Merit and Achievement First Class (TOSMA) The Order of Starfleet Merit and Achievement First Class is given to members who show great dedication in their behavior and simming abilities. A candidate for TOSMA regularly contributes good, solid ideas to the plot and character development. They also take the time to edit and proofread their sims to ensure quality in their writing. Arturo Maxwell, Starbase 118 Ops Quen Deena, Embassy of Duronis II Toryn Raga, USS Atlantis Anath G’Renn, USS Columbia Rajel, USS Constitution Quentin Collins, USS Eagle Kyrrha Tereen, USS Gorkon Geoffrey Teller, USS Veritas The Genesis Award The Most Improved Simmer Award. For officers who show conspicuous effort in improving their simming skills. Wallace Williams, Starbase 118 Ops Daylan Daroo, Embassy of Duronis II Maddi Hyden, USS Atlantis Sheila Bailey, USS Astraeus James Colquhoun, USS Columbia Alex Blair, USS Constitution Chloe Waters, USS Eagle Groznin Smith, USS Gorkon Addison MacKenzie, USS Veritas Scotty Cross Given to an officer who shows extreme creativity while solving a plot dilemma or in-character plot twist. Reema Poq, Starbase 118 Ops Krindo Pandorn, Embassy of Duronis II Trelixxa Maeli, USS Atlantis Solok, USS Astraeus Jocelyn Marshall, USS Gorkon G’var, USS Veritas Neelix Award For extra, out-of-character simming devotion. This includes, but isn't limited to, helping fellow officers who are in need of simming aid, visibility on the forums, OOC list presence, upkeep of wiki pages, etc. Krindo Pandorn, Embassy of Duronis II Maddi Hyden, USS Atlantis German Galven, USS Astraeus Rune Jolara, USS Columbia Yito Seja, USS Constitution Kayla Drex, USS Eagle Jocelyn Marshall, USS Gorkon Jansen Orrey, USS Veritas Nebula Bar Awarded to a simmer who has shown great imagination when creating or expanding upon planets, stars, stellar phenomena, and other physical environments and settings, such that these settings create a convincing, descriptive, realistic environment that inspires other simmers or enhances the flow of a given plot. Malko, Starbase 118 Ops Hannibal Parker, Embassy of Duronis II Jona ch’Ranni, USS Columbia Quentin Collins, USS Eagle Sky Blake, USS Veritas Laudean Commendation Awarded for achievements in exploration with new lifeforms. The recipient will have shown great creativity in many facets of species creation or expansion, including physiological, psychological, cultural, social, and more, and their creativity will inspire their fellow simmers. The Laudean Commendation can cover many aspects of species development, but should primarily be based in IC simming. Ben Garcia, Embassy of Duronis II Jacob Harkrow, USS Astraeus Pholin Duyzer, USS Columbia Edward Spears, USS Constitution Irina Pavlova, USS Eagle Ghant Xerix, USS Veritas Silver Palm Awarded to a simmer who has consistently boosted the morale of his/her crew. The recipient will be known to be able to add that spark to a plot whenever it may be lagging, or may be able to consistently bring enjoyment or a bit of humour to the sim, whilst keeping such sims relevant and realistic. Gogigobo Fairhug, Starbase 118 Ops Alexander Brodie, Embassy of Duronis II Kurt Logan, USS Atlantis Jacob Harkrow, USS Astraeus Jarred Thoran, USS Columbia Saveron, USS Constitution Kayla Drex, USS Eagle Samira Neathler, USS Gorkon Sky Blake, USS Veritas Sheathed Sword Presented to those to decide to inflict mental and/or physical trauma on their character, and then dive into the resulting emotions and choices in a realistic manner. The name comes from a line in a Robert Jordan book where a warrior must be prepared to 'sheath the sword' in his own body, i.e. take a grievous wound to achieve one's goal (in this case, more realistic simming) as opposed to an actual goal of the character. Daniel Cain, Starbase 118 Ops Lorian Lovar, Embassy of Duronis II Kurt Logan, USS Atlantis Lael Rosek, USS Astraeus Pholin Duyzer, USS Columbia Lazarus Davis, USS Constitution Prudence Blackwell, USS Eagle Cory Stoyer, USS Gorkon G’var, USS Veritas B-Plot Award For those simmers who manage to show a good portion of the character's life despite the demands of the main plot. Davine D’Fini, Starbase 118 Ops Stefan Germanovich, Embassy of Duronis II Valin Dermont, USS Atlantis Pholin Duyzer, USS Columbia Edward Spears, USS Constitution Oddas Aria, USS Eagle Cory Stoyer, USS Gorkon Wil Ukinix, USS Veritas 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. Dar Toral, Starbase 118 Ops Rode Mitchell, Embassy of Duronis II David Knight, USS Atlantis Theo Whittaker, USS Columbia Geoffrey Teller, USS Veritas Pathfinder Award Given to those who have shown great care in the mentoring of fellow members. Gogigobo Fairhug, Starbase 118 Ops Toni Turner, Embassy of Duronis II Serala USS Atlantis German Galven, USS Astraeus Jarred Thoran, USS Columbia Saveron, USS Constitution Genkos Adea, USS Gorkon Niccolò del Vedova, USS Veritas Khan Award Awarded to a simmer who thoughtfully develops a three-dimensional villain over the course of a mission or more. Boris Hendon, Embassy of Duronis II Toryn Raga USS Atlantis Anath G’Renn, USS Columbia Randal Shayne, USS Eagle Quinn Reynolds, USS Gorkon G’var, USS Veritas Q Award Awarded for continually surprising their crew with unexpected, devious plot twists throughout the year. Arturo Maxwell, Starbase 118 Ops Krindo Pandorn Embassy of Duronis II Kiliak Jo, USS Atlantis Luna Walker USS Columbia Lystra, USS Constitution Jocelyn Marshall, USS Gorkon Raissa Moonsong, USS Veritas Please join us in congratulating these talented players!

Awards Ceremony season is upon us, and it's time to get all dressed up for the big event! As we launch our ceremony, we'll encourage everyone to change their forum avatar to their character wearing glamorous attire like the kind you'd see on the red carpet. There's no need to get things perfect – lots of players just find a picture of their character's actor somewhere on the web and use that, like so: But if you're looking for something more spiffy, you can also head to the Graphics Requests forum and open a new thread asking for some help. Make sure you leave plenty of time for the team there to help get something that works – best to start earlier than later! Once you have an image you like, you can change your forum avatar by following these instructions.

The Staff awards are only for those members who have achieved the rank of Commander or higher. These awards recognize the hard work of our community members who go above and beyond to ensure that everyone has a great experience here. There's so much behind-the-scenes work required to keep the engine of our community running, and these folks are a central part of that. Just like with last year, the first officers of the fleet were asked to vote on the nominations for each staff award, providing recommendations to the EC about who should receive each award. We’re so happy to have this valuable feedback and guidance for our staff awards! Special Commendation Quinn Reynolds, Roshanara Rahman Presented by Tristan Wolf on behalf of the Executive Council: "This year we had an interesting set of nominations for Quinn Reynolds and Roshanara Rahman, nominating each of them for the Great Bird Award. The Great Bird is the highest honor given to any officer, and is intended to be given to those folks that push a paradigm shift in our way of thinking. After reviewing the nominations, the Executive Council felt they didn't match exactly what we're looking for with the Great Bird Award, the criteria for which is very specific. But these nominations had their heart in the same place: Wanting to recognize people who've made incredible, deep contributions to the group that have had an outsized impact on the nominators and should be recognized accordingly. We know that one of the weaknesses of our awards program is that the longer you're here, the more likely you are to have been awarded nearly everything. So we want to just take a moment to recognize – here at the top of the Staff Award presentation! – that we've heard your nominations and know that many want an opportunity to show these staff members how important their contributions are. The Executive Council is going to consider, for next year, if there's another award we can add that can match the intention of these nominations. But until then, we just want Emma and Rich to know how much we appreciate their contributions, and how glad we are to have them as leaders in our community. It would be hard for me to say anything at this point that hasn't been said about Emma or Rich already – you only have to go back to last year's Picard Award, or T'Pau Cluster presentations to learn about how much we value the expertise, wisdom, and care Emma brings to our community; or to last year's Christopher Pike Pendant presentation for Rich, or 2017's Staff Member of the Year presentation, to learn how his innovation, skill, and enthusiasm for new ideas has brought us to new horizons. So more than anything, we just want to emphasize for Emma, and Rich, on that people are watching the love and care they put into our community, that they are recognizing these contributions, and that we are all thankful for them." 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. Tristan Wolf, Executive Council Presented by Quinn Reynolds: "The winner of this year's Staff Member of the Year is someone who is always visible, yet the dedication and countless hours he puts into the group often flies under the radar — to the point where I assumed he must have already won this award! Tristan Wolf leads or has a hand in almost every major OOC effort that we have: the Academy, the News Team, the Publicity Team, the Chat Team, and of course the website, forums, wiki and Discord. But wait, there's more! In the past twelve months, he's been a driving force behind the launch of multiple ships, supporting the fleet's new commanding officers with teething problems and unexpected situations. In fact, he is always on hand to offer guidance to captains both new and veteran, offering thoughtful and practical advice that can be instantly implemented, helping them through all kinds of difficult (and sometimes unusual) circumstances. Of course, it's not just the staff he supports, but members too. He's a dab hand at the art of placement, finding our new graduates or transfers a home where they'll have the best chance to flourish and have fun. Every new cadet is welcomed to the fleet and extended a genuine invitation to come to him with any difficulties. Close to my heart and that of many others, he's always making sure that all our community environments are a considerate, safe place for all. It's fair to say that this fleet would not be the place it is without his dedication, leadership and vision, and so for this reason I am honoured and delighted to present Tristan Wolf with the Staff Member of the Year." The James T. Kirk Cross Given to new Commanding Officers who show outstanding potential in the field of commanding. Mei’konda, USS Astraeus Presented by Roshanara Rahman: "This year’s James T. Kirk Cross recipient, Captain Mei’konda, celebrated his promotion to captain recently, the culmination of his journey towards command that he and his writer Aaron began two years ago. Since his first days as an ensign, Aaron demonstrated a knack for leadership in-game, most memorably when he was given the opportunity to take command of his ship the USS Mercury early in his character’s career to complete a mission. Yet while his simming and storytelling remain as impressive as ever, it is the skill and effort that Aaron demonstrates each day since having assumed a command of his own last year that has earned him this recognition as an outstanding new commanding officer. Since his transition from a supporting ship’s staff member to the role of a command staff officer, I have witnessed Aaron’s development as a mentor, teacher, and leader, first as FO for the USS Veritas and now as CO for his own crew. His kindness, patience, and ability to pinpoint an issue for him and his crew to focus on serve as a model for the members under his command now learning to become leaders in their own right. He has honed his communication style that is gentle yet direct when giving feedback to others. The positive roleplaying environment he has created aboard the USS Montreal and USS Astraeus is reflected in the enthusiasm of his crew’s simming. Through it all, he remains humble and seeks the advice of his fellow COs as he continues to learn the intricacies of command. It has been a great privilege to write with Aaron since he was first assigned to the Mercury after his graduation in 2013, a great honor to serve as his command mentor for the past two years, and now a great joy to call him my fellow captain. Congratulations, Captain Mei’konda on all of your achievements and godspeed as you and your crew embark on the next chapter aboard your new vessel!" Shuvalis Diamond of Recognition For long-term achievement in leading the Publicity Team. Jarred Thoran Presented by Quinn Reynolds: "This year, one of our most decorated officers will be Jarred Thoran, a seemingly tireless community member, First Officer of the Columbia, and even the Awards Facilitator for 2019! One place he was highly nominated was for his work on the Publicity Team, where he has been dedicated to expanding our reach, organizing the team, and finding new channels for recruiting. This led to the discovery of Reddit as fertile ground for nostalgic Star Trek fans, and dozens of new applications that helped bolster fleet membership just when we needed it most. One nomination said he 'injects with his own energetic love for ushering in new blood to SB118,' which seemed like a delightful way to describe it. And there are more fun projects on the horizon that Thoran is facilitating with the hopes of expanding our reach even further. So for all this ingenuity and diligence, awarding him the Sarek Star seems like the exact way we need to honor his work. Thank you and congratulations, Cmdr. Thoran, for everything you're doing to help our community grow and thrive!" The Sarek Star Given to a command officer who shows great diplomatic ability in working with members and staff. Theo Whittaker, USS Columbia Presented by Sal Taybrim: "The Sarek Star epitomizes a Command Officer’s ability to work with others, and recognizes extreme effort put into building communication between crewmates, ship staff, the Captain’s Council and the Executive Council. No command officer better exemplifies this award in 2019 than Captain Theo Whittaker. Over the past year Captain Whittaker had worked through a number of hurdles that are common in roleplaying games and have the potential to either break a game or make it stronger. And in even circumstance, Captain Whittaker rose to the challenge. His crew strongly recognized his efforts to work with a disruptive player, all the while protecting the rest of the players from the disruption. They recognize his calm and supportive mentorship, as well as his ability to build up new staff members when experienced staff need to take an LoA. Captain Whittaker had done an exemplary job in supporting and training his command staff and creating a fantastic mentorship program for new leaders in the SB118 fleet. Captain Whittaker also made great strides in building strong positive communication with his fellow Captains and the flag officers. He reaches out to his fellow command staff for help early on so positive solutions can be implemented before a crisis happens. This not only builds stronger bonds and better trust between command officers, but it also protects Whittaker’s crew and makes sure the game on the Columbia stays fresh and fun. I am so proud of everything Mikey has done over the past year to ensure the success of the USS Columbia and this award is so richly deserved. Congratulations, Captain Whittaker!" Christopher Pike Pendant Awarded to commanding officers who command their ship with honor and dedication, and help to provide a creative atmosphere which fosters outstanding simming. Jalana Rajel, USS Constitution Presented by Toni Turner: "Of all the awards presented, the Christopher Pike Pendant is one of the most coveted as it symbolizes the things that every commanding officer in aspires to do - command their ship with honor and dedication and help to provide a creative atmosphere which fosters outstanding simming. And Fleet Captain Rajel certainly has accomplished that goal as anyone can tell, from the sims her crew submit. They are comfortable in the environment she has created. It is evident that this talented lady takes pride in her work and strives for perfection in everything she does to enhance the entire community through the collective and her writing. So it is my honor to present her with the Christopher Pike Pendant and give her my sincere congratulations for her accomplishments." Chief’s Citation Recognizing the essential staff members whose determined work has benefitted the group In Character, and/or Out Of Character, even while their primary service was not as the Commanding Officer of a simming installation. Inspired by the non-commissioned and enlisted personnel who are the backbone of any starship but were rarely recognized in Star Trek lore in favor of the officers. Alex Blair, USS Constitution Presented by Tristan Wolf: "It's always a pleasure to recognize someone like Alex Blair (Jeremy) who has been a member for quite a while now, across a number of ships. In his case, this recognition comes for his quiet and reliable service in a number of OOC roles where he's been an invaluable pillar. If you've never simmed with him, then you almost certainly know him from our weekly email newsletter, which comes out every weekend with a roundup of the last week's worth of Community News and reminds everyone about upcoming events in the fleet. Jeremy has been assembling the newsletter for over two years – dutifully preparing everything we need and delivering it on time for review. It's been a benefit to the fleet as more people know about what's happening around the community, and Jeremy's help has been invaluable to me on making it happen! But that's not all – in addition to the newsletter, Jeremy's also the Chief Academy Statistician. This is a role that requires keeping careful notes about not just every new and returning player that comes through the Academy, but also about all the Training Officers. In this role, Jeremy has helped us keep track of when each trainer finishes their requirements for promotion, but also just ensuring that we rotate trainers properly each week with new classes. As thanks to him for all of his work over these past few years, we award this Chief's Citation. Congratulations, Cmdr. Blair!" Please join us in congratulating these members of the staff!

Welcome to the final day of the awards ceremony. So far this week we’ve announced the recipients of the Staff, General, Length of Service and Special awards. Today we present the Duty Post awards. Each award focuses on a different department from the major ones such as medical, operations or engineering to the more unique - like diplomacy, intel or marines. Even civilians have a chance to be recognised for the valuable contributions that can be made to our stories by those who prefer the path less worn. Each of these awards recognises a player for excellence in simming their duty post. Since only one award per duty post is given each year, only the very best are chosen and they are highly coveted awards. You’ll see from our spread of winners – who range in rank from Ensign to Captain – that every player has a chance to be considered for one of these by consistently simming to the best of their ability and striving to improve their craft. The Prantares Award - Medical The Prantares Ribbon is a duty post award and is awarded to those medical officers who have moved beyond competence to display a true gift for the healing arts in the context of space medicine. The officers given this award should display the ability to keep a steady hand in the often hazardous conditions in which they must practice, as well as the willingness to risk their own life to save the lives of others. Genkos Adea, USS Gorkon Presented by Quinn Reynolds: “From the moment he arrived on the ship, Genkos Adea left a deep impression on everyone around him — though sometimes he wished he hadn't! A throwaway comment on a Romulan colony had terrible consequences, and became one of the formative incidents in this medical officer's career as he tended to the aftermath. It's something that he still refers to now, and it's wonderful to see how his early experiences have and continue to shape his character. We have had the pleasure of watching him grow from an inexperienced young ensign into a skilled department chief, the writer expertly weaving Adea's skills and abilities into the story when the spotlight is upon him, all the while supporting other members of the crew to ensure they have their chance to shine, too. A recent mission is a fine example of this; when his team were infected with the deadly Rushton's Disease aboard a broken and failing ship, he made sure that their quest for a cure provided plenty of opportunities for non-medical members of the team to have some fun. It was very well done; a delight to read and I know a lot of fun to sim, reminding us all exactly lucky we are to have him as our Chief Medical Officer! And so, I am so very pleased to present Genkos Adea with the Prantares Ribbon. Congratulations, Elliot!” The Natasha Yar Pin - Security The Natasha Yar Pin is a duty post award and is awarded to those security officers who have gone above and beyond the call of duty in protecting and preserving the lives of their crewmates, even at risk to their own. Blaidd Vescori, USS Eagle Presented by Oddas Aria: “When Mister Vescori first appeared on the Eagle he immediately jumped in and began playing a security officer in the finest tradition of the fleet. Given his character’s size and background he could easily have played the role of a sort of overbearing cop. As he plays he not only shows himself to be a capable security officer, but one who goes out of his way to job professionally, while competently. The crew has seen Blaidd take to a role that would be relatively minor on the ship, and expand it to something fitting his large physical size. On Away missions he has written very well written sims full of action and suspense resulting in the completion of the mission in very realistic ways that have long lasting consequences. It is my very great pleasure to present Blaidd Vescori with the Natasha Yar Pin! Congratulations and keep up the amazing work!” The Voyager Medallion - Ops The Voyager Medallion is a duty post award and is awarded to those operations officers who have shown great skill in keeping a starship in working order despite near-impossible circumstances. The officers receiving this award have advanced the field of Operations, making sure duty rosters, provisions, gear, and even recreation time are available... no matter what. Esa Darkkdust, USS Atlantis Presented by Brell: “Lieutenant JG Esa Darkkdust the Atlantis' Trill operations officer has since coming aboard has shown a dedication to a role that is not always easy to be sure just what it is you should be doing. Be it managing power levels, assigning crew quarters, or overseeing the installation schedule of a replacement warp nacelle, Darkkdust embodies what is is to be an operations officer. Those little details about their job and what it entails are common in their sims adding depth and sense of reality into our game. Being able to imagine the day to life onboard Atlantis is enriched with nearly every sim Darkkdust posts. For these reasons and many more it is my distinct pleasure to present Esa Darkkust with The Voyager Medallion.” The Sisko Tactical Cross - Tactical The Sisko Tactical Cross is a duty post award and is awarded to those tactical officers who have shown cunning and bravery in battle. Master strategists, and experts in targeting and shield power distribution, these officers have done the impossible to save their ship and the lives of its crew. Lystra, USS Constitution Presented by Jalana Rajel: “When you are a tactical officer on a ship like the Constitution, your life is full of challenges, since we don't do much in regard of battles or space fights. Rameses has taken on that challenge when he joined us with his Secondary Character Lystra. He has shown that you don't need space battles to be a kick-butt Tactical officer, even though under his fingertips we performed one of our first Space fights on the Constitution. Rameses is never afraid to push the envelope, throw in twists and turns for the crew, but also work with them to solve the issues. Rameses is so great in his role, that he did not only get one but two nominations for this award. "Lystra is one of those officers that you expect is already much higher rank than they are. She is on point and always looking out for the greater good and safety of others. In our recent mission, Lystra stayed in a situation that put herself in danger in order to protect civilians and her superior officers. This type of behavior is a great example of a good, strong, tactical officer." "Lystra's tactics, whilst sometimes unorthodox, are always interesting and her descriptions of battle scenes are vividly imagined, bringing the story to life." I can only agree with these heartfelt comments and am happy that Rameses found his way onto the Conny. It's my pleasure and honor to present to him the The Sisko Tactical Cross for the great portrayal of a Tactical Officer and I can't wait to see where he'll be taking us next. Congratulations Rameses!” The Phoenix Award - Engineering The Phoenix Award is a duty post award that recognizes engineers. Named for the vessel that legendary engineer Zefram Cochrane piloted during his historic first warp flight, this award goes to those Engineering officers who continue this tradition of excellence in the field of engineering. By performing their tasks with enthusiasm, imagination and diligence, by managing to make their equipment perform above and beyond its rated capacities, the officers meriting this award further the mission of their ship by their superior know-how. In short, miracle workers. Tasha MacFarlane, USS Gorkon Presented by Quinn Reynolds: “A miracle worker indeed! The winner of this year's Phoenix Award writes an engineer who is as ingenious as she is enthusiastic, using her engineering know-how to solve desperate situations, such as shutting down a breaching warp core, to spending her free time building a shuttle — from scratch! — to satisfy her own curiosity and personal goals. Engineering can be a tricky department to play, and it's not always easy to find a way to contribute to the plot without first breaking something. Tasha adroitly manages to do just that, finding all kinds of different ways to use her character's skills to do bring something new and interesting to our stories. We've seen her tinker with the artificial gravity to protect her team from advancing assailants, and most recently, create an incredible holographic disguise for the Gorkon's bridge and crew while they were masquerading as pirates. She has a deft touch, and it's always entertaining to see what she's doing to do next. For all of that, and more, I am delighted to be present Tasha MacFarlane with the Phoenix Award. Congratulations, Theo!” The Cochrane Award - Science The Cochrane Award is a duty post award and is awarded to those science officers who have contributed greatly to the advance of science in the midst of their Starfleet career, by staying knowledgeable about their field, participating in the community of science, but most importantly, by placing their knowledge at the service of their ship and its mission. Kayla Drex, USS Eagle Presented by Oddas Aria: “Kayla Drex epitomizes the Science Officer role. During missions she easily interweaves the mind of a curious scientist throughout the narrative, offering suggestions and information appropriate for her position. Both IC and OOC Drex continually impresses, providing details and thoughts to improve writing, and realism in the science aspects of both the Ship and the Fleet. Participating in cross-fleet activities, such as SIMSCON and the SJAS, she gladly imparts her knowledge, time, and talent to the fleet as a whole, and we are lucky to have her. For all of these reasons I am very pleased to be able to present Kayla Drex with the Cochrane Award.” The Pilot's Sextant - Helm The Pilot's Sextant is a duty post award that recognizes helm officers. An award named after an old Earth navigational tool, the Pilot's Sextant is given to those Helm officers who have proven themselves to be the best of the best. From finding a safe route home to flying an emergency atmospheric landing, pilots who have earned the right to this award know the importance of staying focused, and puts their ability to make spectacular maneuvers at the service of their ship and its mission. Chloe Waters, USS Eagle Presented by Oddas Aria: “Sometimes players write in such a way as to make you believe they have been doing that job forever. Mister Waters writes this way, making you believe you are alongside her as she pilots The Eagle, or whatever she has been tasked to fly. Chloe adds detail, action, and thought to her writing, making it a joy to read. Reading how the Eagle responds and works is a joy through her writing, and never feels redundant. It is amazing to have Chloe Waters with us, and an absolute pleasure to present her with the Pilot’s Sextant.” The Order of the Valiant Heart - Counseling This award is given to those ship's Counselor who have shown great skill in protecting the mental health of their crewmates, clearly demonstrating superior ability to care, assist, and comfort those in need. They have gone above and beyond the call of duty in assisting their crewmates with their problems, and in preventing future problems from occurring. Alexander Brodie, Embassy of Duronis II Presented by Toni Turner: “At the Embassy Brodie performs a multitude of functions ranging from standard psychological evaluations to the more complex counseling needed when the traumas of battle become overwhelming. Due to the "head shrinker" stigma, Counselors have been a much maligned duty post, but  Counselor Alex Brodie takes his patients in a new, less threatening direction - he counsels by NOT counseling, but is adept at getting people to talk to him, and his powers of observation are excellent. He has skillfully crafted a fatherly tone whose words are consistently measured, poised – and above all – supportive both inside and outside of the consultation room. We are very fortunate to have him at the Embassy for his professionalism and caring. Congratulations, Alex!” The Semper Fidelis Award - Marines 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. Gogigobo Fairhug, Starbase 118 Ops Presented by Sal Taybrim: “When Major Fairhug first came onboard StarBase 118 Ops, despite his character having a strong security background he was worried about taking on a marine role because he felt that marines could too easily turn into "violence first ask questions later" sorts of characters. But after thinking about it Gogi decided that he could really shape the role to his own character's pleasant. optimistic personality by emphasizing all of the special functions that marines can play from intel gathering to specialized security to search and rescue. He's done amazingly well in continuing the proud tradition of SB118 Ops' Marine force as a complex and multi-faceted force that thinks first and shoots only when necessary. Gogi has also gone above and beyond in reaching out to other players both who have marine PCs and pNPCs as well as players in other departments. He’s established himself not only as a strong marine, but as a leader on the crew and a character that others love collaborating with. He’s also a terrific mentor who helps groom other players to continue in his footsteps as he moved onwards towards command ensuring that StarBase 118 will not only have great leadership but a strong complex marine force that focuses on great stories for years to come. I am so proud and so happy to present this award to Major Fairhug!” The Black Cross - Intelligence This award is given to a member of the Intelligence community that strives to accomplish the goals of Starfleet Intelligence, while simultaneously upholding the ideals and structure of Starfleet command. This person has the cunning to gather intelligence by means of deceptive dialogue or espionage, as opposed to force drawn confessions. While matters of intelligence are often game changers, this person strives to attain those goals within the boundaries of their Commanding Officer, and the regulations of Starfleet. Rune Jolara, USS Columbia Presented by Theo Whittaker: “I am extremely proud to present this award to Rune Jolara. Given to those who are adept at playing the role of Intelligence Officer. Kait, the player of Columbia’s chief of intelligence, has spent a great deal of her time with the fleet operating from the shadows. After all this time, she still manages to write the role in a realistic and engaging way. She is not a super-spy a la James Bond but nor she is an unethical operative undermining the core values of the Federation. She is instead a master analyst who can parse a situation with relative ease yet still throw up roadblocks for us to surmount. Skilled at threat assessment and getting to the truth, there is nobody I trust more to suss out the hidden dangers of the Sagittarius Reach both IC and OOC. Rune has become a close adviser to Theo and an integral part of the Columbia’s voyages in the distant Sagittarius Reach.” The Lwaxana Troi Medallion - Non-traditional roles This award is given to a member who takes a unique role outside of the normal StarFleet positions and creates a colorful and engaging character. Toryn Raga, USS Atlantis Presented by Brell: “Lt Commander Toryn Raga, has in his role of Mission Specialist shone amazing adaptability in filling this multifaceted position. Mission Specialist is a little of this and a little of that working with any department on the ship. Raga was well prepared for this being formerly the head of security and for short time acting chief of Atlantis' Marines detachment. His dedication to moving plot forward and facilitating the writing of others using his position is displayed in his sims time and time again. His character is the core that stays with him from position to position and always colors his actions making for richly detailed lively reading. It is my pleasure and honor to present him with The Lwaxana Troi Medallion, Well earned Raga!” The Strange Medallion - First Officer Named after Commander Sally Strange, widely known as one of the most creative and dedicated First Officers in the fleet's early years, this award is given to those who perform above the call of duty in the position of First Officer. Jarred Thoran, USS Columbia Presented by Theo Whittaker: “Where, oh where, do I start with Jarred Thoran? Saying that Jarred performs “above the call of duty” is an understatement of galactic proportions. I have been proud and privileged to watch this outstanding officer grow and thrive as Columbia’s first officer (and before that, on the Blackwell). A dedicated man of honour and duty, nothing is ever too much trouble for him: whether it be leading a rescue of a certain starship captain from the clutches of augments, leading the charge against mercenaries or willingly leading a team in to danger against near-omnipotent espers changed by their exposure to the galactic barrier. He has won the respect of every member of the Columbia’s crew complement and everybody looks up to him as an inspirational leader. One day, he is going to be an extraordinary commanding officer- of that I have no absolutely no doubt. But for now, let us celebrate the career of this remarkable man. Congratulations, Jarred!” Please join us in congratulating these talented players!

Today we are proud to present the Length of Service and Special Awards. Length of Service Awards are presented to members who have been continuously active for at least a year, there are also tiers for three, five, ten, fifteen, twenty and even twenty five years of continuous service. This year, 30 players have reached a length of service milestone. Of those, 13 are celebrating their first milestone, having picked-up the award for one year of active membership. Another 7 have achieved three years active membership and 5 more have been here for five years. 3 players have reached the incredible ten year milestone, and 2 have reached fifteen years! 1-Year Member For those who have been members continuously for one year. Sotak, graduated from training on March 7th, 2018. Kawakame Shin, graduated from training on March 18th, 2018 Valin Dermont, graduated from training on October 4th, 2017 Toryn Raga, graduated from training on October 4th, 2017 Serala, graduated from training on December 4th, 2017 David Knight, graduated from training on December 13th, 2017 Edward Spears, graduated from training on February 14th, 2018 Lorian Lovar, graduated from training on March 5th, 2018 Caitríona Cayne, graduated from training on March 31st, 2012 Groznin Smith, graduated from training on January 30th, 2018 Genkos Adea, graduated from training on February 6th, 2018 Gogigobo Fairhug, graduated from training on November 21st, 2017 Wallace Williams, graduated from training on April 11th, 2018 3-Year Member For those who have been members continuously for three years. Amuro McKnight, graduated from training on February 15th, 2016. Kurt Logan, graduated from training on March 3rd, 2015. Yito Seja, graduated from training on June 28th, 2016. Oddas Aria, graduated from training on May 5th, 2016. Trellis Vondaryan, graduated from training on August 27th, 2015. Jocelyn Marshall, graduated from training on April 10th, 2016. Teryn Vehk, graduated from training on March 15th, 2016. 5-Year Member For those who have been members continuously for five years. Mei'konda, graduated from training on February 12th, 2013. Aidonann Danara, graduated from training on February 11th, 2014. Alexander Brodie, graduated from training on May 10th, 2013. Sal Taybrim, graduated from training on October 6th, 2013. Jansen Orrey, graduated from training on June 7th, 2008. 10-Year Member For those who have been members continuously for ten years. Solok, graduated from training on August 26th, 2002. Ash Tristan MacKenna, graduated from training on May 4th, 2009. Nic del Vedova, graduated from training on August 1st, 2005. 15-Year Member For those who have been members continuously for fifteen years. Lluneh ''Luna'' Walker, graduated from training in October 2003. Kelrod, graduated from training on July 30th, 2003. Special Awards 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. Jarred Thoran, USS Columbia Presented by Theo Whittaker: "Oh my! I feel extraordinarily privileged to be able to award the Rising Star Award to one of the most hardworking, supportive, loyal, talented and dedicated members of this fleet. He is, quite simply, an inspiration to us all. From the publicity team, to the image collective, to the training team, to the captain’s council, to reaching out to players on the Columbia with generous encouragement and support… nothing is ever too much trouble for Jarred Thoran. He is the living, breathing embodiment of the Rising Star Award. When he tackles something, he does with vigour and never, ever gives anything less than 200%. I cannot recall a time when he has turned down an opportunity or a request. I frequently marvel at his tireless efforts on behalf of this fleet and I know that he is here for the long haul. On top of all this is a humble and a bloody lovely chap! He inspires everyone he meets, both IC and OOC. When somebody is feeling down, he is always the first one to reach out and offer kind words and a shoulder to cry on. At times, it feels that there is nothing that Jarred cannot do. This fleet is extremely lucky to have him in it’s ranks and I cannot wait to see what this incredible person does next! Congratulations on this much deserved award!" Luminary Award Given to members holding the rank of ensign, lieutenant junior grade, or lieutenant. For those who show great promise in their future endeavours in UFOP: Starbase 118 RPG. Geoffrey Teller, USS Veritas Presented by Roshanara Rahman: "Since joining the fleet last year, Geoffrey Teller has quickly cemented himself as a stalwart member of the community. He is a brilliant writer whose sims capture and ignite his fellow shipmates’ imaginations. He’s introduced countless new elements to his ship and the other characters that populate it, whether it’s a coffee shop for the USS Veritas inspired by his captain’s caffeine addiction or a pirate adventure that involved him and his fellow junior officers. Beyond his ship, he is a regular presence on the fleet’s Discord channels, bringing both good cheer and words of encouragement and support to those around him. Like his character, Teller’s writer Brian is a problem solver at heart, always looking for ways to improve things and make both his ship and the fleet at large the best it can be. He tackles challenges given to him both IC and OOC with unbridled enthusiasm and positivity. Most of all, though, in the time he’s been with us, Brian has made a lasting impression on so many of his fellow members across the fleet, and he will no doubt take his place as a future leader in the fleet. Congratulations, Brian, and thank you for your kindness, creativity, and passion in all that you do!" The Locutus Award Given to those members of the Publicity Team who go above-and-beyond their monthly requirements for participation on a regular basis. These team members show enthusiasm and flair for spreading the word about or role-playing community and take an active interest in finding new ways to invite people to join our ranks. Groznin Smith, USS Gorkon Presented by Jarred Thoran: "During my tenure as the Publicity Facilitator I have had the opportunity to work with some fantastic individuals in spreading the word about our community. For the past year there has been one person whose passion for this community shines in everything they do. Few others approach recruitment with such gusto as Groznin Smith. Groznin has shared details of our group far and wide, and I know more than a few members that he has directly recruited from some far flung corner of the internet. That alone is a fantastic achievement - but Groznin does not stop there! He is also a very active member of Discord - often being one of the first to greet new members with a warm friendly welcome. Thank you for everything you do, and congratulations Zech!" The Sarpeidon Award Awarded to members who have made outstanding contributions to the 118Wiki. Sarpeidon was the world in TOS's "All Our Yesterdays," in which the planet's population created a library containing their entire world's history. This is, in essence, what our wiki strives to become: a collection of our group's history and a simming database. Jarred Thoran, USS Columbia Presented by Theo Whittaker: "As with every other OOC commitment that Richard aka: Jarred Thoran, undertakes — he approaches the upkeep of the Wikipedia with enthusiasm, an “anything is possible” attitude and a fire that inspires others. He spearheaded the update of the Columbia Wikipedia pages, helping the transition from the ATF to the Columbia go as smooth as possible. He’s always on hand to help with any tricky wiki coding and he won’t drop and issue till he has resolved it. He essentially wrote the ATF and Columbia rulebook and did it with pride and distinction, earning our undying love and devotion in the process. He is a credit to the Wiki Ops team and I can’t think of anyone who deserves this award more!" The Boothby Award For trainers who go above and beyond their Academy training requirements. These trainers display an outstanding example of dedication to bringing new cadets to our community. Jocelyn Marshall, USS Gorkon Presented by Quinn Reynolds: "To say Jo Marshall goes above and beyond doesn't quite cover the boundless energy and time she pours into one of our most important teams! It is a rare week when the call for volunteers goes out and she doesn't answer, offering her experience and skills in any role that's required, all of which she performs to the very highest standard. It says so much that there were so many nominations — not just from those who volunteer alongside her, but from people who had passed through the academy under her guidance. Graduates spoke of how welcomed and valued she made them feel, guiding them through the class with kind, light-hearted and insightful feedback. Similar glowing comments came from her fellow training team members, who talked about how she supports them as they progress through the various training roles so that they can become competent trainers in their own right. She has left a lasting impression on everyone she encounters, a sterling example and one of our finest training officers. For this, I am thoroughly delighted to present Jo Marshall with the Boothby Award. Congratulations, Em!" Quark's Bar Quark's Bar is a special award and is awarded to members who are regularly active on the forums and have been supportive and involved in conversations enhancing the overall forum experience. Irina Pavlova, USS Eagle Presented by Oddas Aria: "When the USS Eagle launched it was a hectic time, one that saw members being added, newsgroups set up, and in general, the crew gathering its legs. During this time Irina Pavlova saw the need for the forums to be populated and ‘seeded’ with content, and did not hesitate to jump in and do so. This attitude is one she carries into the OOC group, helping keep conversations going, information flowing, and in general helping our new crew feel cohesive and integrated. It is my great pleasure to award Quark’s Bar to Irina Pavlova! Keep up the great work! " The Xalor Clan Xifilis Award Given to any simmer who overcomes any sort of disadvantage while simming. This award was originally called the "Rachel Garett Pendant," but was renamed for the 2000 ceremony to honor a respected simmer in UFOP: StarBase 118 who passed away in that year. This is the only Special Award that is given more than once per ceremony. Chloe Waters, USS Eagle Presented by Oddas Aria: "One might assume that a text-based game would be difficult for a writer depending on a Screen Reader. Chloe manages to not only participate, but to do so in an exemplary manner, one that is an example for others to follow and emulate, and one that continuously impresses all who are privy to it. Chloe is an excellent writer who manages to add her own little twist to all adventures and is an integral part of the crew. Congratulations on winning the Xalor Clan Xifilis Award. " Femi Cattan, USS Astraeus Presented by Mei’konda Delano: "When I first met Yasmine after she transferred from the Atlantis, I didn't know much to think about her at first. I could tell she was a great writer, but didn't know the person behind the character. That was until through a series of unfortunate events where her grandparents died back to back a month apart from each other. I felt really sad for her so I wanted to talk to her and see how she was doing. That was when I realized the amazing heart she has for people. In the game, Cattan is a counselor as well as a Doctor. After having to go through her loss in real life, her simming was less than frequent which was very understandable. Yasmine then soon to struggle with keeping up, but I could tell she was trying her best. She has a very heartwarming personality and we all wish her the best and are ready to support her however we can as she works to deal with life’s challenges. " Kurt Logan, USS Atlantis Presented by Brell: "Paul the writer behind Marine Captain Kurt Logan found himself in a situation not many of us could even bare to imagine seeing two loved ones hospitalized at the same time which led to him needing to take a short LOA. Through all of his personal strife, and worry Pauls caring and friendly spirit remained intact. Since returning he has thrown himself into simming, posting at rates shattering his previous records, he has recently joined the ship's staff and remains an integral part of Atlantis. As well as someone I feel truly honored to have gotten to know over our years simming together in the fleet." Theo Whittaker, USS Columbia Presented by Jarred Thoran: "Over the past eighteen months I have come to know a great deal about Mikey, the writer behind Theo Whittaker, including his struggles with autism. It is something that he is not shy about sharing with other - in fact many times I have seen him share those troubles with other simmers who are in a similar situation, letting them know they are not alone. Even when at his lowest points, Mikey does not allow it to interfere with his duties as a captain within the fleet. He is a true inspiration and I am honoured to present him with the Xalor Clan Xifilis Award." The Trailblazer Award For members who originate a creative and innovative way for the fleet to engage with each other and the Star Trek universe. These participants provide unique opportunities that help to make our game an immersive and unique Star Trek experience. Ash MacKenna, USS Eagle Presented by Oddas Aria: " The Image Collective is something I, and most members of the fleet, depend on for everything from Avatar Images to Banners to just the minutiae of things that go into giving our ships, quarters, and generally everything else a bit of extra help in describing and visualizing our world. It is amazing to me that the Image Collective is a relatively new group, and was conceived by Ash MacKenna. The Image Collective adds so much to our group and our fleet would greatly diminished without it. Thank you so much for having the foresight, and imagination, to create such a group. Thank you for letting me have the honor of presenting you with the Trailblazer Award." The Community Champion Award For members who participate in – or help facilitate – simming community events, representing the best of UFOP: SB118 to other organizations by hosting events, acting as contest judges, or otherwise contributing their expertise in a way that benefits the wider community. Sal Taybrim, Starbase 118 Ops Presented by Jarred Thoran: "Community Champion. Somebody who contributes their expertise in a way that benefits the wider community - for example by hosting a monthly fleet-wide chat? This is a task that Jamie, the writer behind Sal Taybrim organises on a monthly basis - each chat helping to foster the sense of community, allowing old friends to keep in touch, for members of the fleet to engage with one another. Running the chat is no easy task, from organising a date, planning topics of discussion to keeping things moving along during the actual chat. More recently Jamie has introduced the idea of "fleet watch alongs", an event which has proven a fantastic success with fleet members. Her efforts for this alone are worthy of this award, but that is not all Jamie does! She also organises the Annual Trivia Contest, a near herculean task involving composing sixty questions and then administering them in a controlled fashion for the community to guess the answer. Whilst she is not busy planning the next chat or running Ops, Jamie also keeps a watchful eye over the Discord lobby, helping to maintain the pleasant atmosphere. Jamie puts an inordinate amount of time into fostering the community that we have all come to love and it is my privilege to present her with the Community Champion Award. Congratulations and thank you for all the hard work." Please join us in congratulating these talented players!

Well that's a wrap! This year's Awards Ceremony comes to a close as we take stock of the past year's worth of writing and fellowship in our community. It's been an amazing 25 years forging these traditions and building Star Trek stories. Before taking a few moments to thank the folks who made this ceremony possible, I want to recall last year's ceremony: Like so many things we do, the end result comes off like a song – impeccably managed, orchestrated with grace and ease, tied up with a bow and looking like a commercial product put together by a team of paid professionals. But as you will often hear us staff members remind some of our newer members: Everything you see here has been done by volunteers who are putting in their personal time for a love of the game, and a love of the community. It's easy to forget that it must have taken a lot of time and effort to put all this together. The Awards Ceremony, in particular, is one of our grandest hills to climb each year. The process begins more than two months before the ceremony is presented, as the Captains Council reviews the last year's ceremony, discusses changes that need to be made to the awards, and thinks about ways we can improve what we're doing. We have a manual that details not only each step in the process, but also the roles involved, which include the Awards Facilitator, and the Awards Committee Members. And that doesn't even consider the burden of your ship's staff, who are asked to rally every crew to nominations, then review the nominations for General Awards, help compile the Length of Service Awards, and more. We have detailed templates for our news posts, forum posts, and the final, complete wiki presentation that all have to be filled-out properly – a single character mistyped can mean we end up debugging for longer than I care to admit. And then, once it's all said and done, the wiki's records must be updated accurately, otherwise feelings will be hurt, or worse, more work will be added to next year's roster as we're forced to track down and verify missing awards and determine why they weren't recorded. So you see, like an opera, there are set pieces moving in every direction, actors hurrying here and there, costume and makeup being donned, and all of it must arrive on time, correct, complete, and parseled in both a just and fair manner. It's no easy task, and I do hope – for just a moment – you'll consider all these moving pieces and spare some appreciation for everyone involved, who are putting in the work to ensure that everyone below is thanked and recognized for the creativity they've put in over the past year. It's really quite incredible how much work goes into this whole thing, so I'm hopeful that we don't take for granted any of the people who helped make it happen. Awards Facilitator Jared Thoran has these words of special recognition: In addition to what he's said above, I'd like to add my thanks to: Awards facilitator Jarred Thoran. It's no surprise he won a number of awards this year considering how well he managed to facilitate the ceremony and process. He managed to move all the set-pieces perfectly into place with quiet efficiency, and that's incredibly helpful to all the staff that relied on him to ensure they were told what was needed from them, by when, and delivered it into the proper places for presentation. Congratulations to him for a job very well done – and huge thanks to him from all of us! And once again, huge appreciation for every member of the fleet who took their time to write a nomination. Without you, it'd be impossible for us to have this kind of recognition process, because each of you helps to assemble those memories about ways that others have contributed. You're so wonderful for that – thank you! Congratulations to all the winners of awards this year! Your hard work has paid off, and you'll go down in our history books as a part of our history and community, showing that you made us what we are.

2019 Starbase 118 Awards Tribute

Hello and welcome to the 24th annual awards ceremony in our 25th year of our community! There's so much I always want to say, year-after-year as part of this introduction. I'll try and be quick so that we can dive in! First, at the end of the ceremony we'll have more detailed thanks and recognition for the process of getting all this done – so please be on the lookout for that on the last day. But right up front I just want to say thanks both to Cmdr. Thoran who was this year's awards facilitator. It's a really huge job and he handled it beautifully. And thanks to all the staff who took so much time to help prepare. We couldn't have done this without them. Second, I want to thank all of you who took your time putting in nominations. It's such a joy to read them as they come in, learning about how you see each other in this community, and what you value and appreciate. Please know, more than anything else, that this community is filled with love and appreciation and that so many people here are thinking deeply about how their peers are contributing writing and their personal time to build what we have. At the end of the day, our Awards Ceremony is simply a distillation of all those nominations into the consensus we can find among everyone, but each and every nomination is a little love letter and all of you are valued and appreciated for what you contribute. Third and finally, I hope you all enjoy this, our longest-standing tradition outside of simming itself. In our 25th year anniversary of founding this is a special moment to really think about what it means to have a legacy like this, built by Star Trek fans and writers who share a common vision of a more peaceful future, where human potential is limited only by our imagination. -Jordan FltAdml. Tristan Wolf

Nominations for the 2019 Awards Ceremony open on Monday, May 20 at 12:15am Pacific Time and close on Monday, June 10 at 11:45pm Pacific Time. If this is your awards ceremony with us, welcome! This is a tradition that dates back to 1996, wherein we honor the people of the fleet who are simming really well, or contributing OOC. Back in the "old days," we would gather the entire fleet onto one email list (we were a lot smaller then...) and sim together an award presentation; now we do things a bit differently. Here's how it works today: Everyone in the fleet submits nominations for consideration. The group staff (ship COs, EC members, etc.) review the nominations. Each ship has their own awards presentation on their OOC email list for awards in the General Awards category. Award in this category can be given to one person on each ship. Then, we have a fleetwide presentation of awards here on the forums. Awards in the Duty Post, Special, Staff, and Length of Service categories are presented over the course of three days. One person in the fleet can receive each of the Duty Post, Special, and Staff categories. How to nominate: We rely on each and every member of the fleet to submit nominations so we can recognize the best members of our community who are putting in the time and effort to make this a fun place to be. So we need your help! If you don't nominate your peers and mentors for awards, they won't get recognized. We want to encourage everyone to be really free with their nominations – there's no penalty in putting in a nomination that doesn't ultimately get the award. But ships that have fewer nominations tend to end up having fewer award winners – so don't be shy! Multiple nominations from members of a ship for any given award can help send a signal to reviewers that a certain person is really deserving, but also one really great nomination can be the deciding factor for someone to win an award. Follow these simple instructions to get started: Check out the wiki Hall of Honor to see the list of awards and learn more: https://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Award Consider who you want to nominate. Then do a quick check on the list of past award winners to make sure they haven't won the award before: https://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=List_of_Award_Recipients (You can sort the table by clicking on the column headers, or you can use your browser's "Find" feature to quickly find a character anywhere on the page – on PC, use CTRL+F, on Mac use ⌘+F.) If the person hasn't won the award before, head to the nomination form: https://www.starbase118.net/members/personnel/forms/award-nomination-panel/ Enter your information and select the award. Then write a nomination reason. For some awards, we'll ask you for a link to a sim if you have one readily available that helps justify your nomination. Don't stress out about finding a sim, but if you have one, it could help. If you feel really confident about your award nomination, chat with others on your ship who might also feel the same way and recommend they make a similar nomination! Writing a good nomination: Remember, your nominations are going up against other nominations from your ship (for General category awards), or from the entire fleet (Duty Post, Special, Staff category awards). So the better you make your case for why your nomination should win, the more likely it is that it will help your nominee end up getting the award. Last year, we put together some nominations that helped nominees in 2017 win. You can check them out for some inspiration: https://www.starbase118.net/2018/award-nomination-examples/ (We'll post some more from last year – 2018 – in the next few days.) All that being said, don't go overboard! If the case for a nominee self-evident, or clearly shown by a sim, it's okay to write less in your explanation and allow the evidence to stand on its own. How to get a sim link: You can grab a link to a sim by going to your ship's Google Group archive (the link is in the footer of every sim). Awards Ceremony schedule: June 27, Thursday: PRESENTATION: Introduction, General Awards June 29, Friday: PRESENTATION: Special and Length of Service Awards June 29, Saturday: PRESENTATION: Staff Awards June 30, Sunday: PRESENTATION: Duty Post Awards, finale/acknowledgments, complete ceremony posted on the Community News, in an announcement to the fleet via email, and on the wiki. Questions? Head to the Discord chatroom, where we have the #awards2019 room where you can ask questions of other members. Or, ask your FO or CO for help – they're happy to answer questions and have been through multiple ceremonies!

Last year, we added a question after the nominations form asking what you thought we could improve about the nominations process. Here are some of the questions we got and how we handled them: I'd really like, if it's possible, to be sent an email with my nomination submission on? I think that would improve it overall and help keep track of it. We've added an email notification that sends you your nomination. Let me know what you think this year. Make it easier to find the nomination page. A link on the forums or to the OOC lists, included in the nomination announcements, would be handy. Places we link to it: Hall of Honor/Awards page ("Nomination Panel" in the right-sidebar) Community News post announcing the nomination period open Email to the fleet that goes out when nominations period opens "Everything you need to know about the 2019 Awards Ceremony" thread #awards2019 chatroom pinned items Forums announcement - at the very top of the page once the nomination period opens Any other ideas of where we should put it? Not sure why the Picard Award has a box for a sim submission. To me, it is a purely OOC contribution to the group. You're right. We're hiding that field for that award this year. Possibly just aesthetic changes. Make the form more attractive, possibly bigger font. More attractive how? Was unable to submit nominations with adblock enabled. Try turning Adblock off. It would be helpful to have a link on the awards nomination page to the Google Group, or the archive to assist in providing examples. We've added links to the currently active ship Google Groups in the field where the sim link is requested. Leaving award nominations open all year round, but promoting it just before the awards panel convenes. This makes it easier for players to nominate those whom are eligible for an award all year round, rather than madly rushing to find appropriate sims of those whom may be nominated only around award season. We'll take this one under advisement! I would be more convenient if award descriptions were listed before the list of previous award winners. I think that's the way we do it now unless I'm misunderstanding your suggestion? For example: Prantares Ribbon. It would be helpful to sort the list by award as well as by name. We've moved the Complete List of Award Recipients to a Google Sheet. You can sort and filter to your heart's content. Create a drop down option for 'non-stationed' players, like Wolf, so we don't have to pick random ships to nominate him or any others doing admin only. Aww, thanks! Just put "Starbase 118 Ops" for me. 😃And for anyone else, use their last known ship. We prefer to keep it this way only because we don't want a situation where we add a "non-stationed" option and then folks start putting that for people who are on LOA – we'd rather make sure those nominations are routed to their most recent captain. Hopefully that makes sense? It would be nice if we could vote for multiple awards on the same page. Couple people proposed this but I'm just not sure how to make it happen using the current form software we're using. The problem is that we need to be able to dispatch notifications to the user of the nomination they made, and also dispatch an award nomination notification to our email archive for each nomination, which isn't easy to do if we have more than one nomination on the page. But I recognize this is a bit of an annoyance and apologize for that. If anyone has ideas regarding how to make this work with GravityForms, let me know. I'd love to see the option to summarize/describe a scene or story as reference to the nominee's simming, rather than trying to search through all the posted sims for the moment the nominator is thinking of. In many cases, I couldn't find it after about 15 minutes of search and gave up. Sim links are not required. Implementing a way of automatically checking if a proposed nominee has already received an award in the past might be an excellent, if challenging, implementation to look at in the future. Having a drop down of ships and their assigned crew members, with each member linked to a database of their awards from previous years might make this possible. Not sure how to do this without quite a bit of development work which feels like it would lead us down a road of having to maintain a piece of software on our own, which we're not very good at. Hopefully the new spreadsheet makes it easier to find the people you're looking for with filter views? Thanks to everyone who put in their suggestions! Keep 'em coming using the form! Feel free to also respond here with other suggestions or to follow-up on the items above.

Welcome to the final day of the awards ceremony. So far this week we’ve announced the recipients of the Staff, General, Length of Service and Special Awards. Today we present the duty post awards. Each award focuses on a different department from the major ones such as medical, operations or engineering to the more unique - like diplomacy, intel or marines. Even civilians have a chance to be recognised for the valuable contributions that can be made to our stories by those who prefer the path less worn. Each of these awards recognises a player for excellence in simming their duty post. Since only one award per duty post is given each year, only the very best are chosen and they are highly coveted awards. You’ll see from our spread of winners – who range in rank from Ensign to Captain – that every player has a chance to be considered for one of these by consistently simming to the best of their ability and striving to improve their craft. The Prantares Award - Medical The Prantares Ribbon is a duty post award and is awarded to those medical officers who have moved beyond competence to display a true gift for the healing arts in the context of space medicine. The officers given this award should display the ability to keep a steady hand in the often hazardous conditions in which they must practice, as well as the willingness to risk their own life to save the lives of others. Edward Spears, USS Constitution Presented by Jalana Rajel: “There are players that leave a deep impression from the moment they join the game. The first time I saw Edward Spears dive into a medical procedure I could feel the passion and love for writing details. Medical is a field that strives through these traits. I knew from his comments that he wasn't in the medical profession in Real Life, and the amount of detail and knowledge that went into his sims was impressive to say the least. Not only did he knew his Star Trek Canon medical jargon but also brought in realism that I've seen only from experienced writers before. The last mission on the Constitution required an infiltration team to turn into Klingons, and instead of doing the '10 minute and you are done' bit we got on the shows, he wrote a detailed surgery, and included recovery time as well as consequences in case something went wrong. While that was still shorter than it would be today in 2018, it made it more realistic and didn't give us the feeling that Doctors in 2394 are simply tool wielders. But it didn't end there, Edward also willingly initiated an untested Klingon holographic-mind link so that he could be aboard another ship to treat his ship mates during a potential fire fight. He triaged a potentially fatal wound of a fellow officer, which he is presently working on rehabilitating with said officer. Edward has been with us for only a few months but his imagination, creativity, enthusiasm and passion are an example to everyone. I am proud and honored to present the Prantares Ribbon to the up and coming Edward Spears. Congratulations Derek!” The Natasha Yar Pin - Security The Natasha Yar Pin is a duty post award and is awarded to those security officers who have gone above and beyond the call of duty in protecting and preserving the lives of their crewmates, even at risk to their own. Ishani Kasun, Starbase 118 Ops Presented by Sal Taybrim: “What does a player do when they want to play a counselor, but the only open role is security? If you’re Ishani Kasun you make one of the most complex and wonderfully written security officers possible. Ishani’s specialty is in Crisis Control – she’s a security officer whose main weapons to diffuse a situation are empathy and diplomatic words. At every turn in a mission Ishani has a new and clever solution to a problem that involves connecting with other characters. This is a wonderful skill in character because it means out of character Ishani connects with a wide variety of fellow players and characters creating realistic relationships across the ship. Highlights of the past year include Ishani’s continued counseling of a rescued refugee, a blossoming relationship with a fellow crewmember and making the decision to use force to protect fellow crew and civilians from Orion Syndicate criminals. She’s written wonderful scenes to help other characters cope with trauma and had a very realistic process of dealing with trauma, and growing to become a capable leader and department head with her own character. She is an officer that understands both the need for force and yet honors the non-violent tradition of Starfleet. I am so proud to be able to present Ishani with the Natasha Yar Pin!” The Voyager Medallion - Ops The Voyager Medallion is a duty post award and is awarded to those operations officers who have shown great skill in keeping a starship in working order despite near-impossible circumstances. The officers receiving this award have advanced the field of Operations, making sure duty rosters, provisions, gear, and even recreation time are available... no matter what. Randal Shayne, Andaris Task Force Presented by Theo Whittaker: “Operations can- on the surface at least- seem to a rather dry role to take on, lacking the immediate excitement of Security or Science. But scratch underneath the surface and you will see that perhaps more than any other, it is vital to the ship's health and success. It a certain kind of writer to do that and I am extremely fortunate that Randal Shayne is exactly that kind of writer. Rarely have I met a writer with Shayne's enthusiasm, eloquence and drive. He dives into his role with joy and excitement. He has transformed his role in to the living, beating heart of the Andaris Task Force. Every syllable of every word of every sentence of every paragraph in every simm is thought out and considered. He brings the role and the character to life with such beauty that it is often breathtaking. I have said it before and I will keep on saying it: Randal Shayne could (and probably should) write professionally. His simms are THAT good. I am deeply honoured to simm alongside an officer who brings his role to life with such ease and aplomb and it gives me great pleasure to be able to say a few words to an officer so deserving.” The Sisko Tactical Cross - Tactical The Sisko Tactical Cross is a duty post award and is awarded to those tactical officers who have shown cunning and bravery in battle. Master strategists, and experts in targeting and shield power distribution, these officers have done the impossible to save their ship and the lives of its crew. Arturo Maxwell, Starbase 118 Ops Presented by Sal Taybrim: “Arturo Maxwell has taken a niche role and turned his character into a bedrock of StarBase 118 Ops. He writes strong evocative posts, combines a real life knowledge of military structures with a love of fiction and creates complex relationship with fellow PCs. Maxwell as a player is a good writer, and is excellent with communicating with staff and other players about mission ideas and shore leave plans. Maxwell as a character is not just a great crewmember, he's a man with a daughter, a strained relationship with his parents, a budding romance with another PC and a fantastic friend to so many other characters on Ops. Not only this, but he played through a plotline where his character was punished for IC actions -something he helped plan for character development. I was very impressed by his willingness to make his own character make a mistake, and play through realistic consequences. This made Maxwell a better rounded character with a believable story arc who became a stronger department head overall. I am so happy to recognize all of Maxwell’s hard work and so proud to present this award!” The Phoenix Award - Engineering The Phoenix Award is a duty post award that recognizes engineers. Named for the vessel that legendary engineer Zefram Cochrane piloted during his historic first warp flight, this award goes to those Engineering officers who continue this tradition of excellence in the field of engineering. By performing their tasks with enthusiasm, imagination and diligence, by managing to make their equipment perform above and beyond its rated capacities, the officers meriting this award further the mission of their ship by their superior know-how. In short, miracle workers. Valin Dermont, USS Atlantis Presented by Brell: “Valin Dermont joined the crew of the Atlantis at its launch and quickly found a home among the crew and at the side of the warp core. Not only is he technically adept in writing his duty post, Dermont's family life and friendships are thoroughly explored to our enjoyment. His character's engineering skills were learned by the seat of his pants as crew on a freighter, and he uses that unusual pre-starfleet life to enrich each and every sim he submits. His character breathes life into what can be a stiff and mechanical department.” The Cochrane Award - Science The Cochrane Award is a duty post award and is awarded to those science officers who have contributed greatly to the advance of science in the midst of their Starfleet career, by staying knowledgeable about their field, participating in the community of science, but most importantly, by placing their knowledge at the service of their ship and its mission. Sotak, USS Atlantis Presented by Brell: “Since becoming a member of the Atlantis crew she has quickly shown her aptitude for her chosen field. Getting to participate in a Duck Blind on her first full mission aboard has shown this in the attention to detail she has adhered to in preparations for the ground teams that would be altered to look like the local population. More than just a science drone Vulcan, Sotak has joined in many social situation with her crewmates. Where though stoic on the outside we as readers are treated to her internal thoughts that are anything but dull.” The Pilot's Sextant - Helm The Pilot's Sextant is a duty post award that recognizes helm officers. An award named after an old Earth navigational tool, the Pilot's Sextant is given to those Helm officers who have proven themselves to be the best of the best. From finding a safe route home to flying an emergency atmospheric landing, pilots who have earned the right to this award know the importance of staying focused, and puts their ability to make spectacular maneuvers at the service of their ship and its mission. Na’Lae Mandak, Andaris Task Force Presented by Theo Whittaker: “I've had the distinct pleasure of working alongside the recently promoted Lieutenant (JG) Mandak since joining the Andaris Task Force in December 2017. In the seven subsequent months, I have been drawn in by Mandak's witty writing and charming descriptions of life as a Starfleet conn officer. Whether it be piloting the USS Blackwell or one of its auxiliary vessels, the writer of Lt. Mandak makes you feel as though you are sat next to her, watching her work. We even see the logistics of the job at times in her interactions and planning- and it is never a dry subject. Only Mandak could take what could have been a dull conversation about logistical planning and make it easy to follow and gripping. And I still feel like we have barely begun to know this charismatic officer! Whatever the future brings for her, consider me excited!” The Order of the Valiant Heart - Counseling This award is given to those ship's Counselor who have shown great skill in protecting the mental health of their crewmates, clearly demonstrating superior ability to care, assist, and comfort those in need. They have gone above and beyond the call of duty in assisting their crewmates with their problems, and in preventing future problems from occurring. Rune Jolara, Andaris Task Force Presented by Theo Whittaker: “Intriguing, outstanding, compelling... they are perhaps the three words that come to mind when I think of Rune Jolara. Often characters tend not to reach out to counselors out of fear or uncertainty but Rune finds a way to bring them out of her shell- whether it be by her presence or through therapy combat. On missions, she often assists diplomatically or gathering intelligence using her former background. In short: she is invaluable to the Blackwell and we are all the richer for her presence. I still fondly recall Theo's first encounter as she got settled in and even now as she deals with Klingons- the blood enemies of the Al-Leyans on our current assignment- she is utterly compelling. When I see a post from her, I'm always excited because I know it's going to be golden.” The Semper Fidelis Award - Marines 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. Kurt Logan, USS Atlantis Presented by Brell: “Though for most of his time with us in the fleet he had been a Security officer in many ways Logan always had the Marine mindset. Since transferring to Atlantis at its launch and putting on the Marine green that has been made clear. His quick and unusual thinking has also served him well.” The Black Cross - Intelligence This award is given to a member of the Intelligence community that strives to accomplish the goals of Starfleet Intelligence, while simultaneously upholding the ideals and structure of Starfleet command. This person has the cunning to gather intelligence by means of deceptive dialogue or espionage, as opposed to force drawn confessions. While matters of intelligence are often game changers, this person strives to attain those goals within the boundaries of their Commanding Officer, and the regulations of Starfleet. David Knight, USS Atlantis Presented by Brell: “Many expect certain things when they see Starfleet Intelligence, a spook, spy, taking notes on everyone. The real lives of the officers who fill this vital role are often much more mundane, with a lot of reviewing reports and data to read over. Ensign Knight shows what it means to be a Starfleet Intelligence officer. He is diligent in his monitoring of the activities of the Par'tha expanse, and the Freeworlds, as well as the comings and goings around Deep Space 26. He gives the knowledge trusted to him its due respect. He has also been quick to file his well thought out reports with his superiors, and with the greater Intel community on the Blacknet.” The Lwaxana Troi Medallion - Non-traditional roles This award is given to a member who takes a unique role outside of the normal StarFleet positions and creates a colorful and engaging character. Mirra Ezo, Andaris Task Force Presented by Theo Whittaker: “Famous- or should that be infamous?- for her sassy mouth and larger than life personality, I had always been quietly convinced that Mirra would make one heck of a diplomat. An unorthodox diplomatic, mind you. I'm glad I was right. From the moment she confronted the Hur'Q leader on Arndall, we all knew that we were in for something VERY special. Equal parts serious and utterly hilarious, Mirra Ezo brings joie d'vivre to her new role establishing herself in a close knit team with aplomb. She can create, mediate and solve a diplomatic crisis before breakfast, peppering those in her line of sight with a well timed comment- sassy or otherwise. In a short space of time, Mirra has worked wonders in a department rarely seen on TV and Film Trek- a true testament to her writers skill!” The Strange Medallion - First Officer Named after Commander Sally Strange, widely known as one of the most creative and dedicated First Officers in the fleet's early years, this award is given to those who perform above the call of duty in the position of First Officer. Oddas Aria, Duronis II Embassy Presented by Toni Turner: “The Strange Medallion . . . Wow, what an honor to bestow this award on my own First Officer, Commander Oddas Aria, especially coming from a nominator saying he "served with many First Officers. One (of which) he would of loved to hang naked over a burning flame." Thank goodness Oddas didn't meet that criteria! He went on to say, "Commander Oddas is one of the best XO's I have come across. She is helpful and is always there for us." Another said of her, "Cmdr. Oddas has her work cut out for her. Not only does she have the uncommon responsibility of a Federation installment and three ships to look after, but she also has some very big personalities to deal with who do not always see eye-to-eye with her. Despite this, she always does her best for the crew while allowing them to express themselves." From my point of view, she has made mentoring easier for the entire staff. Each letter she sends to our players is filled with praise, encouragement, offers of help, and suggestions of things they could do to become a better simmer or to integrate into the storyline. She keeps a detailed record of our sims and if anyone falls short of the sim requirements, she writes them a thoughtful and friendly inquiry. Her sims set an excellent example for the rest of the crew, are well thought-out, and invoke amazing responses. She is a proponent of Embassy and the Fleet at large. She is the type of player who enjoys her duty to the CO and to the players. I feel very fortunate to have her among the Embassy/Thor crew because she fulfills all the demands of the FO, and when it comes time to make difficult decisions, she does not back down and is honest with her assessment of the problems that arise from time to time. Congratulations Oddas for this well-earned recognition!” In closing this year’s awards ceremony we’d like to thank the people who made this possible and make one final, special presentation. Our thanks and appreciation goes out to: Awards facilitator Rear Admiral Renos, who is facilitating the awards ceremony for the third year running. The Awards Committee, comprised or Rear Admiral Renos, Captains Brell and Sal Taybrim, Commanders Oddas Aria and Maxwell Traenor, who voted on the Duty Post and Special Awards and who volunteered to help pull materials together to help prepare the announcements. They put in a considerable amount of time and effort to help ensure everything was accurate, prepared and ready for awards day. Their help has made this the smoothest awards ceremony yet. The commanding officers of the fleet, who put in a lot of time and effort to review the nominations for their ships and ensure that the right people are selected for awards. The first officers of the fleet, for voting on the staff awards to provide recommendations to the EC about who they should choose to receive each award, for determining the recipient of general awards where their CO was nominated, and writing awards presentations where needed. Captains Nugra and Roshanara Rahman for helping to update the wiki with this year’s recipients. All of you who submit wonderful, heartfelt nominations each year! Finally, while we're all rockin' them feels for all the awesome fun and friendship we've got going on here for a crack-a-lackin' 24 years the awards facilitator, Rear Admiral Renos, would like to give a special shout out to the community's founder, Fleet Admiral Wolf. It’s not always easy to see just how much Fleet Admiral Wolf pours into this community because a lot of his tireless work is done in the background. Whether he’s working with the website, forums, WordPress, wiki or other resources we have, he makes sure everyone has accounts, and troubleshoots issues ensuring we can all enjoy everything the community has to offer all of the time. His inbox is always open to everyone, whether you’ve been working as a staff member for years or you’re a brand new ensign. His passion, drive and determination keep this community thriving and going strong in an age where there are more real life pressures, more options for entertainment than ever before. On behalf of the whole community I want to take a moment just to that him for everything he continues to do for us. Please join us in congratulating all the winners on their hard work this year. The full awards ceremony is now available on the wiki.

Today we are proud to present the Length of Service and Special Awards. Length of Service Awards are presented to members who have been continuously active for at least a year, there are also tiers for three, five, and ten years of continuous service. Additionally, we’re excited to announce the introduction of three new tiers for fifteen, twenty and twenty five incredible years of continuous service, marking our most dedicated and long-serving members. This year, 34 players have reached a length of service milestone. Of those, 11 are celebrating their first milestone, having picked-up the award for one year of active membership. Another 11 have achieved three years active membership and 6 more have been here for five years. 4 players have reached the incredible 10 year milestone, and two have reached milestones so amazing we had to introduce new Length of Service awards to cover them. 1-Year Member For those who have been members continuously for one year. Arturo Maxwell, graduated from training on November 21th, 2016. Sam Braddock, graduated from training on December 10th, 2013. Prudence Blackwell, graduated from training on August 7th, 2016. Yito Seja, graduated from training on June 28th, 2016. Femi Cattan, graduated from training on August 9th, 2016. Krindo Pandorn, graduated from training on August 9th, 2016. Anath G'Renn, graduated from training on February 28th, 2017. Jarred Thoran, graduated from training on May 8th, 2017. Alexander Brodie, graduated from training on April 30th, 2013. Tasha MacFarlane, graduated from training on November 21st, 2016. Yiggtissi, graduated from training on June 27th, 2017. Aitas, graduated from training on July 26th, 2017. 3-Year Member For those who have been members continuously for three years. Attikus Rundstrom, graduated from training on February 9th, 2015. Solaris McLaren, graduated from training on November 11th, 2013. Evan Delano, graduated from training on July 7th, 2013. Maxwell Traenor, graduated from training on November 24th, 2014. Kurt Logan, graduated from training on March 2nd, 2015. Aidonann Danara, graduated from training on, February 11th, 2014. Theo Whittaker, graduated from training on March 23rd, 2015. Randal Shayne, graduated from training on February 2nd, 2015. Mirra Ezo, graduated from training on May 4th, 2015. Ayiana Sevo, graduated from training on, September 1st, 2014. Cory Stoyer, graduated from training on November 10th, 2014. Raissa Moonsong, graduated from training on July 24th 2014. 5-Year Member For those who have been members continuously for five years. Sarah Mason, graduated from training on August 21st, 2012. Brell, graduated from training on January 3rd, 2005. Alexander Williams, graduated from training on June 24th, 2013. Rune Jolara, graduated from training on September, 2012. Irina Pavlova, graduated from training on August 4th, 2012. Brayden Jorey, graduated from training on December 10th, 2012. Chythar Skyfire, graduated from training on February 17th 2013 10-Year Member For those who have been members continuously for ten years. Hannibal Parker, graduated from training on .March 11th, 2007 Tal Tel-ar, graduated from training on April 18th, 2007 Trel'lis, graduated from training on February 19th, 2008. Pandora, graduated from training on June 29th, 2008. 15-Year Member For those who have been members continuously for fifteen years. Boris Hendon, graduated from training on March 1st 2002. 20-Year Member For those who have been members continuously for twenty years. Tristan Wolf, graduated from training on June 15th, 1994. Special Awards 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. Maxwell Traenor, USS Constitution Presented by Jalana Rajel "From the first time I have met Maxwell Traenor back on the Apollo when he joined as a Science Officer, I've got the vibe of enthusiasm, humour and dedication to the game. Ever since I have kept an eye on his progress and not once has he stopped showing how much he enjoys the community and loves the people in it. In short time he had risen to the ranks of Leadership as a First Officer and dedicated a lot of his time not only on the ships he has served on, but also in his work leading the Top Sim Contest, being part of the Podcast team, Trainings Team and Public Relations. Whenever help is needed he does not hesitate to jump in and blossoms in his work to make the game fun for everyone. Even in times when a firm hand is needed he does that with respect and understanding. As First Officer he is invaluable for his ship, his sims are entertaining, full of details, humour but also severity if needed. Whenever I hear his name mentioned by my crew members it is in combination with praise. He takes time out of his busy days to answer questions, mentor junior crew members, writes sims to include as many people as possible into plots and his crew clearly loves him and his characters. He is the voice of reason to me many times, showing the other side of the coin that I might miss otherwise. He has worked tirelessly and has just been promoted to Commander, which has been long overdue. Without him the Conny and Starbase 118 wouldn't be the same. I have no doubt that when his times comes, he will be a fantastic CO with a crew who can build on and trust in him. I am thrilled that I have the opportunity to present the Rising Star Award to my First Officer Maxwell Traenor. Congratulations Jay!" Luminary Award Given to members holding the rank of ensign, lieutenant junior grade, or lieutenant. For those who show great promise in their future endeavours in UFOP: Starbase 118 RPG. Delan Han, Embassy of Duronis II Presented by Toni Turner: "Delan Han has been with us for a short time but has already begun making an indelible mark on the group. Not only has he been participating more than full time, he has done so by creating more than one believable character helping fill out needed holes. Han has not been shy about helping out on the wiki. He has helped update information on the Embassy ranging from the Science departments to information on the ships of the fleet and, more recently, beginning to contribute ideas on Trill. Han has also begun the process of taking on mentoring and staff responsibilities and has been excelling at it. Lieutenant Han has shown great enthusiasm for things that help the Embassy and the fleet as a whole. From helping to keep our wiki up-to-date, adding quite a number of PNPC's to making a Beer, Wine and Spirits list so other players, choosing to be Trills, can choose their poison. It also includes a history of Trill Winemaking. He is a driving force in his sims, and will go far in the organization, enriching it and making us all better. Congratulations Delan, well done!" The Locutus Award Given to those members of the Publicity Team who go above-and-beyond their monthly requirements for participation on a regular basis. These team members show enthusiasm and flair for spreading the word about or role-playing community and take an active interest in finding new ways to invite people to join our ranks. Jarred Thoran, Andaris Task Force Presented by Nugra: "When it comes to the Publicity team this year, there is one thing for certain; the Publicity team would have fallen apart if Lt. Commander Jarred Thoran did not take the initiative and run Publicity for a few months. RL had become a nightmare for me, and when I needed help the most, he stepped up without asking and handled the facilitator tasks with courage and with dedication. I commend Jarred Thoran for his initiative and his camaraderie in helping me keep things going. I'm proud to have him as my right hand and my fleet mate. Congratulations on your win, Commander!" The Sarpeidon Award Awarded to members who have made outstanding contributions to the 118Wiki. Sarpeidon was the world in TOS's "All Our Yesterdays," in which the planet's population created a library containing their entire world's history. This is, in essence, what our wiki strives to become: a collection of our group's history and a simming database. Aitas, Starbase 118 Ops Presented by Sal Taybrim: "Aitas is a person with an incredible eye for detail. This extends to the SB118 wiki. She's been instrumental in combing through the wiki and suggesting many quality upgrades that organize our information better as well as making good changes in old information so it fits well within our canon and mission for creating a sensitive and mature game story. Some of the work I have witnessed her do was to comb through all of the Ops history - which is 20 years and 18 COs worth of information. She created documents of changes that should be made and prompted a major overhaul of the history pages on StarBase 118 Ops. But her work didn’t end there, she’s also been instrumental in going through inactive ship’s histories. She flagged information that was contradictory, confusing or just plain wrong and worked very hard to fix it. She's also really sensitive about changing thoughtless entries that could be offensive to new players into entries that are well thought out and treat delicate subject matter with a sensitive and well-reasoned hand." The Boothby Award For trainers who go above and beyond their Academy training requirements. These trainers display an outstanding example of dedication to bringing new cadets to our community. Jarred Thoran, Andaris Task Force Presented by Quinn Reynolds: "To say that the recipient of this year's Boothby Award goes "above and beyond" doesn't seem to quite cover it. Jarred Thoran not only puts a huge amount of his time into the academy, regularly volunteering and participating in classes several times a month, but always strives for excellence, whether acting in the capacity of mock cadet, class XO or class CO. Cadets clearly benefit from his patient, kind and thoughtful guidance, and he's a joy to work with as a fellow training officer. As academy commandant, I feel privileged to have someone so dedicated and talented as a member of the training team, and I'm delighted to present him with this year's Boothby Award. Congratulations!" Quark's Bar Quark's Bar is a special award and is awarded to members who are regularly active on the forums and have been supportive and involved in conversations enhancing the overall forum experience. Attikus Rundstrom, Starbase 118 Ops Presented by Sal Taybrim: "Attikus Rundstrom - you might know her better as Rustyy Hael or Noelle, is an amazingly creative and energetic simmer, staff member and contributor to StarBase 118. This really shows in her commitment to the forums. She encourages fellow members to use the Species Guild form, sparks quality discussion in the public group topics and is a tireless cheerleader for Ops to get active on the forums. She creates quality topics, encourages people to post and stays positive throughout all of it. Noelle is also one of many great players who actively recognize fellow players in the ship and appreciation forums and she encourages others to do the same. She’s always positive, supportive and ready to help a fellow player out of character. She is a great person to honor with this recognition for all her excitement, energy and support. Congratulations Noelle!" The Xalor Clan Xifilis Award Given to any simmer who overcomes any sort of disadvantage while simming. This award was originally called the "Rachel Garett Pendant," but was renamed for the 2000 ceremony to to honor a respected simmer in UFOP: StarBase 118 who passed away in that year. This is the only Special Award that is given more than once per ceremony. Groznin Smith, USS Gorkon Presented by Quinn Reynolds: "One of Discord's regulars, Groznin Smith is filled with enthusiasm and friendliness, clearly taking immense joy in being a part of our community. What's remarkable is that he maintains that spirit of fun and good humour despite the numerous trips he has to make for medical appointments, most recently involving significant surgery to his leg. He's open and candid about his disability -- sharing the details and a few pictures of his medical journey -- and really quite humbling in the way he honestly discusses the difficulties he's experienced. For these reasons, like his nominators I believe he is more than deserving of the Xalor Clan Xifilis Award, and I'm proud to present it to him." Valin Dermont, USS Atlantis Presented by Brell: "Real life has a way of getting in the way of most everyones simming. It takes a lot of effort to be able to overcome, and continue to post sims that fill crewmates with joy over the humorous content.Even more so when it is a storm of RL troubles hitting in short order. Valin Dermont is one such person who makes great effort to stay in the game, and post while while enduring many hardships." Raissa Moonsong, USS Veritas Presented by Roshanara Rahman: "Mandy, the writer for Raissa Moonsong, is an award-winning player recognized for her superior talents as a writer and for her out of character efforts to boost ship morale. She has done so while also having to undergo a most personal and challenging time in her life, facing a grueling health crisis. She simmed full-time as long as she could until her treatment needed her to rest and have the time to gather the strength to fight her illness. Her courage in the face of all this has been awe-inspiring to witness both for the crew and me as her CO. With great joy, we have recently welcomed her back to active simming, and we all wish her the best as our fellow shipmate, player, and friend." Trel’lis , Starbase 118 Ops Presented by Sal Taybrim: "Dusty, the writer behind Trel’lis, has struggled this year with injuries and other health related issues that have hampered her ability to post regularly. But she always maintained good communication through our OOC channels and posts as much as she can. I am always impressed by how quickly she bounces back from being in the hospital or at the doctor to posting again. It is clear that she loves to play her character, and this great effort stands out. Trel’lis is a dependable character both in game and out of game, and a good friend to many characters on StarBase 118 Ops. She’s overcome so many difficulties and still been able to make a niche for herself on the Starbase. Thank you, Dusty, for putting so much effort into your writing. You have improved so much over the years and overcome so many difficulties and have become a vibrant member of our crew. You deserve to be recognized and I happy to present you with this award!" Wallace Williams, Embassy of Duronis II Presented by Toni Turner: "Wallace Williams came to us and after a short time sent us a sim that said, essentially it was nice to sim with us because it helped with his autism. It took us a few extra weeks to realize English was also his second language. Despite this, he has kept up a great simming rate and is always full of creative and imaginative ideas and plot twists. Congratulations Wallace, we look forward to simming with you for a long long time." The Trailblazer Award For members who originate a creative and innovative way for the fleet to engage with each other and the Star Trek universe. These participants provide unique opportunities that help to make our game an immersive and unique Star Trek experience. Roshanara Rahman, USS Veritas Presented by Tristan Wolf: "Created as a means of incentivizing innovation our game, the Trailblazer Award is already highlighting some of the most wonderfully fresh ideas in our fleet. This year's recipient is Captain Roshanara Rahman (Rich), someone who has built his very brand on helping the fleet think in new ways. Some of his first innovations were on the wiki, bringing fantastic graphical elements. He followed that by developing the Veterans Affairs committee, to help long-standing members of the fleet identify things we could improve. And later, he developed the spinoff group that's now being highlighted below. The Federation News Service was created by Rich as a way of enriching our In Character universe with little "slice of life" stories, written in the news formats. At first, they were posted on the wiki, and then later, we launched FNS into its own website. Since he developed the idea, Rich has helmed the operation, even bringing the news style to our monthly mission reports, which have been a requirement of the Constitution since it was drafted – and the new format has taken dry monthly recaps and revitalized them into fun "dispatches from the edge," that are not just entertaining to read, but now act almost like little bits of advertising. So a trailblazer is exactly what Rich is, and he fully embodies the spirit of this award. We're lucky to have his creative mind and intense loyalty to our community. Kudos to him for all the hard work that's gone into his many efforts over the years." The Community Champion Award For members who participate in – or help facilitate – simming community events, representing the best of UFOP: SB118 to other organizations by hosting events, acting as contest judges, or otherwise contributing their expertise in a way that benefits the wider community. Renos, USS Gorkon Presented by Sal Taybrim: "A community champion is not only someone who reaches all parts of our own community, but someone who reaches out to the e-mail roleplaying community at large, presenting our group in the most positive light. I cannot think of a better person to recognize for their achievements in championing our community than Renos. It can be difficult to work with outside organizations, but Renos always presents the best of StarBase 118 when we come together with the outside community. Renos has been a driving factor in our participation in several Ongoing Worlds events including multiple FallFest and SciWorld conventions; helping get presentations organized behind the scenes and leading multiple sessions for the convention under the banner of StarBase 118. For all their great work Renos has been honored with a Squddie award, and has continued to present the best face of StarBase 118 to the roleplaying public. In fact Renos’ work on FallFest is what inspired me to step up and also run StarBase 118 sessions at following events , and he has facilitated other members of our group to represent StarBase 118 in the community at large as well. I can think of no more deserving candidate for this award that Rear Admiral Renos – Congratulations!"

Welcome to day one of the annual awards ceremony! We’re very excited to present the General and Staff Awards. The Staff awards are only for those members who have achieved the rank of commander or higher. These awards recognize the hard work of our staff, who do the behind-the-scenes work required to keep the engine of our community running, and smoothly at that! They help foster the fun simming environment we all enjoy. Just like with last year, the first officers of the fleet were asked to vote on the nominations for each staff award, providing recommendations to the EC about who should receive each award. We’re so happy to have this valuable feedback and guidance for our staff awards! The General (Ship) Awards have been presented by each captain to their crew. The winners this year, as in previous years, were chosen by the fleet’s commanding officers (or in cases where the commanding officer was also nominated, the first officer was called in to decide) from the nominations made by you! This is your chance to see how each of the other ships did and see who picked up what 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. Sal Taybrim, StarBase 118 Ops Presented by Toni Turner: "I think everyone agrees that Captain Sal Taybrim, the character in front of Jamie, is the glue holding the monthly Fleetwide Chats together, but what you may not know is how she has worked tirelessly for her station and for SB118 as a whole in addition to the chats. She has to her credit a long list of OOC work throughout the fleet, from News to a number of forums and continues through all the connections she's made with many of the writers, not limiting herself to only IC friendships. And as her nominator said, "This kind of work goes a long way to bringing the fleet together and also to bringing in more wonderful writers and characters." She works diligently to ensure fun and quality for each person on board. From simple missions to helping them achieve their goals no matter what they are. Even with all that, she's never once sent a sim that wasn't meticulously checked for proper grammar or correct spelling. And she always ensured everyone is active, with an endless flow of tags. It is my pleasure to present the Staff Member of the Year Award to this hard-working Captain! Congratulations! " The Picard Award The highest honor given to those officers of Admiral rank. Recipients of the Picard Award must show an unfailing devotion to the club, as well as work continually on ways to better the atmosphere of simming in our community. Quinn Reynolds, USS Gorkon Presented by Tristan Wolf: "I'm very excited to present the tenth recipient of the Picard Award. Named after one of our most respected characters of Star Trek, known for his wisdom, strategic skill, and quiet dignity, this award is the highest honor given to those of Admiral rank. Our line of recipients has been a proud and accomplished group of staff members, who've given innumerable hours to our community both in command, and outside of it. Quinn Reynolds (Emma) has one of the keenest minds I've met in our community over the past 24 years. I don't even know if she has legal training in real life, but it wouldn't surprise me! Even before she joined the Executive Council, we called on her to ask for advice in a tough disciplinary process, and since then, she's been bringing her finely tuned sense of justice, order, and fairness to every discussion. I'm always impressed at how she balances logic with empathy, expedience with tradition, and because of those skills, I count on her as one of our most vital community leaders, guiding us through difficult moments with aplomb. But beyond all that, Emma is also a kind and gracious ship's captain, and a wonderful writer, who has solidified the Gorkon into a pillar of our fleet, mentoring new players and developing the skills of the up-and-comers of the fleet. I can't say enough about how much I value and appreciate what Emma brings to UFOP: SB118. Many congratulations to her on earning this top honor, and a place in the history books of our community." The James T. Kirk Cross Given to new Commanding Officers who show outstanding potential in the field of commanding. Brell, USS Atlantis Presented by Renos: "The recipient of this award is a long time member of the group. An endlessly bright and friendly soul who always has a kind word for everyone he meets. For as long as I've known him, he has always been heavily involved on the forums, discord and in various OOC teams, most recently the Training Team where he is a Deputy Commandant. I did a double take as I realised it has only been a couple of months since he was promoted to captain. Brell took command in circumstances that were far from ideal for all involved. Players all appreciate and speak highly of his many qualities and ability to handle difficult situations and players with great respect and care. Brell is not only passionate about his own ship, but the fleet as a whole and its no wonder he's so widely known and popular. I know there are many many great things ahead for this wonderfully talented captain and I look forward to seeing it. Congratulations Brell! " T'Pau Cluster of Distinction For long-term achievement in leading the Training Team. Quinn Reynolds, USS Gorkon Presented by Renos: "The T'Pau Cluster of Distinction is presented to individuals with a long history of achievement in leading the training team. The team is incredibly important to the fleet, ensuring that new players are given a warm, friendly welcome and are introduced to our way of simming. The team also serves as a training group, allowing our up and coming would be captains to hone their leadership skills. Its a complex team to administrate but this year's recipient makes it look easy. She is a very hands on Academy commandant, with a warm, friendly nature that puts everyone at ease. Trainers and new players alike feel comfortable approaching her with any questions or concerns they may have. Her diplomatic abilities have seen her take care of any issues that arose and classes run smoothly under her expert eye. Rear Admiral Reynold's passion and dedication to the team has seen it go from strength to strength. I can think of no one more deserving of the T'Pau Cluster of Distinction. Well done, and thank you for all you do." Shuvalis Diamond of Recognition For long-term achievement in leading the Publicity Team. Nugra Presented by Quinn Reynolds: "The publicity team is one of our group's most vital endeavours, drawing attention -- and therefore new members -- to our group and ensuring our long-term longevity and success. A long-serving and dedicated member of the fleet, Jon (Captain Nugra) has worked tirelessly as a member of this team, even when on leave. A constant presence offering support and encouragement, he is always ready to listen and offer feedback to other members of the team, searching for new ideas and ways to support members new and old. Most recently, he has taken the initiative to revitalise and restructure the team to take advantage of social media to improve our internet presence -- no easy task! It is then with great pleasure that I present the Shuvalis Diamond of Recognition to him. Congratulations!" The Sarek Star Given to a command officer who shows great diplomatic ability in working with members and staff. Jalana Rajel, USS Constitution Presented by Sal Taybrim: "It is sometimes very difficult to realize what a tremendous impact that quiet level-headedness and honest diplomacy have, but in the case of Jalana Rajel, her strength and leadership lets it shine through. Jalana has been a dependable commanding officer for three years, and she’s always been able to mediate disputes with a firm and gentle tone. She’s also been able to provide a welcoming atmosphere for new crew members while making experienced players feel at home. Her crew deeply appreciates her open minded attitude and willingness to listen to concerns and work to solve them. Because of this dedication to providing a great game for all players, her ship has seen great retention in promising players, and she has been a respected mentor for her staff. I am especially impressed by her ability to turn mistakes into teaching opportunities for everyone on her ship – from the highest rank to the newest member. This creates a positive, supportive atmosphere where players are encouraged to write better, and be inspired to tell better stories. I am especially happy to be able to award Jalana with this honor this year because she has done such good work with her senior staff on the Constitution to improve communication and make a great ship to play on. This is seen in the pride she has for her crew and the support she’s given her staff as they work towards command. It takes a good CO to lead a strong ship, but it takes an extraordinary CO to teach others how to move towards command one day. For all of this hard work, the Sarek Star is very well deserved. Congratulations, Jalana! " Christopher Pike Pendant Awarded to commanding officers who command their ship with honor and dedication, and help to provide an creative atmosphere which fosters outstanding simming. Roshnara Rahman, USS Veritas Presented by Quinn Reynolds: "The Christopher Pike Pendant is awarded to those who exemplify everything that a captain strives for; creating a positive, inspirational atmosphere on their ship that encourages everyone to sim and contribute at their fullest potential. Rich (Captain Roshanara Rahman) has done just that in every possible way. A thoughtful, kind and even-handed captain, he is always searching for better ways of doing things, and his efforts have paid off and given rise to a remarkable ship with a remarkable crew. He has created a fantastic and unique campaign area for his crew to explore, rich with with opportunities for stories. His mentoring system supports all crew members, from new arrivals to to command candidates, offering them regular support and advice to help them achieve their own personal goals, creating an environment where everyone is empowered and enthusiastic about making their writing, characters and stories the best they can be. For these reasons, I'm proud and honoured to present him with the Christopher Pike Pendant. Many congratulations, Rich! " Chief’s Citation Starfleet history is much more liable to recognize the triumphs of its notable officers, and while non commissioned and enlisted personnel occasionally receive recognition, the NCO backbone of a starship is likely to go unremarked upon. So that our integral support staff don't similarly slip through the cracks, the Chief's Citation recognizes those essential staff members whose determined work has benefited the group, IC and/or OOC, even while their primary service was not as the commanding officer of a starship or other simming installation. Maxwell Traenor, USS Constitution Presented by Sal Taybrim: "Maxwell Traenor exemplifies the best qualities of a staff member of StarBase 118: he is calm, open minded, creative and communicative. He tirelessly works to create a good experience for all players of the game and to improve the experience on his own ship. As a first officer Traenor has not only been a steadfast mentor to new players onboard his own ship, but he is an active and insightful voice on the Captain’s Council. He has a wonderful ability to see the fleet as a whole, reaching out and advocating for improvements that will help all players have a more enjoyable experience, a quality he also brings to his ship, the USS Constitution, ensuring that everyone from brand new Ensigns to experienced department heads are having fun. He has been a star trainer in our Academy program and currently facilitates the Fleetwide Newsies taskforce, responsible for getting articles schedules every day of the year. On top of all of this he maintains very high writing standards and always manages to portray a realistic and sympathetic character. Maxwell Traenor is truly one of the leaders of our fleet and someone we are looking to as a future leader. I am so glad to be able to recognize all of his hard work with this award. Congratulations Commander Traenor! " Kathryn Janeway Award For retired Commanding Officers who have made a great impact on their crew and left an indelible legacy on our community history. Renos Presented by Roshanara Rahman: "James, the writer behind Rear Admiral Renos, has a passion for simming clear to anyone who has had the pleasure of writing or working with him. In fact, my own relationship with James has been completely through our mutual OOC activities from the Featured Bio Contest that we launched in 2012 to the Training Team, where James served as Academy Commandant. These are just a couple of his numerous contributions to the fleet, and most of course know James as the architecht and first commanding officer of the Andaris Task Force. Before that, he served as commanding officer of the USS Darwin-A. He led both groups for several years before he needed to step down and take a leave of absence to attend to real life affairs. The success of Andaris is his legacy and notable already for this award, but since returning to active simming, James is not one to rest on his laurels. He serves as a mentor for members including our newest COs, and he remains active on the Executive and Captains Councils. With his experience and drive, he continues to bring new ideas that will ensure our fleet's prosperity as it reaches its quarter-century milestone. For your tireless dedication to our community, thank you, James. You are well-deserving of this honor! " Please join us in congratulating these members of the staff! GENERAL AWARDS The recipients of the General Award this year, as in previous years, were chosen by the fleet’s commanding officers (or in cases where the commanding officer was also nominated, the first officer was called in to decide) from the nominations made by you! The Order of Starfleet Merit and Achievement First Class (TOSMA) The Order of Starfleet Merit and Achievement First Class is given to members who show great dedication in their behavior and simming abilities. A candidate for TOSMA regularly contributes good, solid ideas to the plot and character development. They also take the time to edit and proofread their sims to ensure quality in their writing. Jarred Thoran, Andaris Task Force Kurt Logan, USS Atlantis Edward Spears , USS Constitution Wallace Williams, Embassy of Duronis II Sera zh'Aella, USS Gorkon Aitas, Starbase 118 Ops Chythar Skyfire, USS Veritas The Genesis Award The Most Improved Simmer Award. For officers who show conspicuous effort in improving their simming skills. Krindo Pandorn, Andaris Task Force Amuro McKnight , USS Atlantis Raven Young , USS Constitution Alexander Brodie, Embassy of Duronis II Ferier Lanta, USS Gorkon Scotty Cross Given to an officer who shows extreme creativity while solving a plot dilemma or in-character plot twist. Mirra Ezo, Andaris Task Force David Knight, USS Atlantis Sal Taybrim (playing 2PC Shar'wyn Foster), USS Constitution Tasha MacFarlane, USS Gorkon Trel’lis, Starbase 118 Ops Mei’konda, USS Veritas Neelix Award For extra, out-of-character simming devotion. This includes, but isn't limited to, helping fellow officers who are in need of simming aid, visibility on the forums, OOC list presence, upkeep of wiki pages, etc. Anath G'Renn, Andaris Task Force Saveron , USS Constitution Oddas Aria, Embassy of Duronis II Tasha MacFarlane, USS Gorkon Lael Rosek, USS Veritas Nebula Bar Awarded to a simmer who has shown great imagination when creating or expanding upon planets, stars, stellar phenomena, and other physical environments and settings, such that these settings create a convincing, descriptive, realistic environment that inspires other simmers or enhances the flow of a given plot. Na'Lae Mandak, Andaris Task Force Quinn Reynolds, USS Gorkon Laudean Commendation Awarded for achievements in exploration with new lifeforms. The recipient will have shown great creativity in many facets of species creation or expansion, including physiological, psychological, cultural, social, and more, and their creativity will inspire their fellow simmers. The Laudean Commendation can cover many aspects of species development, but should primarily be based in IC simming. Rune Jolara, Andaris Task Force Lilith Seir, USS Constitution Gogigobo Fairhug, Embassy of Duronis II Attikus Rundstrom, Starbase 118 Ops Sky Blake, USS Veritas Silver Palm Awarded to a simmer who has consistently boosted the morale of his/her crew. The recipient will be known to be able to add that spark to a plot whenever it may be lagging, or may be able to consistently bring enjoyment or a bit of humour to the sim, whilst keeping such sims relevant and realistic. Randal Shayne, Andaris Task Force Valin Dermont , USS Atlantis Rue Blackwell, USS Constitution Boris Hendon, Embassy of Duronis II Jocelyn Marshall, USS Gorkon Sal Taybrim, Starbase 118 Ops Kelrod, USS Veritas Sheathed Sword Presented to those to decide to inflict mental and/or physical trauma on their character, and then dive into the resulting emotions and choices in a realistic manner. The name comes from a line in a Robert Jordan book where a warrior must be prepared to 'sheath the sword' in his own body, i.e. take a grievous wound to achieve one's goal (in this case, more realistic simming) as opposed to an actual goal of the character. Jarred Thoran, Andaris Task Force Toryn Raga, USS Atlantis Yito Seja, USS Constitution Oddas Aria, Embassy of Duronis II Tasha MacFarlane, USS Gorkon Taelon, Starbase 118 Ops B-Plot Award For those simmers who manage to show a good portion of the character's life despite the demands of the main plot. Anath G'Renn, Andaris Task Force Serala, USS Atlantis Sal Taybrim (playing 2PC Shar'wyn Foster), USS Constitution Irina Pavlova, Embassy of Duronis II Yiggtissi, USS Gorkon Arturo Maxwell, Starbase 118 Ops Alex Blair, USS Veritas 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. Anath G'Renn, Andaris Task Force Edward Spears, USS Constitution Hannibal Parker, Embassy of Duronis II Davine D'fini, USS Gorkon Pathfinder Award Given to those who have shown great care in the mentoring of fellow members. Randal Shayne, Andaris Task Force Tal Tel-ar, USS Atlantis Jalana Rajel USS Constitution Ishani Kasun, Starbase 118 Ops Lael Rosek, USS Veritas Khan Award Awarded to a simmer who thoughtfully develops a three-dimensional villain over the course of a mission or more. Jarred Thoran, Andaris Task Force Rue Blackwell USS Constitution Brayden Jorey, Embassy of Duronis II Ayiana Sevo, USS Gorkon Ishani Kasun, Starbase 118 Ops Evan Delano, USS Veritas Q Award Awarded for continually surprising their crew with unexpected, devious plot twists throughout the year. Theo Whittaker, Andaris Task Force Toni Turner Embassy of Duronis II Elias Burke, USS Gorkon Vitor Silveira Starbase 118 Ops Sky Blake, USS Veritas Please join us in congratulating these talented players!

It's time to show off what we're all wearing to the awards ceremony. Can't wait to see what everyone else comes up with!

Nominations for the 2018 Awards Ceremony will open on Monday, May 21 at 1:15am Pacific Time and close on Monday, June 11 at 11:45pm Pacific Time. If this is your awards ceremony with us, welcome! This is a tradition that dates back to 1996, wherein we honor the people of the fleet who are simming really well, or contributing OOC. Back in the "old days," we would gather the entire fleet onto one email list (we were a lot smaller then...) and sim together an award presentation; now we do things a bit differently. Here's how it works today: Everyone in the fleet submits nominations for consideration. The group staff (ship COs, EC members, etc.) review the nominations. Each ship has their own awards presentation on their OOC email list for awards in the General Awards category. Award in this category can be given to one person on each ship. Then, we have a fleetwide presentation of awards here on the forums. Awards in the Duty Post, Special, Staff, and Length of Service categories are presented over the course of three days. One person in the fleet can receive each of the Duty Post, Special, and Staff categories. We rely on each and every member of the fleet to submit nominations so we can recognize the best members of our community who are putting in the time and effort to make this a fun place to be. So we need your help! If you don't nominate your peers and mentors for awards, they won't get recognized. We want to encourage everyone to be really free with their nominations – there's no penalty in putting in a nomination that doesn't ultimately get the award. But ships that have fewer nominations tend to end up having fewer award winners – so don't be shy! Multiple nominations from members of a ship for any given award can help send a signal to reviewers that a certain person is really deserving, but also one really great nomination can be the deciding factor for someone to win an award. So how to nominate someone? It's pretty simple: Check out the wiki Hall of Honor to see the list of awards and learn more: https://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=Award Consider who you want to nominate. Then do a quick check on the list of past award winners to make sure they haven't won the award before: https://wiki.starbase118.net/wiki/index.php?title=List_of_Award_Recipients (You can sort the table by clicking on the column headers, or you can use your browser's "Find" feature to quickly find a character anywhere on the page – on PC, use CTRL+F, on Mac use ⌘+F.) If the person hasn't won the award before, head to the nomination form: https://www.starbase118.net/members/personnel/forms/award-nomination-panel/ Enter your information and select the award. Then write a nomination reason. For some awards, we'll ask you for a link to a sim if you have one readily available that helps justify your nomination. Don't stress out about finding a sim, but if you have one, it could help! If you feel really confident about your award nomination, chat with others on your ship who might also feel the same way and recommend they make a similar nomination!

We continue Day 3 with our Special Awards, which generally represent Out Of Character achievement in one area or another. This year, we have an extra special presentation with the second winner for the Great Bird Award! Great Bird Award This award is the highest honor given to any officer, and has only been given once in the history of the group. It is given to an officer who helps develop and/or invents a new way of simming, a new way of thinking, or a new way of looking at the Star Trek universe. Renos, USS Darwin Presented by Tristan Wolf: "Well, I never thought I'd see the day I'd get to present this award to someone else! For a long time it seemed like the award description was so arcane that it was destined to belong only to me. But I'm grateful that members of the fleet were insistent that Rear Admiral Renos fits the bill this year so we can begin to expand the circle of winners and, hopefully, spur more innovation in our fleet. All three nominations for this award mentioned the Andaris Task Force's unique configuration in our fleet. It certainly wasn't without controversy when it was introduced – the councils had to take some time to wrap their heads around the idea, as did members of the Darwin who would transition into this new structure. But in talking with Renos (James), I remember that he was quite self-assured that this was exactly the path to take his crew down. And it seems to have succeeded. It's not just that there are four ships in one "simming installation," but that we also have our fleet's first medical ship. By splitting purpose between a small fleet of ships, and engaging in really beautiful worldbuilding, the Andaris TF has brought a whole new perspective to how simming can work. That's exactly what it takes to earn this award. Many congratulations for breaking the barrier on this award, James. I'm quite honored to bestow the Great Bird Award on you and I can't wait to see what you come up with next. Whatever it is, I know that – like everything you do – it will be formulated with great care, and always with an eye toward innovation and entertainment for our members." 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. Oddas Aria, Embassy of Duronis II Presented by Toni Turner: "Since she came on board, first as an engineer, and now, a First Officer, Lt. Commander Oddas Aria has been a joy to watch as she first had to deal with busted starships as Chief Engineer, and now, has jumped in with both feet as First Officer, feeling her way through the process of now being the second in command and not in charge of Engineering. Her sims are a joy to read as we watch her go through the occasionally painful process of filling the Second Chair. Not only that, but she has fully taken up the reins OOC as well, keeping in touch with members who have not simmed in awhile, making sure there is at least one sim per week submitted to the Top Sims, contest. For these reasons, I am absolutely delighted to present the Rising Star Award to Lt. Commander Oddas Aria. Congratulations!" Luminary Award Given to members holding the rank of ensign, lieutenant junior grade, or lieutenant. For those who show great promise in their future endeavours in UFOP: Starbase 118 RPG. Graeme Cook, Andaris Task Force Presented by Renos: "Graeme Cook has a relentlessly positive attitude and is deeply considerate and caring of others. He's the sort of person that everyone wants to be best friends with because he is so genuine and nice! He constantly strives to do the best he can and works tirelessly to perfect his posts to the best of his ability. His writing is amazing! He combines real-world medicine, an appropriate amount of Treknology and humour to create some of the most engaging and entertaining writing I've had the joy to read. Since joining ATF he has been a tremendous writer, he leads his department by being a shining example of what an excellent medical officer looks like and goes out of his way to include everyone in the large department (there are three other PCs and various PNPCs) and finds ways to give them all a chance to shine in the spotlight. He has been a great help with OOC work, doing odd jobs such as wiki updates and providing graphics on demand. Having joined out staff list recently his role has expanded and he has taken to it like a duck to water. There are great things in this player's future and he is one of our brightest stars of tomorrow. I can think of no one more deserving of this award than he is, which is why I'm so excited to present him with this award." The Locutus Award Given to those members of the Publicity Team who go above-and-beyond their monthly requirements for participation on a regular basis. These team members show enthusiasm and flair for spreading the word about or role-playing community and take an active interest in finding new ways to invite people to join our ranks. Tristan Wolf Presented by Renos: "No one has done more for the publicity team. Ever. He supports its team members and facilitators, points them to resources, created the WordPress site and materials they use to guide them and has taken lead himself where necessary. I cannot stress enough just how valuable Wolf's contributions have been and continue to be. He is very much the unsung hero of publicity and its past due time he got some well deserved kudos for his efforts, so I'm delighted to present him with this much deserved ribbon. Thank you and congratulations!" The Sarpeidon Award Awarded to members who have made outstanding contributions to the 118Wiki. Sarpeidon was the world in TOS's "All Our Yesterdays," in which the planet's population created a library containing their entire world's history. This is, in essence, what our wiki strives to become: a collection of our group's history and a simming database. Jalana Rajel, USS Constitution Presented by Maxwell Traenor: "When we think of contributions to the 118Wiki, we often think of expansive pages and creative templates and coding. However, these pages would be nothing but walls of text if not for the beautiful and expressive images that adorn them. Thanks to the contributions of The Image Collective, especially those of its taskforce leader Jalana Rajel, our wiki is one of the most inviting and engaging roleplay resources in the Star Trek genre! For years now, Jalana Rajel has answered any and all requests for professionally created character images, Badge and Award graphics, and numerous other Photoshop magic acts in order to ensure that SB118 puts its best face forward with the 118Wiki. For that reason, it is our pleasure to award Jalana Rajel with the Sarpeidon Award! Congratulations!" The Boothby Award For trainers who go above and beyond their Academy training requirements. These trainers display an outstanding example of dedication to bringing new cadets to our community. Oddas Aria, Embassy of Duronis II Presented by Toni Turner: " Although I am no longer affiliated with the Academy, I have heard from other members and graduates how well Oddas is showing his dedication to guiding our new members to their full potential, by setting an excellent example. He not only shows his dedication in the Academy but has brought what he has learned to the Embassy crew. And you really can't ask for better than that. As one Academy graduate related: "I was very intimidated by the setup and posting frequency. I was lost, confused and felt like giving it up. The feedback and support I received from Oddas Aria helped me overcome all of that, for which I am grateful and now I absolutely love simming!" This came from one of Oddas Aria's fellow trainers: "Nick is an excellent trainer who is one of our most regular volunteers. Some trainers volunteer but only ever offer to run a mock cadet but Oddas Aria is normally willing to be placed in any role we need. He is a reliable, enthusiastic trainer and his continued help makes it easier to ensure we are able to run classes each week for new cadets." For his dedication to guiding our new members into our fleet, I happily award her with the Boothby Award. Congratulations, Nick! " Quark's Bar Quark's Bar is a special award and is awarded to members who are regularly active on the forums and have been supportive and involved in conversations enhancing the overall forum experience. E'riQ Lo'PeH, Andaris Task Force Presented by Renos: "As anyone who is mildly active in OOC activities is likely to know, E'riQ (formerly playing John Valdivia) has proceeded to keep a very substantial presence on the forums. He is in charge of the Poll of the Week, consistently posing fascinating questions about morality and command obligations. These questions, more than anything else, solidify his position as one of the forum's more regular contributors. The sheer imagination it must take to consistently create such immersive topics for debate is staggering, and he has nothing but my greatest respect. Anyone can ask a question but it takes a bit of thought, creativity and intelligence to pose the sort of truly thought-provoking questions regularly brought to us for consideration by E'riQ. It's clear that he is passionate about what he does and cares about bringing us topics that will engage us and get our imaginations running. When he's not doing that he chips in around Andaris Task Force's Forums and posts the occasional Top Sims nomination. His contributions to the forum have been invaluable and enhance the forum experience for others at the same time. I'm delighted to present E'riQ with the Quark's Bar. Thank you for all that you do, Eric, we appreciate it." The Xalor Clan Xifilis Award Given to any simmer who overcomes any sort of disadvantage while simming. This award was originally called the "Rachel Garett Pendant," but was renamed for the 2000 ceremony to to honor a respected simmer in UFOP: StarBase 118 who passed away in that year. This is the only Special Award that is given more than once per ceremony. Jalana Rajel, USS Constitution Presented by Maxwell Traenor: "When one looks at Jalana Rajel's contributions to SB118, whether it be with her role as leader of The Image Collective, as CO of the Constitution, or her work with the Captains Council and active presence on the forums and chatrooms, one cannot help but notice her sunny disposition and can-do attitude. Leading by example, she exudes a confidence and proficiency that motivates those that interact with her. The fact that Jalana Rajel is so active despite contending with health and depression challenges is a testament to her professionalism and dedication and is a shining example to her crew and to the fleet at large. Where many would use such challenges in real life to shy away from responsibility, Rajel meets them head on and refuses to let her issues affect the level of engagement she shares with all of us. An inspiration to any who face similar issues, Jalana Rajel is a worthy recipient of the Xalor Clan Xifilis Award." Rune Jolara, USS Veritas Presented by Roshanara Rahman: "As her commanding officer, I've been given the trust from Rune Jolara's writer Kait with personal and at times painful updates about what has been happening beyond the confines of our simming group in her life. With all the challenges and heartbreak that have happened, Kait has shown her strength and perseverance through it all. That strength has not gone unnoticed by others around her. As conveyed through their nominations of her for this award, her shipmates--current and past--have been moved by her tireless dedication to the fleet. She continues to sim with long-time friends while also training and welcoming new members into our community. As one nominator wrote, "she is more than deserving of this award and so much more," and I'm honored to present her the Xalor Clan Xifilis Award as the fleet's recognition of her efforts." T'Reshik, USS Constitution Presented by Jalana Rajel: "Who doesn’t know the difficulty to keep up with simming when other things are jumping in the way. The obstacles of work, school or health often put a damper on the ability to write regularly or enjoy the adventures your crew throws themselves in. But these are also the times when some players push through and power up even more, putting in all their free time and effort to keep up and make things work, because they love the game and writing with their fellow crewmates. Issy, the player behind the Constitution’s Science Officer T’Reshik, is one of these people. Despite facing the challenges of CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) she has quickly become a reliable and valuable asset to the Conny Crew. She enriches the roleplay with her characterisations, deep stories, extensive details and creative ideas that we all wouldn’t want to miss. It’s my honor to present the Xalor Clan Xifilis Award to T’Reshik’s player. You’re an inspiration, Issy. Congratulations!" The Trailblazer Award For members who originate a creative and innovative way for the fleet to engage with each other and the Star Trek universe. These participants provide unique opportunities that help to make our game an immersive and unique Star Trek experience. Oddas Aria, Embassy of Duronis II Presented by Toni Turner: "Lt. Commander Oddas Aria, for her work with the fleet's Advanced Starship Design Bureau and the Journal of the Starfleet Corps of Engineers, without a doubt embodies the qualifications for the Trailblazer Award. Her work with the Journal drew attention from many members of the fleet and helped to spawn the Journal of Starfleet Medicine and the Starfleet Journal of Arts & Sciences. These journals have given members a new way to engage with Star Trek based material and bring the IC experiences and research into the fleet's wiki. It is ideas like this that make Oddas Aria a great recipient of the Trailblazer Award. Congratulations! Job well done, Nick! " The Community Champion Award For members who participate in – or help facilitate – simming community events, representing the best of UFOP: SB118 to other organizations by hosting events, acting as contest judges, or otherwise contributing their expertise in a way that benefits the wider community. Mirra Ezo, Starbase 118 Ops Presented by Sal Taybrim: "Anyone can be present on the chats or the forums, but it takes someone who is a ray of sunshine to make a lasting impact. Mirra Ezo is that ray of sunshine. She is always ready to welcome new crew both to the chat and her ship, and she always approaches them with a big smile and a heaping helping of humor. Mirra has attended every fleetwide chat, she can almost always be found in the chat lobby and she's supported StarBase 118 lecturers by attending outside conventions such as Sci World and Fall Fest as an active participant. Mirra is also one of people who makes the fleetwide trivia contest a success! On the forums you can find her nominating Top Sims, posting best quotes and saying hello to new players. Her enthusiasm and positive attitude is infectious and it absolutely helps raise morale both on her ship and across the fleet. I know new members feel more welcome when they see a friendly face and Mirra is most definitely one of those friendly faces. I am very happy to present the Community Champion award to Mirra Ezo!" Congratulations to all the winners!

Today is Day 3 of our awards ceremony, and we now present the Length of Service Awards to members who have been continuously active for at least a year. There are also tiers for three, five, and ten years of continuous service, marking our most dedicated and long-serving members. This year, 27 players have reached a length of service milestone. Of those, 15 are celebrating their first milestone, having picked-up the award for one year of active membership. Another 7 have achieved three years active membership and 5 more have been here for five years. 3 players have reached the incredible 10 year milestone, joining the list of 15 other players who've met this mark. 1-Year Member For those who have been members continuously for one year. Solaris McLaren, graduated from training on November 11, 2013 Frank O'Malley, graduated from training on February 2, 2014 Jerome Milsap, graduated from training on August 4, 2015 Trellis Vondaryan, graduated from training on August 24, 2015 Merrick R'Ven, graduated from training on October 11, 2015 Dag Sindri, graduated from training on November 9, 2015 Isabel Pond, graduated from training on December 12, 2015 Chelin Ch'Gabor, graduated from training on December 12, 2015 Michelle Tonston, graduated from training on January 11, 2016 Savan, graduated from training on January 10, 2016 Amuro McKnight, graduated from training on February 15, 2016 Taelon, graduated from training on March 15, 2016 Jocelyn Marshall, graduated from training on April 10, 2016 Oddas Aria, graduated from training on May 5, 2016 Ishani Kasun, graduated training on June 18, 2016 3-Year Member For those who have been members continuously for three years. Antero Flynn, graduated from training on August 6, 2011 Vitor Silveira, graduated from training on June 20, 2012 Brayden Jorey, graduated from training on December 10, 2012 Mei'konda, graduated from training on February 24, 2013 Alora DeVeau, graduated from training on August 6, 2013 Sal Taybrim, graduated from training on, October 6, 2013 Sabrina Holly, graduated from training on May 25, 2014 5-Year Member For those who have been members continuously for five years. Saveron, graduated from training on February 1, 2011 Antero Flynn, graduated from training on August 6, 2011 T'Mihn, graduated from training on January 29, 2012 Alex Blair, graduated from training on June 4, 2012 Jalana Rajel, graduated from training on June 11, 2012 10-Year Member For those who have been members continuously for ten years. Kael Thomas, graduated from training on October 15, 2003 Atan T'Seva, graduated from training on December 9, 2006 Quinn Reynolds, graduated from training on January 25, 2007 Congratulations to all, and many thanks to those who received awards for their long-term dedication and loyalty!

Welcome to the final day of the awards ceremony! So far this week we’ve announced the recipients of the Staff, General, Length of Service and Special Awards. Today we present the Duty Post awards. Each award here focuses on a different department, from the major ones – medical, operations or engineering – to the more unique – diplomacy, intel or marines. Even civilians have a chance to be recognised for the valuable contributions that can be made to our stories by those who prefer the path less worn. Each of these awards recognises a player for excellence in simming their duty post. Since only one award per duty post is given each year, only the very best are chosen and they are highly coveted awards. You’ll see from our spread of winners – who range in rank from Ensign to Captain – that every player has a chance to be considered for one of these by consistently simming to the best of their ability and striving to improve their craft. The Prantares Award - Medical The Prantares Ribbon is a duty post award and is awarded to those medical officers who have moved beyond competence to display a true gift for the healing arts in the context of space medicine. The officers given this award should display the ability to keep a steady hand in the often hazardous conditions in which they must practice, as well as the willingness to risk their own life to save the lives of others. Mirra Ezo, Starbase 118 Ops Presented by Sal Taybrim: "Sweet. Sassy. Intelligent. Did I say sassy already? There is a joke on Ops that Mirra Ezo's compassion for her crewmates is only rivaled by her boundless sass. And both are true. Mirra has grown from a shy junior officer into a headstrong and heart-strong pillar of the Ops crew. She brings her own flavor to the role of chief medical officer, mixing intelligence and wit, friendship and sass for a no-nonsense doctor who has an unwavering sense of right and wrong and an unbreakable love for her fellow crew. She's taken a knife from a criminal to protect others, she's tackled an ex-Commodore to the ground, preventing him from getting killed by an assassin's shot (when she really just wanted to punch the guy in the face) and she brought a Gorn colleague back from the brink of death in one mesmerizing scene - and that's just a small fraction of the life and light that Mirra brought to Ops over the past two years. Out of character Mirra is a wonderful player - always friendly and always ready to interject humor into any situation and in character Mirra is a wonderfully complex character who has a strong relationship with every character on Ops. I am delighted to present this very well deserved award to Mirra!" The Natasha Yar Pin - Security The Natasha Yar Pin is a duty post award and is awarded to those security officers who have gone above and beyond the call of duty in protecting and preserving the lives of their crewmates, even at risk to their own. Irina Pavlova - Embassy of Duronis II Presented by Toni Turner: "Lt. Commander Irina Pavlova has made the transition from marine to security which made for a great plot and some great writing/storytelling. She has managed to not only do a great job of roleplaying the Embassy's Chief of Security but highlighting some of the differences between the Starfleet Security and the Marine Corps. Irina often goes above and beyond the call of duty in protecting and preserving the lives of her crewmates, even at risk to her own safety. In spite of all her quirks, she shows her dedication to crew and ship and has saved both on numerous occasion. It is with great pleasure to present her with The Natasha Yar Pin of distinction for her dedication as Chief of Security." The Voyager Medallion - Ops The Voyager Medallion is a duty post award and is awarded to those operations officers who have shown great skill in keeping a starship in working order despite near-impossible circumstances. The officers receiving this award have advanced the field of Operations, making sure duty rosters, provisions, gear, and even recreation time are available... no matter what. Prudence Blackwell, USS Constitution Presented by Jalana Rajel: "Writing for an Operations Officer can be a challenge. In contrast to many other positions there are not many instances in the shows that could serve us as a mold for the job they do, that is especially true when a mission involves work off the ship. It takes ingenuity and inventiveness to stay true to their duty post during those times. During the last year we have seen such effort in the sims of the writer behind the Constitution’s Operations Officer, Prudence Blackwell. Blackwell took a seemingly minor task of sourcing and supplying the banquet for a negotiation session during a diplomatic mission and created a series of sims that did us proud. With love, care and pride in her job she handled the task that later on turned out to be one of the most important pivot points of the mission. Even considering that the races involved were new creations for use by the Constitution in its new mission area, Operations didn’t deter great attention to detail when it came to setting and substance. This is only one example of Blackwell’s attention to the intricacies of the Operations Position. It gives me great pleasure to present the Voyager Medallion for her fantastic work in Operations to Prudence Blackwell. Congratulations!" The Sisko Tactical Cross - Tactical The Sisko Tactical Cross is a duty post award and is awarded to those tactical officers who have shown cunning and bravery in battle. Master strategists, and experts in targeting and shield power distribution, these officers have done the impossible to save their ship and the lives of its crew. Savan, Embassy of Duronis II Presented by Toni Turner: " Lt. Commander Savan was the Embassy's Tactical Officer and then Chief Tactical Officer for the year since our last awards ceremony. He has been a stellar simmer, ship staff member, and ran a major mission for the Embassy. He did a great job as the Tactical Officer, especially considering how easy it could have been to step on the toes of Intelligence, Marines, Security, stratops, and so on. He never did, but instead collaborated or cooperated with them. Playing a tactical officer at the Embassy is not easy, especially since the posting includes not just a Security division, but also a contingent of Marines and a Strategic operations department. Savan found a balance, using the Tactical position to support the operations of both Starfleet and the native population. I am abundantly happy to have such a player at the Embassy and proud to present Savan with The Sisko Tactical Cross." The Phoenix Award - Engineering The Phoenix Award is a duty post award that recognizes engineers. Named for the vessel that legendary engineer Zefram Cochrane piloted during his historic first warp flight, this award goes to those Engineering officers who continue this tradition of excellence in the field of engineering. By performing their tasks with enthusiasm, imagination and diligence, by managing to make their equipment perform above and beyond its rated capacities, the officers meriting this award further the mission of their ship by their superior know-how. In short, miracle workers. Oddas Aria, Embassy of Duronis II Presented by Toni Turner: " Before she became a First Officer, Lt. Commander Oddas Aria was a crackerjack Engineer, and her skills were most apparent when she and Science Officer Lt. Commander T'Lea came up with a plan to bring the heavily damaged USS Thunder-A tied to the Sovereign Class USS Discovery using the slipstream drive. No starship has ever been towed in slipstream as far as I know, and it was an absolutely brilliant plan flawlessly executed. It was so brilliant, and an article was written about it. Oddas Aria came aboard the Embassy as an ensign directly from the academy around a year ago. She started as an engineering officer and soon after became the Chief Engineer. Her sims, above most others, really bring the Embassy and the USS Thunder to life. Her sims effortlessly blend the day-to-day maintenance of the facilities with her contributions to the plot and character development. In fact, Oddas does an amazing job of not just incorporating engineering in their sims, but use it to highlight and drive her character's development. Not only does she do outstanding work in keeping the Thunder-A, the Bronwyn and the Embassy running as smoothly as possible, but she has taken her duties far beyond what others would deem normal. She is dedicated to helping to keep the engineering pages on the wiki updated with new designs and innovative ideas, not only for the Embassy but the entire fleet to make our ships run better and the testing of new ideas. Gone are the days when technobabble left the crew wondering what was going on in engineering because Oddas has added the plus that she knows what she is doing and explains it in understandable laymen's terms. For all the effort she puts forth for the Embassy and for our community as a whole, I am substantially pleased to present her with The Phoenix Award." The Cochrane Award - Science The Cochrane Award is a duty post award and is awarded to those science officers who have contributed greatly to the advance of science in the midst of their Starfleet career, by staying knowledgeable about their field, participating in the community of science, but most importantly, by placing their knowledge at the service of their ship and its mission. Taelon, Starbase 118 Ops Presented by Sal Taybrim: "Part mad scientist, part awkward teenager, Taelon is a unique character - a man who by human standards is perfectly mature, but by the standards of his own race (el-Aurian) is still a youth with so much to learn. This unique foundation has grown into a fantastic science officer over the past year. We threw Taelon 'into the fire' - a stuttering character with few social graces found himself placed in the role of chief science officer. It was a thrill ride for Taelon's writer to write through and the rest of the crew was consistently engaged by watching Taelon's clever solutions as well as his struggles to navigate through social interactions. Taelon has a unique ability to make science an integral part of every plot, while Taelon's writer has a wonderful ability to balance a scene allowing Taelon to shine as well as other characters to join in and have their own moments. Among the most memorable moments over the last year were Taelon's integral role in reclaiming control of the StarBase 118 computers wresting them away from an Orion Syndicate criminal, his design for a mechanical replacement arm for a fellow crewmember and his so-insane-it-worked plot for igniting a nebula as a last-ditch effort to win a ship to ship battle against a superior opponent. All this on top of a beautifully layered story of family relationships, coming of age and even some romance. Taelon is a wonderful multi-faceted science officer and I am so proud to be able to present him with the Cochrane award!" The Pilot's Sextant - Helm The Pilot's Sextant is a duty post award that recognizes helm officers. An award named after an old Earth navigational tool, the Pilot's Sextant is given to those Helm officers who have proven themselves to be the best of the best. From finding a safe route home to flying an emergency atmospheric landing, pilots who have earned the right to this award know the importance of staying focused, and puts their ability to make spectacular maneuvers at the service of their ship and its mission. Randal Shayne, Andaris Task Force Presented by Renos: " Randal Shayne has been a steadfast member of Andaris Task Force all year and is a highly talented and creative writer. Rarely have I seen someone bring life to the helmsman duty post as well as he does, whether he's flying the Atlantis from point a to b, performing unconventional maneuvers to keep the ship and crew safe, taking small shuttle craft on a survey expedition, or flying one of the Blackwell's 'Ambulance' shuttles in a race to save lives! He shows us what it means to be a pilot as he expertly conveys the emotions of the character and the worries he faces knowing that each barrage of fire he fails to dodge could result in damage and casualties. Using real-world aviation and piloting terminology, he can imbue a sense of realism to his piloting sims, making them rich and grounded. He brings the element of movement to the scene in a believable manner often adding drama and suspense to a scene that is much richer and more realistic thanks to his contributions." The Order of the Valiant Heart - Counseling This award is given to those ship's Counselor who have shown great skill in protecting the mental health of their crewmates, clearly demonstrating superior ability to care, assist, and comfort those in need. They have gone above and beyond the call of duty in assisting their crewmates with their problems, and in preventing future problems from occurring. Saveron, USS Constitution Presented by Jalana Rajel: "When we imagine a Counselor, it is easy to fall into the suggestion of an emotional compassionate person ready to listen and provide advice in all kinds of situations. That can be a difficult role to play, as there seems to be the unspoken rule of dealing with things alone rather than going to visit the one person who’s job it is to help. I found myself quite impressed seeing how Sarah, the player behind Saveron, turned a traditional Vulcan into a compelling and believable Counselor in the shortest amount of time without losing what makes Saveron Saveron. It is amazing how he copes with the emotional outbursts of his crewmates, while staying true to his own background. In spite of, or perhaps because of, that disconnect we get to see how a counselor can be by the books... literally... while still being proficient and indeed effective at counselling his emotionally-driven patients. It helps that Saveron has a storied past to draw upon as a diplomat and medical doctor, and he uses these past life experiences to his benefit while helping those who come to him for emotional aid. It must be hard to stay true to the ideals of a traditional Vulcan while writing as a compassionate counselor, but the way that Saveron is written in the role it seems effortless. With that skillset he has managed to not only get people to talk to him who have been skirting the whole deck on which he Counselor resides to stay out of his way, but to impressively change the most stubborn of minds. He looks out for his fellow crewmates and even went so far to offer hands on assistance to a fellow crewmate whom he had never met before and who happened to be a Vulcan in the middle of her Pon-Farr. The dedication and effort put into the role, as well as the creativity Saveron’s writer puts into writing the position and the involvement of other players has without a doubt earned her the Order of the Valiant Heart. Congratulations!" The Semper Fidelis Award - Marines 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. Hannibal Parker, Embassy of Duronis II Presented by Toni Turner: " Lt. Commander Hannibal Parker is the quintessential archetype of the gruff, dominant, and boisterous marine officer and has been for around 5 years. One might see such a representation as 'typical' for a marine officer - it is, but wonderfully so! Moreover, Parker makes sure to balance this strong character with compassion, paternal instincts, and humor. When it comes to Marines, because of the virtual absence thereof in Star Trek, we have to depend on the things we know about them now, and our imaginations to figure out how they could be in the future, However, when you have a writer like Hannibal Parker in your crew, who can mesh the two seamlessly and so dramatically, that it's difficult to believe they have evolved into anything but big-hearted bruisers who will do anything to keep his crewmates and charges safe, even to the point of putting his life at risk. When we think of a Marine, Hannibal Parker is what we think of. Big, rough, tough, and not afraid to charge into battle with just a phaser and no backup, he will get the job done and will do it with honor and pride. He approaches the position with one of realism and with a dedication to his craft that is the bar by which all other Marines should be judged. As his CO, I am ecstatically honored to present this truly talented writer, Lt. Commander Parker, with the Semper Fidelis Award." The Black Cross - Intelligence This award is given to a member of the Intelligence community that strives to accomplish the goals of Starfleet Intelligence, while simultaneously upholding the ideals and structure of Starfleet command. This person has the cunning to gather intelligence by means of deceptive dialogue or espionage, as opposed to force drawn confessions. While matters of intelligence are often game changers, this person strives to attain those goals within the boundaries of their Commanding Officer, and the regulations of Starfleet. Aitas, Starbase 118 Ops Presented by Sal Taybrim: "Lieutenant Aitas has done a fantastic job of looking at intel as an integrated department on StarBase 118 Ops, rather than a bunch of sneaky weirdos who spy on the crew. Starting as an Ensign in Intel she jumped right in with her department head to create intel as a member of a whole team of Ops departments; something she has carried on and expanded on as she moved into the chief of intel position. She makes the rest of the crew recognize how important having Intel on the team is, which makes our entire game feel more collaborative and more closely tied together. If this wasn't enough to make a fantastic intel officer, Aitas is also a complex and well developed character. From interactions with her wacky Betazoid family to forming bonds among the crew - including deep bonds of friendship and even romance. We've watch Aitas grow as a leader, a companion to her fellow crewmates and now as a mother. These details bring light and life to Aitas and make her a joy to sim with. I am very happy to present her with the Black Cross!" The Lwaxana Troi Medallion - Non-traditional roles This award is given to a member who takes a unique role outside of the normal StarFleet positions and creates a colorful and engaging character. Kendra Eberhart, Andaris Task Force Presented by Renos "Kendra Eberhart is a civilian reporter, which is an extremely difficult role to make work. You're not part of the main crew so it takes a great deal of creativity to find relevant ways to get involved in the plot. Through close collaboration with the ship's staff, we have found a blueprint for success. Kendra Eberhart is able to pick up news from around the region and broadcast it, enhancing that sense that we have this huge region, with a multitude of big and important things going on. In a recent plot involving a murder investigation, she has been reporting on the case. She also does IC interviews with PC characters, which are absolutely fantastic. It would be so easy to roll out the usual rote questions but the interviews are all as unique and interesting as the characters she's talking to and her work forms part of our monthly spotlight too! We are so grateful to Kendra for the skill and creativity that lets her play this role with such apparent ease as it has enhanced the experience of playing on Andaris Task Force for everyone." The Strange Medallion - First Officer Named after Commander Sally Strange, widely known as one of the most creative and dedicated First Officers in the fleet's early years, this award is given to those who perform above the call of duty in the position of First Officer. Theo Whittaker, Starbase 118 Ops Presented by Sal Taybrim "Theo Whittaker came to Ops as a wide-eyed Lieutenant in the engineering department who was offered a chance to shine as executive officer. And oh boy, did he shine. For the last 18 months Theo has been a mainstay on StarBase 118 Ops, growing and learning command and leadership skills while being one of the best writers among his peers. In game Theo leads away teams without hesitation, he suggests and runs plotlines with enthusiasm and reaches out to every character on the manifest forming strong friendships and bonds. Theo Whittaker is a character with realistic strengths and weaknesses - one of the things I love most about him is how his command style is distinct from his CO and the other leaders on the Ops team, showing a good depth of characterization and personality. Out of game Theo has been a master of helping Ops run smoothly. He reaches out to every player with praise and touch bases, as well as keeping track of all LoAs. He's done a fantastic job leading his own missions and mediating any issues that arise quickly and diplomatically. And as a character Theo is a lot of fun. We've watched him stumble into a romantic relationship (after stumbling out of the pubs with a pile of companions while lamenting a romantic loss!), grapple with the emotions following an attack on the station and the death of a longtime nemesis and fiercely defend his fellow crew from Orion pirates. Theo has it all - great characterization, great game leadership and great out of game leadership. I am so thrilled to present Theo with the Strange Medallion!" CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!

In closing this year’s awards ceremony we’d like to thank the people who made this possible and make one final, special presentation. Our thanks and appreciation goes out to: Awards facilitator Rear Admiral Renos, who is facilitating the awards ceremony for the second year running. The Awards Committee, comprised or Rear Admirals Renos and Toni Turner, Captain John Nugra, Commanders Blair and Whittaker, who voted on the Duty Post and Special Awards. The Auxiliary Awards committee, comprised of Alucard Vess, Saveron, Brayden Jorey, and Kelrod, who volunteered to help pull materials together to help prepare the announcements. The commanding officers of the fleet, who put in a lot of time and effort to review the nominations for their ships and ensure that the right people are selected for awards. The first officers of the fleet, for voting on the staff awards to provide recommendations to the EC about who they should choose to receive each award, for determining the recipient of general awards where their CO was nominated, and writing awards presentations where needed. All of you who submit wonderful, heartfelt nominations each year! Finally, while we're all rockin' them feels for all the awesome fun and friendship we've got going on here for a crack-a-lackin' 23 years the awards facilitator, Rear Admiral Renos, would like to give a special shout out to the community's founder Fleet Admiral Wolf. As founder he has been here longer than anyone else, invested an incalculable amount of time, effort and even his own finances to make this community thrive. We have stood the test of time and are considered one of the greatest giants in the simming community because of our professionalism, because of the level of thought and detail that's gone into every single aspect of this community. On a personal level, Jordan has been there for me many times when I needed help or support, whether it was something small like losing some login details (again), something personally significant, like coming out as Transgender, or getting to grips with a new facilitator role. He has an open door policy and has helped a great many people with a great many things. No matter how busy he is, he has always made time for the members of this fleet. I can't stress how much that means to me. On behalf of the entire community, I wish to present this small token of our appreciation to Jordan, aka Flt Admiral Wolf for all the many amazing things he has done. For being there for us all this time and being an exemplary leader. Thank you! The full awards ceremony is now available, in full, on the wiki. Again, Please join us in congratulating all the winners on their hard work this year. And many thanks to everyone who submitted the nominations that led to these presentations!

Welcome to Day 2 of our yearly awards ceremony! Today we start with our Staff Awards, reserved for those who have achieved the rank of commander or higher. These awards recognize the hard work of those who command ships and help administer our community. They do the behind-the-scenes work required to keep the engine of our community running, and smoothly at that! They help foster the fun simming environment we all enjoy. Just like with last year's selection, the first officers of the fleet were empaneled to vote on the nominations for each staff award, providing recommendations to the EC about who should receive each award. We're delighted to say that all their recommendations were accepted this year without modification! We now present this year's Staff Awards, and encourage you to add your thanks to these and all of our staff members – as well as your congratulations – in the thread below. 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. Roshanara Rahman, USS Veritas Presented by Renos: "Rich is one of the most committed and hardworking members of our community. He has been a pillar of the community for many years and his contributions and achievements throughout the last year have been no less impressive. On the EC and CC, Rich is unafraid to stand up for what he believes in and always contributes to discussions in a thoughtful and fair manner. His insight is invaluable and his technical know-how, with regard to the admin side of the forums and wiki, has been of considerable help time and again. He is one of our Academy's Deputy Commandants, and is someone who has done a great deal of heavy lifting OOC wise not just in the last year but beyond. It's clear, in everything that Rich does, that he cares deeply about this community and its betterment. One of his great strengths is that he has consistently shown he has the stamina and energy to be one of our most active staff members, that's why I'm so proud to present him with this award. Congratulations and well done, my friend! Keep being awesome." The Picard Award The highest honor given to those officers of Admiral rank. Recipients of the Picard Award must show an unfailing devotion to the club, as well as work continually on ways to better the atmosphere of simming in our community. Renos, Andaris Task Force Presented by Tristan Wolf: "This will be the ninth time, in our history of 21 ceremonies, where the Picard Award has been given to a member of our staff. As the description explains, it’s the highest honor given to those of Admiral rank. And those who have received it previously have shown unfailing dedication and loyalty to our community. They are people who have permanent places in our history. Renos (James) certainly fits that bill perfectly, having touched so many parts of our community, from Training to Publicity to the Captains and Executive Councils. James has facilitated this and the last Awards Ceremony, putting in hours of work to pull everything together – but that’s exactly what I’d expect from James, having seen him help lead simming community events on our behalf, showing that we are not just the best organized group in the web, but also the one with the biggest heart. James is always thinking about where our weak spots are so we can learn how to improve, and that’s exactly what it takes to earn the Picard Award: A sense of stewardship for our community that goes far beyond membership, and even beyond earning a seat on the Executive Council or the rank of Admiral. It’s about being committed to helping the community succeed – and thrive. My deepest thanks to James and my sincerest congratulations for earning this top honor." The James T. Kirk Cross Given to new Commanding Officers who show outstanding potential in the field of commanding. Roshanara Rahman, USS Veritas Presented Toni Turner: "It's difficult to believe that Roshanara Rahman was promoted to Captain less than one year ago, because he has done so much for our group. From founding and developing new fleetwide teams such as the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Featured Bio Competition, to the creation of countless templates to beautify our wiki. And those are just starters to his achievements. He's a friendly person, who always makes time for people of any rank, whether they're on his ship or not. He is fair, takes a balanced approach to problems and is a great source of support to all captains, which goes to show just how valuable he is across the board. He has created a unique achievements system, and website for his players to enjoy with functions that help them keep track of their sim rates and achievements. It's clear that he is passionate about not only his crew but the whole fleet and that's why he is so widely respected and admired around the entire fleet. Rich, it is my pleasure to present you The James T. Kirk Cross for all the effort you put into our group. Congratulations!" T'Pau Cluster of Distinction For long-term achievement in leading the Training Team. Renos, Andaris Task Force Presented by Quinn Reynolds: "The T'Pau Cluster of Distinction is presented to those who have a long history of achievement in leading the training team. This team is both complex to administer and incredibly important to our group, ensuring not only that new members are welcomed and introduced to our simming style, but also helping to train the next generation of leaders and commanding officers. James (Rear Admiral Renos), our winner this year, has always held the academy to close to his heart. His passion for making the training program the best it can be is clearly evident in his dedication in his role as Commandant; ensuring classes run smoothly, offering feedback to our trainers to help them improve; constantly seeking better ways of doing things; and of course, pitching in himself when the trainers are shorthanded! I have had the great pleasure of working with him for some time now as both a Cadet Steward and Deputy Commandant of the Academy, and his enthusiasm is contagious, elevating the rest of the volunteer team. The academy is fortunate to have such a dedicated and enthusiastic leader, and I look forward to seeing where James will take the team in the future. Thank you so much for all your hard work and continued passion!" The Sarek Star Given to a command officer who shows great diplomatic ability in working with members and staff. Toni Turner, Duronis II Embassy Presented by Quinn Reynolds: "The Sarek Star is presented to a command officer who shows great diplomatic ability in working with members and staff. As you can imagine, that's not always the easiest of tasks in an online community, where words can so easily lose their intended context when you cannot see or hear the person speaking them. Communicating effectively in this kind of environment doesn't always come easily, and the winner of this award is a person who can consistently and skillfully do so. The nominations for Ann (Rear Admiral Toni Turner), were multiple and glowing, each speaking of highly of her skill at navigating difficult situations within and without her ship. Her ability to keep a clear head, and act in a fair and impartial manner while mediating issues close to her heart were often spoken of by those who have worked alongside her. Having been privileged to serve with Toni on the Captains and Executive Councils, I can wholeheartedly agree with their assessments! She is a welcome presence in any debate, delivering her considered insights with tact and care. Congratulations, Toni!" Christopher Pike Pendant Awarded to commanding officers who command their ship with honor and dedication, and help to provide an creative atmosphere which fosters outstanding simming. Sal Taybrim, 118 Ops Presented by Toni Turner: "A lot can be said for Sal Taybrim, because Jamie, his writer, does everything that's expected and much more. Jamie has made Sal an astounding captain and person, who's more than "just a member". She's dedicated to Starbase 118 Ops with unbelievable fire. One could say she loves it just by reading and watching. And anyone who knows her knows she does love it. Anyone who writes with her can see the effort and commitment put into each sim, into each character, articulating them into a living, breathing, person that pops right off the pages. Jamie is a shining example for everyone. It's the fire that she possesses that steers her station and crew, even her staff. She answers every question no matter how small, and is willing to push everyone to achieve all that they can be, by asking them what it is they want, making things special and personable. And beyond that she even sends our birthday wishes for every crew member, making them feel special and unique, and pivotal to the station and to the fleet. For your outstanding leadership, I am very pleased to award you The Christopher Pike Pendant! Congratulations, Sal!" Chief’s Citation Starfleet history is much more liable to recognize the triumphs of its notable officers, and while non commissioned and enlisted personnel occasionally receive recognition, the NCO backbone of a starship is likely to go unremarked upon. So that our integral support staff don't similarly slip through the cracks, the Chief's Citation recognizes those essential staff members whose determined work has benefited the group, IC and/or OOC, even while their primary service was not as the commanding officer of a starship or other simming installation. Brell, Andaris Task Force Presented by Renos: "As a staff member, Lee – who plays Brell – is enthusiastic, eager to learn and willing to help out wherever he can. He takes an active role in helping to develop mission plans, and facilitate the plot, is a kind, friendly mentor who is always on-hand with some reassurance for nervous mentees. He's active on our OOC and staff lists, the forums (where he was co-facilitator of the Poll of the Week for a significant time) and is a regular attendee of ship and fleet chats. He helps to keep our wiki pages up to date and has been known to create bios for new players as well as adding them to the relevant pages. He was our mission archivist for several months, where he took the notes needed to do the write up and added links to sims and pictures to create an impressive record of our adventures. Other fleetwide activities include being a member of the publicity team and training team, where he is a deputy commandant and volunteers to participate in classes. He was also a member of The (Image) Collective for approximately a year and contributed towards a LGBT primer that was created by FltCapt. Manno I believe some time ago. All of this he does without compromising the quality of his work. Truly, Brell is a powerhouse, and I genuinely believe there is no candidate more hard working or more deserving than him, which is why I am so proud and excited to present him with this award. Congratulations!" Kathryn Janeway Award For retired Commanding Officers who have made a great impact on their crew and left an indelible legacy on our community history. Zalea Solzano Presented by Roshanara Rahman: "Zaela Solzano's writer Tony like myself has had a number of player characters over the years, and many in the fleet best remember him as the writer for Lily Ventu and Aron Kells. Behind the different names and characters has been the same warm, caring, and thoughtful man. I first began simming with Tony in 2012, and through the years that we wrote together on the Mercury and later Garuda and Invicta, I saw firsthand the genuine support he was always giving to those he worked and wrote with. Most of all, I saw his kindness and his effective command style based on nurturing an open and positive atmosphere among his ship's staff and crew. Beyond his ship, Tony's contributions to the fleet at large included facilitating the writing challenges, serving as cadet steward and promotions coordinator, and participating in other creative endeavors such as the Federation News Service's presidential election. On both the Captains and Executive Councils, he brought both his love for the group and that same thoughtfulness to every discussion. Yet ultimately his greatest contribution and legacy to our community is the generation of players among his crew and the greater fleet that he helped train and counsel through his leadership and friendship. Congratulations, captain! It's been an honor." Please join us in congratulating these members of the staff!

Part 2 of Day 2 is our General Awards list. The General (Ship) Awards have already been presented by each captain to their crew directly. This is your chance to see how each of the other ships did and see who picked up what award. The winners this year, as in previous years, were chosen by the fleet's commanding officers (or in cases where the commanding officer was also nominated, the first officer was called in to decide) from the nominations made by you! The Order of Starfleet Merit and Achievement First Class (TOSMA) The Order of Starfleet Merit and Achievement First Class is given to members who show great dedication in their behavior and simming abilities. A candidate for TOSMA regularly contributes good, solid ideas to the plot and character development. They also take the time to edit and proofread their sims to ensure quality in their writing. Randal Shayne, Andaris Task Force Michelle Tonston, USS Athena Choi Ji-ju, USS Constitution Rode Mitchell, Embassy of Duronis II Jocelyn Marshall, USS Gorkon Mirra Ezo, Starbase 118 Ops Evan Delano, USS Veritas The Genesis Award The Most Improved Simmer Award. For officers who show conspicuous effort in improving their simming skills. Isabel Pond, Andaris Task Force Prudence Blackwell, USS Constitution Hunter Stelin, Embassy of Duronis II Arturo Maxwell, Starbase 118 Ops Femi Cattan, USS Za Scotty Cross Given to an officer who shows extreme creativity while solving a plot dilemma or in-character plot twist. Kurt Logan, Andaris Task Force Lan Riel, USS Athena Irina Pavlova, Embassy of Duronis II Tatash, Starbase 118 Ops Luna Walker, USS Veritas Femi Cattan, USS Za Neelix Award For extra, out-of-character simming devotion. This includes, but isn't limited to, helping fellow officers who are in need of simming aid, visibility on the forums, OOC list presence, upkeep of wiki pages, etc. Jarred Thoran, Andaris Task Force Michelle Tonston, USS Athena Solaris McLaren, USS Constitution T'Mihn, Embassy of Duronis II Aitas, Starbase 118 Ops Alexander Williams, USS Za Nebula Bar Awarded to a simmer who has shown great imagination when creating or expanding upon planets, stars, stellar phenomena, and other physical environments and settings, such that these settings create a convincing, descriptive, realistic environment that inspires other simmers or enhances the flow of a given plot. Kendra Eberhart, Andaris Task Force Jalana Rajel, USS Constitution Brayden Jorey, Embassy of Duronis II Evan Delano, USS Veritas Laudean Commendation Awarded for achievements in exploration with new lifeforms. The recipient will have shown great creativity in many facets of species creation or expansion, including physiological, psychological, cultural, social, and more, and their creativity will inspire their fellow simmers. The Laudean Commendation can cover many aspects of species development, but should primarily be based in IC simming. Brell, Andaris Task Force Selene Faranfey, USS Athena Jerome Milsap, USS Constitution Brayden Jorey, Embassy of Duronis II Alexander Williams, USS Za Silver Palm Awarded to a simmer who has consistently boosted the morale of his/her crew. The recipient will be known to be able to add that spark to a plot whenever it may be lagging, or may be able to consistently bring enjoyment or a bit of humour to the sim, whilst keeping such sims relevant and realistic. Anath G'Renn, Andaris Task Force Jerome Milsap, USS Constitution Connan MacMorna, USS Gorkon Mirra Ezo, Starbase 118 Ops Luna Walker, USS Veritas Femi Cattan, USS Za Sheathed Sword Presented to those to decide to inflict mental and/or physical trauma on their character, and then dive into the resulting emotions and choices in a realistic manner. The name comes from a line in a Robert Jordan book where a warrior must be prepared to 'sheath the sword' in his own body, i.e. take a grievous wound to achieve one's goal (in this case, more realistic simming) as opposed to an actual goal of the character. Brell, Andaris Task Force Nugra, USS Athena T'Reshik, USS Constitution Toni Turner, Embassy of Duronis II Ishani Kasun, Starbase 118 Ops B-Plot Award For those simmers who manage to show a good portion of the character's life despite the demands of the main plot. Isabel Pond, Andaris Task Force Frank Hawkins, USS Athena T'Reshik, USS Constitution Savan, Embassy of Duronis II Quinn Reynolds, USS Gorkon Trel'lis, Starbase 118 Ops Raissa Moonsong, USS Veritas Keelah Rhani, USS Za 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. Randal Shayne, Andaris Task Force Choi Ji-hu, USS Constitution Oddas Aria, Embassy of Duronis II Quinn Reynolds, USS Gorkon Taelon, Starbase 118 Ops Mei'konda, USS Veritas Pathfinder Award Given to those who have shown great care in the mentoring of fellow members. Merrick R'Ven, Andaris Task Force Sal Taybrim (playing 2PC Shar'wyn Foster), USS Constitution Oddas Aria, Embassy of Duronis II Theo Whittaker, Starbase 118 Ops Kelrod, USS Veritas Khan Award Awarded to a simmer who thoughtfully develops a three-dimensional villain over the course of a mission or more. Merrick R'Ven, Andaris Task Force Tyr Waltas, Embassy of Duronis II Rustyy Hael, Starbase 118 Ops Q Award Awarded for continually surprising their crew with unexpected, devious plot twists throughout the year. Graeme Cook, Andaris Task Force Hannibal Parker, Embassy of Duronis II Antero Flynn Starbase 118 Ops Elena Sands, USS Veritas Ruwon, USS Za Please join us in congratulating these talented players!

Get into your awards outfit! Here are the directions: Be sure to check into your ship's red carpet fashion report, once you're done! Red Carpet Fashion Report: Andaris Athena Constitution Embassy Gorkon Ops Veritas Za

We now begin our most joyous tradition: Recognizing our fellow members for all the hard work they've put in over the course of the year, now only in writing their characters – although we have two sets of awards especially for recognizing achievements on that front (General Awards and Duty Post Awards) – but also for helping us build an intentional, heart-filled, international community. If this is your first ceremony: Welcome! We hope you'll join us for many more following. If you're an old pro at this: Thanks for sticking with us all these years. Your commitment, dedication, and creativity makes this game worth playing, and makes this community the amazing place it is. Our group was founded in 1994, but we've been holding awards ceremonies since 1996. For many years, it was an In Character presentation of just about a dozen awards, and we'd have the entire cast of characters travel to one place to watch as we presented awards. Over the years, as we added more Out Of Character items, we transitioned entirely to an OOC ceremony, to ensure that the reason someone was being awarded was not obfuscated by trying to make their award sound like something In Character. And last year, we moved our ceremony from December to June, to coincide with our yearly anniversary, making this month a celebration of our history and our members. Over the next few days we'll present to the fleet the winners in five categories of awards: General: Honoring the members who’ve won this year’s General, or ship-based awards Staff: Honoring the work of our fleet’s staff members Duty Post: Honoring the best simmer from each duty post Special: Honoring specific aspects of simming or OOC work Length of Service: Honoring members who have been with us for a year, all the way up to 10 years and more We'll post each of these in a thread here on the forums with an announcement on our Community News, so be sure to come back each day for these presentations! Now I'd like to introduce you to our reigning Awards Facilitator, who for the second year in a row has put together an amazing ceremony: Rear Admiral Renos! The job of the Awards Facilitator is one that involves an incredible amount of work, from helping to pull together an Awards Committee (which reviews all the Duty Post, and Special nominees and selects the winners), to compiling all of the nominations and making sure they get to the right people, and then helping to manage all of the materials and assets required to make this ceremony a success! It's hard to imagine just how much copying, pasting, and collating is involved until you've got the mantle on your shoulders Once again, Renos (OOC: James) has been utterly tireless, managing all the things required to get this show off the ground. I can't think him enough for all of his hard work! Now I hope you've all donned your fanciest outfits! It's time to get started!

The nomination period for our 2017 Awards Ceremony is now open! You can start your nominations here: https://www.starbase118.net/members/personnel/forms/award-nomination-panel/ Have questions about how the nominations or ceremony work? Feel free to ask below!