Greetings Fellow
FORVM Members,
Before I address the abovementioned issue, I need to stress the following: To everyone reading this, especially past winners of an Annual Award For Historical Studies/Classical Studies/Medieval Studies: Our addressing of this issue is in no way a repudiation of the
honor of Award(s) previously won. All past contests were sufficiently engaged and hard-fought. Winners of such Awards will always stand in respect equal to their peers across the years and to the respective levels in the
Numismatic Excellence category.
We on the
Comitia Curiata have discussed it in the past weeks. Since it affects the very character of the Awards as laid down in the public discussion during the Northern Summer of 2004, our body has voted to let you, the
FORVM membership, decide its
fate.
Now to the issue itself. It has to do with the problem of falling turnout in the Annual Historical Studies Awards. Here is the data:
| . NE . | . CS . | . MS . | . HS . |
| 2004 . | . 40 . | . 31 . | | |
| 2005 . | . 60 . | . 36 . | | |
| 2006 . | . 74 . | . 22 . | . 19 . | |
| 2007 . | . 91 . | | | . 21 . |
NE =
Numismatic Excellence (2004- )
CS =
Classical Studies (2004-2006)
MS =
Medieval Studies' target='_blank'>Medieval Studies (2006)
HS = Historical Studies (2007- ) (CS and MS names remain on logos depending on who wins and Recipients appear on either the CS or MS Recipient Lists)
To summarize: The
Medieval Studies' target='_blank'>Medieval Studies category was introduced in 2006 as we took the medieval-themed sites out of
Classical Studies. Falling turnout between the two caused their recombining into the Annual Historical Studies category in 2007. However,
Standard Awards granted for
Classical Studies and
Medieval Studies' target='_blank'>Medieval Studies throughout the year remain separate and retain said names.
The question before you is whether to eliminate the Historical Studies category in future Annual Award contests. The replacement is to be nothing. This only applies to the
ANNUAL Awards,
Standard Awards for
Classical Studies and
Medieval Studies' target='_blank'>Medieval Studies will
still be conferred. If the vote is "Yes", then a second poll will be held asking if you want the affected websites to poll with
Numismatic Excellence in a singular category.
The reason the
Standard Studies Awards are not on the table is because the viewings of the
Classical Studies Recipient List enjoyed an early four-figure boost ahead of
Numismatic Excellence and continues to lead it by over 900 views, actually up from about 600 recently. For a time, it was even in the top ten of most-viewed topics. The
Numismatic Excellence Recipient List has never been there. If the
FORVM membership isn't consulting the
Classical Studies List, many people on the outside are. Therefore, there is
still great interest in these
Standard Awards, which may even be bringing a few more people into our collecting community.
As for the Annual Historical Studies Awards though, any further drop in turnout will move it from sustainable to unsustainable. With fewer participants, the spreads in the nomination and vote totals will narrow and won't lead to definitive results. For example, at one point near the end of the 2007 Historical Studies poll we
had two 1st place holders, two 2nd placers, and three 3rd placers. One vote then rendered it down to 1-1-2. Another vote or two then drove it back up to 1 Gold, 1 Silver, and 3 Bronzes by poll's end. One or two voters less in future polls would most likely result in a messy outcome like that 2-2-3. Less turnout can't be afforded, yet that looks to be the future for this category as you can see in the abovementioned data.
This problem has been developing for awhile.
Classical Studies did well in 2004 and 2005. Turnout was high enough that the fields of finalists were narrowed sufficiently and Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards were given singularly. 2006 was a nomination disaster and it saw a
sharp drop in turnout. All 16 sites nominated, out of 17 candidates, made it to the finals because of low turnout. Eight is the target number. Luckily, we skated by with just enough nominations in 2007 for Historical Studies where this scenario didn't repeat itself and we wound up with nine finalists. However, three Bronzes were awarded in 2007, up from two for
Classical Studies in 2006. It was hoped that reunifying the relevant candidates into one Studies category would boost turnout and the chance for definitive results, but that has not been the case.
Currently, Rule 11d provides the relevant Award(s) to all finalists that tie respectively in the top three tiers. Two sites in just one tier are OK, three push the boundary in our opinion but are OK too. However, how would that 2-2-3 scenario as described above look to the public? One could say let's have a runoff but how long would it take to sort out that mess? The sun could very well
cross the equator on its journey
north before a series of polls would determine singular winners. How many people would continue to vote in poll after poll? Low turnout in the beginning would end with virtually us in Committee deciding. These are your Awards, not ours. We do not feel the affected Awards can retain their prestige under such circumstances.
If the Annual Historical Studies Awards
face such a future, one so drawn out or so free in Award distribution, few if any will see them as an
honor to bestow or receive. Gold, Silver and Bronze will not mean who came in 1st, 2nd and 3rd but will instead represent whoever got nominated. That will mean multiple winners at each level, which will be a mockery of the whole system. The Recipients themselves will likely not feel honored to be a
part of such a contest and will not display the Logos. They may even request removal from the Recipient Lists, feeling them to be some sort of parody. This animosity might even carry over into the Annual
Numismatic Excellence category and the
Standard Awards.
So, we in Committee present the question to you. Do you want to eliminate the Historical Studies category from future Annual Award contests? You'll have the opportunity later to decide if the affected websites will poll with the
Numismatic Excellence candidates should the answer to this poll be "Yes".
This poll will be open for two weeks.
Thank you,
The 4th
Forum Website Awards Nomination Committee
Poll
Author
Topic: The Future of the Annual Historical Studies Awards (Read 2282 times)
