How to Fix Awards Shows
Pandemic has been a whirling teacup in all our lives,
flinging us wildly along a trajectory between terror and delight. It has been
horrible to be stuck at home, unable to attend conventions, and see our
compatriots in person. It has been wonderful to have so much access to
brilliant online events and have the chance to interact with members of the
community that have never before been able to attend those same conventions.
These conflicting gravities have also exposed the fissures in our systems for
granting awards and celebrating their recipients.
Many creative awards, from Hollywood to the halls of
academia, from Oscar to Hugo have suffered bobbles and missteps, discomforts,
and scandal over the past couple of years. Is it just pandemic and the world
dumpster fire causing these disruptions? Will we ‘get back to normal’ once this
is over? I don’t think we should, and I’ll use illustrations from my own world of
speculative fiction to state my case.
There is an old saying: Your invitation to dinner does me no
good if I arrive and you have not set a place for me at the table. The fact is,
we have been bumping along for years in the speculative fiction world, arguing
about who gets invited, who is honored, and what constitutes the canon. We have
been so busy arguing over who to invite, that we have paid no attention to the
place settings. From Hugos after-parties to controversies over what constitutes
a team, from arguments over the canon to missteps with pronunciation, we have
seen the fractures. And the awards
format itself reflects this battle.
The idea of granting a statue as a visual symbol of ‘Well
done!’ really came into its own during the gap between the two world wars. A
time when we enthusiastically uplifted the idea of the hero, when Joseph
Campbell was an eager young man and J.R.R. Tolkien had embarked on the endless
appendices that would become the backbone of worldbuilding in his renowned
series. This was a time where The Empire was still aspirational, and the white
male ruled supreme. A time where we told ourselves the fable of the ‘lone
artist’ and the ‘genius creator’. A time
when we refused (even grudgingly) to acknowledge, the often vast, amount of
uncredited collaboration that propped up the success of these geniuses. Awards
shows, were patterned in response and focused on the singular efforts of that
one (able-bodied) person. We did not want to see the wives and subordinates
behind the curtain.
The world changed. Awards format didn’t. Hollywood shunted
the art and science into a separate, less star-studded event. Most still
struggle with accommodations for the disabled. (Stairs, anyone?) The format
itself still has no idea of how to accommodate teams. These all share a design
defect of wanting to award a singular and (usually), male recipient, without acknowledging
or accommodating the helpers.
Full disclosure here: I am the Technical Lead for FIYAHCON,
the Hugo Nominated event. Though there has been some small grousing over
conventions being eligible for awards, I believe FIYAH is the exact embodiment of
the related works intent. The best work related to the field of science
fiction, fantasy, or fandom, published in the prior calendar year and which is
either non-fiction or noteworthy primarily for aspects other than the fictional
text.
For me, the key words are noteworthy primarily for aspects
other than the fictional text. And what is noteworthy about FIYAHCON is the
sheer commitment to inclusion and amplification of voices that do not fit the
typical ‘awards show’ profile. FIYAH doesn’t just extend invitations, they set
plates, and make sure that everyone is nourished. The FIYAH commitment to
inclusion extends to BONFIYAH (last year the FRINGE) that makes space for all
time-zones and had this Tech leader joyfully staying awake through my night to
hear panelists from India, Australia, Japan, and more exclaim with delight that
they were FINALLY able to contribute and participate in a big Speculative Con
without it being the middle of the night. It is a small thing when you come
down to it. But small things are powerful. FIYAH has a commitment to inclusion
that is more than just empty engraved invitations and we have already started
discussions for the after – every one begins with inclusion and extends
outwards from there. If we win the Hugo, our directors will speak for all of
us, but it is the team’s commitment to this ideal that will be the real winner
that night.
In a world where more of us are determined to give credit
where credit is due, to not only extend invitations but to set plates, our
concept of awards and the associated ceremonies need to change. If we want to
fix awards, we will need changes to our logistical thinking. As more creators
take time to acknowledge the folks that help us in our writing journey, we are
going to see more team listings, more shared credit, and more complications for
award show directors and producers. It is long past time we began to make
accommodations for simultaneous in-person and digital events. The technology
exists to easily allow a digital attendee to give a live speech and have it
projected on the ballroom or auditorium screen. If the ballroom seating is
limited, it would be simple to create an overflow viewing room where teams
could gather to share in the live announcement. And in fact, it is well in the
bounds of current technology that those teams in overflow could be called to a
video stage just as their designated acceptance person is called to the stage
in the main room. The video of the team could be beamed to the live audience,
and more importantly to the accepting nominee who would no longer have to feel
as if they’ve left their support behind at the most important juncture.
If we want to get off the competing gravities of the teacup
ride, we need to leave behind the thinking of either/or. We need to abandon the
paradigm of the lone creator. We need to embrace the new post-pandemic reality where
we refuse to give up the gains going digital gave us. Where we automatically
provide in-person AND digital access. Where we reimagine awards show formats
that are not solely focused on singular winners. Where we improve access and
create better events. It is time we not only send invitations but set a place
at the table for all.