The Diana Jones Award has gone to Irish gamer charity auctions. I am posting from my phone, which sucks. More later.
[EDIT: Official press release below]
Diana Jones Award press release follows:
IRISH GAMERS’ GENEROSITY WINS GAMING AWARD
Sixth annual Diana Jones Award ‘For Excellence in Gaming’ goes to charity fundraisers
9th August 2006, Indianapolis:
The Diana Jones Award for Excellence in Gaming for 2006 has been won by Irish Game Convention Charity Auctions.
The winner was announced at a ceremony packed with games industry professionals, from designers to publishers and distributors, held at Jillian’s on South Meridian Street in Indianapolis on the evening of Wednesday 9th August, the day before the opening of Gen Con Indy.
A single auction at an Irish games convention can raise over US$40,000 for local charities. This extraordinary spirit of generosity has benefits beyond simply helping those in need: it works to publicise the gaming hobby and gamers generally to a much wider audience, informing them about the hobby and changing their preconceptions for the better. This is one reason why Ireland, a country with no native hobby-games industry and only a handful of games shops, has such a vibrant and exciting games scene.
These charity auctions are an excellent example of the positive effects that gaming can create. In a hobby that depends on community to survive and grow, they benefit both the community of gamers and the wider community beyond, and they deserve to be celebrated and emulated more widely. This is why, in the opinion of the Diana Jones committee, Irish Games Convention Charity Auctions are the worthy winner of this year’s award.
Sadly no representatives of the Irish games-convention scene were present to receive the award in person. Instead the Diana Jones Trophy was accepted on their behalf by Malcolm Craig (Contested Ground Studios) and Gregor Hutton (Boxninja), both regulars at Irish conventions, who will take it to Ireland later this year.
Also nominated this year were the Gamechef game-design competition, the CCG Magic the Gathering 9th Edition, the card-game/ARG Perplex City, the RPG Spycraft 2nd Edition and the boardgame Twilight Struggle.
The Diana Jones Award is given annually to whatever in the opinion of its mostly-anonymous committee shows or exemplifies gaming at its best. Anyone and anything within the games industry and hobby is eligible to win the Diana Jones Award, including individuals, products, publications, publishers, distributors, retailers, clubs, organisations, conventions, events, trends, innovations and concepts.
Previous winners include Peter Adkison and Jordan Weisman, the RPGs Nobilis, Sorcerer and My Life with Master, and the boardgame Ticket to Ride.
Contact: James Wallis (james@erstwhile.demon.co.uk)
More information on the award: www.dianajonesaward.org