Each year since 2003, I’ve held public voting for my annual awards, and this year is no exception.  This year, vote for awards in 11 categories.  There are fewer categories this year due in part to my laziness and in part to my lack of remembering enough about the year!

The year’s highest honor is the Award for Outstanding Achievements in the Field of Excellence (yes, taken from an early episode of The Simpsons).  The nominees are Lauren, Walsh, Jason, Sarah, and Nick.  These were the five most prominent friends of the year.  I don’t want anyone to think I’m ranking them ahead of those up for Outstanding Friend in a Supporting Role or Outstanding Cameo Appearances by a Friend!  They were simply the ones I spent the most time with and saw the most in 2008.  Well, with the obvious exception of Lauren who I do like best and am marrying in 2009.

There are 13 people up for Outstanding Friend in a Supporting Role, and 11 up for the Cameo Appearances award.  For these awards, I did not include co-workers or family members.  As usual, they have their own awards.  I hope no one important was forgotten, but I’m sure there were a few.

Some intriguing storylines in this year’s awards include Peyton Krogman’s stranglehold on Extended Family Member of the Year, which she has won five straight times.  Can little sister Emmy or newborn Hudson pull an upset?  Or could darkhorse Stuart Bell figure into the mix?

Another interesting subplot will be the award for Most Attractive Person, recently dominated by Jesse Cooney. Cooney disappointingly has stopped exclusively wearing dress clothes and ties in public settings—could this have an effect on a possible repeat?  

Well, we’ll see how everything plays itself out this year.  Vote now, and recruit your friends to vote!