VEMF organizers collecting their M Award for favourite festival at last year's awards

Credit: Darshan Stevens

The 2010 M Awards Ballot

It's time once again to honour the fine folks in Victoria's creative community. Whether it's music, film, visual art, theatre, dance, or literature, our annual M Awards strive to acknowledge the hard work and talent that goes in to making Mile Zero a vibrant, artsy city.

Paper ballots can be found in our January 28, February 4 and February 11 issues of Monday Magazine, or in the link below. Voting closes at 5 p.m. Friday, February 19. Paper ballots can be dropped off at our office at 818 Broughton Street. All qualifying voters will be entered in a fabulous prize draw, and the awards will be presented at a gala event on Tuesday, March 30, at the Victoria Event Centre—this year hosted by Mike Delamont. Watch for the winners to be announced in our April 1 issue. (No fooling!) 

So vote early...but don't vote often, 'cuz duplicate ballots get disqualified.

2010 Official Ballot for the 8th annual M Awards

And the Winner for "Hardest Working Luncheon-Meat Mime" is . . .
Some important (and not-so-important) questions about the M Awards

• Who votes in the M Awards?
You do.

• Why should I?
Well, it's a nice way to be supportive of the local arts scene, regardless of discipline (Monday's M Awards are the only truly interdisciplinary arts awards in Victoria). And they're a whole lot of fun. 

• Why are they called the M Awards?
Come on, you're kidding . . . right? 

• Why do some categories change from year to year?
Some categories just don't apply some years—like the arts scene itself, the kind of arts events that happen shift wildly—and sometimes new categories are added to reflect the increase in a specific area of work (site-specific plays have been on the rise the past couple of years, for example, so we thought that deserved its own category). Other times, the number of people or groups in one specific area is extremely limited—how many playwrights are there in Victoria, and how many of them actually had new works that were seen locally in 2009?—so we might drop that category.

• I've won the same category for the past few years, but that category isn't on the ballot this year. What's up?
Could be you fall into the above argument, but we also have the "Biggest Big Winner" category where we put the top-voters from previous years and let them battle it out. That way, it gives other people or groups a chance to win in the individual categories, and forces the big-ticket groups to face off against each other in one big-ass showdown. (We had thought about having a last-man-standing Twister showdown live at the event, but figured the chiropractic bill would be enormous.)

• Why aren't all of last year's winners on this year's list?
That's just our way of shaking things up a bit and putting the spotlight on different people each year. Really, how much fun would it be if the same 10 people won year after year?

• What if I don't agree with the choices on the ballot?
That's why there's a write-in space for each category. Just write in your own choice—even yourself.

• But doesn't the ballot favour those who are nominated by name?
Sure, but that doesn't mean they'll win. Every year, there's at least one person or group who wins based on the number of people who write in for them.

• Isn't that cheating?
Not at all. Many people or groups in town have powerful fan-based voting blocks—the Cheesecakes, Asmira, Atomic Vaudeville, UVic—and that's perfectly legal. It's only cheating if you make up names, stuff ballots and pretend that you're a hundred different people.  

• Who comes up with the names on the ballot?
We do. In some cases, we ask various people in town for input; in other cases, people make suggestions to us. But in all cases, it's based on who appears in our pages (including stories and calendar listings). Remember, it's pretty hard to be nominated if we don't know you've done something.

• Doesn't that just make all the nominees Monday favourites?
We honestly try not to play favourites. Some people or groups seem to get more exposure because they're incredibly busy—but there are others on this list that we've never written about, but felt their level of community involvement/performance output deserved a nomination.

• Does this mean those on the nominee list are the "best" in town?
Not at all. Sometimes they've just been exceptionally busy. Ultimately, the decision comes down to you, the reader (and voter).

• Why do you use "favourite" instead of "best"?
Because "best" is such a loaded word. Who can say who's really the best in any given category? "Favourite" seems more honest and much more in the spirit of the event.

• Who gets an invitation to the actual awards night on March 30 at the Victoria Event Centre?
Anyone who makes the short list.

• Isn't this the short list?
No, this is the long list. The short list is everyone who makes it into the top three in each category, based on number of votes both online and on paper. The short list then gets published in Monday's March 18 and 25 issues. We just don't have the space to invite everybody on the long list.

• How do I know if I've been officially nominated?
We notify the official nominees directly when we send them an invitation for the event. And if you're concerned we don't have your contact info, just send an e-mail to editorial@mondaymag.com.

• Can't I just e-mail you who I think should be nominated?
No, that won't count. You have to actually fill out a ballot, either online or in the paper.

• Do I have to fill in every category?
We'd prefer it if you filled in as many as possible, but it's up to you how many people you vote for or nominate yourself. But if you want to enter the prize draw, you do need to vote in at least 15 categories.

• Why don't you have a category that's specific to my art form?
Because you're the only person in town doing full-contact improv mime work based on decorative luncheon meat. And honestly, there's only so much room on the ballot, so that's why we have the "Person or group most deserving of an M Award" category.

• Why can't I vote for the really great play or concert or art show I just went to last week?
Because it didn't happen in 2009. All performances or works must have happened during 2009.

• Why can't I nominate Celine Dion?
Does she live here? Did she perform here last year? No . . . so why do people continue to nominate her every year? Sigh. 

• What's the award going to look like this year?
Well, we can't tell you that but we can tell you it won't be a big-ass beer bottle, which we did last year. And it won't be a wooden plaque featuring a dumb-ass guy in an usher's outfit. And it sure as hell won't be a sculpture that looks like a big pile of flaming cheese, like the first year. We were thinking decorative concrete, but that was scotched due to fears of the floor collapsing at the Event Centre.       

• I won in the past but never picked up my M Award. Where is it now?
Sitting in our editor's office, ready to for some ripe mocking at this year's M Awards. (Really. Last year we hauled out five that hadn't been picked up from previous years, only three of which were taken away by friends of the shame-faced winners.) And if you won a beer last year and didn't pick it up, sorry, we drank it.    

• How many people vote for the M Awards each year?
The first year? Dozens. After that? Hundreds. Now? Thousands. This year alone we had over 100 votes on the first day of balloting.

• What if I've got a good idea for a category or nominee for next year?
 Be sure to visit the comments page at the end of our online ballot, or just e-mail editorial@mondaymag.com.

• Isn't this basically just a small-town popularity contest?
Maybe, but what's wrong with that? Everyone loves to be loved.

• Monday sucks, so who gives a fuck?
Geez, do you kiss your mother with that mouth? We give a fuck, and so do all the hard-working people who put their collective asses on the line to create this city's vibrant arts scene. Show some respect and just tick a goddamn box, will ya?