Halo Fanon:Annual Halo Fanon Wikia Awards/2018

Welcome one and all to the Eleventh Annual Halo Fanon Wikia Awards for 2018. We are honoured by your attendance to this annual community awards ceremony and celebration, the eleventh, and as we hope every year, not the last of its kind. This project is coordinated by the Halo Fanon Wiki Administration, and we once again thank the Star Wars Fanon Wiki for donating the concept of this annual community ritual to us many years ago. We look forward to your participation in this community-wide celebration, and hope that you will all participate! Now, read the regulations, nominate your favourite articles, and vote!

Regulations

 * 1) Nominations at around 12:00 AM midnight UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) on December 1st, 2018 and voting begins at the same time on December 15th. It will conclude promptly at 12:00 AM midnight UTC on December 31st, 2018! Any exceptions to this are listed below. Final winners will be announced and receive their awards on January 1st, 2019!
 * 2) Voting Qualifications: Users eligible to nominate and vote must have been users for at least four weeks and have sixty or more mainspace edits in order to vote. Because of the style of this ceremony, sockpuppets and sock masters are not invited, and will be promptly banned from the Wiki and barred from future voting. Newer users who spam edits just to gain the required amount to participate will also be barred from voting.
 * 3) Nominations:
 * 4) You may only nominate articles for a category so long as it expressly fits the definition of each category . Nominations that are not eligible for a category will be deleted or moved to the appropriate category by the administration. You may request a clarification about the definition of any category from . You may not nominate an article for more than one category, with the exception of Best Canon Expansion and Best Concept. Articles that are not eligible for nomination will be removed without any notice if they are found to have "content issues" ("Unrealistic", "Non-Canon Friendly", etc.)
 * 5) You may nominate an unlimited number of articles written by any number of other authors for any number of categories. However, you are restricted to nominating only one of your articles for only one category for the whole ceremony . This is to promote professional sportsmanship. For categories pertaining to users ("Best Writer of the Year", "Breakthrough User of the Year"), you may not nominate yourself.
 * 6) "Recycled" articles will not be accepted into the nomination process. An article that has received minor or no edits for the duration of the year is not eligible for the event. Every article's edit history will be checked when nominated, and will remain valid for nomination only if it has received moderate to major changes/improvements throughout the year.
 * 7) You must nominate articles according to the proper format (listed below). Fill out all the fields when submitting a nomination, and post the completed nomination form underneath the category that you're nominating the article in question for.
 * 8) Perceived breaches of good conduct and professional sportsmanship will be prosecuted by the administration to maintain the dignity of this voting system.
 * 9) The author of an article reserves the right to withdraw his or her own article from a nomination at any time, with or without given reasons. However, if a user has nominated an article that is not their own, they may not withdraw it.
 * 10) Eligible categories are decided in advance by the administration. If you have a suggestion for the addition or removal of a category, please discuss it with one of the administrators.
 * 11) Winning articles of the previous annual awards be nominated only if it's been improved upon drastically after receiving a previous award, for a maximum of three awards in separate years. This applies only to the articles, not the authors of the articles, who may only win the Best Writer or Breakthrough User award once. This does not mean that the article can only win three awards; for example, if an article can be nominated for the Best Canon Expansion category, along with its own category, and wins in the top three awards of the year, and does so for three separate years, the article in question can theoretically win nine awards in total (this is, however, highly unlikely).
 * 12) You may always contest in a category even if you won an article in that same category before with a different article.
 * 13) Voting:
 * 14) Eligible users may vote for a maximum of two articles in a given category . You may vote for only one of your own articles for the entire ceremony, no matter how many articles you have in how many categories . You may not vote for yourself under a user category.
 * 15) Please sign your vote with a non-bubble text signature to verify your identity.
 * 16) You do not have to vote for an article you nominated.
 * 17) The process has two stages: nomination and voting. Users may nominate articles for the Annual Awards from December 1st, 2018 to December 15th, 2018, in order to fill out the categories with prospective AA winners. Then, from the 15th to the 30th, voting will take place across all categories.
 * 18) Winners of the Heroic, Legendary and Mythic Articles of the year will be decided between December 30th, 2018, and January 1st, 2019
 * 19) Any categories with ties by 12:00 AM UTC on December 30th, 2018 (24 hours before the end of the vote) will be remitted from public voting and will enter private administrative ballot to decide ties. The results of the ballot will be announced afterwards. All administrators with a registered email will have twenty-four hours to decide ties.
 * 20) Winning:
 * 21) The article for the most votes in a given category will be formally acknowledged as the winner for the category, and the article and its author will be commended by an official award granted by the administration approximately by January 1st, 2019 and the end of the ceremony. Category-winning articles will be eligible for winning the Heroic, Legendary or Mythic Article of the Year awards once voting is over.
 * 22) In the event of a tie, a tiebreaker will be performed, and the winner will be decided by private administrative ballot. The ballot's content will be disclosed at the end of the ceremony.
 * 23) If an article is the only nomination in its category and receives fewer than three votes, it will be combined with another similar category after the voting process to avoid "winning by default", and votes will be counted accordingly.
 * 24) Only one article may win each award in the placement category from 2018 onwards. In the event of a tie at this stage, a private ballot will be held by the Administration to determine the winner. This has been done due to several years of two or more articles winning a major award due to ties.
 * 25) Questions: Please address if you have any questions whatsoever.

Nomination Process
Please fill out the following form for any nominations and file underneath the appropriate category:

ARTICLENAME ()

 * Name: ARTICLENAME
 * Author:
 * Nominator:

Voting (NUMBEROFVOTES)
For the Best Canon Expansion of the Year category, the special application to be used is as such:

ARTICLENAME ()

 * Name: ARTICLENAME
 * Original Article:
 * Author:
 * Nominator:

Voting (NUMBEROFVOTES)
For the Best Writer or Breakthrough User of the Year category, the special application to be used is as such:


 * Name:
 * Nominator:

Characters

 * Best SPARTAN of the Year — Any character enrolled in any SPARTAN program.
 * Best UNSC Personnel of the Year — Any character associated with the UNSC Marine Corps/Navy/Army/Air Force or any of its subordinate commands. Does not include SPARTANs.
 * Best Sangheili Character of the Year — Any Sangheili character of any affiliation.
 * Best Third-Party Faction Character — Any non-Sangheili character who is affiliated with a non-UNSC organization; includes, but is not limited to: AI, Insurrectionists, organized criminals, Forerunners, Precursors, etc.

Technologies

 * Best Vehicle of the Year — Any classification of vehicle or individual vehicle capable of spaceflight, extra-atmospheric, or ground travel.
 * Best Technology of the Year — Any physical object or knowledge paradigm used to influence an individual's interaction with the environment, including, but not limited to, defensive systems, weapons, equipment, etc...

Societal

 * Best Event of the Year — Any event that occurs, including a military engagement (battle, campaign, or war) between any contenders for any length of time, or a non-military event.
 * Best Location of the Year — Anything involving planets, cities, space stations etc. If it's on a map, it can be nominated here.
 * Best Organization of the Year — Any organization, including, but not limited to, governments, militaries, military subdivisions, units, civilian corporations, etc...

Stories

 * Best Novel of the Year — Best long literary fiction. A nominated novel does not have to be completed but substantial progress should have been made. There is a general minimum length threshold for novels to be considered. Does not include roleplays.
 * Best Short Fiction of the Year — Best short literary fiction. Short fictions can be nominated in groups or collections. It is recommended that the nominated fiction is completed.

Users

 * Best Writer of the Year — For literary excellence in writing articles, fictions, roleplays, and/or productions.
 * Breakthrough User of the Year — For newfound outstanding participation and contribution on the wiki and friendly interaction with the community.

Miscellaneous

 * Best Concept of the Year — A sort of 'other' category for quality articles that do not fit into any other category or are not seen enough on the site to warrant their own section; species, games etc.
 * Best Canon Expansion of the Year — A well-written article based off a canon element or article that has strong connections to canon as well as the author's own creativity.
 * Best Collaboration of the Year — Any singular collaborative work, including but not limited to, roleplays, expanded universe, alternate universe, or other type of article written by two or more people that does not qualify for any of the above categories.

Placement

 * Heroic Article of the Year — The article with the third most number of votes in the "placement" stage.
 * Legendary Article of the Year — The article with the second most number of votes in the "placement" stage.
 * Mythic Article of the Year — The article with the most number of votes in the "placement" stage.

=Nominations and Voting=

Andra-D054 ()

 * Name: Andra-D054
 * Author:
 * Nominator:

Voting (7)

 * 1) I think I've brought up my reticence about the idea of a Delta Company post-343i just about every time they've come up for an AA or GA vote, but darn it all, I'd be better able to resent it if the authors involved didn't keep writing their characters so well. While Merlin-D032 has always seemed to me like Distant's flagship and has been both grown and revised as an article since nomination last year, it looks to me like Andra's article was the one to really come into its own in 2018. The difference in page-naming convention first struck me as odd, but I was pleased to find had specific intention behind it in reading through, and the character reaches out to make significant ties with other users' characters. Showing up in more than one Weekly post and RPs both on and off-site has also helped get the character out there and seen regularly, making her known to some degree by I should think most of the community. Those, in short, are I think what Spartan of the Year is there to recognize. That Damn Sniper 22:24, December 15, 2018 (UTC)
 * 2) While I agree with Sniper's concerns and issues about the Delta Company, I can't help but be completely impressed with what Distant has achieved with Andra (and Merlin!). I have had an extreme privilege to listen to, and occasionally collaborate with, Distant as he suggests ideas for the article as he tries to tie the awkward fitting Delta's into the wider Halo canon. Distant has done an excellent job, and I genuinely believe that Andra will go down as one of the site's finest written Spartans. Completely deserving. slowfuture   (Talk)  (Contribs) 23:15, December 15, 2018 (UTC)
 * 3) Instinct tells me that by sheer nature of article seniority, Merlin should be the Distant Spartan article netting this award. However, Andra's article has undergone a significant amount of polishing in recent months and definitely shines through as the better article. A great combination of character construction and page design makes this a shoo-in for this year's Best Spartan.
 * 4) The amount of reworks and improvements made to the article since it’s creation shows exactly how much effort was put into this article and why it’s worthy of this award. KOY-1150-5  - ( Talk ) - * KingOfYou115 throws a book at . 18:46, December 18, 2018 (UTC)
 * 5) I think, for this one, I can just say "See Above" for all the reasons this gets one of my votes. Timothy Emeigh 23:30, December 19, 2018 (EST)
 * 6) What Tim said. It's really amazing how with rewrites and additions Tide has made this character much more interesting than she already was. But hey, if the retcons cancelled out our previous crossover plans, who's to say we can't make new ones?
 * 7) Per above, a very well made Spartan article with a lot of work put into it this year -- LOMI   Speaketh  21:17, December 30, 2018 (UTC)

Merlin-D032 ()

 * Name: Merlin-D032
 * Author:
 * Nominator:

Voting (4)

 * 1) While I do really appreciate all the work put into Andra this year, I can't help but to also give a second vote to Merlin. Each Spartan in this category really deserves a vote, in my mind, receiving extensive edits through the year, and ending up with a significantly better page as an end result. However, alongside Andra, I feel like Merlin has seen this the most. Distant has really put in the work for his two Spartans this year, both on their pages and their characterization beyond. As such, they get my votes for this category, and I'm looking forward to see how they develop going forawrd. Timothy Emeigh 23:30, December 19, 2018 (EST)
 * 2) I've always felt more familiar with Merlin than Andra, owing to my frequent absences this year, but the fact that Merlin's had enough work to make him AA-worthy twice in a row is no small matter. Let's just hope the showers are fine.
 * 3) This was a hard, hard call. I love Andra, Merlin, and Amber to death as characters, and having to choose between the three is tough, but at least it was easy to rule out that one loser. In the end, I narrowed it down to Merlin and Andra as given their proximity to my stories they have just the slightest bit more impact on my end, then I shit you not I flipped a coin to decide which half of Massachusetts to vote for. In the end, Showerhead won. User:Spartan-D042 - Of monsters and men 17:24, December 25, 2018 (UTC)
 * 4) Merlin checks just about every box for that list of things that annoy me in a Spartan fan character (being part of a Program/Class aside from the ones we're all familiar with, going rogue, et cetera), but the confidence and quality with which he is written makes it hard to do anything but like him.

Amber-G330 ()

 * Name: Amber-G330
 * Author:
 * Nominator:

Voting (1)

 * 1) As always, a very solid Spartan, that feels human to read from start to finish, with a stronger concept of character than many of canon characters in the Halo universe.

Cody-B042 ()

 * Name: Cody-B042
 * Author:
 * Nominator:

Grono 'Yendam ()

 * Name: Grono 'Yendam
 * Author:
 * Nominator:

Voting (4)

 * 1) Since popping up early this year, this article in particular has been something UZ has been persistently working on bringing to a high level of quality, putting him up for GA almost as soon as it was eligible to gather feedback and securing FotM just a few months later. While I see ways in which it still can grow, everything on the page has been accomplished within this past year, and that makes it a pretty neat measure of UZ's development as a writer. That development is commendable (and coincidentally must mean we're still doing something right as a site if we contributed to that growth in some meaningful way). That Damn Sniper 00:03, December 16, 2018 (UTC)
 * 2) I'm honestly still new to this whole Annual Awards thing and seeing new users pop out of the wood-work with excellent articles is honestly inspiring to see and reaffirms my belief in this community to gather and foster literary talent in the Halo fanfiction community. Grono 'Yendam is an interesting character, experiencing many different moments that would have been the defining moment of a character's life and nothing more. Grono has been many things: a religious zealot, a patriot, a terrorist. He's gone from one place to another, seeking his purpose and making a little legend and a little metal on his way to the top. If anything that can be said about this character, it is that he is surprisingly loyal to the causes he joins up to their eventual end. And to think UZ hasn't veered very far from the initial concept he presented to us upon first arriving. Grono 'Yendam is a much appreciated and solid addition to the Halo Fanon dramatis personae. On another note, I have not had the oppurtunity to fully immerse myself into UZ's universe but what I see there are very cool ideas though I hope he may let them simmer a bit longer in the oven, I think some are a bit simplistic which will only develop and blossom into solid factions and events in the future. UZ and Grono's journey is one to watch and invest in. -
 * 3) I had no doubt about this nomination. I'll admit I had my concerns when a newcomer suddenly pumped 80k bytes or so into a page, but I'm happy to say UZ has not only gotten rid of those feelings of mine but also gained my respect for his talent. Good going man!
 * 4) Per the other users, nothing else that I can add that has already been said! Great Work UZ!--User_Andromeda_Vadum_ONI_Badge_v2.0.png A n d o m e d a V a d u m (Talk•Contribs) 23:53, December 29, 2018 (UTC)

Allison Spurgeon ()

 * Name: Allison Spurgeon
 * Author:
 * Nominator:

Voting (4)

 * 1) Although the article's biography isn't up to the point much of the intro strives to make, I love that part of this character's concept is to help explain why part of the Halo universe today is the way it is. When done this way, the character is almost a kind of canon expansion and make themselves a fixture in the universe to act based upon. LHF also makes callouts to some parts of the Halo-verse I would never have thought of, like Richard Sekibo and Jeromi's history of flirting with military discharge. What has been written so far, though, makes for an excellent account of the Human-Covenant War on the Naval side, both in battles and Spurgeon's upward climb through the ranks. I'll be keeping a closer eye on this article especially as LHF gets to Spurgeon's deeds going forward into the post-War era, as her continued support of weapons like the NOVA mean she's likely to develop an agenda all her own, and clear prospect has me excited. That Damn Sniper 01:48, December 16, 2018 (UTC)
 * 2) With this one, I'm going to have to agree with Sniper with my vote. While both articles in this category are well developed for just being created at this point, and have come far from being blank slates earlier in the year, I find myself agreeing with Sniper's points to a large degree. While I believe we haven't seen Spurgeon as much in stories and other such things outside of the article, the interesting concepts, connections to the lore, and choice of writing style LHF went with are enough to push past this downside and the articles overall shorter length and land it as my vote for this year. Regardless, I look forward to seeing both develop, and I believe they've got plenty of room to grow and perhaps see themselves back here again next year. Timothy Emeigh 23:30, December 19, 2018 (EST)
 * 3) Not much to say, other than I greatly enjoyed reading this character (though the other contenders were great as well) and can't wait to see more of her. Spurgeon did nothing wrong.User:Spartan-D042 - Of monsters and men 17:24, December 25, 2018 (UTC)
 * 4) A lovely, unique Naval character, of a sort we haven't seen in a while -- LOMI   Speaketh
 * 5) As per the other votes. Though the article has plenty of incomplete sections, the setup and unique aspects of this article win it my vote.

Blake Karmyn ()

 * Name: Blake Karmyn
 * Author:
 * Nominator:

Kyle Craig ()

 * Name: Kyle Craig
 * Author:
 * Nominator:

Voting (3)

 * 1) Even though it has some minor problems, I've seen Vadum work hard on Kyle Craig over this last year. I feel kinda weird nominating an article when I'm more or less a newer user, but I have to say that I've read Kyle Craig multiple times and haven't been disappointed. Whenever I think of a human in the crime area of things on Halo Fanon, Craig is always one of the first to come to mind, and after winning Fanon of the Month this year, I think Craig has a decent chance at top spot for third-party characters. A job well done, Vadum!
 * 2) Kyle Craig has spent portions of his life in different places under different aliases to accomplish his objectives, whether they be for the greater good or for evil. He uses his gifts to cruelly manipulate and corrupt others, often with no apparent end other than to cause suffering and destruction. While there is little info on what his original goal may be which seems to throw readers off, he wants to create crime that is infallible, leading to him becoming what he thinks himself as a criminal mastermind; although, to others that may not be the case. Most of this information still needs to be expanded on as well as his UNSC career that seems to be slowly tying the development up together, I have to agree with Tide that because of this lack of characterization that the development does seem to be rather all over the place. However, Craig is a prominent character in RP interactions, especially Jaeter's Protectors as well as a winner of FotM. While the page is still pretty rough around the edges I can't deny the work that I have put into this article this year.--User_Andromeda_Vadum_ONI_Badge_v2.0.png A n d o m e d a V a d u m (Talk•Contribs) 23:53, December 29, 2018 (UTC)
 * 3) While I won't deny that it seems to me I've heard more of Elena rather than Kyle this year (or more specifically, the last few months) on the Discord, it was a rather hard choice for me to pic among the two nominees. However, I feel that Kyle Craig deserves this award, owing to the massive amount of work Vadum has put into rewrites and other stuff crafting Kyle into a well-done and interesting character. I feel like the article could do with a bit more images to break the flow of continual text and increase their size a bit, but even as it stands now, I feel this character deserves more recognition.

Elena Zaytseva ()

 * Name: Elena Zaytseva
 * Author:
 * Nominator:

Voting (3)

 * 1) While not nearly as developed as its competitor and having less time to do so, Elena Zaytseva, mother to the renown Tim character Sasha "Robot" Zaytseva, I consider my pick for Best Third-Party Individual in 2018. It's a little bit rough around the edges with several incomplete sections and lacking the unique formatting of Sasha - however, it is the contents that really draw me in and how Tim conceptualized many of the events that came to define Elena's character. Unlike a lot of characters on Halo Fanon, the universe does not revolve around her, she's just a regular girl trying to make a place for herself in a turmolous galaxy. Her unique viewpoint as a fairly down-to-earth civilian and the tonal consistency of her character make me think she is the better choice this year. While I believe still that Kyle Craig definitely deserves his time to shine, I had to heavily consider my decision and found while the article is pretty with unique formatting, the inconsistency of the character in personality and story events are a turn-off, though an understandable consequence from Vadum's character being definitely prominently by RP interactions over novels from what I've been able to discern from Vadumverse. Kyle feels more like a mishmash of good ideas but not a single definable character which has me concluding that Elena has won over my vote this year. -
 * 2) I'm enjoying the trend of police characters cropping up on the site in recent years. It's a good middle ground between the typical action hero archetype and the more grounded and down to earth character we use less frequently on here. As Distant noted in his vote, this sets Elena apart and nets my vote.
 * 3) While I do certainly agree that plenty of work went into Kyle this year, I feel, having personal experience with how much work I put into Elena, that a lot of work went into her over the past few months, getting her from a position of non-existence to a position where I felt comfortable nominating her for AA over only about a third of the year. Considering the amount of effort going into both, I have to feel that Elena was more well done over what was made in that time frame, with the inconsistencies Tide pointed out in Kyle's article being the primary contributor to this decision. While this may be a little biased due to being the creator of the article, with self-votes being allowed, and Vadum self-voting for Kyle, I feel comfortable putting forward my vote for Elena. Timothy Emeigh 14:50, December 30, 2018 (EST)

()

 * Name:
 * Author:
 * Nominator:

Voting (1)

 * 1) Its great to read a starship with a UNSC starship with both rich technical details and equally rich technical history, and is a great example of LHF's writing going from strength to strength.

Transcendent Passage (,, and )

 * Name: Transcendent Passage
 * Author:, , and
 * Nominator:

Voting (5)

 * 1) I can scarcely break the surface with a voting comment of all the awesome concepts worked into this article, but perhaps best would be to start at the top with how unique the concept of a luxury liner as almost more of a Location than Ship article is. In the same vein as the Infinity, it provides a storytelling platform large enough to tell stories entirely aboard, yet mobile enough to go where a story's narrative demands—yet, putting it far above the Infinity in this regard is that it's a civilian setting instead of dedicated military, providing a space for all things illicit. The sheer amount of content gone into the page is a credit to its authors' joint dedication, and its resulted in a fantastic addition to the EUs it takes part in. Going to have to plot out a short story to take characters of mine there soon. That Damn Sniper 07:50, December 16, 2018 (UTC)
 * 2) Once again, I'm finding myself agreeing with Sniper. Just the concept of a Covenant cruiser made into a luxury liner is enough to grab my attention, and, while not immediately presenting itself as something that could fit well within the Halo universe, this collection of authors has managed to make it do just that. With things such as the clever easter egg about the "IRK Pub" blending in near seamlessly amongst the more serious aspects of the ship, they have managed to create an environment that could be explored from several different angles and I can't wait to see develop further. Timothy Emeigh 23:30, December 19, 2018 (EST)
 * 3) As per my nomination. Also loses points for not having the Covenant holiday posters I so specifically requested for. Looking at you as well, Echo.
 * 4) This one is a tough call that really comes down to the fact that I find Covenant ships more fun and interesting than human ones.
 * 5) Per the others, I like the idea of a space ship luxury cruiseliner and I cant wait to see what other events will unfold with the many factions onboard, maybe a titanic themed cliche?--User_Andromeda_Vadum_ONI_Badge_v2.0.png A n d o m e d a V a d u m (Talk•Contribs) 23:53, December 29, 2018 (UTC)

Interstellar Nuclear Kill Vehicle ()

 * Name: Interstellar Nuclear Kill Vehicle
 * Author:
 * Nominator:

Voting (5)

 * 1) For anyone unfamiliar with the concept, I'm pretty sure the last quote on the page about "a NOVA strapped to a slipspace drive" just about sums it up. Makes a lot of sense, practical in an Occam's razor kind of way. But the expansion Distant's able to go into about its intricacies and the history of its creators and their handling of the weapon is what really makes for an interesting read, and I'm glad it makes the two known instances of NOVAs going off in canon significant to its history. And, despite the above quote, I like that it's taken seriously to the degree of linking to the effects of a nuclear explosion on the human body and includes Oppenheimer's quote about the first nuclear detonation. On a galactic scale, this functions very similar to the ICBMs and nuclear weapons of today, and deserves some gravitas when considered using; going so far as to never have had one fired, this article seems to accomplish that to me. That Damn Sniper 08:21, December 16, 2018 (UTC)
 * 2) Distant managed to make something that could easily be dismissed on another page as simply "A NOVA on a slipspace capable missile" into a full page without feeling stretched. While this article is in position to win by default at the time of this vote being written, I feel it could easily contend even if it had been a much more crowded category. Timothy Emeigh 23:30, December 19, 2018 (EST)
 * 3) You know, the fact that Tide managed to make a thing as simple as a NOVA Missile work so well with precise execution itself deserves my vote. Or anyone else's, on that matter.
 * 4) When in doubt INKV it out. As the others have said, Tide's ability to take something as straightforward as a ICBM on crack and make it into something so interesting is uncanny, and well deserving of the award.User:Spartan-D042 - Of monsters and men 17:24, December 25, 2018 (UTC)
 * 5) As per the others. It's a simple concept, but one greatly elaborated on (and oft-mentioned by Tide during the year as a solution for just about any in-universe problem). A not-so-elegant weapon for a less than civilised age.

Tiamat Hostilities ()

 * Name: Tiamat Hostilities
 * Authors:
 * Nominator:

Jaeter (, and )

 * Name: Jaeter
 * Authors:, and
 * Nominator:

Voting (6)

 * 1) A lovely collaborative planet article put together by a group of users that's been built up and expanded on by those taking part in the Jaeter RP and beyond, going into just about every aspect of the world and how it functions as a colony. It's really nice to see quality pages made as a community nowadays, especially considering its humble beginnings late last year.
 * 2) Should update that Writer template, as otherwise one'd miss it seems to have been a good year for Location articles by Reluctant.Shard. Though I like to see people try out their own formatting styles sometimes, such as with Barrow's multiple infoboxes and lack of an intro (though maybe that's just under construction), I think the style typically used on our site has become typical because it's what's more appealing. I don't have to be reminded of hyperlink arrows with Jaeter because it uses the Halopedia template. And beyond style conventions, Jaeter's become a central point of inter-user collaboration through both its article and its use as a locale for ongoing RPs. While it lacks facets like wildlife, which Reluctant shows an interest in with Barrow as what he can do when he goes it alone, here I feel it helps not to distract from the other parts of the article which have the specific purpose of setting up an agreed-upon setting for those involved with it. Well done all around. That Damn Sniper 03:00, December 23, 2018 (UTC)
 * 3) An article for a long on-going Halo RP that I myself have been part of doing its start and then on and off during the last few months. With so much going on in the RP the page might be a bit outdated compared to the present situation on the planet. I would love, as an old participant of the RP attached to the article, to see an updated history section on what has happened as it must an incredible story that just needs to be written down. Revan180193 (talk) 20:44, December 29, 2018 (UTC)
 * 4) One of the more prominent RP's i've been apart of Jaeter Protectors features the militia known as the Jaeter Defense Force and its struggles to keep the planet Jaeter safe from domestic and intergalactic threats. While I have not been able to keep up with the events due to real life things taking over, I feel that this is by far the most fun RP I have been apart of and continue to be apart of. The community is welcoming and friendly, with a nice gaming balance that doesn't tend to be overpowering at all. I do hope that the admins continue this RP for many years to come, growing their community and bringing in more amazing storylines in the future.--User_Andromeda_Vadum_ONI_Badge_v2.0.png A n d o m e d a V a d u m (Talk•Contribs) 23:53, December 29, 2018 (UTC)
 * 5) As the author of Jaeter, I am yes voting for my article xD. I must say since 2017, Jaeter has improved a lot and hopefully I could go back to editing it again soon. I am so happy that my planet has gotten this far and accepted by the community here. User:Marv242 December 29, 2018 11:38 EST
 * 6) I think it's a good sign when I get tired of hearing about a place, and for a collaboration like this to become an earworm commonplace name among the community abets the fun, well-written article itself.

Barrow ()

 * Name: Barrow
 * Author:
 * Nominator:

Voting (3)

 * 1) While both planets are similar in terms of what is included, I'm going to have to give Barrow the edge over Jaeter. While I do feel that Jaeter having a long running RP set on it is a point in it's favor, the inclusion of things such as Barrow's wildlife and the standalone article about it's defense forces push it over the edge considering the similar quality of the base pages themselves. Overall, it just feels like a more developed world, and I really have to give credit to Reluctant.Shard for what he's done with the world over 2018, especially considering it was started with half the year already in the past. Timothy Emeigh 23:30, December 19, 2018 (EST)
 * 2) As stated already, both planets in this category share a lot of the same merits! But, I will put my money where my mouth is and stand by my nomination. Much like most of us have personal projects and articles we continue to work on, it's clear Barrow is one such project. While, compared to the other article it lacks a wider story element, on the merits of being an article about the *place* it either equals or edges out it's competition for it's thoroughness. Maps are a clear labor of love, and the extended and exhaustive data on the planet's government, population center, natural resources, and wildlife stand out among other examples of "planet building" I've been able to see. Overall, there's a lot of effort that has been put into small things, and this enhances the article as a whole. I look forward, in the coming year, to seeing how either continues to add to or adjust their article, because it already is a valuable reasource to look to for those who wish to emulate it! Best of luck! Kobold Lich 12:15, December 26, 2018 (CST)
 * 3) I always enjoy planet articles, and this one has a nice unique flare I don't often to see, earning my vote -- LOMI   Speaketh  21:23, December 30, 2018 (UTC)

Republic of Levosia ()

 * Name: Republic of Levosia
 * Author:
 * Nominator:

Voting (2)

 * 1) Beside a missed extra "=" before one of the section titles, I can find very little wrong with this article. Minuteman, perhaps to be expected with an insurrection focused article, has managed to impress me with how developed this page has gotten in 2018 alone and just how connected it is to the rest of his universe. Much like DistantTide's INKV, I feel that this article could stand its ground even in a much more crowded category. As such, it gets my vote. Timothy Emeigh 23:30, December 19, 2018 (EST)
 * 2) While it'd almost be worth the vote just for the use of "Deoonskiefication" alone, Minuteman's diligently expanded out the history of an oft-brutal, but at least understandable if unsympathetic, faction attempting to govern a planet abandoned by the UEG as distant strategic needs for the war against the Covenant demanded. A young and vulnerable state acts in self-interest and lashes out when blacklists and resistance follows. While I take issue with its images where you can see modern military insignias, I like that it touches on both other users' creations and invites input from the other seceding colonies Minuteman's developed to help it join a collection which I can't help but see becoming a greater faction some day. That Damn Sniper 02:39, December 30, 2018 (UTC)
 * 3) As per my previous FOTM nomination, another well-crafted faction article from HF's resident Innie generalissimo.

The Silent Garden ()

 * Name::The Silent Garden
 * Author:
 * Nominator:

Voting (6)

 * 1) In spite of all my griping about 'Forerunner space magic' over the years, I think that Tide has done a superb job in exploring and bringing together fragments of Forerunner lore into one of the most interesting articles of the year.
 * 2) Still not quite sure I understand this page fully, but I feel that's more a testament to Tide's grasp of the, as Brodie called it, 'Forerunner space magic' than anything else. From what I do understand, it's a well developed article, and deserve this vote. Timothy Emeigh 23:30, December 19, 2018 (EST)
 * 3) A reason I've never gone much into dealing with Forerunner technology is how incessantly vague it remains in the eternal cycle of "find tech/destroy it to deny enemy" Halo wallows in, but Distant does a wonderful job of giving specific purposes to throwaways like "neural physics" and uses to the Domain for storytelling in the up-to-date Halo era. A collective unconscious realm to justify storytelling devices as old as time like prophecy and dreams that have some bearing on reality? And bothers to call out and explain the Cortana/Gravemind moments in 3? Absolutely awesome. That Damn Sniper 04:53, December 20, 2018 (UTC)
 * 4) Still think my plagiarisation of the page for April Fools was superior, change my mind.
 * 5) I'll be honest I don't really enjoy Forerunner stuff, but this was a damn cool read, even if it leaves me kinda confused.User:Spartan-D042 - Of monsters and men 17:24, December 25, 2018 (UTC)
 * 6) Technobabble it may be, but fun technobabble it definitely is -- LOMI   Speaketh  21:23, December 30, 2018 (UTC)

SPARTAN-II Program, Class II ()

 * Name: SPARTAN-II Program, Class II
 * Original Article:
 * Author:
 * Nominator:

Voting (3)

 * 1) It's a yes from me. Class II gang represent.User:Spartan-D042 - Of monsters and men 17:24, December 25, 2018 (UTC)
 * 2) After a year without a Spartan class expansion showing up, I'm glad to see this one in particular show up in the Canon Expansion instead of Organization category; though it accomplishes for Class-IIs what others have done before for prior classes, S-D379 has taken advantage of the opportunity Class-IIs offer for how little we've known about them to this point. Beyond knowing of their existence through Yasmine and Nicole, next to nothing has been written about them, and the author has used that to form the conventions and specifics of the class around the needs of the users who've contributed members. We might be running out of groups to do this kind of organization with... I shudder to think of anyone taking on S-II Class I. That Damn Sniper 08:32, December 29, 2018 (UTC)
 * 3) Basically everything that was said above. Timothy Emeigh 20:40, December 29, 2018 (EST)

RP:Imperium ()

 * Name: RP:Imperium
 * Author:
 * Nominator:

Voting (8)

 * 1) While not finished, what we have once again highlights Brodie's place as one of the creative driving forces on the wiki who will drag others through big community projects through sheer grit and determination to never leave a project unfinished. Another example of the indelible mark Brodie has left on this community. slowfuture  (Talk)  (Contribs) 20:03, December 22, 2018 (UTC)
 * 2) Despite my pretty long hiatus and not even being part of this RP, the amount of dedication I've seen on discord is absolutely impressive, judging on how much I've heard of it this year alone. So this sure as hell has my vote.
 * 3) In an age of abandoned RPs and invitations to Discord servers, a site-based collaboration comes along every so often that sticks. And honestly, despite how exciting an IRC RP can be, I'm glad a site-based one can still exist once in a while that has a record of its events left for others to read through, if they desire. At more than a third larger than the site's longest mainspace pages and only starting to wrap its first act, this story's looking at setting entirely new records for content created here. That Damn Sniper 10:00, December 24, 2018 (UTC)
 * 4) It's rare that in collaborations like this I take the time to read every single post, but this has been a wonderful exception. Speaking of which I need to write a post of my own soon.User:Spartan-D042 - Of monsters and men 17:24, December 25, 2018 (UTC)
 * 5) Honestly, this is probably the biggest site collaboration I've ever seen during my year here, and I have to say that this is awesome in the way that it brings so many unique users together to write one story. It's definitely secured my vote!
 * 6) Nothing much else to say! Per the others!--User_Andromeda_Vadum_ONI_Badge_v2.0.png A n d o m e d a V a d u m (Talk•Contribs) 23:53, December 29, 2018 (UTC)
 * 7) As per above. Timothy Emeigh 20:40, December 29, 2018 (EST)
 * 8) Here comes my usual yearly complain about how I never seem to find my way into the site-wide popular RPs, blah blah. But with Imperium, I feel Brodie has set a new record with this ambitious RP, bringing back the glory to site RPs. Hopefully I can sneak my way into this RP next year somehow, assuming Brodie will let me (how bold, I know).

Halo: Oversight ()

 * Name: Halo: Oversight
 * Author:
 * Nominator:

Voting (2)

 * 1) Brodie does it again folks, what can I say? I loved the characters, the resolving of plot threads, and the introduction of another Beta Company S-III to the site is always welcome, especially one as well written as Violet. User:Spartan-D042 - Of monsters and men 17:24, December 25, 2018 (UTC)
 * 2) Brodie always crafts wonderful tales, and this one is no exception. -- LOMI   Speaketh  21:27, December 30, 2018 (UTC)

Halo: From Ashes ()

 * Name: Halo: From Ashes
 * Author:
 * Nominator:

Voting (1)

 * 1) This year's novel nominations are both excellent for very different reasons. Brodie has written a very gripping and engaging espionage novel, and Matt has written something equally gripping but decidedly understated. Matt's story, for me, takes the vote over Brodie's because it almost seems allegorical for Matt's own return to this site. Things are different, the site is different, but Matt has returned and written an excellent story; Matt has no rust on his writing - if anything, it's improved as he has gotten older. Both deserve to win, but Matt's edges just ahead for me. slowfuture  (Talk)  (Contribs) 20:01, December 22, 2018 (UTC)

His Own Hand ()

 * Name: His Own Hand
 * Author:
 * Nominator:

Halo: The Final Visit ()

 * Name: Halo: The Final Visit
 * Author:
 * Nominator:

Voting (3)

 * 1) Maybe it's just me, but I love anything that's related to the Missing Wall. It's a beautiful and thoughtful concept, and I love how Slow has written this short story. This also kinda satisfies me since I was kinda sad that back in the 2016 AAs, the story Looking for The Missing Wall didn't win its nomination, but this piece being longer and deeper gets my preference among the two.
 * 2) In addition to being a proper short story rather than a prompt response, The Final Visit does a great job incorporating a unique fan concept into the personal development of Slow's characters.
 * 3) As someone who helped proofread this story earlier on, I think it's developed nicely over time and is definitely my favourite short story this year.

Stand ()

 * Name: Stand
 * Author:
 * Nominator:


 * Name:
 * Nominator:

Voting (7)

 * 1) Since his arrival on our site not too long ago, Distant has quickly proven himself as a talented writer whose work is always a pleasure to read. He's put a ton of work into writing (and in many cases re-writing) his articles to constantly improve their quality and his efforts to participate in various collaborations with other users has not gone unnoticed. I can think of no one else more deserving of the award this year.
 * 2) I'm certainly not knocking previous winners of the award, but Distant is perhaps the most deserving nominee in recent years. The quality of his articles, his involvement with the community, and downright pleasant outlook make him a pleasure to work with and to have in the community.
 * 3) Distant is arguably the biggest reason for my uptick in activity both onsite and the Discord. He has kept me constantly engaged by his interesting ideas and quality writing. This extends to his interactions with everyone else in the community. There are few users who have not collaborated with him or brainstormed ideas with at the very least. A very active and integral part of the new community that has sprung up on this old site. Very deserving. slowfuture  (Talk)  (Contribs) 18:19, December 18, 2018 (UTC)
 * 4) Just like I said last year: was there any question? Tide has been a wonderful addition to our community ever since he joined, and the fact that currently, two of the nominations for Best SPARTAN this year are his own works is less to justify this. Neither is scoring a spot on the HF Site Patrol within a year of joining. He's been a friendly presence on the Irk as well, and an overall good guy. Absolutely deserving.
 * 5) This year Distant has demonstrated again and again his strength as a writer, and his strength as a SP. He, and his works, are a great addition to the wiki.
 * 6) He's earned it, and we all know it. Tide not only churns out quality content, he does so on everything from your typical Spartan article, to something as obscure as folks making random slipspace jumps to find new routes but he also is a consistent source of quality feedback for anyone in to community. Creative, honest, constructive, and a damn fine writer. I couldn't think of anyone more deserving of this.User:Spartan-D042 - Of monsters and men 17:24, December 25, 2018 (UTC)
 * 7) Tide has helped a lot of people while he was an SP. I'm one of those people. Tide has welcomed a lot of new users and tried to help them, and he will only continue to do so. He has my vote.


 * Name:
 * Nominator:

Voting (3)

 * 1) One of our newer users, UnggoyZealot has really settled into the community nicely this year and has already put together a nice assortment of articles. While there's always room for improvement, UZ has shown a lot of enthusiasm in taking feedback and in cooperating with others on our site, which is always great to see. Here's hoping that we see even greater things next year!
 * 2) Even if the AAs had been conducted a few months prior, my vote would still be for UZ. That shows how well he has integrated within this community, collaborating with others, supervising RPs and whatnot. UZ might the most surprising nomination in this category in the past few years comparatively for me, but that's a supportive feeling and nothing else. I can only surmise UZ will become a bigger user in the following years, showing more improvement and writing interesting fanon for us to read and enjoy.
 * 3) UnggoyZealot has done a really good job this year! He has won a few awards, the most notable being Grono 'Yendam who is about to win this years AA's! He is a fantastic contributor and collaborator to the site and I only hope that he continues his success into next year! Well done UZ you got my vote for this one!--User_Andromeda_Vadum_ONI_Badge_v2.0.png A n d o m e d a V a d u m (Talk•Contribs) 23:53, December 29, 2018 (UTC)


 * Name:
 * Nominator:

Voting (2)

 * 1) While both contestants here are downright great new writers, I'm throwing my vote to LowBudget. It was a close call, but his ability to write out an S-IV I was genuinely interested in is remarkable. Both writers show a lot of promise and I can't wait to see what they do.User:Spartan-D042 - Of monsters and men 17:24, December 25, 2018 (UTC)
 * 2) As D042 said, both of these two are great writers, and I'll throw my vote to Low for his great efforts this year -- LOMI   Speaketh  21:29, December 30, 2018 (UTC)