SIG/CON: Awards

SIG/CON has presented awards on several occasions, and on at least one occasion has been given an award.

In 1984 a prize was awarded at SIG/CON. The record on criteria, awardee, and presenter is sketchy, but the recipient was heard to remark that SIG/CON was "the only SIG I belong to that is worth every penny I paid."

In 1985 (Las Vegas) SIG/CON presented a full slate of awards. Recipients received the Golden CONker, a 14 karat gold water chestnut (prone to meltdown under the hot lights of the MGM Grand Hotel). The record shows:

Early Hero Award, for those who made presentations at SIG/CON I: Jim Farrentine (for BALLOTS/OCLC cooperation) and Ben-Ami Lipetz (for Misconceptions about information transfer)
Shaggy Dog Award : Ben-Ami Lipetz (for Misconceptions about information transfer, 1975)
Graphics Award: Paul Addison (for the bar charts accompanying What who we are and what we've been doing says about end lusers, 1983)
Hot Air Award, for the best use of same: Ev Brenner, (for baloonean logic, 1983)
Least Humor Award: a 12-way tie
Major Contributor Award, for the most SIG/CON papers: David Batty
Best Preparation Award: Toni Carbo Bearman and her feather boa (for Information science - The oldest profession, 1980)
Clean Act Award, for no mention of sex. No candidates
Spinoff Award, for the best spinoff of SIG/CON: Pat Earnest, Sue Epstein, and Diane Mayo (for SIG/DEC, 1980)
Shortest Paper Award: Bill Matthews
Double Entendre Award: Ward Shaw (for How to avoid the birth of a network, 1980)

In 1989, the SIG/CON Ad Hoc Pro Tem De Gustibus Non Est Disputandum Cum Magnum Granum Salis Task Force developed criteria for a Reward of Demerit, and chose two honorees (each of whom received a handsome paper-veneer plaque and a certificate for one free drink with Dr. Puppybreath). The first Reward went to David Batty for his many contributions as speaker, panelist, presider, and Puppybreath substitute. The second Reward was given to Ev Brenner for setting the information science community back several decades with the introduction of baloonean logic and its subsequent refinements.

In 1994, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of SIG/CON, an anonymous benefactor submitted an activities report and SIG-of-the-Year self-nomination for SIG/CON. And so, in 1994, The SIG-of-the-Year Award Jury recognized SIG/CON with a Lifetime Achievement Award for years of contributions to its membership.

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