A couple of years back, 2016 to be precise, I was nominated and shortlisted for the C Hub Magazine CA Awards, ‘Young Achiever of the Year‘ category. Excited much! I was fresh out of university and this was also my first award nomination outside university. However, there was something about the award I did not quite like…it was based on voting…(sad face!). You mean, I have to campaign for votes to determine whether I deserved to be awarded…is this based on merit or popularity?
To be honest, I kind of lost interest in winning the award. My excitement dwindled! Because, first of all, I do not like asking people for favours (I am not sure if it is a good or bad trait – but that is me). Secondly, I feel it is awkward to be nudging people going about with their lives, sending them links and what have you to vote for you….what if they do not want to or genuinely forget to do so…meaning the award goes to the person who is able to successfully convince their friends, loved ones, social media followers among others to vote for them…So the question is did they really deserve the award because they won it by getting the highest number of votes? I honestly do not think so!
However few days later, my face brightened when I checked my email. The award was no longer based on voting but a carefully selected panel of judges will decide on the winners in all the categories..GREAT! Alas, I do not have to bother anyone with ‘Dont forget to use this link to vote for me, deadline is so and so date..Thank God. I regained my excitement to attend the awards ceremony and to my utmost surprise, I WON! Yes!! I had not even prepared a speech because I did not think I was going to win (in all honesty). I was up against some equally amazing and high achieving young women.
After the ceremony, I pondered on the question ‘Would I have won if the awards were based on public votes?’ There is only one correct answer. NO!
I believe that any award scheme based on public votes rids the most deserving person on being awarded. This reminds me of the recently ended Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA) held in Lagos, Nigeria. In the ‘Best Actress in a Drama’ (Movie/TV Series) category, there were controversies surrounding the winner, ‘Osas Ighodaro‘ for her role in ‘Man of God‘ (streaming on Netflix) which I felt was not really all that to be nominated in the category. She was up against the likes of Ini Edo, Bimbo Ademoye and the AMAZING Nse Ikpe-Etim. In all honesty, I wish Nse won because not only is she a fantastic actress (You should watch The Visit, Journey to Self, the classic Mr and Mrs) but she also delivered in the movie she was nominated for in the category (with ‘Shanty Town‘ – streaming on Netflix) and I thought she deserved to win had it not been that the winner was determined by public votes so the person with the most fans (who voted for them) wins.
Similarly, people had some reservations about the winner for the ‘Best Actor in a Drama’ (Movie/TV Series). Former Big Brother Naija (BBN) Reality Show participant, Tobi Bakre won in this very tough category (with ‘Brotherhood‘ – streaming on Prime Video) with established and amazing actors such as the legendary Chidi Mokeme who did an amazing job in ‘Shanty Town‘ portraying ‘Scar‘, Blossom Chukwujekwu, another fantastic actor who also delivered in ‘The Trade‘ (on Prime Video if you have not seen it), Daniel Etim Effiong (a personal favourite) among others. I have watched ‘Brotherhood‘ and for a new face in the industry, Tobi did very well! So getting a nomination was not much of a surprise. Concerning winning, they all stood a chance but the question is who has most fans or can gather votes? In that category, it was Tobi. Being a BBN alumni means you have a very solid fan base (those fans don’t joke) and also Tobi took this award personal. If you check his socials, the proof is eminent; he even released a rap freestyle asking his fans to vote for him…a creative being creative! Was I surprised Tobi won? NO! Did he deserve it. YES! However, if it was not based on public votes, I am sure Blossom or Chidi may have won! (NO CAP).
After all is said and done, there are different award schemes with their rules..some based on public votes, others partly by public votes and partly by a panel deciding and others purely based on a panel deciding. It is what it is but then, what is your take? Do you think awards should be based on public votes 100% or not? For me, I am against public voting based awards…..because they are sometimes not a true reflection of who is deserving. But hey, even if awards were not based on purely public votes, there will still be comments like ‘He didn’t deserve it, she didn’t deserve it‘ among others so I guess we can’t escape the controversies surrounding award schemes after all. I believe award schemes and controversies go hand in hand….
See you soon with another one. Take care and Stay Blessed.
Love,
Gertrude.
Gertrude says...... 