Why Every Community Should Have Its Own Geek Awards

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

I recently had the pleasure of attending the Second Annual Philly Geek Awards. It was an amazing experience, but far better recaps than anything I can do are already available (like here and here, so I’ll keep this to around 500 words.

Warning: May contain italics and optimism.

There were over two FIVE(! …sorry Eric!) hundred people there, representing geekdom of all types. There were scientists, foodies, comic book artists, filmmakers, comedians, web designers, indie game and app developers, and many more. The sheer diversity of geekery going on Philadelphia is amazing. But the gathering, and the award ceremony in particular, have become much more than the sum of their parts.

Last year, the first annual Philly Geek Awards proved to the City and its geeks that the Age of Geek is here to stay in Philadelphia. Geek may be the new cool when it comes to pop culture, but there is no shortage of 100% pure geek street-cred in Philly. It’s not a fashion trend (although Philly geeks clean up very well, myself included). It’s also not a boys’ club (Spoiler alert: Ms. Hightower won 2012 Geek of the Year!).

The first ceremony cemented the presence and importance of this city’s geek community.

It was refreshing.

This year, the second annual Geek Awards proved that Philly’s geeks are not satisfied merely to be recognized. They are building, connecting, and developing communities, online and off, all over Philadelphia and at an unprecedented pace. This time, it was more than refreshing:

It was inspiring.

That’s because what I saw, and what I could feel in the air, was a sense not only of like-mindedness when it comes to community and innovation, but an even stronger sense that we can, and should, work together for a better city.

I realize that by the end of that last sentence, I started to sound like a politician. Maybe that’s okay: with any luck, some of the Geek Awards attendees, or their friends, or their spouses, or their children, will become a politician, or work for one. If anyone can overcome the absurdity of politics, it’s a Philly geek.

Then there are the companies, the publications, the government partnerships, the music records, the software, and more that will come from the massive, wonderful brains of Philly’s geeks.

Enough about the future. What about today?

Every city needs such a perfect way to unite, reward, and inspire its geeks. Only recently has Philly’s true geekery started to find its way into government (a beat covered masterfully by Technically Philly). There are undoubtedly geeks across America making rage faces at their city’s website or longing to meet other geeks. Geek Awards are the answer.

The Philly Geek Awards are about what Philly’s geeks, of all types, are doing today to improve their communities, their city, and their world. It’s about people, coming together and making stuff, at art collectives, coworking spaces, and universities all over Philly, right now.

There’s nothing more inspiring than that.

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