# Ursa Major Awards voting ends April 18; "Jack" withdrawn



## PeterCat (Apr 13, 2010)

Voting for the Ursa Major Awards for the Best Anthropomorphic Art and Literature first published during 2009 ends on April 18.

Anyone may vote, and you are encouraged to ask your friends to vote also -- please help spread the word! Visit the Ursa Major Awards web site at http://ursamajorawards.org/voting2009/ to sign up to vote. The list of nominees may be seen at http://ursamajorawards.org/nominations.htm .

There are five nominees in each of the ten categories, except where there was a tie for fifth place, or fewer than five eligible nominees. To be eligible, a work must have been released during the calendar year 2009; must include a non-human being given human attributes (anthropomorphic), which can be mental and/or physical (for example the intelligent dogs in _Up_ for the former, and _The Fantastic Mr. Fox_ for the latter); and must receive more than one nomination.

On April 9, David Hopkins, the author of "Jack," contacted the Ursa Major Award administrators to request that "Jack" be withdrawn from consideration for the award in the category of Best Graphic Story. For technical reasons it must still appear on the ballot, but as the online voting system allows people to revise their choices at any time until the close of voting, those who have voted for "Jack" have the opportunity to select another nominee if they wish.

More formally known as the Annual Anthropomorphic Literature and Arts Awards, the Ursa Major Awards are presented annually for excellence in the furry arts. They are intended as Anthropomorphic (a.k.a. Furry) Fandom's equivalent of the Hugo Awards presented by the World Science Fiction Society, mystery fandom's Anthony Awards, horror fandom's Bram Stoker Awards, and so forth.

The Ursa Major Awards are administered by the Anthropomorphic Literature and Arts Association (ALAA), a membership organization dedicated to promoting anthropomorphic literature and arts. Discussions are ongoing to improve their effectiveness and expand their presence throughout furry fandom. All suggestions are invited via the Ursa Major Awards web site at http://ursamajorawards.org.


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## Ames (Apr 14, 2010)

Aww why'd he withdraw Jack?

It was a decent webcomic with a well above-average storyline, even if it got maybe a little cheesy at times.

Anyhow, Lackadaisy is winning. period.


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## Riptor (Apr 14, 2010)

JamesB said:


> Anyhow, Lackadaisy is winning. period.



As damn well it should be. Looks like furries are finally getting a little bit of taste with their webcomics. Took long enough.


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## PeterCat (Apr 14, 2010)

We weren't sure if Mr. Hopkins wanted us to publish his private e-mail to us, so we figured it's better for him to give details of his reasons if he wishes. He did tell us it was an honor to be nominated, and that his decision does not reflect any ill feelings toward the Ursa Major Awards.


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## Ames (Apr 14, 2010)

Riptor said:


> As damn well it should be. Looks like furries are finally getting a little bit of taste with their webcomics. Took long enough.



But isn't the author of Lackadaisy not even a furry? :|


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## Irreverent (Apr 15, 2010)

PeterCat said:


> We weren't sure if Mr. Hopkins wanted us to publish his private e-mail to us, so we figured it's better for him to give details of his reasons if he wishes. He did tell us it was an honor to be nominated, and that his decision does not reflect any ill feelings toward the Ursa Major Awards.



While Driprat is a regular contributor on the FA main site, I don't believe he has a FAF account.  Pity.


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## Smelge (Apr 15, 2010)

JamesB said:


> But isn't the author of Lackadaisy not even a furry? :|



Sorry? This matters how?


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## Ames (Apr 15, 2010)

Voidrunners said:


> Sorry? This matters how?



The theory that it's impossible for furries to make an amazing webcomic still stands.


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## Nepmen (Apr 16, 2010)

I never got halfway through Jack. Mediocre.


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## Irreverent (Apr 16, 2010)

Nepmen said:


> I never got halfway through Jack. Mediocre.



That's about where it started to pick up.


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## Ames (Apr 17, 2010)

Nepmen said:


> I never got halfway through Jack. Mediocre.



Stay with it.  It gets a LOT better.


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## Ilayas (Apr 17, 2010)

I'm a fan of Jack but not so much so that I think everyone should like it.  If he got 1/2 way through and thought it was "Mediocre" he's not going to like the other 1/2 well enough to follow it regularly.  I'll agree it does get better but not THAT much better.


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## Foxstar (Apr 27, 2010)

Softpaw even getting put on the list last year has made Ursa Major's small bit of credibility fall right down a cliff. Wake me up when something fandom based wins a award with a small bit of weight to it, like a Eisner. No, Ugasi doesn't count, Stan sticks as far on the outer reaches of the fandom as he can.


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