Good Furry Awards addresses recent nominee drama

Our office has received several emails and texts over the last couple of months regarding nominees for the 7th Annual Good Furry Awards. These messages have been sent to criticize some of the nominees and to inform us that these are bad people unworthy of a prize or recognition of any kind.

While we have considered these messages seriously, most of the accusations recently are unsubstantiated or without merit. It should also be emphasized that none of the good deeds listed in the text of the nominations were refuted by any of the accusers attacking them for other charges, real or imagined.

When we decided to leave the nominees on the list, the Good Furry Awards were accused of supporting everything from stalkers to Nazis. We have also been accused of lacking integrity and being merely “an illegitimate popularity contest.” Some of these irate furries have also gone on to make posts on their or other websites against the Good Furry Awards and its chair, Kevin Hile (Grubbs Grizzly).

So, if you’ll bear with us, here is our official statement on the matter:

The Good Furry Awards are your Awards. Furries nominate candidates for the prizes, and furries vote for the ultimate winners. Unless a nominee has broken the law and has a criminal record attesting to that, or if they are ineligible because they have died or are otherwise not active in the fandom, or if the nomination text can be proven to be fallacious—that is, the good deeds listed are patently false and there is documentation to back it up that is not just a screenshot from a chat room, all nominations will be accepted.

If a nominee is truly despised by the fandom at large, then it is very likely (guaranteed, in fact) that they will not win the award, and a worthy candidate will be the winner. It has become clear to us that the criticisms our awards are currently receiving are the result of getting caught in the middle of petty rivalries, gatekeepers, and influencer wannabes. We refuse to take part in this furry drama. Just like a person responding to the exclamation “I do not support gay marriage!” with “then don’t marry a gay person” if people out there do not like a candidate, they can vote for someone else. If they don’t like the Good Furry Awards, they do not have to participate in them in any way.

This experience has only strengthened our resolve to continue with this awards program, which was founded on the principle that furries spend too much time trashing themselves and not enough time uplifting the fandom. In the past, we have received letters from various winners that receiving this accolade has cheered them immensely. We will continue to try and bring joy and recognition to furries, spreading light and happiness as we go.

Thanks to all of you who have sent in nominations and who participate by voting. We appreciate you.

Blessed Be,
The Good Furry Award Staff