As always, it's time to honor some of the worthy contenders who gave Sunlit Seas the heart and soul that it had. In honor of the scientific themes of AG, I've named the awards after brilliant scientists and inventors who have changed the world in one way or another. As such, you will see a few comparisons and some names you don't recognize but will hopefully still enjoy nonetheless. I've also included Brooklyn Nine-Nine gifs because I can.

I should note that I did try tagging usernames but I've always had difficulty tagging people on this site so I do apologize if it fails to show up. But small potatoes, right?

Let's get on with it!

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The 'Nikola Tesla' Award for Dark Horse

Everyone loves a good underdog and I am no exception. There were quite a few underdogs who entered into this competition, but there was one individual in question who really turned out to be a force of destruction in terms of their writing ability to not only kickass and take names, but also exceed with flying colors what most people expect from a classic underdog. If you don't know who I'm talking about, this author managed to write a wholesome character arc that kept you at the end of edge your seat with incredible pacing and essence of time throughout their entries. And beyond that, they wrote some of the most beautiful descriptions within the competition. Like Nikola Tesla, an underdog in the world of electrical engineering, they deserve a round of applause.

Winner: Akane (angie_z142)

Runner-up: Miina Varis (Katastrofree)

The 'Thomas Edison' Award for Reverse Dark Horse

Ah. The infamous reverse dark horse. In all honesty, there are quite a few people I could award this to, but the person I'm going to recognize not only left early but also was someone I had expected to have done well just based on the form and character alone. That being said, understandably there were some hiccups along the way and things didn't go according to what she likely planned. Yet, even so, it goes without saying that she had a killer premise.

Winner: Ishaan Thakker (LightOfTheMooneh)

Runner-up: Carrie Liu (-Raven-)

The 'John Goodricke' Award for Gone Too Soon

While on the topic of characters who were out too soon, there's one character I'd like to recognize as they weren't someone who was taking the competition seriously enough to be a reverse dark horse but still became a character I missed, nonetheless. They had some of the most fun entries that made me laugh and cry and was probably everyone's mood deep down. He had raw chaotic energy you just couldn't help but appreciate and I was here for it. Yet, as most things go, he was gone too soon like John Goodricke, a deaf astronomer who advanced our knowledge of binary stars yet met an early end at age twenty-two. Two real heartbreakers, if you ask me.

Winner: Peter Bancain (SethWaylin)

The 'Charles Darwin' Award Best Form

I have to say it. I had the best forms ever received by any host within Author Games history. There was creativity, there was charm, there was wit—I had the best forms, hands down. That being said, I'd like to recognize three individuals who really came in here full swing with forms that were all of those things wrapped up in a single form and a single introduction that captured my attention and never let go. You guys are creative thinkers with eyes for details that are comparable to Charles Darwin and recognition is absolutely necessary.

Winner(s): Lana Lopatin (Disengager), Iivo Venäläinen (TheCatKing), Libertine (thisismyplutonym)

The 'Eli Whitney' Award for Best Name

I became familiar with Eli Whitney the same way most people do—seventh-grade history class while reading a textbook. For those of you unfamiliar with him, he invented the cotton gin and although that may be underwhelming compared to inventing something like the computer, he was still a notable inventor with a name that is extremely memorable ten years later. Similar to that effect, I like giving out this award because everyone has a naming style that is unique to them and their writing, and sometimes I hear a name that just hits. It hits. I'd make a novel using that character name because it's just that memorable and rolls off the tongue with ease. (And also this was one of the few names I didn't spell wrong consistently.)

Winner: Leif Takshou (lostwithmyfriends)

Runner-up: Carrie Liu (-Raven-)

The 'Sigmund Freud' Dishonorable Award for Procrastination

Sigmund Freud sucks and that's all anyone needs to know about him despite the fact his name comes up a lot. Similarly, somebody here was the worst with handing in on time and that's saying a lot from me. Tsk tsk tsk. Procrastinators and their lateness. Dear Ace, because you know you won this, you are the worst. But not actually. But also, actually.

Winner: Eros and Quinn Davis (aceh3x)

The 'Gladys West' Award for Best Storyline

Gladys West developed the GPS, the very thing that billions of individuals use today. Just as Gladys West has done in preventing many crises and helping people always know where they're going, there was one character who seemed to always know where they were going. Their overall storyline couldn't have been executed better than if the world's greatest authors had written it themselves. Each entry read like a chapter out of a novel, they never neglected the fine details that really push a story to where it needs to be in terms of both plot and character expansion, and their talent for storytelling is undeniable. To the author who wrote a full-fledged novella about a woman on the run and stripped of her identity, your story was beautiful. Beautiful!

Winner: Lana Lopatin (Disengager)

Runner-up: Libertine (thisismyplutonym)

The 'Isaac Newton' Award for Best Entry

There were plenty of entries that were well-written and memorable but this one was a real gem. It hit all the right notes and there was something so heartbreaking and cathartic about reading through this one chapter of a character's life that had me emotional. There was a vividness to every scene he wrote and he managed to write a relationship in such a way that it went beyond just being nothing more than something that just exists because it does. There was an expansion on character, a quality backstory that wasn't an information dump but a true glimpse into someone's life that manages to resonate deeply. Not to mention the fact this was a song task and storytelling already increases in difficulty tenfold. If you don't know who I'm talking about, this character is a wily fox and his author is the new Isaac Newton but instead of science, it's for short stories.

Winner: Libertine, Task Five/QFs (thisismyplutonym)

Runner-up: Lana Lopatin, Task Two (Disengager)

The 'Vera Rubin' Award for Fan Favorite

Vera Rubin discovered dark matter and although she didn't win the Nobel Prize as she should've, she's still a memorable figure in the hearts of young astronomers everywhere. That being said, I'd like to honor somebody who is a memorable figure in the hearts of most of their competition. The character I considered to be the fan-favorite was a character who survived every voting they went up and also became somebody whom a lot of people told me they'd been rooting for throughout the competition. And why wouldn't you? He's an android who had one of the most creative premises and enough charm to fill a room.

Winner: Eros (aceh3x)

The 'Einstein' Award for Best Comeback

It's common knowledge that Einstein was believed to be someone who was less than outstanding in certain areas of academia, yet he still remains one of the greatest scientists to have existed. Without a doubt, this competition also had a few comeback kids who despite not doing well straight out of the gates, they managed to really turn things around. In honor of that sentiment, this award goes to a character who I may have overlooked at first glance but managed to prove themselves as someone who can command attention and became one of the most memorable characters I ended up rooting for. In a single task, she shot up the rankings and became a real powerhouse which is saying something. She had moxie, she had spunk, and she had a personality that bled from every line and she deserves your attention.

Winner: Miina Varis (Katastrofree)

Runner-up: Eros (aceh3x)

The 'Pierre et Marie Curie' Award for Best Ship

Similar to that of the most well-known and kickass couple in the world of biology and physics is a ship that's equally kickass and heartwarming. It was not only an adorable ship but one that bled backstory and created so much intrigue as the ship in question turned out to be former flames in a grand "will they won't they?" It's almost not enough to say this ship warmed my soul because truly, they were a lot more than that. They made me smile and they couldn't have been cuter together if they tried.

Winner(s): Aaron de Monte and Eros (MyNameIsInigoMontoya and aceh3x)

Runner-up(s): Leif Takshou and Iivo Venäläinen (GWVallejo and TheCatKing)

The 'Rachel Carson' Award for Cheerleader

Seeing writers support other writers is something that warms my soul more than watching corgis bark at each other on YouTube. And there was one individual in particular who gave nonstop support to other writers within the competition and was a true team player so much that it reminded me of Rachel Carson's leadership and enthusiasm in the global environmental movement. They not only read every entry, they voted every task and gave encouragement to those in need. A big thanks to the writer of Lindsay Ann Miller for the way they boosted morale throughout the competition and waved those poms like a true star.

Winner: Lindsay Ann Miller (annie1loves1you)

The 'Grace Hopper' Award for Citizenship

This last award is meant to recognize individuals who have done something in the competition that has been at the benefit of their peers like that of computer development and programming pioneer Grace Hopper. It's been a long few months and one that wouldn't have been a pleasant experience if not for the individuals in the competition itself. That said, this award goes to everyone who joined. You guys made this hosting experience one of the most smooth I've had as you not only communicated with me quite thoroughly, you maintained easygoing demeanors and were very understanding of both me as a host and your fellow competitors. You guys rock and I'm so grateful to every one of you who has been part of this wild ride.

Winner: Everyone

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That concludes Special Awards! Don't forget to place your vote that will decide the winner of this competition as I am lacking those and would like to not have to extend the deadline. Thank you to those that have already voted and I'll hopefully see you guys tomorrow.