Steam Award Nominations Are Open, Here’s What You Should Know

In conjunction with their Autumn Steam Sale 2016, Valve has opened nominations for their brand new Steam Awards.

Taking place in December, the Steam Awards allow members of the community to nominate their favourite games for consideration in eight different categories. Nominations are open now for all Steam users and will last until November 29. Players can select any game for whatever award they think deserves it; owning the game is not a requirement, merely linking it from the store is enough.

Unlike some of the usual categories offered in video game award events, the Steam Awards are proving to be somewhat more creative. They also are not restricted to games that were released this year, so even classic titles are likely to be represented.

The eight award categories are as follows:

• The “Test of Time” Award for the game that you just keep coming back to regardless of how long it’s been.

• The “I’m Not Crying, There’s Something In My Eye” Award for a game that had the most emotional impact, especially if you weren’t expecting it.

• The “Just 5 More Minutes” Award for the game that you kept taking just one more turn in only to find out it’s four in the morning.

• The “Whoooaaaaaaa, dude!” Award for the game that just manages to blow your mind, whether with a crazy plot twist or a seriously awesome moment.

• The “Villain Most In Need Of A Hug” Award, which is pretty self explanatory.

• The “Game Within a Game” Award for the best minigame within another game.

• The “I Thought This Game Was Cool Before It Won An Award” Award for the game that you discovered before everyone else did, only to see it skyrocket in popularity.

• The “Best Use Of A Farm Animal” Award for… well, the game that best uses a farm animal obviously.

• Finally, The “We Didn’t Think Of Everything” Award is a little different, as it allows users to pick their own interesting award and nominate a game for it, which will be selected by a selection committee.

In addition to seeing your favourite games get represented, there is also a Steam Badge to be earned by completing a small number of tasks related to nominating. There are four tasks in total, with each granting 25 XP towards your Steam level for a total of 100 XP. You can learn more on the Steam Award page.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to nominate VA-11 Hall-A for as many awards as possible. I’m sure you have your own favourites that you want to see represented and awarded, so share them in the comments!