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The Gay Pride Parade Awards

prideparadeballoons.jpg

The Stranger is proud to announce the First Annual Pride Parade Awards. We’re still hammering out the details—but now that it’s a sure thing I wanted to get the news out right away so that people can get their asses in gear and create some kick-ass floats for this year’s pride parade. The Stranger will be awarding four cash prizes recognizing the best floats or marching contingents. These prizes will be handed at Seattle Center immediately after the parade…

Gold/First Prize: $2,000
Silver/Second Prize: $1250
Bronze/Third Prize: $1000
Honorable Mention: $250
Honorable Mention: $250

And, yes, the winners will also get medals to wear around their necks and everything!

Who’ll be judging best floats? Stranger ‘mos—me, Eli Sanders, David Schmader, Amy Jenniges—along with Ed Murray, Jamie Pedersen, Sally Clark, and other notable ‘mos to be named later.

A few years back some local folks offered cash prizes for best entries in the pride parade—and mad props, as the kids once said, to them for their efforts (especially you, Greg)—but there was never much excitement about those awards. That was probably because the prize money didn’t to go the “winners,” but to a community-based non-profit chosen by the winners.

Not anymore: Pull together a kick-ass float, a great marching contingent, or stunning individual costume and you—your group, your bar, you and your creative friends—can do whatever you like with your prize money. You can spend it on boys and beer or girls and Gatorade. Or, hell, you can give it a community-based non-profit of your choosing. But it’s your prize money. It’s our way of rewarding folks who go out of their way every year to make the Seattle’s Pride Parade bigger, better, and more spectacular—the best party in town—and encouraging more people to get in on the fun.

More details to come—watch for news on Slog, in The Stranger, or over at the SeattlePride.org. But start brainstorming with your friends now about what you’re doing for the pride parade this year. Go for the Gold!

Originally posted last Friday, moved up to keep spreading the word.

Comments (14)

1

Thank god! Now maybe people will try harder to be entertaining.

Posted by Carollani | April 13, 2007 5:04 PM
2

Hey, maybe I'll even go to Pride this year.

I mostly stopped going years ago. When I first came out, I religiously went to Pride parade every year. I was so exited. But after a while, the excitement of newly coming out wore off, and all that was left was a boring fucking parade with the same trucks advertising the same bars year after year. I've been going once every few years, just to see if anything has changed. BORRRRRING!

I heard last year's Pride downtown was more fun, despite the angry Capitol Hill die hards (hey, guess what, not every homo in the county lives on Capitol Hill!).

Hopefully the lure of a decent prize might entice a few people to actually make an effort to do something besides a tired advertising banner on the side of a truck.

Posted by SDA in SEA | April 13, 2007 5:52 PM
3

Why no awards for best non-nude Fremont Solstice Parade ensemble?

Posted by Will in Seattle | April 13, 2007 6:33 PM
4

Thank gawd. The floats have been horrible 4 ever. You guys should make a way people who want to make a float can hook up.

Posted by lisa | April 13, 2007 6:51 PM
5

if this can make the parade better this year, the move downtown looks like a great one. Making the festival one day looks like it is also letting them focus on making it better - the website is definitely looking good, and adding Rat City Rollergirls and Bend It! is brilliant and will bring in a much more diverse crowd.

Posted by Proud? | April 13, 2007 8:44 PM
6

This is great, Stranger. Thanks for doing this.

Posted by Marching Orderlies | April 14, 2007 11:37 AM
7

Oh Yes, Oh Yes, this is wonderful! Pete and Sam will be so happy. After our "Pussycats for Pride" wins first place we shall spend our money on toys and food and perhaps a grooming accessory or two. And you "Poodles for Pride" are sooo last year! So don't even bother entering. Meow.

Posted by crazycatguy | April 14, 2007 1:26 PM
8

The Deacon says "Amen!" to that.

Posted by Deacon Seattle | April 14, 2007 11:53 PM
9

Is the abbreviation " 'mos " new? I've never read or heard it before.

Posted by Matt from Denver | April 17, 2007 10:34 AM
10

Why is the judging by Stranger 'mos, not Slog trolls?

Posted by him | April 17, 2007 10:39 AM
11

if anyone who sees this wants to help with a non-profit float, email me at artgallery@seattlelgbt.org. I'm serious...I want to put together something cool for QArts and I am NOT getting any support yet...

Posted by michael strangeways | April 17, 2007 12:03 PM
12

Shouldn't there be some token non-'mos on the panel? Isn't this Pride demonstration supposed to show something to the community at large, not just the 'in-bred' crowd?

Posted by Schwanz Sauger | April 18, 2007 5:54 AM
13

FINALLY! For once we might have a decent parade and not just pockets after pockets of boring walking and political agendas. I wouldn't mind seeing our major in a dress, like Rudy! :o)

Posted by Mango | April 18, 2007 5:22 PM
14

I think this is a brilliant proposal by The Stranger. Several years ago, some friends and I---tired of the same old, stale parade---created an awards program for the parade. For six years in a row, from 1999 through 2004, we gave out $21,200 raised in $100 increments from private individuals. Our single largest award fund was in 2001 with $4,700. While I’m proud of what we accomplished, sadly, I saw no profound change in the parade itself.

We were initially hampered by mistrust on the part of the organizers as well as by a seemingly apathetic community more interested in griping about the parade than doing anything constructive about it.

Frankly, we also made the mistake of not offering the funds directly to the winners but insisted instead on asking them to name gay community non-profits to receive the funds. Too many politically correct, feel-good intentions got in the way of simply making it seem attractive to win.

I commend The Stranger for the straightforward nature of these awards. I hope for a wonderful assortment of funny, gorgeous, witty, smart, thoughtful, and moving presentations from a community so well equipped to offer them. If the gay community of Seattle can’t finally put on a great parade, who could?

Posted by Greg Kucera | April 20, 2007 10:56 PM

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