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We're going to be announcing the details for HUMP! 2010 so that HUMPsters in Seattle and Portland can get started on their films. HUMP! 2010 goes down in November and we want to make sure everyone plenty of time to work on their films. But I wanted to get some feedback on this idea: We've given out two HUMP! grand prizes for the last three years: a $2000 Best Humor/Funniest prize and a $2000 Best Hardcore/Dirtiest prize. The prizes are awarded by HUMP! audiences. HUMP! attendees have told us that they sometimes weren't able to vote for their favorite film because their favorite wasn't particularly funny or hardcore, i.e. they liked a moodier film best—or erotic-but-not-hardcore film, or an amusing-but-not-laugh-out-loud-funny film—but they felt they had to vote for the funnier ones and the crazier ones instead of their favorites. So we're thinking of creating new prize categories this year. Right now the categories look like this:

Best Gay ($1000)
Best Straight ($1000)
Best Humor ($1000)
Best In Show ($2000)

One potential problem is this: one film could win three of the four top prizes. A really funny straight film could, for example, win Best Straight, Best Humor, and Best In Show. Or maybe that's not a problem? And then there's this: we've never asked HUMP! audiences to make distinctions between gay and straight films and HUMPS! audiences—which are pretty overwhelmingly straight—have awarded top honors to gay films as often as straight films. So why would we start dividing the films by sexual preference now? Well, some on the HUMP! Jury feel that gay films have an unfair advantage because they tend to be funnier. Because gay people are funny—even when (especially when) they're naked. Or something.

Anyway, right now we're open to suggestions. We have 5K+ worth of prize money. How should we divide it up? I'm married to "Best in Show" but everything else is open for discussion.