Our Mascot
Categories we aim for:-
ACADEMIC
ARTIST
BLOG
CAMPAIGNER
CLUB / EVENT
FASHION
FILM
INNOVATION
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
PERFORMANCE ARTIST
PHOTOGRAPHER
POET
POLITICIAN
PUBLICATION
SEX WORKER
STRIPTEASE ARTIST
WEBSITE
WRITER
If we fail to get at least three top notch nominations, we delete the category for that year — and we may create a new one
Rules
• Nominations should be available or have been seen in the UK (including online)
• Nominees are judged on their recent work - material completed, objects, art, books and films need to have been produced after April of the previous year
• Nominations cannot win twice in the same category but they can win in another category
• Nominations can only be finalists more than once if they have done completely new work
• Nominees need to accept their nomination, confirm that they agree to the ethos of the Erotic Awards and are willing to have their work and information about themselves on our website and in our exhibition
• Judges need to declare any friendships with nominees/finalists when voting
We accepted all nominations if they arrive with reasons for nominating each person / film / book, etc and how to reach them, e.g. email address.
There is no need to send lots of nominations for the same person. All nominations are treated equally, seriously and in confidence.
We work under a policy of inclusivity, appreciating nominations for people of all races, things from all parts of the UK, and the world, and we are especially interested in including disabled people and work done by disabled artists.
The process
Judges usually meet 5 times a year. Each meeting is chaired and formally minuted. Each meeting moves the process along towards the climax of selecting the winner.
Nominations are invited from the public through our website. For each category, we are searching for three finalists who represent the entire spectrum of that category, from lavish productions to the more home-grown and experimental.
We encourage ex-finalists to make nominations. For example, the 2005 Sex Worker of the Year had been nominated by the 2004 Sex Worker of the Year.
- The finalists are selected in good time for a press release.
- Winners are selected just before the Finals and kept secret until the night. Only in very exceptional circumstances are winners told in advance (if for example, they are booking for an flight from Australia).
The finalists are often amazed and delighted to have been selected. In 2009, the Baroness Sue Miller told us how she and the other politician awarded, Lord Faulkner, feel very isolated being almost the only members of the House of Lords to be sex positive, and they loved being embraced and honoured by us. Our 2005, our Artist of the Year (the curator of The Secret Museum) hadn't even been able to tell her friends about her website so it was truly a secret and, as a result of her being selected, a real erotic world opened up for her.
Showcase and Semi-finals
Our nominated strippers and performance artists are invited to perform on stage to be selected for the finals. Sometimes amateur acts are invited from the audience. The show has always been a lavish and fun mid-week evening, attracting business man, groups of girls from offices, birthday parties, fans of the performers. Some give donations to the charity.
Exhibition
The exhibition is curated by Jaime Bautista with help from Ashley Savage.
We are now hoping to use the Proud Camden as a Gallery and Finals Venue.
Press Night
The finalists are invited to, and welcomed at the Private View. This is a wonderful networking opportunity for the finalists. In 2008 we had a programme which started with the arrival of the fashion shows, continued with an amusing book reading and simultaneous spanking, and ended with a striptease in the gallery window. Drinks and snacks were provided. The PV also helps the judges get to know the finalists.
The Finals:
The finalists are invited to, and welcomed at the Night of the Senses. They are shown around the Exhibition where the winners are announced before the presentations are made on stage and then the show starts.
Stage Show
Tulloch (the Erotic Awards Chair) is also the stage manager.
The Finals stage show has the performers selected from Semi-Finals plus the fashion shows and sometimes performances from other categories. For example in 2005 one of the website finalists did a live sex show.
Performing finalists are looked after back stage, with a hospitality room with fresh flowers, soft drinks, snacks & fruit.
The stage shows are usually presented by Mat Fraser. Because the show is un-rehearsed, it may not be as slick as the Paladium, and this is made clear to the audience.
The event is filmed and photographed by ourselves and also covered by the press. Some performers bring their own photographers and TV crews.
Sponsorship :
If only Channel 4 paid us £20,000 for the TV rights, the sex industry donated another £20,000 and Barry Humphries and our other patrons chucked us another large sum, the charity would be able to function like others — with paid staff. Sponsorship is always being sought and we offer friendly enthusiastic creative passion about sex, which makes it an exciting prospect, as well as being jazzy for the brand image, more interesting than many other awards.
Disability
Much of the goodwill comes from our fund-raising aspect and Outsiders survives thanks to the money raised. Events pay for the Outsiders office rent and office expenses, for the whole year. It is very important for Outsiders not to be dependent on traditional funding (eg from the DOH) which rarely materialises. We feel that addressing issues of disability at the Awards and Night of the Senses does as much for disabled people as the money raised. We include disabled people in our teams, including the judges, and in everything we do wherever possible. Members of Outsiders are very proud of these events and were especially pleased to see 2005 finalist Ashley's erotic photos of disabled people in the exhibition, the 2008 finalists had several disabled finalists and the 2010 show featured five disabled performers.