The Steemit Awards 2023

Today marks my 66th day on this platform. I have come a long way, if not in terms of days, then in terms of skepticism, understanding, motivation, and retention. Retention; being the biggest-est factors of all!

I feel it's even more of my call to write this post subjectively than maybe the rest of the veterans because I am able to provide insight into the newbie perspective. Although someone pointed out, when asked whether I should write this nomination post, that I ain't a newbie no more, which felt really good.

Disclaimer: This post is gentler than a kitten's purr, and no emotions were intended to be hurt in the process of nominations; Hopefully, relationships will remain as safe as kids in a pillow fight.

Best Author:

I believe this category has many Steemians scratching their heads for hours. Hence, my nomination will be highly subjective. The platform boasts numerous excellent authors, but my criteria for nomination revolve around relatability—how well I connect with the content—a simple tone, and engaging posts even with frequent updates. One author who encapsulates all these aspects for me is none other than our very dedicated member, @o1eh. His posts are genuinely enjoyable, honest, often detailing day-to-day activities, yet I find myself reading them from beginning to end without ever being bored. He consistently proves to be a disciplined member of the community.

Best Contributor to the Community:

Those who know me, will easily identify the person I am leaning toward. Once again, I speak from my own experience. The one member you should consider yourself fortunate to be mentored by, not just on this platform but in general, is @chriddi. She noticed my post through a generous friend's resteem and has been mentoring me since then. While you may recognize her as a Steem Representative, my experience with her goes beyond that, portraying a mentorship role. Though officially similar, the personal impact of each representative's role varies.

I mean, I literally couldn’t have gained half the insights into the dynamics of this platform if she hadn't guided me properly. No matter the fact that she doesn’t like to be mentioned, I will still take the bullet for doing so. Because I feel that good work should always be highlighted, not only for the mere purpose of praise but for the motivation of other members. She has inspired me in a way that I want to do the same amount of good work in the future. She has played the undesignated role of a mentor. Her meaningful comments can be likened to a full-fledged post. She has explained everything down to the simplest manner. My first ever power-up—thanks to her. She painstakingly demonstrated the entire process through photos and labeled those photos with cute little arrows when she could have simply asked me to refer to the guidelines that were there all the time.

I still don’t fully grasp the dynamics and mechanisms of delegation, but I want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for her trust. I am still on cloud nine for being referred to as a pearl and being delegated 1000 SP to motivate me to continue working here. The amount of trust she placed in a newbie like me goes beyond words. She had nothing to gain from it other than promoting what she considered good work on my part and contributing to Steemit.
So yeah, for me, she is the undisputed bearer of the title "best/ valuable contributor" on Steemit.

Best Community:

Once again, the choice is clear for me. The first community I subscribed to after signing up is @xpilar’s WORLD OF XPILAR also known as #wox. Trust me when I say that if I had posted anywhere else, I wouldn’t have lasted more than a week. The way they welcomed me, supported me, and overlooked my inadvertent slip-ups is truly commendable. The admin himself recognized that I was a newcomer and provided me with all the leverage as I navigated my way around here. It's a positive environment where you receive guidance without being unnecessarily schooled or looked down upon to the point of considering leaving this platform in utter disgust.

So far, I've cherished every moment of posting in this community. Thanks to Xpilar and all the moderators who have been exceptionally kind to everyone, especially newcomers.

That’s a wrap for the nominations! I hope I did justice. If you're feeling left out, maybe throw a friendly plea to the team to expand the nomination list because, truthfully, there are more folks I'd love to give a virtual high-five. But hey, the charm is in the limited categories and snug nominations, right? Let the fun begin!