The Minecraft.net awards

I would like to nominate our esteemed editor, Per, for the Sword A-word. My motivation is based on the broad range in which he wields this weapon, for good and for evil more good. One way is by carefully cutting out space for our articles, right here on Minecraft.net. When he isn’t slashing superfluous puns, Per is engaged in combat! Whether he is scaling the Tower, speed running with community members, or bravely introducing us to mobs like the Enderlings, Per keeps the rest of the editorial team safe from the dangers that lurk in Minecraft Dungeons. But it is through amazing interviews with community creators such as Element Animation, that he proves once and for all that the only thing mightier than the sword is Per’s pen.

Sofia Dankis

When Cristina approached me about the Minecraft.net awards, I immediately nominated myself for the Biggest Slacker category. Convinced I’d win, I then learned that it was against the rules. After crying about it for a few hours, I was given a second chance to nominate a writer (!!!) for the Future Word-Slinger award. The choice was easy. Sophie “Shakespeare” Austin might be Minecraft.net’s newest writer, with only one article published to date, but that is completely irrelevant. What matters is the pieces she’s about to write, the punchlines she’ll land, not to mention the bracket-based Minecraft misadventures she’ll share. So far, we’ve only seen a fraction of the power Sophie possesses in her keyboard, but if her future work ends up being half as good as her Realms Plus December piece, she’ll still bring home this award without breaking a sweat! Sophie’s destined for greatness and you have no idea what awaits you. Keep your eyes peeled for her glorious Creative vs Survival article, coming soon!

Per Landin

The Attenborough of the Overworld, the queen of capitalization and an all-round awesome writer, I would like to nominate Cristina for The Deepest Diver Award. Did you know that you could share personality traits with a dripstone cave? Well neither did we until Cristina grabbed the chance (and her pickaxe) and undertook pioneering research for The Great Cave Quiz. Cristina knows her Wither from her wardens and keeps our highly creative (and thus semi-chaotic) editorial team firmly in our minecart, rattling towards glory. When she’s not digging for information, she’s delving between the pages of dragon-filled books, running from goats to scream updates from the clifftops and bringing us nothing but good news. That’s why she’s so deserving of this award – because without her we’d all be stumbling in the dark without a torch.

Sophie Austin

There’s one name that has somehow not come up so far – because I called dibs on Sofia! Why? Because I really wanted to nominate her for something very specific: The Chaotic Great award. I know the chart only goes to “good,” but it's not enough! Face to face and on-screen, Sofia is always the most randomly positive presence, whether she’s hilariously ranting about her hate of bananas or raving about a delightfully bad horror movie. And on top of all of this, she’s so talented it’s infuriating! Throughout 2021, Sofia has delighted us with mysterious tales of loud mobs, kept us in the loop about the most important event of the year, and announced new and exciting shows. But most importantly – she has encouraged our LGBTQI+ colleagues and community to celebrate who they are every single day and reminded us that we still have a lot of work to do as a society. And I couldn't think of anyone better to spread that message.

Cristina Anderca