Most people like it when someone else recognizes their efforts. It might be a small thing: your boss tells you you did a good job, a friend remarks on how cool your outfit is, a neighbor says she likes your garden. Those little affirmations bring a smile to your face, a puffing out of your chest and a warm feeling to your heart. And then there are the times when the results are stellar, going above and beyond, taking the effort from good to great. In those cases, it's possible the work will be recognized by a wider circle, with the result going beyond just an "attagirl" or a "you rule!" And in that instance, the award is, well, an award.
While it or may not be an actual goal, being singled out and handed a trophy as the best in anything is heady stuff indeed. Doesn't matter if the winner is an individual, a group or a company: it indicates to all who care that the named recipient gave their all. The most well-known examples are very well known indeed: everyone knows the names of some of the winners of the Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, and Tonys. And the best are recognized across all of those platforms: 21 people to date have won been honored with one of each, the so-called EGOTs.
But that's probably way above your pay grade. After all, the vast majority of people and organizations will never be in the running for those high-profile honors. It's not that their efforts aren't exemplary and worthy of spotlighting, but rather the arenas they play in are more self-contained. But within those closed ecosystems the standouts are no less standoutish. And while the awards given there might not carry the cachet of the aforementioned statuettes they are rightly coveted and crowed about.
So while the English Professional Footballers Association just announced that Mo Salah had won his third Player of the Year award, Bonnie Pollack was winning the Milken Educator Award, the "Oscar of Teaching." Created in 1987 by Lowell Milken, the award is the nation's preeminent teacher recognition program, with nearly 3,000 educators being surprised with individual unrestricted $25,000 prizes. "Despite my students' request, I will not be splitting the money up evenly for them to share," she said, but she has paid off her car.
Likewise, the American Water Works Association just named Dr. Karl Linden the recipient of its coveted A.P. Black Research Award. A professor at University of Colorado-Boulder, his research "investigates advanced and innovative UV systems for inactivation of pathogens and degradation of emerging contaminants." Translation: he focuses on using light as a way to disinfect water. Like many winners, he credits the team with whom he works: "The work we have done together has truly changed the water industry, supporting public health protection, and it has been such a privilege to be a part of this inspiring One Water community."
Sometimes it's hard to name just one top dog. For the 17th year, Iowa Farmer today named 6 families as winners of the "The Way We Live Award." Each in their own way "demonstrated their dedication to agriculture and strong Iowa farm values." Typical of these was the Kutzli family, which operates Whitetail Farm, which specializes in vintage, antique and red-fleshed apple varieties. In the fall, they sell the fruit, as well as use it to make wine at their Whitetail Valley Cellars Winery. Carrying on an ancestral Swiss faming tradition, their goal is to place quality above quantity. "Klein abver Fein," small but excellent.
The trophies don't stop coming, they just don't make it to the front page. The American Society of Human Genetics named Dr. Mike Talkowski at Mass General as the winner of its Scientific Achievement Award. The Bellevue Arts Museum in Bellevue WA published its Award of Excellence winners, including Carole Grisham for jewelry and Erin Pietsch for ceramics. And the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art announced that Nansledan, a development in Newquay, Cornwall, England, is the distinguished recipient of the 2025 Gindroz Award for Excellence in Affordable Housing. Congrats to all.
Like talent, excellence can occur anywhere and does; it's just that you usually don't hear about much about it. So while Billie Eilish might have swept the field with 4 Grammys in 2020, it was just last week that Pastor Mike Jr. won all 9 of his nominated categories at the 2025 Stellar Gospel Music Awards in Nashville. Say "Amen" to that.
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Marc Wollin of Bedford is hoping this column will be nominated for something. It appears weekly via email and online on Substack and Blogspot as well as Facebook, LinkedIn and X.
