public toilets would be a must. most reenforced mailbox (how many inches of conrete can you put around a mailbox). I guess those are pretty noticable though... how about prettiest brick or cleanest stop sign. Yeah - those sound important enough!!!

or how about awarding best (fill in the blank) of the year? Like "Stop sign of the year". Or "Curb of the year".

You could actually have several stop sign of the year awards and make up different award companies. Like there's the Oscars, Viewer's Choice Awards, TV Guide awards, etc. They all have movie of the year, (same award), but are different award company dealies.

The reason i say to have different award companies is that if you did just one award period, then this exercise would end pretty quick. Though it might get confusing for people.

Wait, wait, i have a better idea. This one allows you to easily post stuff on multiple pieces of the same "genre".

You can do nominate like 10 different stop signs for Stop Sign of the year. Put a sign up on each stop sign saying that that sign is up for the award and they should vote online. that would rock hard core.

yeah, i was thinking about the online voting thing. But I like your idea more, moose. I was gonna open up nominations to members of the chicago bloggers email group. But then I might have to go out to some wacky location to put the trophy there. But like what you said, moose, if I put together the nominations. That makes it much easier for me. And that way i'm more like the ¸ber awards committee that gets to decide who is nominated. I like that. POWER.

But having multiple award companies would be waaay too confusing and too much work. I like it to be just one project. Not like four projects of four different award companies. That is branding confusion.

Also, I was thinking maybe it would be more interesting if something got 2nd place. It makes the viewer wonder what got first place. And that's part of the point of this thing is to get people to think what is so good about this thing, and what other things are good out there.

I'm starting to think that people will get upset if they don't get the chance to nominate their choices. I don't think I'd get that many nominations, because they would have to include a photo and detailed description of where it is. And it has to be some place accesible by me. So no toilets in the ladies room.

But I am still looking for more good ideas for categories.

What in the world is a PLASTIC GOLD TROPHY? Is it plastic or is it gold? I mean come on, give it to me straight, doc, I can take it

it's a plastic trophy in the color of gold, sucka.

how about a gold trophy that in the color of plastic?

I'm going to attach the trophies to the ground with gum. Down the Line Dave suggested that the trophies be somehow fixed to the ground. Which is so true, because what if the wind kicks it around. Plus gum will deter people from stealing the trophy. BUT do i want people to steal them? That might be kinda neat.

Ever come across a nickle or a quarter on the sidewalk that has been super-glued there? I wonder if you super-glued a trophy to the sidewalk if that would be considered littering...But then again, isn't the point to award the trophy and take a picture? You can leave the trophy, but it might be gone in a second or in a week. But at least the picture would capture the moment.

I don't like to permanently attach things in public. It's like grafitti.

i'm thinking of names for the Chicago trophy idea. I'm gonna go full force and do online voting. And the whole sha-bang. Accepting nominations and stuff.

Some name ideas:
* Chicago Awards
* Chicago Sidewalk Awards
* Chicago Public Awards
* Chicago's Best Awards
* Chicago's Best
* Ultimate Chicago Awards
All these would be preceded by "First Annual"

Some categories:
* Best sidewalk crack
* Best parking meter
* Best parking block
* Best tree
* Best gravestone
* Best shoes hanging on electrical wires
* Best fire hydrant
* Best curb

I was thinking of doing more descriptive categories, like Creepiest gravestone. Most beat up curb. But I like how you might have a really decorated fancy fire hydrant competing against a really beat up hold fire hydrant. Which one is truly best?

And I think I like having the adjective being consistent across all categories, because then it would reinforce the name of the whole awards. Which would be like "Chicago's Best Awards."

Or all the categories could start with "Coolest"... like "Coolest sidewalk crack". And then the awards would be called "Chicago's Coolest Awards".

So I'm trying to think up of words that would be good for "best" or "coolest". I'm quite happy with the "best" but who knows, there might be something really funky. ha! that's another word. "Chicago's Funkiest Awards."

Any good name ideas?
Or more categories?