Notices

We’re on the home stretch! Yesterday Swamplot opened 2 more categories for nominations in this year’s Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate. Here’s the list of what we have so far: Favorite Houston Design Cliché, Best Teardown, Parking Lot of the Year, Drive-Thru of the Year, Walmart of the Year, and the Washington Ave Award. Already, great suggestions have come in for each of these. But to make these awards as smart and razzle-dazzly as they can be, we still need your help!

The next category up is Swamplot’s version of the “Most Improved” award, the end-of-season back-pocket backslap of junior-high sports coaches everywhere. And it’s an award that often comes with a little jab: an implicit acknowledgment that — in the first part of the season — you kinda sucked. But if you were one of those coaches, and your team this year was a rag-tag crew of Houston-area neighborhoods, which of your players would be in contention for this blue ribbon? Every area has its ups and downs. For 2010, what parts of town have shown enough hustle to deserve the Most Improved Neighborhood award?

If you’ve been following these nominations, you know what to do by now: Add your smartly worded nomination as a comment below — or send it in an email to Swamplot. Be sure to include a convincing explanation for your choice. You’ll find the nominating rules here. Who we got this time?

• Previous category announcements: Announcing the Washington Ave Award. Your Nominations, Please?, Next Award Category for the Swampies: Walmart of the Year, Now Taking Your Orders for Drive-Thru of the Year, Your Nominations, Please, for Houston Parking Lot of the Year, Best Teardown of 2010: Who Are the Contenders?, What Are Your Nominations for Favorite Houston Design Cliché? [Swamplot]
• The Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate 2010: How To Make a Nomination [Swamplot]
• Swamplot Award Nominations 2010 [Swamplot]

The category announcements are rolling here at Swampies central. Earlier today we introduced the 5th category in the this year’s Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate. Here’s the complete list of our categories so far: Favorite Houston Design Cliché, Best Teardown, Parking Lot of the Year, Drive-Thru of the Year, and Walmart of the Year. Keep those great entries coming for all of them!

Now we come to category number 6. We call it the Washington Ave Award. Is it an award for the best thing on or about Washington Ave.? Sure, it could be. But the award in this category could also go to something that isn’t necessarily anywhere nearby, but that still demonstrates the qualities most clearly exhibited by the Washington Ave area. The Washington Ave award! Got any potential winners in mind?

Refer to the official nominating rules here if you need them. But really: We need your smartly formulated suggestions for this category! Add them and explain them well below — or email them to us privately.

• Previous category announcements: Next Award Category for the Swampies: Walmart of the Year, Now Taking Your Orders for Drive-Thru of the Year, Your Nominations, Please, for Houston Parking Lot of the Year, Best Teardown of 2010: Who Are the Contenders?, What Are Your Nominations for Favorite Houston Design Cliché? [Swamplot]
• The Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate 2010: How To Make a Nomination [Swamplot]
• Swamplot Award Nominations 2010 [Swamplot]

On Tuesday we added a couple more categories to this year’s Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate. That means 4 categories are now open for your nominations: Favorite Houston Design Cliché, Best Teardown, Parking Lot of the Year, and Drive-Thru of the Year. Keep those great entries coming for all of them!

The next award category speaks for itself. Well, almost: Walmart of the Year. The big-box retailer was in the news — and featured in many commercial breaks as well — for much of this past year in Houston, planning and opening new locations, managing PR campaigns, and stirring up . . . uh, interest. So. What important qualities does a Walmart have? And what thing or place or idea or concept — or heck, even actual Houston-area Walmart location — deserves the honor of being declared Walmart of the Year?

Yes, this is another brand-new award category for the Swampies, and we’ll obviously need your smart nominations to make it work. Tell us who or what deserves the Walmart of the Year award — in a comment below or in a private message. Consult the official nominating rules if you like. What’s your choice?

• Now Taking Your Orders for Drive-Thru of the Year [Swamplot]
• Your Nominations, Please, for Houston Parking Lot of the Year [Swamplot]
• Best Teardown of 2010: Who Are the Contenders? [Swamplot]
• What Are Your Nominations for Favorite Houston Design Cliché? [Swamplot]
• The Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate 2010: How To Make a Nomination [Swamplot]
• Swamplot Award Nominations 2010 [Swamplot]

So far, 3 categories in the Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate have been been opened up for your nominations: Favorite Houston Design Cliché, Best Teardown, and Parking Lot of the Year. Up next: another brand-new category, specially selected for this year’s competition: Drive-Thru of the Year.

There are of course so many drive-thrus to choose from in the greater Houston region. But surely one stands out? Maybe it has special accommodations for unique vehicles; or maybe it’s outfitted in a way that prevents all those nasty exhaust fumes from blowing into your car; or maybe it’s the kind of place that makes you just want to drive on thru. Really, it’s up to you to decide. What drive-thru is worth idling for?

As usual, your spin will make the difference between a plain ol’ nomination and a compelling choice for the award. You’ll find the rules for the nominating process here. What makes your favorite drive-thru deserve this honor?

You’ll have until midnight next Monday to get your orders in for both categories announced today. So take your time, think about it, and pull on up to the comments section below (or the Swamplot inbox) when you’re ready with your nomination.

• Your Nominations, Please, for Houston Parking Lot of the Year [Swamplot]
• Best Teardown of 2010: Who Are the Contenders? [Swamplot]
• What Are Your Nominations for Favorite Houston Design Cliché? [Swamplot]
• The Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate 2010: How To Make a Nomination [Swamplot]
• Swamplot Award Nominations 2010 [Swamplot]

Yesterday we introduced the first 2 nominating categories in the Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate. Nominations will remain open until midnight Sunday for both awards: Favorite Houston Design Cliché and Best Teardown.

Today, there are 2 more award categories to introduce. And they’re both new to the Swampies. The first one is for Houston’s Parking Lot of the Year.

What qualities would a lot have to have to for it to qualify as Parking Lot of the Year? In a city full of places to park, what would make one stand out? The ease of the parking experience? Additional on-site or nearby attractions? The fact that the site is being used for parking in the first place? As usual, the Swampies are open to the sharp and clever formulations of readers. When you use your nomination to give this category a twist, sell your vision!

More complete instructions covering the nominating process can be found on this page. In the meantime, you’ll find plenty of spaces available for your nominations in the comments section below — and in the Swamplot inbox, if you’d prefer a more private venue.

• Best Teardown of 2010: Who Are the Contenders?
• What Are Your Nominations for Favorite Houston Design Cliché? [Swamplot]
• The Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate 2010: How To Make a Nomination [Swamplot]
• Swamplot Award Nominations 2010 [Swamplot]

Earlier today, we introduced the first category in this year’s Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate, celebrating best and most this city has to offer. And now nominations are open in a second category: Best Teardown.

Sure, teardowns are raw, physical acts, but emotional, historical, cultural, artistic, literary, sonic, and ecological aspects are often hard at work too. What property would you honor as Houston’s Best Teardown — and why?

If you’re like most people and have a little trouble remembering buildings once they’re gone, feel free to scroll through Swamplot’s archive of demolition stories to refresh your memory. Then add your thoughtful and well-argued nominations for this coveted award to the comments section below — or send them in a private message to Swamplot HQ. If you’d like a more complete description of the nominating process, see these instructions.

Nominations for both award categories announced today will remain open until midnight this Sunday. Can you knock a few out now?

• What Are Your Nominations for Favorite Houston Design Cliché? [Swamplot]
• The Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate 2010: How To Make a Nomination [Swamplot]
• Swamplot Award Nominations 2010 [Swamplot]

And now it begins: the nominating process for the 2010 Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate, highlighting the best and most of the Houston landscape over the past calendar year. To make this year’s awards the best they can be, we need your help!

Our first category: Favorite Houston Design Cliché. Last year this award was won by “Lakes of” Subdivisions, with “Lick and Stick Stone” coming in a close second place. The year before that, the winner was “Tuscanization.” What Houston building, shopping center, streetscape, home, interior, neighborhood, or yard cliché deserves recognition this year? Your suggestions for this award may be inspired from stories on Swamplot or from your own keen eye.

Nominations for this category are now open! Enter your nomination in a comment to this post only or — more privately — to the Swamplot tip line, with the subject line “Nomination: Favorite Houston Design Cliche.” Nominations will be accepted for one full week, after which the best-presented choices will be opened for voting.

Readers are allowed to submit as many nominations as they like in this category, but your choices will have a better chance of succeeding if you use the opportunity to make your point in a clever and convincing way. When the actual awards are open for voting next week, each selected nomination will be introduced with some edited bastardization of the arguments readers made in the nomination — so be eloquent and persuasive! If you can send photos in support of your nomination, that’s great — illustrations will likely help make your case to voters. Send submissions to the Swamplot tip line, but be sure to identify them and indicate what they’re for.

Comments to this post will be counted as nominations only. Nominations may be seconded, expanded, or improved. Even simple “me too” posts will help an entry find a place on the actual ballot, but they won’t be counted as votes for the winner. The actual voting in this category will begin next week. Are you ready? Have at it!

• Swamplot Award Nominations 2010 [Swamplot]