Mark Your Calendars for the 2017 WTFY Awards

• There is a dearth of self-congratulatory behavior among SEOs. Seriously, we need more. What are we so afraid of?
• While existing awards have a time and a place, none to date have had the chutzpah to address the breadth of the categories we showcase below.
• We are SEOs, but also capitalists. Why else would we have rebranded ourselves as a capital generation engine? And while we certainly laud the charitable causes other awards promote, our charity begins home. Plus, our Editor in Chief needs new hockey gear. (And the poor guy lives in Detroit. So this really IS charitable giving in a way, if you think about it.)

As you can see, the field has expanded exponentially since our last half-hearted attempt at awards, the WT-Effies.

And, besides, since then, like that Ryan who made a few headlines in Rio, we’ve grown up, too. That’s right, readers: We’ve also been de-broed.

And, for proof, look no further than the Official Categories for the 2017 WTFY Awards…:

1. Best WTF Self-Promoting SEO
2. Best SEO Prediction That Did Not Come True
3. Best ‘SEO is Dead‘ Post on an Industry Blog
4. Best ‘Captain Obvious’ SEO Presentation or Blog Post
5. Best Misunderstanding of TF-IDF and/or LSI
6. Best Beard on an SEO — Male
7. Best Beard on an SEO — Female
8. Best Trendy Glasses on an SEO
9. Least Trendy Glasses on an SEO
10. Best Listicle on an Industry Publication
11. Most Improved PageRank
12. Best Algorithm Deception
13. Best Negative SEO Campaign
14. Best Use of a Cat in a Presentation or Publication
15. Best Use of a Cat Anywhere
16. Most Re-Uses of the Same Conference Presentation
17. Most Disputed and Ridiculed SEO Advice (As Measured By Negative Comments)
18. Best ‘SEO Lessons from Star Wars’ Post
19. Best Use of ‘What X Can Teach Us About SEO’
20. Best SEO Cliche
21. Most Frequent Use of ‘Content is King’ By an SEO
22. Best Reference to the Year of Mobile By an SEO
23. Best New Analogy for the Shape of the Purchase Funnel By an SEO
24. Most Duplicate Content on a Website
25. Best Attempt to Deceive an Algorithm
26. Most Stupid Questions Asked in a Private SEO Facebook Group
27. Fastest SEO to Become an Expert on a Google Update
28. Best Use of Bing By a Real-Life SEO
29. Best New Catchphrase
30. WTF Agency of the Year
31. Most SEO Award Submissions By A Single Agency in a Single Award Show
32. SEO Most Dedicated to Making SEO Great Again
33. Best SEO Rant in Social Media
34. WTFSEO Personality of the Year
35. Best SEO Selfie
36. Best Ghostwriter for a Top SEO
37. Best RankBrain Guru
38. Best Use of Playboy Playmates on Instagram to Drive Ego Searches in Google
39. Best Leave of Absence 25 Months and Counting
40. Most Inappropriate Industry Apology
41. Most Drinks Bought For @RyanJones and @SimonHeseltine at conferences
42. Best Meta Keywords Tag
43. Best Millennial Employee of the Year (Note: Losers also get a trophy, along with five members of the audience. Please note budget restrictions limit us to five.)
44. Most New Advisory Board Additions to a LinkedIn Profile in 2017
45. Most New Jobs in 2017 — Male
46. Most New Jobs in 2017 — Female

• You cannot nominate someone else. I.e., you must nominate yourself or your agency. This is an award that looks for those who not only excel at SEO, but can self promote.
• Each submission is $200 — since none of you seem to click ads and we like expensive bourbon.
• To ensure your spot as a finalist, you must also purchase a seat at our WTFY Awards Banquet. Each ticket is $300, but we ARE offering a discount package of ten tickets for the unbelievable price of $2,995.
• If you are selected, please be prepared to give an emotional acceptance speech that lasts for a minimum of three minutes.