Here's all my nominations, along with reasons and shoutouts to all the nominees:
Nicest User - X-Act, jumpluff
X-Act is always cordial, polite, and logical -- even in the face of conflict and dispute. That's a rare quality online. Jumpluff has made friends across the Smogon community and is reknowned for her nice disposition. She is always involved in friendly conversations on the forum, IRC, and the server.
Meanest User - Tangerine
I realize this is somewhat of a joke category, and the "Tangermean" thing is now a bit of a cliche. But, over the past year, if there was any sort of fight happening in Smogon -- Tangerine was often in the middle of it.
Wittiest Poster - cookie
I rarely see a post from cookie that isn't deft and witty. For someone that makes so many humorous comments in Firebot, Trou, and elsewhere -- it's easy to come off as "trying too hard". That's never the case with Cookie, which is a testament to his razor-sharp wit.
Most Helpful User - Colin, Darkie, Jimbo
Colin has the patience of Job, as evidenced by his tireless efforts in the Shoddy Battle forum, with the same basic "please help me" requests over and over and over. Darkie and Jimbo are jack-of-all-trades in Smogon and this year they were two of the biggest workhorses in various areas of the community.
Most Improved User - Fuzznip
He went from being a constant "Lurk More" and "Incoherent Post" infraction recipient -- to being a respected badgeholder, a go-to analysis writer, and quality poster throughout Smogon. The turnaround is amazing.
Most Overlooked User - Misty
An omnipresent admin that works behind-the-scenes to keep things moving smoothly. Always willing to re-evaluate Smogon and consider new ideas.
Most Approachable User - Mingot, Jimbo
Mingot and Jimbo are always involved in group discussions and team projects. They both seem to work well with a variety of other Smogoners. I guess it's a wifi thing...
Best Debater - Aldaron, Blame Game
Since Aldaron gets into many outright "fights" online, I think his general approach to argumentation might get overlooked. But, I've seen Aldaron exhibit a rare quality in debate -- an effort to acknowledge the opponent's argument. Aldaron is certainly bull-headed and inflexible much of the time -- but I think he looks at "the big picture" more than people realize. Blame Game gets a nod from me for being patient and logical, while still firmly getting his point across. Even when I disagree with his point, I usually enjoy reading his arguments.
Best Discussion Sparker - Tangerine
This one goes to Tangerine, and second place is nowhere close. Tangerine has made it a personal mission to increase the overall quality of discussion in Smogon, and he has relentlessly taken steps to make that happen. Tangerine is always posing new ideas and proposals. Whether you agree with Tangerine or not -- you can't deny that he gets people talking.
Most Influential User - Jumpman16, Aeolus
Over the past year, Jumpman and Aeolus have acted as sort of "head admins" for the community. Their combination of seniority and involvement, put them in the middle of most of the big decisions made in Smogon this year -- with many other community leaders looking to them for a "thumbs up or thumbs down".
Best Overall IRC User - Aldaron, Tangerine, JabbaTheGriffin, Colin
I'm on IRC for several hours almost every day, and these four seem to be in the middle of the most of the good talk on #stark and the internal channel -- the two official channels I watch most closely. I list Aldaron first, because of his efforts to keep #stark interesting and relevant, without descending into pokenoob drivel.
Best Overall Smogoner - Jumpman16, BlueKirby
Jumpman had another stellar year within Smogon. He continues to be involved in multiple facets of the community, and exemplifies the qualities and achievements that the rest of the community hopes to achieve. C'mon, admit it -- everyone wants to be like Jumpman... BlueKirby has a wide variety of Smogon involvement. He is up-to-date with competitive battling, he is involved technically with the site, and he leads the Tutoring Program. He's liked by all and has transitioned well with his promotion to admin.
Best Stark Poster - reachzero, Haunter, Legacy Raider
When it comes to competitive Pokemon talk, these three always seem to raise the bar when they post. I put RZ first, because I think he has elevated his game over the past year, and has really stepped up in leading community opinion in Stark threads.
Best Thread of 2009 - Hax In Pokemon Battles (the Policy Review thread setup for April Fools)
This thread was the public face of the April Fools joke, which was the most fun I had online all year. Seeing all the wonderful posts from Smogoners new and old, all coming together to pull off the prank -- it was epic.
Best Overall Poster - Brain
Brain doesn't post very much, but when he does post, it never disappoints. He is thoughtful, logical, and writes in such a way that makes me want to read more. He often criticizes himself for posting tl;dr -- but I never get bored reading a long post from Brain.
Best Shoddy Mod - Imperfectluck
He battles a lot, and he battles a lot under his modded account -- which is admirable. He stays involved in the chat, and he relentlessly moderates chat offenders. He's worshipped as a hero on the server -- and deservedly so.
Best Forum Mod - RB-Golbat
A supermod that uses his unrestricted mod powers to actually help police the entire Smogon forum community. Tirelessly works to keep the forums in good order, and exemplifies the phrase "firm but fair".
Best Writer - Sarenji, Cookie
Their work in The Smog this year stood out to me. There are many competent writers in Smogon, but few that have creativity like Sarenji and Cookie. When reading their stuff, it was so good, it made me look up to notice the by-line. That's the ultimate compliment I can give a writer.
Best Researcher - Colin, RB-Golbat
Colin has worked continuously this year to get the mechanics for Shoddy 2 absolutely perfect. From a sheer fact-gathering standpoint, his work is impressive. But, on top of that, he has woven the empirical evidence together and formed elegant models for how everything interrelates. Colin has been the ultimate "Pokemon scientist" this year. RB-Golbat gets a nom from me for his untiring participation in some of the most laborious research projects this year. Some people may take the results of RBG's research work for granted -- but I certainly appreciated it.
Best Contributor - Theorymon, X-Act
My nominations here come from two sides. Theorymon has been a one-man gang when it comes to C&C output. People may chide him for his lengthy analyses, but his commitment to improving the Strategy Pokedex is unquestioned. X-Act is the consummate contributor outside of C&C. He's always figuring out new things, generating data reports, writing new guides and applets -- and he does it all from his own initiative.
Best Artist - Cartoons, Wyverii, Rocket Grunt
Cartoons and Rocket Grunt have been instrumental in making the The Smog look like a professional publication. Both of them are not only polished illustrators, but their art has flair and style too. Wyverii gets a nod from me for her work on the CAP project and producing art for the CAP website. She also has a jaw-dropping art thread and makes avvies and other stuff for various members of the community.
