The award began as something of an affectionate joke during the early years of the annual Circuit Rider Roundup, which was then organized by TechRocks. According to the nominating committee:
The
Dirk Award is named after its inaugural recipient, Dirk Slater,
the rabble-rousing LINC
Project Rider who received the award
not only for his accomplishments as a rider but also to
embarrass him for
an impassioned speech
he gave at the event. During this speech, which had everyone
in tears
and on the edge of their seats, Dirk implored the riders to
organize
themselves
into a powerful and supportive community. He implored the crowd
to acknowledge
that circuit and eRiding was and is inspired by principles
of social justice
and community organizing that riders support with their technology
services.
The group thanked him with a little golden man.
These days, the Circuit Rider Roundup takes the form of the annual Nonprofit Technology Conference, and is organized by the Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network. Dirk Slater continues to serve as a leader and an inspiration in the field, as do the other Dirk Award recipients: Bill Lester, Teresa Crawford, Art McGee, Katrin Verclas, and Allen Gunn.
In general, I don't attach a tremendous amount of significance to professional awards, and tend to entertain an assortment of worries about how awards (rather than the work itself) can be mistaken for achievement. However, I think the world of Dirk, and I love the spirit in which this award was created and is perpetuated.
