Why the Community Must Follow the .com Simming Prize—And Reject the Illegitimate .org Imitation

In the world of online role playing and simming, recognition matters. Awards like the Simming Prize have long served to spotlight excellence, celebrate innovation, and reinforce the collaborative spirit that defines this unique form of storytelling. But today, that spirit stands at a crossroads. Since 2022, two groups have claimed authority over the Simming Prize—the .com and .org factions—each asserting legitimacy. While both claim to uphold the legacy of the Prize, only one has the credibility, integrity, and fairness necessary to lead the community forward.

It’s time to speak plainly: the .org Simming Prize has proven itself illegitimate. The simming and online role playing community must rally behind the .com Prize—the only version that honors the award’s historic mission without compromising its core values. The evidence for this is overwhelming.

A Pattern of Favoritism and Cronyism

At the heart of the .org Prize’s discrediting is its unmistakable favoritism. Roughly half of all .org Prizes since the 2021 split have been awarded to Theta Fleet—the same fleet that Trustee Mike Bremer and his sim, Starbase 400, are part of. That’s not just a pattern; it’s a conflict of interest run amok.

To make matters worse, Kathryn Burke, the commanding officer of Theta Fleet, was appointed as the .org group’s administrator for the 2024 Prize cycle. In that same cycle, 3 of the 5 Prizes were again handed to Theta Fleet entities. This kind of insider rewarding system completely undermines the purpose of the Prize—to objectively honor the best in simming, not to serve as a trophy case for one’s own fleet.

Meanwhile, the .com Prize has done exactly what a community-oriented prize should do: it has recognized the achievements of entities from 13 different clubs across its latest cycles. That level of diversity and fairness is not only admirable—it’s essential to restoring community-wide trust in the Prize.

The Curious Case of Starbase 400

No sim in the Prize’s multi-decade history has ever been awarded more than two Simming Prizes. That is, until the .org group began handing out awards to Starbase 400 like they were candy. Under .org governance, Starbase 400—Bremer’s own sim—has now been awarded a third and fourth Prize, both under the same criteria: “sustained service, quality, and dedication over a period of time.”

Even Outpost Phoenix, the only other sim with two Simming Prizes, received its second award from the .org group after the split—again, under dubious criteria that violate the spirit and guidelines of the Prize. If Starbase 400 and its close affiliates are the only sims being repeatedly recognized, what does that say to the rest of the simming community? That your sim, no matter how innovative or high quality, simply doesn’t have a seat at the table unless you’re part of Theta Fleet?

This is not recognition—it’s reward-for-loyalty masquerading as legitimacy.

A Broken Trustee Model

Of the five current .org Trustees, three have received Simming Prizes while serving as Trustees. That includes Mike Bremer himself, who received one of Starbase 400’s post-split Prizes from his own governing body. This violates a fundamental ethical principle: those who govern an award should not be eligible to receive it. Period.

Contrast that with the .com Prize, which holds its Trustees to a much higher standard. Trustees under the .com Charter are barred from receiving Prizes and so are the sims they host. This kind of self-governance is not just commendable—it’s essential to maintaining integrity in any awards process.

A Marketing Tool, Not a Merit Award

Take a look at the .org Simming Prize’s official X (formerly Twitter) account, and the situation becomes even more troubling. Nearly half of the account’s posts are not about the Prize, the community, or broader simming news—but instead are advertisements for Starbase 400. In what universe is it acceptable for an institution claiming to represent the entire simming community to operate as a promotional arm for one person’s sim?

This kind of blatant self-promotion undermines everything the Prize is supposed to stand for: merit, diversity, and community recognition. When public resources are hijacked to promote private interests, it’s no longer an award—it’s a marketing campaign.

The Community Deserves Better

The Simming Prize has long been a symbol of what makes simming great: collaboration, creativity, and the pursuit of excellence. The .org faction has warped that mission into something unrecognizable. Whether it’s repeatedly awarding the same fleet and sims, honoring themselves while in power, or transforming official channels into ad space, the .org group has shown that it cannot be trusted with the stewardship of this legacy.

On the other hand, the .com Prize has taken clear steps to correct course: implementing a transparent governance model, recusing Trustees and their sims from eligibility, embracing a wide variety of clubs, and focusing on community-first values. The .com group didn’t just inherit the name—they’ve rebuilt the institution with integrity, openness, and fairness at its foundation.

The simming community deserves better than nepotism and favoritism. It deserves a Simming Prize that stands for something more than just rewarding those who are already in power. That Prize exists—and it’s the .com Prize.

Let’s reject the illusion. Let’s reject the .org Prize.

Let’s stand behind the true Simming Prize—the .com Prize.