Awardees of 2013

The jury for the HEMA Scholar Awards 2013 has finally reached a decision on what nominees will be awarded for their work and dedication this year. Here are their choices and motivations.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Awardee: Mr. Christian Tobler

This was the category that the jury seemed to have the most trouble with because there were several excellent candidates nominated and we felt that this would be the most important of the awards given. This is especially true since this will be the first time that this award is given within the HEMA community.

This award represents contributions to the HEMA community over an extended period of time. These contributions could take the form of published translations of source material, published instructional material, teaching at workshops and events, and of course research in the field.

For the year 2012, the jury awarded this distinction to Mr. Christian Tobler. Christian was seen as making significant contributions in all of the areas listed above. He has published translations of no fewer than four source materials. He has produced instructional books and DVDs and he has traveled and taught at multiple HEMA events. For all of this he is very well respected throughout the HEMA community.

Mr. Tobler will receive a symbolical laurel twig handmade out of iron and silver by Dr. Fabrice Cognot and sponsored by TheHEMAShop, The Martial Arts Museum and Arms & Armor. He will also be awarded with a sharp Gothic Sword model 1525 sponsored by Darksword Armory as well as a 500 USD credit to use for any Arms & Armor product. Mr. Tobler will also receive a copy of Nueva Bibliografia by Manuel Valle Ortiz, sponsored by AGEA Editora, a throat guard from PBT Historical Fencing and a padded skirt from SPES, as well as a 25% discount in their shop (up to a max order of 300€).

Best Researchers for 2012

Awardees: Mr. Piermarco Terminiello and Mr. Kevin Maurer

This category also had a lot of good nominations! However, we had to keep our focus on works published in 2012 alone, which narrowed the field a bit. Published works could take either a digital or print form. Since there were so many good people, the jury was tasked to select two individuals for this award.

For the year 2012, the jury awarded this distinction to Mr. Piermarco Terminiello and Mr. Kevin Mauer. They both have made significant contributions in both research and translations, with e.g. Mr. Maurer publishing an English translation of Joachim Meyer’s von Solms Treatise and Mr. Terminiello making four unknown or unlisted fencing treatises publicly available. Great things are also expected from them in the near future.

Mr. Roger Norling deserves an honorable mention. He was a top contender in this category, but removed his name from the nominations because he was so closely connected to getting this award process started.

Both awardees will receive a symbolical laurel twig handmade out of iron and silver by Dr. Fabrice Cognot and sponsored by TheHEMAShop, The Martial Arts Museum and Arms & Armor. Both awardees also receive a Péter Regenyei Fechtschwert, a pair of fencing gloves from SparringGlove.com and a throat guard from PBT Historical Fencing. They will also receive light HEMA gloves from SPES, as well as a 25% discount in their shop (up to a max order of 300€). They will also receive copies of the 2nd issue of Acta Periodica Duellatorum. Finally, they will also receive a copy each of In Service of Mars by Christian Tobler and a sponsored DVD, both kindly offered by Freelance Academy Press.

Best Instructor for 2012

Awardee: Mr. Luis Preto

We have many excellent instructors in HEMA! However, the field was narrowed somewhat for this category because it is for publications in 2012, whether digital or printed. As many know, it’s not easy to publish!

But one individual managed to publish in print form not just one, but two excellent instructional books in 2012. This individual is Mr. Luis Preto, who the jury has selected for this award. Luis’s efforts at bringing Jogo de Pau to the consciousness of the HEMA community have been noteworthy. His series of books and the workshops he has given at various HEMA events have proven him to be one of our best instructors.

Mr. Preto will receive a symbolical laurel twig handmade out of iron and silver by Dr. Fabrice Cognot and sponsored by TheHEMAShop, The Martial Arts Museum and Arms & Armor. He will also receive a HEMAShop Fechtschwert and fencing mask overlay with occipital protector from SPES, as well as a 25% discount in their shop (up to a max order of 300€). Mr. Preto will also receive a copy of the numbered and quite beautiful semi-facsimile In the Service of the Duke by Christian Tobler, kindly sponsored by Freelance Academy Press and a throat guard from PBT Historical Fencing.

Best Rookie Researcher for 2012

Awardee: Mr. Michael Chidester

This category was a bit tricky to deal with. What defines a “rookie”? All of the people that were nominated have been around in HEMA for awhile and none were exactly “rookies.” So the jury decided to go with the “gut reaction” for this one and selected Mr. Michael Chidester for this award.

Michael has done a huge amount of work on the Wiktenauer project that has benefited many throughout the HEMA community. His work has enabled the advancement of HEMA research on several fronts. So really, this award is more of a “best supporting researcher” than “rookie researcher”. No one is more deserving of this distinction than Michael Chidester!

Mr. Chidester will receive a symbolical laurel twig handmade out of iron and silver by Dr. Fabrice Cognot and sponsored by TheHEMAShop, The Martial Arts Museum and Arms & Armor. He will also receive an Albion Maestro Line sword and a Special Edition of Mblades.com’s The Swing. Mr. Chidester will also receive a signed copy of Henk Pardoel‘s Fencing. A Bibliography and a throat guard from PBT Historical Fencing, forearm and elbow protectors from SPES, as well as a 25% discount in their shop (up to a max order of 300€).

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The jury and the HROARR administration wishes to congratulate all awardees and all nominees and thank them for their amazing work! Thank you also to all of the sponsors who have made all this possible! Your generosity is incredible and we love you for it!

Finally, thanks also to the HEMA community! Without all of you the world would be a quite dull place indeed. Keep up the great work and study and fight hard so we can all continue to grow together.

Oh, and Merry Christmas and a joyful HEMA 2014 to everyone!

Bob Brooks
Daniel Faustmann
Dr. Daniel Jaquet
Keith P. Myers
Dr. Karin Verelst

The Jury of HEMA Scholar Awards 2013

Editor’s note:

I would like to thank this year’s jury for making this first HEMA Scholar Awards come real! Without your hard work none of this would have been possible. You are simply amazing and I hope I get to swing a beer or a sword with you all some time soon! You’re the best!

Roger Norling
Chief editor
HROARR.com