Cornerstone Award Launched

Jeff Smith, founder and organizer of the Mid-Atlantic Convention Expo (MACE), has won the first Cornerstone Award, presented a group of fans from the Carolinas.  

Fans eligible for the award are those who have been involved in North and/or South Carolina fandom for at least fifteen years. The winner was selected by “The Singularity Effect” – a group composed by Everette Beach, Paul Cory, James Fulbright, Tera Fulbright, Laura Haywood-Cory, Bill Mann, Ron McClung and Stephanie McClung.

The Cornerstone Award will be presented to Jeff Smith at ConCarolinas in Charlotte, NC during the weekend of June 3-5, 2011. 

The full press release follows the jump.

For Immediate Release – Jeff Smith is 2011 Cornerstone Award Winner

THE SINGULARITY EFFECT ANNOUNCES ITS FIRST WINNER OF THE CORNERSTONE AWARD

Greensboro, NC (May 22, 2011).-The Singularity Effect is pleased to announce that the winner of its first ever award for excellence in Carolina Fandom is Jeff Smith.  Jeff Smith is best known as the founder and organizer of the Mid-Atlantic Convention Expo (MACE).

The Cornerstone Award is an annual honor presented by a group of fans from the Carolinas dedicated to acknowledging other fans’ contributions.  To be eligible for the award, the fan must have been involved in promoting/helping fandom in the Carolinas (North and/or South) in some way for at least fifteen years. It is awarded to someone who is considered a pillar of fandom yet has not been honored in any other way.

The award is named after a brick that was saved during the demolition of a High Point, NC hotel that hosted multiple conventions over a number of years.

On its decision to honor Jeff Smith as the first recipient of the Cornerstone Award, the Singularity Effect recognizes that over the last twenty years, Jeff Smith has been responsible for taking StellarCon off of UNCG’s campus, starting MACE – which is celebrating its fifteenth year, and running a number of other conventions including Roc of Ages and BabTrek.

“Jeff Smith is a dedicated convention runner, whose greatest strengths are his understanding of what the fans want in a convention, and his ability to “think outside of the box” to deliver a product that meets the fans requirements,” said James Fulbright.

Game designer and owner of Hero Games, Steven S. Long said, “Jeff is that rare breed of fan who spends a lot of his time making sure that -other- fans enjoy themselves and get the most out of their hobby. He runs great conventions where he bends over backwards to make sure things go smoothly and everyone has a great time, and I hope he’s able to keep doing that for many years to come.”

About MACE, Erik Mona, former editor of Dragon Magazine, said, “That old cliché about Southern Hospitality exists for a reason.”

The Cornerstone Award will be presented to Jeff Smith at ConCarolinas in Charlotte, NC during the weekend of June 3-5, 2011. 

The Singularity Effect for the 2011 award consists of Everette Beach, Paul Cory, James Fulbright, Tera Fulbright, Laura Haywood-Cory, Bill Mann, Ron McClung and Stephanie McClung. For additional information about the Cornerstone Award, the Singularity Effect, as well as eligibility and the nomination process, please contact us at the address or email below.

Contact:

Tera Fulbright
The Singularity Effect
5701 Running Ridge Rd
Greensboro, NC  27407

[email protected]