Do Awards Really Matter?

With the Grammys and the Oscars behind us, we have to ask: is there really any value in handing out awards for art?

While the Grammys, Oscars, Golden Globes, Emmys and countless other awards made for the film and music industry don't hold the same gravitas as a Nobel, the significance at its core is pretty similar. It's not so much the glory or aim to win that might have driven us in our earlier academic years and in sports, but rather, the widespread recognition that comes with it.

Some critics sneer that the sure way to win an Oscar is to play a character with a disability - quite a relevant notion, seeing as Julianne Moore, who played a woman ailed with Alzheimer's in Still Alice, and Eddie Redmayne, as the ALS-stricken Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, won Best Actress and Actor, respectively, this year - or to star in a Holocaust movie.

However, there's a reason those genres of film are chosen as the best. That is because they represent the great struggles of humanity and achievements in human endeavour. It's a great thing to celebrate with the community, and maybe that's why it should be opened up to the public, rather than restricted to the members of the Academy, surrounded by interviewers flinging their arms around with compliments asking the inevitable, "Who are you wearing???"

Art is, after all, art. If a message doesn’t speak through a 50 page dissertation on socio-political and racial disparity, then a song labeled “Glory” will. What better way is there to change mob mentality and move the masses than through the heart on a highly-watched televised event? In an added bonus from 2015’s Oscars: what better way to make the case for pay equality than by having Patricia Arquette celebrate her win by demanding it before an audience of millions? (Well, to have the one and only Meryl Streep punch her fists in the air and shout “YES” of course.)

Plus, it's still entertainment made by entertainers. Whether it's Kanye doing his thing, canonising Queen B, or Adele Dazeem-ing everyone, what's not to love? Maybe the awards shows should spend a little less on those gift bags for everyone and spend more time propagating the messages of these brilliant stories and songs that are revolutionising and marking our era. Uncle Ben did say, “With great power [in TV ratings], comes great responsibility.”

Congratulations to Sewon for winning this writing challenge. Sewon wins a $50 Westfield gift card. For your chance to win, check out our latest writing challenges in our Comps section. Also, be sure to follow this guide on how to win the writing challenge!