It sort of sucks how opaque awards/speaker nominations/prize selection can be at times. It does create an environment where things can not be 100% "fair" and there's no way of knowing. It would be interesting to see what a truly fair process would look like!
I think with something like The Oscars, the fact that the film/TV industry take it seriously is merit enough to pay attention to who wins awards.
I think with something like The Oscars, the fact that the film/TV industry take it seriously is merit enough to pay attention to who wins awards.