Who's made an outstanding contribution this year?

Want to hear your nominees for an individual Accounting Excellence Award

Didn't find your answer?

It's Accounting Excellence Awards time again folks, and we're looking for suggestions for our Outstanding Contribution Award. The prize is intended to honour those who have made a meaningful contribution to the AccountingWEB community and wider accounting profession.

The AccountingWEB team decides the ultimate winner internally, but as always we look to our online community and contributors for guidance who who they think merits such an accolade.

Rebecca Benneyworth won it last year and previous winners include AVN founder Paul Dunn and "Trusted Advisor" guru David Maister.

With all that has happened this year, who do you think deserves to stand alongside them in our accounting hall of fame, and why?

Replies (49)

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By ireallyshouldknowthisbut
03rd Nov 2020 14:21

Nicola Ross Martin has got me through the madness this past 6 months or so with her ever to the point news updates at surprisingly frequent intervals.

No self promoting rah-rah merchants please!

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By I'msorryIhaven'taclue
03rd Nov 2020 14:25

Tallula Brogan for her services to literature :)

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Psycho
By Wilson Philips
03rd Nov 2020 14:27

For sheer volume of contribution, Anonymous.

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paddle steamer
By DJKL
03rd Nov 2020 14:44

I nominate Lionofludesch. In effect retiring this year and with over 10,000 thanks to his name, surely that needs recognised.

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Replying to DJKL:
Caroline
By accountantccole
03rd Nov 2020 16:58

Nooo - we can't lose another one

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By Paul Crowley
03rd Nov 2020 18:28

JS
Try looking at most liked
Could be a clue there

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Melchett
By thestudyman
03rd Nov 2020 14:52

Les Howard and Neil Warren for their article and blog contributions regarding VAT.

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Replying to thestudyman:
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By I'msorryIhaven'taclue
03rd Nov 2020 15:06

It's an individual Accounting Excellence Award.

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Replying to I'msorryIhaven'taclue:
Melchett
By thestudyman
03rd Nov 2020 16:59

I'msorryIhaven'taclue wrote:

It's an individual Accounting Excellence Award.

Of course, but I think they are both deserving:)

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Replying to thestudyman:
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By I'msorryIhaven'taclue
05th Nov 2020 14:51

I see. Then I'm nominating all the Pauls.

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By jonharris999
03rd Nov 2020 16:27

Jerry !

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By Paul Crowley
03rd Nov 2020 18:30

Jerry or Jelly?

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By John Stone
03rd Nov 2020 17:02

Rishi Sunak for his late Friday evening contributions.

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By The Dullard
03rd Nov 2020 17:38

The man on the Clapham Omnibus has seen little praise for quite some time.

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By Paul Crowley
03rd Nov 2020 18:31

He upgraded to Uber

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By frankfx
03rd Nov 2020 22:13

The Dullard wrote:

The man on the Clapham Omnibus has seen little praise for quite some time.

Unreasonable behaviour I suspect.

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Replying to The Dullard:
Red Leader
By Red Leader
05th Nov 2020 11:46

The Dullard wrote:

The man on the Clapham Omnibus has seen little praise for quite some time.

He's gone to the pub and is holding court there.
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By Paul Crowley
03rd Nov 2020 18:35

If Rebecca has one already, it must be Helen, ATT

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By Paul Crowley
03rd Nov 2020 21:50

Accounty McTax Face

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paddle steamer
By DJKL
03rd Nov 2020 22:23

There is always Man in the Pub but Coronavirus is curtailing his practice.

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FT
By FirstTab
04th Nov 2020 23:41

Rebecca Cave for providing easy to understand articles on matters COVID/tax.

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By Matrix
05th Nov 2020 06:34

You go realise she gets paid for them?

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By ImNotSureBut
05th Nov 2020 08:20

I vote for Basil, his loquacious language always brightens my day and he always has positive advice to give.

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By Justin Bryant
06th Nov 2020 09:13

David Icke for his absence (and also in that sense his contribution is very much outstanding).

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By Tax Dragon
05th Nov 2020 11:32

Had this thread gone more as you might have hoped, John, I would have nominated you for your influence on the average tone of threads (an undertaking that which must seem like pushing water uphill with a sieve) and for putting the awe back into Aweb.

It hasn't. So you still have work to do, before you earn your nomination. (You need the likes of Basil and Richard to comment on these threads.)

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Replying to Tax Dragon:
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By Paul Crowley
05th Nov 2020 12:04

Well there are 8 genuine nominations so far

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By Tax Dragon
05th Nov 2020 12:35

In which case maybe the thread is going as John hoped and that should now be 9.

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By whitevanman
05th Nov 2020 12:45

Is it too late to suggest Justin?

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By Tax Dragon
05th Nov 2020 12:58

10?

Don't the proposers need to provide a brief statement in support of the nomination? Otherwise it's just bandying names and pseudonyms about.

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By whitevanman
05th Nov 2020 15:07

I had thought for services to (overly) extended threads. Surely he must have the record? But I have just seen the OP again and it does say "meaningful" so perhaps we are back to 9?

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By Justin Bryant
05th Nov 2020 15:49

The number of views of those long threads means I've at least made an outstanding contribution to Sift's coffers.

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By whitevanman
05th Nov 2020 16:14

Do you consider that to be a RE?

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By Tax Dragon
05th Nov 2020 16:20

Well sheer volume seems to be the test voters are applying. Currently head of the leader board is Anonymous, with 13.

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By Tax Dragon
05th Nov 2020 16:23

And come to think of it, second is Lion, who, by his own admission, is the next postiest poster, after Anonymous.

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By I'msorryIhaven'taclue
05th Nov 2020 14:46

whitevanman wrote:

Is it too late to suggest Justin?

No, you're Justin time.

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Replying to I'msorryIhaven'taclue:
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By whitevanman
05th Nov 2020 15:08

Thanks. Justin case.

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John Stokdyk, AccountingWEB head of insight
By John Stokdyk
05th Nov 2020 17:50

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions, we're definitely taking a few of them on board to debate.

As much as I might be gratified by Tax Dragon's suggestions, I should clarify that with the exception of Rebecca Benneyworth (an ex-editor), we don't usually consider AW team members for these awards (which includes Rebecca Cave).

Nichola Ross Martin, however, falls into the same category as Rebecca B - so we'll definitely review what she's been up to. Are there any specific initiatives she's done this year that stand out?

It's been good to see the recommendations for fellow AccountingWEB members, but the Accounting Excellence Awards are a bit less parochial than that. We're looking for people who have made an impression on the profession as a whole (or government, or HMRC) for some time.

John Whiting springs to mind, for example, and one person I talked to suggested HMRC's Jim Harra. I wonder how that would go down with members?

Come to think of it, what about Prem (Lord) Sikka? Or has he already got enough reward from Boris Johnson for giving big firms a hard time for all these years?
https://www.accountingweb.co.uk/community/blogs/admin/lord-sikka-has-a-n...

If it was Harra vs Sikka, who would get your vote? Or can you suggest someone more deserving that that unlikely matchup?

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Replying to John Stokdyk:
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By I'msorryIhaven'taclue
05th Nov 2020 18:04

John Stokdyk wrote:

The prize is intended to honour those who have made a meaningful contribution to the AccountingWEB community and wider accounting profession.


How so Harra or Sikka?
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Replying to John Stokdyk:
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By Cheshire
05th Nov 2020 21:49

Jim Harra??

Now you really are licking the sawdust up off the cowshed floor.

Yet you don't believe Lion has helped the 'wider' profession.

Is it April 1st?

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By Rweaver
05th Nov 2020 21:58

In terms of Nichola Ross Martin, her COVID resources have been kept comprehensive and up-to-date throughout the whole pandemic. All of that content is free to access. It’s not for subscribers. That’s a pretty big contribution to the profession and wider IMO.

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By I'msorryIhaven'taclue
06th Nov 2020 09:11

Well at least NRM fulfills JS's criteria of
".. those who have made a meaningful contribution to the AccountingWEB community and wider accounting profession."
(that's and, not or; both conditions, not one or t'other).

Has David Winch ever won it?

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Replying to I'msorryIhaven'taclue:
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By Paul Crowley
06th Nov 2020 09:35

+1 David

But Helen is just so nice

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By Justin Bryant
06th Nov 2020 09:16

You must be joking. Anyone who has had anything to do with the loan charge and Murphy Richards should be up for wooden spoon awards.

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Jane
By Jane Evans
05th Nov 2020 20:55

Richard Thomas. I have learnt a great deal from his replies. I appreciate his willingness to explain the legislation.

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By Duhamel
05th Nov 2020 22:19

I’d second this. And his patience in explaining issues to the simpler members is extraordinary.

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By Justin Bryant
06th Nov 2020 09:37

Yes. RT & I are the only knowledgeable people here (to my knowledge) when it comes to obscure, tricky tax stuff and he's probably more knowledgeable than me (and certainly everyone else) and he's by far the person whose views I most respect (but he sill gets it wrong from time to time in my very humble and respectful view). He was of course a well respected judge, so that's not surprising.

He has previously been acknowledged as the best contributor here anyway by others I recall.

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By Tax Dragon
06th Nov 2020 09:59

On tax technical, yes, Richard is the 'best'. ("By a country mile" I think was my previous addendum.) And I think having someone of Richard's gravitas informing the grass roots of accountancy (if that's how Aweb views itself) is potentially incredibly valuable.

Of course, this forum is not just about tax. There are 'better' (whatever that means) contributors on other subjects - both technical and otherwise. The 'otherwise' might be contributing to 'the community' (whatever that means - it's a Sift word, I think), more than the technical. Eg Lion.

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Replying to Justin Bryant:
Psycho
By Wilson Philips
06th Nov 2020 13:49

I think it’s been asked before, but - are you related to Donald Trump in any way? There are some striking similarities.

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By Paul Crowley
12th Nov 2020 19:32

I add RT to my list
It should be for experts
Enough priors agree it's RT

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