It cannot be said enough, this last year was a hard one. A pandemic, racial injustice, lockdowns, attacks on the country’s election process, toilet paper shortages, “Tiger King!” But the past 12 months also brought with it inspiring and motivating stories of heroes who showed us that even during trying times, wonderful things can happen.
At the start of 2021, as we have done for many years, we asked our loyal readers to tell us who your local favorites over the last year have been. These included traditional categories such as your favorite local activists, clubs and performers, but it also included categories that were very 2020 such as favorite virtual events and your favorite COVID-19 testing site. You nominated the best of the best in a variety of categories, then we calculated your Top 3 and asked you to pick one more time to name your favorite.
This annual list recognizing the best in Central Florida and Tampa Bay’s LGBTQ community in the areas of activism, service, entertainment and more is known as The Watermark Awards for Variety and Excellence, or simply the WAVEs.
We have crunched the numbers and below we present to you your WAVE winners. Along with the Top 3 from each category, we also asked a few open-ended questions about 2020. We wanted you to describe the year in one word, which losses you will miss the most and the defining stories and moments that made 2020 so unforgettable. You can read those responses in our WAVEs coverage as well.
Another thing different this year, we won’t be gathering to celebrate the WAVE winners with a party as we have done every year before. It still isn’t safe enough to do so. So while we are not gathered with you, know that we congratulate you all and we are virtually celebrating your wins.
Until next year, when hopefully we can do the WAVE again in person, we present to you your winners.
Central Florida
Winner Profiles:
Pom Pom’s Teahouse & Sandwicheria
Defining moments and losses from 2020
Tampa Bay
Winner Profiles:
