My vote was no as well; I really do believe the system is fine as is. I think we're looking for the best of the best here, and I think that if you give as much recognition to 2nd and 3rd place, it kinda takes away from the prestige of winning. Besides, if you REALLY want to know who got 2nd and 3rd place, it's right there in the results for all to see. I don't know about y'all, but if I were trying to win the Fanfic contest for instance, I'd be striving for 1st place, not 2nd or 3rd. So I don't think giving 2nd and 3rd place all this recognition would really make tons of people want to enter. And besides, with what was mentioned about calling 1st place expert, 2nd place medium, etc., that DEFINITELY doesn't sound good, because what if all three were at the same level and it was just luck of the draw as to who won? If, say, KM, Moka, and KK were up for this distinction and KM finished third... surely he is not a 'beginner' writer, is he? And if you meant dividing them up so that only certain people would be eligible for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd... well, I figure that's not what you meant, but if you did, that just wouldn't be right either.
I appreciate your concern and I'm sure everyone else does too. But I think this is the system that is going to be stuck with. This isn't a world where we need to make everyone feel good by recognizing them for their efforts... this was just a fun little thing to do to recognize certain members of this forum for exceptional contributions to their given fields of expertise. KM has done a fantastic job in both fields so far and we shouldn't be upset that he won... because if anyone is, shoot, just work harder then! If we changed this system to include other places, or changed it AT ALL for that matter, I think the award would lose its luster. And besides, it's not really a big deal... it's just a little award, just a little recognition. It's not even necessary... I know I for one don't need any award, that's not what motivates me to write at all (not saying that anyone else is necessarily like that, of course). It's just an award... people say their congratulations, their words of praise, and within a week everyone's moved on.
There's always going to be people 'in the dark' with these awards. It happens. But please, let's not compromise and give other people their share. This is for the best of the best, and I'd love to keep it that way. Not a slight on anyone else, but I would love for these awards to retain their luster. I think that in the long run, it will cause people to work harder.