Merlin Award
The Merlin Award is given to magicians in recognition of their contributions to the performance and creation of magic around the world. While sometimes called the Academy Awards of magic, the Merlin Award lacks much of the oversight that enhance the credibility of awards in other industries.[1]
The award was created by Tony Hassini and his International Magicians Society and is given out to invited guests at triennial banquets as well as in person by Hassini himself with greater frequency.[2]
History
[3] The award is intended to be a recognition for magicians who perform at the highest level of skills on national and international stages. Merlin award can be obtained in three ways.One is to attend Merlin Award banquet dinner on invitation, after being voted to receive the prize. Another is by participating and winning a Merlin Award competition organized by IMS and held in different countries. Third way is for the organizers to travel to the magician’s country to present the award there. The criteria considered are talent, showmanship, originality, skills, and an ability to entertain under any conditions.
Design
The award statue was commitioned to over 100 art students in a nationwide search. The winning design was created by Carol Michaud, a New York University art student, in 1968.
List of Merlin Award recipients
Below are the list of past recipients of the award.[4]
| Name | Category | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Welzman, DavidDavid Welzman | Best Trade Show Magician Australia | 2014 |
| , S ChandranS Chandran | 2014 | |
| ONE, AlexanderAlexander ONE | Best Stage Magician | 2014 |
| Ghafouri, ArefAref Ghafouri | ||
| Copperfield, DavidDavid Copperfield | ||
| AlAli, AbdulwahabAbdulwahab AlAli | Best magic designer in the Middle East | 2013 |
| Blackstone, Jr., HarryHarry Blackstone, Jr. | ||
| Shimada | ||
| Silvan | ||
| Thompson, JohnnyJohnny Thompson | ||
| Labero, JoeJoe Labero | ||
| Chen, JulianaJuliana Chen | ||
| Wayne, DonDon Wayne | ||
| James, KevinKevin James | ||
| Berjaoui, MoustaphaMoustapha Berjaoui | ||
| Gabriel, JosephJoseph Gabriel | ||
| Daniels, BrettBrett Daniels | ||
| Lorayne, HarryHarry Lorayne | ||
| Romeo, DarrenDarren Romeo | ||
| Dimmare, JamesJames Dimmare | ||
| Darwin, GaryGary Darwin | ||
| Wyrick, SteveSteve Wyrick | ||
| Silano, RoccoRocco Silano | ||
| McBride, JeffJeff McBride | ||
| Reveen, PeterPeter Reveen | ||
| Yuman, BernieBernie Yuman | ||
| Lorayne, HarryHarry Lorayne | ||
| Corbuzier, DeddyDeddy Corbuzier | ||
| Gleason, GregoryGregory Gleason | ||
| Lowell, ChipChip Lowell | ||
| Dacri, SteveSteve Dacri | ||
| Hamners, TheThe Hamners | ||
| Majestix, TheThe Majestix | ||
| Burton, NathanNathan Burton | ||
| McCambridge, GerryGerry McCambridge | ||
| Barry, KeithKeith Barry | ||
| Dooley, DixieDixie Dooley | ||
| Liotatis, NicholasNicholas Liotatis | ||
| Channing, RobinRobin Channing | ||
| Casanova, AntonioAntonio Casanova | ||
| Chua, BobBob Chua | Best Close Up Magician | 2001 |
| Scarlett | ||
| Cahyo | ||
| Tora | ||
| Oli | ||
| Iong, RaymondRaymond Iong | ||
| Yuh, RichardRichard Yuh | ||
| Fukai | ||
| Mamada | ||
| Ho, BoneBone Ho | ||
| Lee, JeffJeff Lee | ||
| Chee, JorinnJorinn Chee | ||
| Tan, VincentVincent Tan | ||
| Yan, LouisLouis Yan | ||
| Khong, LawrenceLawrence Khong | ||
| Khong, PriscillaPriscilla Khong | ||
| Siegfried & Roy | ||
| Henning, DougDoug Henning | ||
| Kole, AndreAndre Kole | ||
| Tabary | ||
| Sorcar, Jr., P. C.P. C. Sorcar, Jr. | WORLD GREATEST MAGIC SHOW | |
| Harary, FranzFranz Harary | ||
| Marvey, PeterPeter Marvey | ||
| de Matos, LuisLuis de Matos | ||
| Brodien, MarshallMarshall Brodien | ||
| Allen, StanStan Allen | ||
| Maven, MaxMax Maven | ||
| MacIlhany, WilliamWilliam MacIlhany | ||
| Stevens, JoeJoe Stevens | ||
| Mendoza, DavidDavid Mendoza | ||
| Lovell, SimonSimon Lovell | ||
| Malone, BillBill Malone | ||
| Kozak | ||
| Reynolds, CharlesCharles Reynolds | ||
| Zadrick, StephenStephen Zadrick | ||
| Ouellet, GaryGary Ouellet | ||
| Blackstone, GayGay Blackstone | ||
| Chen, LuLu Chen | ||
| Saxe, MelindaMelinda Saxe | ||
| Wind, AsiAsi Wind | ||
| Lavand, ReneRene Lavand | ||
| Tendo, MahkaMahka Tendo | ||
| Fercos Brothers, TheThe Fercos Brothers | ||
| Trust, TimothyTimothy Trust | ||
| Jay, JoshuaJoshua Jay | ||
| Giro, XavierXavier Giro | ||
| Murray | ||
| Sos & Victora | ||
| Ayala, JoaquinJoaquin Ayala | ||
| Zimmer, FlorianFlorian Zimmer | ||
| Alonzo, EdEd Alonzo | ||
| Wild, BorisBoris Wild | ||
| Kraft, Jean PierreJean Pierre Kraft | ||
| Osborne, PaulPaul Osborne | ||
| Byrne, JasonJason Byrne | ||
| Fontana, SonnySonny Fontana | ||
| Van Burch, KirbyKirby Van Burch | ||
| Dillies, LynLyn Dillies | ||
| Planas, ErnestoErnesto Planas | ||
| Star, FairyFairy Star | ||
| Restivo, AntonioAntonio Restivo | ||
| Castro, CrisCris Castro | ||
| Ross, BradBrad Ross | ||
| Valance, PeterPeter Valance | ||
| Rizuki | ||
| Au, EddyEddy Au | ||
| Penn & Teller | ||
| Angel, CrissCriss Angel | ||
| Pollock, ChanningChanning Pollock | ||
| Daniels, PaulPaul Daniels | ||
| McBride, JeffJeff McBride | ||
| Jorgos | ||
| Marshall, JayJay Marshall | ||
| Feld, KennethKenneth Feld | ||
| Mayoral, JuanJuan Mayoral | ||
| Chung, Ha SungHa Sung Chung | ||
| Clark, TonyTony Clark | ||
| Bass, Jonathan DavidJonathan David Bass | ||
| Devlin | ||
| Mullica, TomTom Mullica | ||
| Spina, TonyTony Spina | ||
| Lewis, Michael V.Michael V. Lewis | ||
| Leonard, BrettBrett Leonard | ||
| Kikuchi, JimmyJimmy Kikuchi | ||
| Losander, DirkDirk Losander | ||
| David & Dania | ||
| Jade | ||
| Buss, EricEric Buss | ||
| Evanswood, TerryTerry Evanswood | ||
| Barber, JimJim Barber | ||
| Rouven, JanJan Rouven | ||
| Farla, ChristianChristian Farla | ||
| Klosterman, KenKen Klosterman | ||
| Taylor, JohnJohn Taylor | ||
| Lake, RobRob Lake | ||
| Black, AriannAriann Black | ||
| West, FieldingFielding West | ||
| Fallon, PatPat Fallon | ||
| Stoil & Ekaterina | ||
| Basarir, Dr SelimDr Selim Basarir | Best Magic Mentor | 2009 |
| Tuncer, KubilayKubilay Tuncer | ||
| Petrosyan Jr., SosSos Petrosyan Jr. | ||
| Sum, J. C.J. C. Sum | ||
| Ning, Magic BabeMagic Babe Ning | ||
| Spencer, Kevin & CindyKevin & Cindy Spencer | ||
| Ravine, AllenAllen Ravine | ||
| Throwdini | ||
| Koenig, DavidDavid Koenig | ||
| Laffan, TonyTony Laffan | ||
| Yeen, Tse Tow JoonTse Tow Joon Yeen | ||
| Foei, Liong KetLiong Ket Foei | ||
| Loong, Leow FeeLeow Fee Loong | ||
| Raj, AliAli Raj | ||
| Magin, DekhatiDekhati Magin | ||
| Jawani, paijopaijo Jawani | ||
| Moudini, MahdiMahdi Moudini | Most Extreme Magician Asia | 2013 |
2010 Awards details
Below are the details of 2010 edition of Merlin Awards:[5]
- Florian Zimmer- Most Creative Magician
- Lu Chen- Most Original Magician
- Jeff McBride- Most Innovative Magic Show
- Eugene Burger- Close-Up Magician of The Year
- Harry Lorayne- Lifetime Achievement
- Juan Mayoral- Most Innovative Magic
- Alexander One - Best Stage Magician
- Deddy Corbuzier- Mentalist of The Year
- Marco Tempest- Best Contemporary Magician
- John Taylor- Illusionist of The Year
- Fukai- Outstanding Contributions to Magic
- Albert Tam- Outstanding Contributions to Magic
- Dirk Losander- Classic Magician of The Year
- Ernesto Planas- Most Charismatic Performer
- The Fercos Brothers- Best Magic With Exotic Animals
- Brad Ross- Best Family Entertainer
- David Koenig- Best Radio Magic
- Tony Clark & Paul Reder- Best Magic Show Producers
- Xavier Giro- First Place Most Original; Riga, Latvia Competition
- Timothy Trust- First Place Stage Magi; Riga, Latvia Competition
- Jimmy Kikuchi- First Place Cabaret Magic; Riga, Latvia Competition
- Fairy Star- Best Cultural Magic; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Competition
- Jorinn Chee- Best Female Magical Entertainer; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Competition
- Liong Ket Foei- Best Comedy Magic Indonesia; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Competition
- Liu Guan Hua- President of Happy Valley Shenzhen, Best Magic Festival In China
- Ru Xian- Best Female Illusionist China
- Rizuki- Best Female Magician Indonesia
- Jeff Lee- Best Cabaret Magician Taiwan
- Tse Tow Joon Yeen- Best Close-Up Magician Brunei
- Louis Yan- Best Stage Magic Hong Kong
- Ali Raj- Best Family Magic Show Bangladesh
- Leow Fee Loong- Lifetime Achievement Malaysia
- Vincent Tan- Best Magic Organizer Malaysia
- Mamada- Best Family Magic Thailand
- Raymond Iong- Best Family Magic Show Macau
- Sergey Tsymbalist- Best Family Magic Show Ukraine
- Bone Ho- Best Manipulations Vietnam
- Joshua Jay- Outstanding Contributions to Magic Literature
- Bob Chua - Best Closeup Magician 2001
- Luca Volpe - Mentalist of the Year Europe 2013
- Romanos- Mentalist of the Year Europe 2014
2011 awards
Popular magicians & illusionists like Morgan Strebler, Dekhati Magin & Gopinath Muthukad are among the winners of 2011 awards announced recently.[6][7][8]
2013 awards
In August of 2013, several magicians were honored with the coveted Merlin Award in Las Vegas. Johnny Thompson, Paul Vigil, and Morgan Strebler, were among those that received the award. In November 2013 Luca Volpe was the first Italian Mentalist to receive the prestigious Merlin Award with the title of Mentalist of the Year Europe.
2014 awards
In May 2014, Romanos was the first Greek mentalist to receive the prestigious Merlin Award as “Mentalist of the Year Europe 2014”. in May 2014, Moustapha Berjaoui was the first Egyptian Illusionist to receive the Prestigious Merlin Award as "best Illusonist Egypt 2014"
2015 awards
Zenia Bhumgara. Her passion and enthusiasm for this offbeat career paid off on the third week of September when she was awarded the prestigious Merlin award by the International Magicians Association in Mumbai, India.
Controversy
Merlin Awards are not listed with either category or date:
"Sometimes, I am asked why don’t we publish the year and category for each magician’s Merlin Award on our website. The fact is that when the magician receives his award, during the press conference, we announce the category. Thereafter, it serves no purpose to publish the category or the year on our website. Because some categories might sound more glorious than the others, there’s no point of hyping or diminishing anyone’s award or the year they received it. And there’s no point in dating their awards either. The bottom line is everyone who received the Merlin Award is a Merlin Award Recipient period and is entitled to enjoy the glory for the rest of their life without dating or categorizing it.” - Tony Hassini
It has been suggested that the Merlin Awards exist purely to generate publicity for the artist and income for the IMS. Tony Hassini clarifies this in the FAQ page of The International Magicians Society.
"I’m also asked how do we consider a nominee for the Merlin Award? A magician must send to the IMS World Headquarters a videotape or DVD of his complete act for our Board of Directors to consider. (No promo DVD’s or online videos are accepted.) The other question I am asked is “Are there any costs to receive the Merlin Award?” First, I must say that the Merlin Award is not for sale at any cost. Regarding the actual out-of-pocket cost, this varies from situation to situation. There are three ways a magician can receive the Merlin Award. One is to attend our Merlin Award banquet dinner; this is by invitation only, after the recipient was voted to receive the Merlin Award. Two is to participate and win a Merlin Award competition in different countries, which is organized by IMS with the event and convention organizers. And three is for us to travel to the magician’s country and present the Merlin Award to them in their own country. So let’s look at the cost of the first scenario, which is where the magician must obtain a visa from the American embassy to travel to the USA. He must purchase airline tickets, other travel related costs and fees, hotels, meals, and $500 US dollars per plate at the Merlin Award banquet dinner. In the second scenario, again the magician must travel to the event where the Merlin Award competition is taking place. He pays all of the same travel expenses as mentioned in the first scenario and pays for the entrance fee to the convention or to the competition, whichever applies. In the third scenario, where we have to travel from the USA to the magician’s country, either the magician or the magician’s producer pays for all of the travel expenses, hotels, meals, airlines, and other related expenses. Within any of these three scenarios, it’s always a trade when it comes to the cost. Within any of the three scenarios, our main focus is to generate as much PR as possible with the general public. A good example of this is when we were going to present the Merlin Award to Louis Yan in Hong Kong, we could have presented the award to him in our Hong Kong IMS office. Or we could have had our IMS members meet at a nice Chinese restaurant and present the award to him there. Then we came up with an idea. We approached one of the largest shopping malls in Hong Kong. Not only did they build a custom stage and provided enough seating for the audience, they also provided guards for crowd control. The mall management, with their media contacts, were able to invite newspapers, radio, and television to cover the event. Both the mall and Louis Yan received tremendous PR and public awareness." - Tony Hassini [9]
The distribution of Merlin Awards to virtually unknown magicians in countries like Thailand, India and Vietnam and unethical [10] dealers like Tora Magic who received the "First Producer and Best Designer of Magic Items" Merlin Award has also caused many prominent magicians within the industry [11]to question the authenticity of the award as well as industry journalists. "A YouTube promotional video...also touts the Merlin Awards, which are handed out by a frizzy-haired Marty Allen look-alike named Tony Hassini. Casanova, meet every other magician in town!" - Mike Weatherford, Las Vegas Review Journal [12]
References
- ↑ Ellis, Tim. "Merlin Awards: Controversy". The Unofficial Archives of the Merlin Awards. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
- ↑ Hassini, Tony. "Merlin Awards". International Magicians Society. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
- ↑ "Merlin award Criteria- IMS". imsmagic.com. Retrieved 2011-04-27.
- ↑ "Merlin award recipients- IMS". magicims.com. Retrieved 2011-04-27.
- ↑ "Merlin awards 2010- IMS". magicims.com. Retrieved 2011-04-27.
- ↑ "Merlin award winner announced". scnow.com. Retrieved 2011-04-27.
- ↑ "Merlin Award 2011". morganstrebler.com. Retrieved 2011-04-27.
- ↑ "International award for Muthukad". Chennai, India: hindu.com. 2011-04-05. Retrieved 2011-04-27.
- ↑ "Merlin award recipients- IMS". magicims.com. Retrieved 2011-04-27.
- ↑ "Tora Magic Company's Modern Art- Magic Cafe". themagiccafe.com. Retrieved 2008-04-27.
- ↑ "Pat Fallon wins Merlin AWard- Genii". geniimagazine.com. Retrieved 2009-04-27.
- ↑ "Construction may keep tourists away - Las Vegas Review Journal". reviewjournal.com. Retrieved 2008-04-27.