Awards people care about are from entities they respect in endeavors that have respect as well. Said awards are seen to have real value in winning them. Ask the authors what sales did on works that have won Hugos. The last in person Worldcon (2019) only had 6500 attendees with around 2/3 of those voting for the Hugos. And yet it's considered the most prestigious award in the science fiction genre. I've bought books in the past solely on the basis that they won a Hugo. Mainstream sci-fi and fantasy are seen as valid and mature genres. Even the best writing we produce, and there are some really talented authors in our ranks, is usually looked at as 'fanfic' even by us furries.
How to fix this? Well for starters, dump the categories for works not produced by or for our fandom by intent. That means no Disney films or such on the list. Get one ore more of the larger furry cons to step up and get behind the awards in their promotions and such. At the same time, you need to be prepared to pay for a visible space at said con(s), preferably with as many of the nominated works available as possible. Even being nominated for a Hugo is a big deal. Make it a big deal for the Ursa Majors. Don't ask the cons to foot the bill, at least not initially. Finally, only allow those buying a membership at said con(s) to vote. If you want people to care about voting and the result, make it seem exclusive. Imagine if even 2/3 of just one of the largest four cons voted. If attendees at other cons feel left out, they will put some pressure on their favorite con to back the awards as well. Give the cons an upside to supporting you and they will. As it stands, there is none, but there is potential for drama when something like the ballot box stuffing that happened this year occurs. Speaking of that, it needs to be addressed so it can't happen again. Take that for what it's worth.
Awards people care about are from entities they respect in endeavors that have respect as well. Said awards are seen to have real value in winning them. Ask the authors what sales did on works that have won Hugos. The last in person Worldcon (2019) only had 6500 attendees with around 2/3 of those voting for the Hugos. And yet it's considered the most prestigious award in the science fiction genre. I've bought books in the past solely on the basis that they won a Hugo. Mainstream sci-fi and fantasy are seen as valid and mature genres. Even the best writing we produce, and there are some really talented authors in our ranks, is usually looked at as 'fanfic' even by us furries.
How to fix this? Well for starters, dump the categories for works not produced by or for our fandom by intent. That means no Disney films or such on the list. Get one ore more of the larger furry cons to step up and get behind the awards in their promotions and such. At the same time, you need to be prepared to pay for a visible space at said con(s), preferably with as many of the nominated works available as possible. Even being nominated for a Hugo is a big deal. Make it a big deal for the Ursa Majors. Don't ask the cons to foot the bill, at least not initially. Finally, only allow those buying a membership at said con(s) to vote. If you want people to care about voting and the result, make it seem exclusive. Imagine if even 2/3 of just one of the largest four cons voted. If attendees at other cons feel left out, they will put some pressure on their favorite con to back the awards as well. Give the cons an upside to supporting you and they will. As it stands, there is none, but there is potential for drama when something like the ballot box stuffing that happened this year occurs. Speaking of that, it needs to be addressed so it can't happen again. Take that for what it's worth.