Page 92 - AVN March 2017

FEATURE
WINNING MOMENTS
8th Annual ‘O’ Awards celebrates excellence
Attendees of the 8th Annual “O” Awards gathered in a ballroom in Festival Hall at
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on January 19, enjoying hors d’oeuvres and cocktails
before taking the opportunity to congratulate the big winners of the night.
The event was presented by Bait’D Designs.
A total of 13 awards were given out during the ceremony, which was hosted by
sex educator Sunny Megatron, who is also the host of the Showtime original series
Sex With Sunny Megatron. Megatron took audience members back to when AVN
Media Network got its start, in 1984, and wondered what an “O” Awards ceremony
might have looked like at that time.
“Can’t you just see it?” she said. “Outstanding Product Purchased By Your
Grandmother For Use On Her Shoulders.
“We all know now, Grandma wasn’t using that for her shoulders!”
Megatron personally distributed many of the trophies on stage to the winners,
but was joined at times by her sex educator husband Ken Melvoin-Berg, as well as
sex educators Dirty Lola and Ashley Manta and performer/advocate Buck Angel.
Twelve products were honored as the best of the best in their respective
categories, while the 2017 “O” Award for Lifetime Achievement was given to
Joani Blank, founder of Good Vibrations, a legend in the adult retail world. Coyote
Amrich of Good Vibrations was on hand to accept the award in honor of Blank,
who died earlier this year.
“Joani always believed that pleasure was a woman’s birthright, and we still
believe that today,” she said during the acceptance speech.
One of the most impassioned acceptance speeches came from Buck Angel,
who worked with manufacturer Perfect Fit Brand to create the Buck-Off, the first
pleasure product specifically designed for female-to-male transgender bodies.
“This proves that we matter, that it is our right to connect sexually with our
bodies,” he said, often overcome with emotion. “It is a human right for us to enjoy
our sexuality. This is not a sex toy award, this is a human rights award. We have
the right to be accepted and to have our voices heard and to masturbate.”
Also honored at the beginning of the ceremony was Larry Garland, founder and
CEO of Eldorado Trading Co. Garland, a long-time supporter of AVN and the “O”
Awards, passed away unexpectedly on January 15. Several members of the Eldorado
Trading Co. team took the stage at the start of the ceremony to shares a few words
with the crowd about their leader, as well as to ask everyone to join them in a
standing ovation to show appreciation for a true legend of the industry.
—Sherri L. Shaulis
ANE 2017 | By Sherri L. Shaulis
The complete list of winners for the 8th Annual “O Awards are as follows:
“O” Award for Lifetime Achievement: Joani Blank of Good Vibrations
Outstanding Lingerie Collection: Superhero Boyshorts, Xgen Products
Outstanding Accessory Product or Line: Skwert, Boneyard/Channel 1 Releasing
Outstanding Marketing Campaign: Pleasure Product Home Delivery, Doc Johnson
Outstanding Packaging: Mini Marvels, CalExotics
Outstanding Lubricant Product of Line: Unicorn Spit, Trigg Laboratories
Outstanding Body or Skin Care Line: Love Cosmetics, Bijoux Indiscrets
92 | AVN.com | 3.17
Outstanding Supplement or Enhancement: Royal Eruption, Nasstoys
Outstanding Non-Powered Product: Echo the Snowstrider, Bad Dragon
Outstanding Powered Product: Motorbunny Starter Kit, Motorbunny
Outstanding Innovation: Buck Off, Buck Angel/Perfect Fit Brand
Outstanding Product for Men: Quickshot, Fleshlight
Outstanding Product for Women: Nova, We-Vibe