Contest: ENTER SF&F Avatar Contest: The TrekBBS Acting in SF&F Award 2025

[Kai "the spy"]

We're back in Awards Season, and with the year just behind us, we still have the many extraordinary acting performances in genre productions fresh in our memory. So it is time once again to turn in your nominations before we vote on the best performance of the year.

Enter avatars depicting your nominations of the past year of 2025 (released between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31). Four entries per user, two for male and two for female actors, either can be switched for non-binary nominations.

Reminder: This is supposed to be about performances, and one production can have more than one good performance. Therefore, if an actor of one production is already entered, and you want to nominate another actor from the same production, by all means, do so. Also, it is about performances, and even bad productions can feature very good performances.

And also the usual contest rules apply, so do keep entry sizes at 200x200 pixels and/or 1 Mb data (or lower), and of course, keep it safe for work.
Also, please identify both your nominee(s) and the work you nominate them for.

 

[Kai "the spy"]

Well, I guess I'll get things started, so here are my two male nominations:

Male actor #1

Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/The Punisher; Daredevil: Born Again, Season 1

Male actor #2

David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman; Superman

 

[Kai "the spy"]

Anybody?

Female actor #1

Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova; Thunderbolts*

Female actor #2

Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers; Stranger Things 5

 

[Kai "the spy"]

Seeing how there has been not a single response to this, let alone other entries than my own, it seems like there is no interest in this theme anymore. Shouldn't be surprised, really, as even last year only two other users participated.

It certainly isn't because of a lack of great genre performances, what with films like Sinners, Weapons, Mickey 17, The Life of Chuck, The Long Walk, del Toro's Frankenstein, Wicked: For Good, as well as new seasons of Doctor Who, Foundation, Black Mirror, Andor, Ironheart, as well as several further worthy performances from Daredevil: Born Again and Stranger Things 5.

So, if there is no further participation in the next few days, I will scrap this one and start a new contest with a different theme on Thursday.

 

[Orac]

Best acting by a female human:
Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor in Doctor Who: The Reality War:

Best acting by a male human:
Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor in Doctor Who: The Reality War:

 

[Orac]

Best acting by a female human:
Mellisa Navia as Erica Ortegas in Star Trek Strange New Worlds: Terrarium:

Best acting by a female human:
Lily Newmark as Nibs in Alien Earth:

 

[the G-man]

Male actor1

Kyle MacLachlan, Hank Maclean, Fallout

 

[the G-man]

Male Actor 2:
Nathan Fillion, Guy Gardner, Superman

 

[the G-man]

Female Actor No. 1:

Emma Myers as Enid, Wednesday

 

[Kai "the spy"]

Alright, we are gonna do this after all. Now, LAST CALL! I'm gonna put the poll up this weekend.

For those who have not entered yet, may I remind you that Sinners, Weapons, and f-ing Andor Season 2 were all in 2025. Andor alone has at least three actors who really should be nominated.

 

[theenglish]

Sydney Chandler as Wendy in Alien: Earth

Genevieve O'Reilly as Mon Mothma in Andor

Vincent D'Onofrio as Kingpin in Daredevil: Born Again

Michael B Jordan as Smoke and Stack in Sinners

You're right that both Micky 17 and Weapons had great performances this year. Weapons would have been right up at the top of best movies of 2025 for me except it fell apart at the end. If I could choose three male actors then Ebon Moss-Bachrach would have been my third.

 

[Kai "the spy"]

Okay, I was about to put together the poll when I realized that @Orac has nominated three female actors and only one male actor. That is technically against the rules and I was about to ask him to withdraw one of his female nominations, but got to pondering the cons of that step.

- It sticks quite strictly to separation by gender, something I don't really want to do
- it would yet again delay putting up the poll, when it has been four weeks already

And then the pros for allowing it:

- I don't want to make Orac pick one female nominee to withdraw, and I certainly don't want to pick one of his myself
- @the G-man nominating two male actors and only one female one kind of balances things out
- I'd like to get on with it, really

Long story short, the poll is up.