Why we declined a category in 2025
Community Impact was contested, judged, and not conferred. Here is the reasoning.
In the inaugural season, the panel judged Community Impact and recommended that no PALMA be conferred in it.
The rule permitting that is published: where a category receives too few eligible candidacies to judge credibly, PALMA may decline to confer an honour, and will say so publicly rather than lower the standard.
It is an uncomfortable thing to do in a first season, when the institution has every incentive to look busy. It is also the single clearest signal we could send about what the other honours mean. A PALMA that is conferred every year regardless is a participation medal with better typography.
The category returned in 2026 and was conferred.
The PALMA Journal is published by PALMA, The Creator Honours.