The Archive

The AG Transcript.

Field notes from grading the awards industry. Every issue, free to read: the scam files, the awards actually worth entering, and how we grade. No account needed.

No. 05
JUL 2026
The field guide
5 checks before you pay to enter an award.
A 60-second gut check for the next “you’ve been selected” email.
No. 04
JUL 2026
The real ones
The business awards actually worth entering.
Not everything is a mill. Here’s what the real ones have in common.
No. 03
JUN 2026
The poodle file
This award named a poodle one of America’s top lawyers.
Her name was Lucy. There’s also a cat and a restaurant that didn’t exist.
No. 02
JUN 2026
How we grade
How we decide if an award is legit.
The entire rubric, in the open. No black box.
No. 01
JUN 2026
The founding brief
Most business awards are for sale. We grade them.
An independent watchdog for an industry that’s never had one.