Welcome to the WERRRK.com 2016 Drag Awards, recognizing the best in drag and LGBT achievement this year! The nomination stage is starting now, where your vote will help decide the winners!
Los Angeles and New York. New York and Los Angeles. They’re the cities with more drag queens per square mile than any other! Drag is blossoming like never before on both coasts with more and more incredibly creative, gorgeous and talented queens showing up on the scene all the time. This award is to honor the drag queen in the Big Apple that made the biggest impact on the year 2016!
*Editor’s Note: We have made an executive decision to not include any former or current RuPaul’s Drag Race Queens on this list. Not to diminish the talents of queens like Thorgy Thor, Phi Phi O’Hara or any of the others because lord knows we love us some Drag Racers but we want to shine a spotlight on some of the talented queens that have yet to gain that sort of national exposure. In addition, the winners of the previous two years aren’t eligible either.
Remember you can vote daily between now and December 18th. Congratulations to all of our amazing nominees!
- 2014 winner: Bob the Drag Queen
- 2015 winner: Judy Darling/Marti Gould Cummings (tie)
MIZ CRACKER: Miz Cracker has been all over the place in 2016….shows, photoshoots, articles, how to videos, wig classes, establishing a dinner-themed catch phrase, getting men shirtless in record time. Sounds like a year well spent!
TINA BURNER: In addition to hosting the multi-week Miss Barracuda pageant and being crowned Miss Hell’s Kitchen, Tina also wowed the crowds at her popular Gurlesque show and many more gigs all over town.
AQUARIA: One of the rising stars in the drag world, Aquaria has been one of the stars of the popular Voss Events Drag Brunch. It looks like the dawning of the age of Aquaria is upon us and we’ll all just be living in it. I just hope its rent controlled.
PAIGE TURNER: So as if multiple national appearances of her two show, “Confessions of an Un-Natural Blonde” and “Make America Gay Again” weren’t enough, Paige orchestrated another successful season of So You Think You Can Drag? in addition to her other shows. I’m not sure when she has the time to sleep!
MONET X. CHANGE: Monet blossomed as a star this year being featured at Hardware, Industry and numerous other locales around the city, and the cherry on top was her amazing Times Square video which also garnered a Drag Moment of the Year nomination!
HOLLY DAE: With her popular show Queen entering its sixth year at Industry in addition to assorted “Distorted” shows and her other regular gigs, Holly is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon!
ARI KIKI: Perhaps the most colorful character in the city, this larger than life comedic performer remains one of the busiest and most popular drag queens in the Big Apple.
YUHUA HAMASAKI: Besides seemingly sewing for half the queens in the city, this stunning diva also spent the year entertaining the children at Boots and Saddle, Lucky Cheungs and more!
BRENDA DHARLING: The multiple time Glam Award Best Dancer winner remains one of the best performers in the city and can be found dancing up a storm at Queen at Industry, Boots and Saddle, Suite Bar and Lounge and more!
SUTTON LEE SEYMOUR: Sure she got shipped south of the border for a spell but Sutton still had a great year including starring in her own show “Sutton Lee Seymour: The Way Off Broad”, being featured in “Make America Gay Again” in addition to her Broadway Mondays and Live at Albatross shows. Not a bad year at all!
