What's a convention without awards? They take your mind off the food during dinner, recognise individual contributions, and build institutional memory. Over time, they establish a benchmark for performance and a succinct history of an organization. Besides they're usually controversial and fun - two Daily Kos attributes.
Here as some categories I'd like to see:
Diary of the Year 2005
Best Election 2005 Diary
Best Satirical Diary of the Year
Datamining Award (jotter is the odds on favorite here)
Most Original Research
Tin Foil Hat of the Year (with actual tin foil hat)
Most Influential Diarist
Troll of the Year
Good idea, bad idea?