A bunch of people you probably don’t know with an award that you probably haven’t heard of.

Every year, a regular guy announces his Top 10 favourite people of the year at a gala event that is both a fun party and a window into human nature.

Robin Harnett was a nobody until he came up with the Robin Awards five years ago. Since then he has been throwing parties, inviting everyone he knows, with hundreds showing up and bringing more friends with them, but only 10 people win.

On January 16, The Robin Awards, held at The Marquee Room, will be a Petri dish of experimentation on human emotion.

Guests, dressed in silk and rented tuxedos, swing between indifference and hope that they will win a trophy featuring a photo of Harnett in a heroic pose. The award brings no real gain, of course, except bragging rights if the winner can find an audience that has heard of the awards.

Harnett puts a lot of effort into creating a good party vibe for the awards. Last year, he laid out a buffet of hors d’oeuvres, including sushi, pakoras and chicken satay skewers, followed by strawberries dipped in chocolate to cleanse the palate. He also rented a midget in a Mexican outfit for the party, who wore a chip-and-dip plate on her hat that looked like a sombrero.

The awards night is a trap of excitement for a meaningless award. However, Harnett’s genuine respect and tenderness for his friends is at the base of the event — which is why friends will rent limousines and pay the $15 cover to see if they are on his Top 10 list.

“I heard someone call him ‘the asshole that everybody loves,’” says Malynne Steiert, a two-time Robin Award winner. “He’s got this really, really soft, beautiful side, but he loves a gag.”

Steiert figured her first award was because Harnett wanted to date her. When the romance ended, she figured there was no chance she’d win again the next year. But she won another Harnett statue last year.

“I was really shocked. I was stunned. I had no expectation of winning. I felt like our friendship was something he really, truly values and that I meant more to him than a potential date,” says Steiert.

Therein lies the power of The Robin Awards: The award doesn’t mean anything, except that it is nice to win.

Last year Harnett’s Top 10 favourite people included Steiert, his two best friends from high school and his grandmother. He also gave awards to comedian Tom Green and actor Mike Smith, who is Bubbles on the Canadian television show The Trailer Park Boys. Harnett played a videotape of their acceptance speeches at the gala.

Convincing the celebrities to accept a Robin Award was a coup for Harnett — another dimension to the joke.

But the awards night is also a tender time for Harnett. Watching his grandmother’s acceptance speech was a bittersweet moment, because he knew she only had days to live. In fact, she died the next day.

Harnett’s tender feelings for all of his friends, and especially his Top 10 favourite people of the year, feed into the emotional trap of the evening. Even though the awards are a joke, losing stings and winning is a surprisingly sweet moment.

“Part of the joke is everybody is nominated — instead of getting an invitation they get a nomination,” says Harnett. “A lot of people don’t realize everybody gets one. It’s like, ‘Wow, I didn’t know you liked me that much.’ You feel significant. Then they find out everyone is nominated and it’s like, ‘Fuck you, you cocksucker.’”

“The people who know are ungrateful. It’s a clever balance that I’ve fluke-ily struck upon. A cheeky side and a giving side.”

But Harnett is genuinely grateful for his friendships. And to show his gratitude he charges his friends — and anyone they bring along — $15 for the chance to win a statue of him.