Defenders are the special few people who work tirelessly to help nurture the scene for others, with no personal gain or hidden agenda, simply for the love of the community. They organize shows, curate releases, produce documentation, software, hardware, and all with no obvious reward.  These defenders are the glue that holds the community together and without their efforts, some less visible than others, this year would have been far less interesting. Here are the hardworking few that TCTD recognizes as your 2009 Defender of the Chip nominees.

lobitplayground – Now in its fifth year, this showcase of Japan’s best allows an outsider’s view into the Japanese chip scene.  Spearheaded by Coova, Saitone and Quarta330, this event greatly inspired the rise of such US events such as Pulsewave and 8static, so a tip of the TCTD hat was in order for this great showcase and the work they have done.

Mike Rosenthal – Last year we nominated The Tank for this award, but felt we should especially single out Mike for all the hard work he has done with 8bitpeoples, Pulsewave and The Blip Festival. People sometimes wonder out loud why all the good events happen in NYC and it is due in a large part to the behind the scenes guidance and hard work of Mike. Without his efforts the history of the US chipscene might have been quite different.

Anders Carlsson – If the other nominees here are the heart, Anders (aka goto80) is quickly becoming the brain of the scene. Respected by the neophytes and the demoscene stalwarts alike, Anders has provided clear and concise historical perspective throughout the year through his blog, and on countless of forum and blog postings.

Don Miller – Software developer, event curator and mentor to budding NES programmers everywhere, Don has really stepped up the profile of his organization, 8static, as well as providing many open source programs and helpful documentation.

Jordan Gray – Jordan, too, dabbles in various aspects of the scene. Hexawe, mp3death, Dutycycle, documentation for LittleGPtracker, the mark of  Starpause can be found in all of them.  Always a staunch advocate of sharing tips and tricks, he continues to kill the n00b in all of us.