[caption id="attachment_43397" align="aligncenter" width="607" caption="Surprise! This was the best show. (Getty)"][/caption]

Every March the world’s technorati and musical glitterati (not to mention a few actual glitterati) famously descend upon Austin, Texas, for ten days of South By Southwest. As a third-year attendee, I knew most of the drill -- how to spend less than 10 dollars a day and eat like a king, to avoid the money pits that are pedicabs, and to not get caught up in the FOMO (fear of missing out) that has you party hopping beyond your limits, and when to leave downtown and actually pay for a drink or food once in a while. This year I learned a few more tricks (the best thing at 3 a.m. is always a Korean taco, always) and below I give nine relatively meaningless awards to commemorate my time in Austin uncovering the New, the Now and Next of interactive, film and music.

Best Promotional Stunt - There were two dudes dressed as blue pieces of bread, and I am tempted to give them this award because they managed to creep me out, make no sense, and leave me wondering what in the world blue slices of bread have to do with SXSW in any way. However, once music started they were overshadowed, quite literally, by Doritos, who built a massive vending machine that featured 7 foot tall Doritos bags and played host to stars like Snoop Dogg on the stage beneath. You could barely walk anywhere in downtown Austin without catching a glimpse of the behemoth.

Honorable Mention: Friskies, who don’t really qualify as a "stunt" since their event was underground and more private, but did allow you to play an iPad game against a cat. We only found out about it through whispers and the good will of a friend in town, who took us up a barely marked door to meet said cat, who admittedly owned me in skill at the game. Let’s pretend it’s because I was a newbie and the cat had a full day of practice.

Best Event - There’s really no way to compete with a free Jay-Z show, especially one in a 3,000 capacity venue with a premium open bar. And even despite a bit of a bottleneck around the first bar before people were allowed to take their seats, when Hova took the stage all was forgotten and forgiven as he broke the SXSW mold and played a full hour-long set of hits. The standout performance was during Interactive, not Music, as part of a promotion by American Express and their sync technology, which links your credit card to your Twitter and Foursquare for seamless savings experiences. Jay Z, free booze, free money, total win.

Best Celebrity Sighting - Last year I saw Jon Hamm, and while nothing can ever compare to that, I did have two vastly different encounters during my time in Austin. I got to speak with Forest Whitaker, who was launching his JuntoBox production company, and he was an absolute joy. However, the winning encounter happened on the dead day between Interactive and Music, when, tired of sponsored parties and the endless open bars that make you irresponsible, a group ventured to a relaxed and hidden Austin spot for a few margaritas. I was minding my own business, with my glass resting on a bench beside me, when someone asked if they could steal said bench away. I looked up, and it was Matthew Lillard, of Scream and Scooby Doo fame. Not exactly Jon Hamm, but I’ll take it.

Best Photobooth - If a SXSW party happens in Austin, will anyone know or care if there isn’t an embarrassing photobooth collection posted online. There were single strip experience like at the Spotify House or The Hype Hotel (also notable for its free Taco Bell), and although the classic style was nice, and out of the box option at the Tumblr / the Barbarian Group party hit the photobooth out of the park. There was no line, no attendant to worry about, and photos printed out in a simple 4x6 that fits more in a traditional setting. But the physical product is only part of the fun -- the real joy is the digital presence of the photos later. The party uploaded them to Facebook, Google+ and then went the entire mile to GIF the 4-sets into extra-fun digital products. And no, I won’t link you directly to mine, but have fun finding me.

Land of the Free (Stuff, That Is) - SXSW is all about swag as far as the eye can see, with everyone trying to push something branded into your hands, or something edible. On the food side, the best free meals came from Moonshine Cafe, which set up shop for media and artists during the festival as a space to eat and conduct interviews, and the CNN Grill, which during Interactive had some of the best music, cocktails and fried ravioli, all for nada (if you were lucky enough to score a pass). The Today Show combined branding with food, giving away snacks every day along with umbrellas and hand sanitizer that were a godsend for the week (and are still in my purse today.) Spotify dished out a free month of premium service if you visited their house, and if you ran into an Uber employee you could snag a $20 credit for their car service application. But these plush freebies were few and far between, and most times you find your pockets and bag full of temporary tattoos, buttons and a wealth of postcards.

One App To Rule Them All - Usually on the tech side of SXSW some new app breaks through the noise and become the one thing everyone is using across Austin for a week. Last year GroupMe, a group messaging app, took that prize. Previously Foursquare and Twitter were big winners. This year the app most of my friends were obsessed with didn’t even have a presence in Austin, and is less life altering than a big name like Twitter -- it’s Draw Something, the game that lets you doodle on your iPhone and challenge your friends to guess what your art represents. The more engrossed you are with the game, the more life changing it does become. That’s what you friend thinks Snooki looks like? That’s how they represent fear? In every free moment I was checking in on my games and laughing over my friends guesses.

Best New Musical Discovery - A bad sense of direction and a dire need of a free vodka drink led me to Hard Rock Hotels’ Sound of Your Stay lounge an hour earlier than I intended to catch Semi Precious Weapons, so I had extra time to check out their swag (did you know Hard Rock Hotel will give you a guitar or DJ equipment during your stay?) and caught half of Penguin Prison's set, who had just the right amount of dance to compliment my free vodka soda. They’re the only totally new band I checked out after leaving Austin’s warm embrace.

Off The Beaten SXSW Path - Usually I get some time away from downtown Austin during my SXSW stay, but this year I stayed mostly within easy walking distance of 6th Street. During Interactive the most non-interactive event I ventured to was a pool party thrown by The Daily at a local condo. The rain that was depressing SXSW for the first day and a half had finally broken, and so the pool party felt like a real celebration. As music ramped up I paid attention to downtown Austin's strip of gay bars and clubs, which are usually ignored by the majority of SXSW badge holders. Rain on 4th hosted a LGBT artists showcase on Saturday, and while I only had enough time to catch Declan Bennett’s set, it was a welcome break.

Rockstar Quote Of The Week - "Tomorrow we will be playing a Whole Foods so instead of spitting whiskey we'll be spitting kale" - Semi Precious Weapons, during their daytime set at the Hard Rock Hotel lounge. That image in itself made me wish my SXSW stay didn’t cut short on Friday afternoon.