because the ISW was the prize for the poker tournament, hence it was announced.

and the poker tournament was open to any one (i assume) and as such it was available to "everyone" and not just some one that CCP decided deserved it based on an unknown set of criteria.
also, generally, the people in the poker tournament put some extra effort in (you know, turning up to the poker tournament, and winning it) vs somer doing nothing that isn't day-to-day business for them.

The first one went to the winner of the 2012 Fanfest Poker Tournament. Subsequent ones have been given to participants of various PVP tournaments, the 2013 Poker Tournament, the winner of the BIG Lottery 10th anniversary event, Alliance Tournament player commentators, Alliance Tournament volunteers, the staff of the Syndicate Competitive League (SCL) and most recently the staff of SOMER blink.

also, generally, the people in the poker tournament put some extra effort in (you know, turning up to the poker tournament, and winning it) vs somer doing nothing that isn't day-to-day business for them.

In the future I would suggest sticking to gifting plexes and the like. No one (or at least not many) would have batted an eye if you gave SOMER 30 plexes.

You make it sound like as if creating and maintaining a well know eve online fansite + infrastructure and handling with employees is effortless.

Should we stick to out-of-game things only?

Create non-transferrable in-game items as rewards?

Give no personal rewards and only prizes?

Only items below a certain expected ISK value? Always give out tons of stuff at once so early recipients canGÇÖt cash out?

List all rewards publicly?

and even less if CCP would have just credited each blink employee with a month or two of game time and cut out the middle man.

This does not address at all the criteria CCP uses to determine "services rendered" and why Somer Blink got so much in the way of rewards while there are far more deserving entities for any particular criteria it would be reasonable for CCP to have used.

In the future I would suggest sticking to gifting plexes and the like. No one (or at least not many) would have batted an eye if you gave Somer 30 plexes. Nex clothes would also work.

Giving out unique ships in a spaceship sandbox....eh......not the best idea.

The precise criteria isn't that scientific at the moment which is why we're planning to design a more transparent criteria for contributors and others as well.

We selected to reward SOMER and his staff because the time was right to do stuff with them, Vegas sponsorship being an example. Same story with the SCL which was having an active period and doing really exciting things.

What is the difference between NEX clothes and IWS?

When we gave out thousands of pirate-skinned rookie frigates to players at PAX East and Gamescom, they initially sold for 1 billion ISK in-game without causing stir. Obviously those were less rare from the get-go and were handed out fairly randomly in the familiar environment of GÇ£go to game show GÇô get swagGÇ¥.

The precise criteria isn't that scientific at the moment which is why we're planning to design a more transparent criteria for contributors and others as well.

We selected to reward SOMER and his staff because the time was right to do stuff with them, Vegas sponsorship being an example. Same story with the SCL which was having an active period and doing really exciting things.

Here's the million dollar question

what else has CCP secretly given out to pilots, communities, player run organizations?

I haven't heard of SOMER helping anyone in game. I don't gamble with them so maybe I'm in the dark here but the only service I see that they provide is taking peoples ISK through gambling and the only reason they got a reward from CCP is that they help sell plexes.

In the statement we go into who else have gotten the ISWs and also what sort of giveways we usually extend to fansites.

The problem is this reeks of 'Greed is Good' at the moment and the secret nature in which SOMER wanted it handled only makes it seem that much worse.

I haven't heard of SOMER helping anyone in game. I don't gamble with them so maybe I'm in the dark here but the only service I see that they provide is taking peoples ISK through gambling and the only reason they got a reward from CCP is that they help sell plexes.

You failed to read this part...

If fan-sites etc are rewarded with isk, be it in the form of rare ships or whatever, could it not lead to a situation whereby some folk will learn how to milk-abuse the rewards system?