I’ve written before that everyone loves to receive an award. Although that’s pretty much the case, a little digging on the ’net unearthed a few honors that won’t make the fireplace mantle or office wall.

Ever heard of the Darwin Award? It “honors people who ensure the long-term survival of the human race by removing themselves from the gene pool in a sublimely idiotic fashion.” Examples of Darwin award winners include trying to generate enough light to look down the barrel of a loaded rifle using a cigarette lighter and attempting a game of Russian roulette with a semi-automatic pistol that automatically loads the next round into the chamber.

How about the Ig Nobel Prizes? Organized by the scientific humor magazine Annals of Improbable Research, they are presented annually by a group that includes genuine Nobel Laureates at a real ceremony at Harvard University. Past winners include the Ig Nobel Prize for Physics to Robert Matthews of Aston University, England, for research proving that toast most often falls on the buttered side.

At CE Pro, however, we think you will agree that our CE Pro Masters is an honor that is most certainly fireplace mantle-worthy. For this second edition of these awards, we’ve compiled a list of 16 esteemed individuals (following up on last year’s 24 honoress).

Photos: See the CE Pro Masters Class of 2014

This year we first reached out to the 2013 inaugural Masters class for nominations and then asked CE Pro readers for their thoughts. Once again we have compiled a worthy list of hard-working custom industry lifers who fit the bill perfectly.

As we’ve explained from the jump, the criteria are pretty straightforward. We’re always searching for career CE folks who’ve moved up the ladder of success over the past several decades and made an honest living.

Some of these people intentionally stayed out of the spotlight while others have concentrated on their jobs rather than endless self-promotion. Either way, they’ve all made an impact in the industry.

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