I don't remember if I said this last time this was brought up but honestly I think this is a bad idea.
I'm all for honoring good maps more, but that would be the least of the things doing this would accomplish.
First of all, adding another thing on top of everything else (showcase maps, updating the front page, hammer times) that the staff/community already need to do but don't is just a silly idea. I'm not trying to attack the staff or anything here, because I understand (and did it myself when I gave up on the hammer times.) A yearly thing might get a bit more traction but all the same, it requires people to do something and it probably will run into complications of getting it organised. You've seen how slow contests are to get started and organised because of everything involved.
The other problem with this idea is how it becomes a popularity contest. I already have a huge problem with public voting on major contests because those people work super hard on those maps, and the public as a collective just vote on the things that require the least effort to analyse, ie. gimmicks, personal bias like if they had a bad match on it, had a team that couldn't push past A, etc.
Then you add to that the fact that you can never honor all the maps here. People are going to get very disappointed if their map doesn't get nominated or win. You're never going to get a system where people don't overvalue their own maps, and when people get jealous, or angry because they felt they missed out when they deserved it it just breeds discontent and sourness that could be avoided.
I like the idea, I can see where you're coming from with it and I agree that maps need more love in general, and people need to receive more appreciation for the work that they do. But having seen award systems like this in a few forms in the past, I can just tell you they don't work to do that.