The people have spoken and we have our pick. Ladies and gentlemen, The Otaku of the Year 2008:

In the year 2008, he introduced Version Vibrant to theOtaku community. Met with both excitement and skepticism, he went on to push for reforms in the site now that it is in the VV stage. He also led a cupcake revolution that had members mesmerized. When detractors attacked his site, he came prepared to defend it. He also gave birth to theOtaku Chat, which revolutionized the way theOtaku members interacted with one another. So even though he is reluctant to accept it, Adam is the 2008 Otaku of the Year.

Runners-Up
2nd Place - SunFallE: Her dedication to peace and order in the site has caused her to gain the respect of her fellow colleagues. She has faced many chat dramas, newbie problems, and submission errors, yet she still stood tall from the trials and succeeded in making the community safe.
3rd Place - SomeGuy: As the head of the Fan Words ministry, he devoted his time to promoting the writing abilities of young and not-so-young otakus and gave value to the otaku's freedom of expression by publishing writeups made by the fans. He also hosted the successful Halloween Writer's Jam, which helped writers use their abilities to the fullest. For that, he gained the people's trust.

Honorable Mentions:
somegirl: Her creativity has awed many in the otaku community.
Anime Pulse Podcast Team: Their weekly audio commentary has entertained many and given new insights on things, however vulgar it may be.
Michiyo Shimizu: Her friendly nature and her chat moments has caused many, including the founder, to adore her.
Shinmaru: As a "triplet" to a fellow otaku, he has overcome allegations on how some miseries were "all his fault" by winning the Writer's Jam.
Sangome: As the adopted aunt to a fellow otaku, she has continually found humor on a lot of things and shared the fun to others through "Chatlogs" and "Memes".

EDIT: I just love how "EPIC-sounding" these writeups turned out to be.