The Steam awards need to create more strict boundaries for games to enter certain categories.
It seems almost too simple but a barrier for entry for the "continued support" category of having at least 2 major updates this year would solve this kind of whack-ass result.
Worse. They force everyone to vote in every category, without a skip or no opinion option. This means, when each category is presented to the user, they basically pick the only game on the list they're familiar with, regardless of evaluating on merit. If they had something as simple as "I am not familiar enough to vote on this topic" as an option, then RDR2 drops off.
I don't know if it deserves a reward, but off the top of my head, Hello Games released 4 major updates (plus minor incremental updates) and launched on a new system in 2023 for No Man's Sky. Fractal, Interceptor, Singularity and Echoes each introduced new content, and NMS is now on Mac.
That's just the most obvious example I know of off the top of my head.
Oh yeah! CK2 enjoyed years of updates too. Of course Paradox is more DLC focused it seems. I think I still have $50 of Paradox DLC in my Steam Wishlist for EU4 and CK2. Similar stats probably for Truck Simulator, Train Simulator, and the various other simulator games out there.
Does it matter for "Labour of Love" if the upadtes are DLC or free? What does "Labour of Love" even mean as a category? Obviously if RDR2 can win, anyone can!