I voted 'labor of love', since that award is meant for a game that the developer has stuck with and updated. TFP have done that... whether or not you agree with everything they have done, they've definitely stuck it out with this game and are doing their best to give us an awesome experience. As for the argument that the game isn't award worthy, I might agree that it's not necessarily in line for 'game of the year' for the reasons given, but it is certainly worthy of recognition for the hard work that's been put in.
With a financial investment of $20 I have well over 1,000 hours of enjoyment, with the game basically being made new every single update. That's worthy of recognition by any standard.