Whether Hayden deserved the award or not, I don't know, but to me he was a bad Darth Vader, and Lucas deserves just as much blame for hiring him and shaping him that way.
Instead of getting someone talented, Lucas went after 'looks' instead of acting ability, cause I have noticed that many teenage girls who are SW fans think he is perfect for Darth Vader, and that is the same audience that loved DiCaprio in Titanic, because of his looks too.
The role of Darth Vader had to be perfect for this trilogy, he is the focal point, and Lucas went 0 for 2 with me on his picks. By sacrificing TPM on a 10 year old Anakin, we waited 16 years for a mediocre Jake Lloyd, and it went downhill from the minute he was on screen. Now it is true, it is hard to find a talented young actor, but if Lucas was going to start with Anakin at 10 instead of 20, he better damn well make sure the kid is good. And there are good child actors, Dakota Fanning is very talented, I wish they would have cut her hair, and give her shoulder pads, and she could have done a better job than Jake Lloyd.
Hayden to me is a very average actor. If you watch him in the TV show Higher Ground ( I believe that is what it is called?) that was on right before he was cast as Anakin, he does that same whiny voice, and was almost the same character as this troubled young boy. Sure Lucas direction was bad, but McDiarmid, Christopher Lee, and McGregor don't get lambasted for their acting, because despite the shitty dialogue, and zero direction from Lucas, they are seasoned actors and they overcame it.
Hayden has no range, and couldn't pull off any dramatic scenes in AOTC & ROTS. The turn scene he is truly awful in ROTS, his whole facial expressions are just not believable. Every scene with Palpatine in ROTS, McDiarmid makes him look like a lightweight actor, as Hayden get owned in every scene. There is not one dramatic scene he pulls off in two movies, that really give me goosebumps, and there are a good 5-6 which should have been homeruns with drama. When his mom died, I almost gag & practically laugh at that scene when I watch it, then I watch Luke's expressions when Owen & Beru are burning and wonder if this the same movie saga?
I always thought Lucas should have had Anakin in his mid 20's from the start, and that way he could cast an actor alittle more seasoned. Someone like an Eric Bana from Munich and The Hulk. Hayden & Jake Lloyd were the keys to this trilogy, and they were both overmatched for what they needed to accomplish, I also blame Robin Gurland who is the casting director who you see in all the PT documentaries, another crap talent Lucas hired for the PT.
Lets see who is great from the PT: Kenobi, The Emperor, and Yoda, and John Williams Music, hmmmmm.... that sounds like all retreads from the OT.