Best NWT Blogs

WINNERS!

2009-12-22T20:29:00.000-08:00

The votes have been collected, and we have our winners. Amy is going to do badges for your sidebars. (Thanks, Amy!)

The results were very close. There were clear winners in four categories: Best Blog, Best Audio/Visual Post, Best Personal Photography, and Best Theme Blog. All of the others were within one to three votes.

Best Blog: This is an award for the best blog overall. It includes Flickr streams, podcasting and vodcasting.

Reflections in the Snow-Covered Hills is -- well, I'm not really sure how to describe it. I usually say that it's a blog about grammar, journalism and David Hasselhoff worship, but that's just a blatant ploy to get people to click on the link. Wondering & Pondering is a fabulous site about life as a teenaged girl, and Gay White North provides commentary on issues from around the world, with a special focus on gay issues.

Best New Blog: Best blog that started in 2009. The blogger does not have to be new to the NWT, and it does not have to be the writer's first blog.

This result made me smile. Both of these blogs are run by people under the age of 20. YKOnline is a community blog that is quickly becoming one of the hottest websites in Yellowknife, and In The Net is written by a nine-year-old soccer player. Watch out for these guys. They're going to be fierce competitors next year.

Best Post: The single best post of 2009.

Old people are just ADORABLE (Wondering & Pondering)
THREE-WAY TIE: I'm confused! (In The Net) and More than just a piece of paper (Michael's Meanderings) and How NOT to write about northern Canada (Reflections in the Snow-Covered Hills)
It's hard being famous (Ferry Tales)

Jacqueline's story about her great-uncle Russ walked away with the prize. Well, maybe it shuffled away slowly, using a cane. In any case, it was ADORABLE and deserved to win.

Best Series: This can be a number of posts over a long period of time or a time-limited series.

TIE: Uganda's Kill The Gays Bill (Gay White North) and Being David Hasselhoff (Reflections in the Snow-Covered Hills)
Bonjour Quebec! (Wondering & Pondering)
Old Benny (Ferry Tales)

This category went to the bloggers who cover topics of international interest. Gay White North wants to keep people from being murdered in Uganda, and David Hasselhoff is HUGE in Germany.

Best Youth Blog: Best blog written by an NWT resident who is younger than 20.

Jacqueline was determined to win, and her efforts paid off. She's even created banners for your website so you can show off your support. Pick one up on her site.

Best Audio/Video Blog Post: Best individual podcast or video.

I'm confused! (In The Net)
LEAVE SARAH PALIN ALONE (Reflections in the Snow-Covered Hills)

There could be no other winner. "I'm Confused!" has been viewed almost 10,000 times, was posted on scienceblogs.com and other less reputable websites I refuse to mention, and continues to attract a steady stream of comments from weirdos who can't spell.

Best Northern Story: Best story about the NWT. It can be a single post or a series of posts that tell a single story.

Giant Mine (In The Net)
TIE: A Yellowknife Morning (YKOnline) and WARNING: The following post contains graphic images of animals getting it on (Michael's Meanderings)

Sometimes mass murder's easier to deal with when an eight-year-old boy explains what happened.

Best Professional Photography: This category includes all professional photographers. In this category, the only content to be considered is the blog's original photography. It can be a Flickr stream.

Dave Brosha Photography

I was disappointed that we only got one entry in this category, but I think it was because as soon as Dave entered, we all knew he was a lock to win first place. Congratulations, Dave. You deserve it.

Best Personal Photography: See above, but for amateur photographers.

Great job, Lillian and Liza. We all look forward to seeing more from you.

Best Theme Blog: Best blog in which all or almost all posts are about a single topic or use a set format. This includes corporate blogs and blogs about specific places. The theme does not have to have anything to do with the NWT.

Don't mess with the Book Mine Set's fans. Those guys are fierce. I'm really pleased that we have our very own litblogger who has been so successful at encouraging literacy. John deserves to win.

Congratulations, everyone! I'll see you on your blog! Remember that if you'd like to be listed on NWTBlogs.com, send an e-mail to the webmistress and ask to be added.

Voting now open

2009-12-15T19:55:00.000-08:00

Voting is now open. You may use your choice of voting methods:

Text message (preferred): to 867-445-4660.
E-mail (perfectly legitimate): to the moderator.

Voting ends Tuesday, December 22, at 9pm NWT time.

You may vote in as many categories as you like, but you may only vote once. If you vote more than once, our moderator will have to spend time deleting duplicates. Please vote for your single favourite entry in each category. I have provided links so you can easily compare the entries. If you are texting your vote, you can use the shortened versions of the blog names listed below.

Best Blog: This is an award for the best blog overall. It includes Flickr streams, podcasting and vodcasting.

Gay White North (GWN)
In The Net (ITN)
KyleWith (KW)
Lillian Liza Photography (LLP)
Reflections in the Snow-Covered Hills (RSCH)
Wondering & Pondering (WP)
YKOnline (YKO)

Best New Blog: Best blog that started in 2009. The blogger does not have to be new to the NWT, and it does not have to be the writer's first blog.

Best Post: The single best post of 2009.

How NOT to write about northern Canada (Reflections in the Snow-Covered Hills) (RSCH)
I Alone -- Live (The Music Is Me) (MIM)
I'm confused! (In The Net) (ITN)
It's hard being famous (Ferry Tales) (FT)
Line of the day (Slingin Lingo) (SL)
More than just a piece of paper (Michael's Meanderings) (MM)
Old people are just ADORABLE (Wondering & Pondering) (WP)

Best Series: This can be a number of posts over a long period of time or a time-limited series.

Being David Hasselhoff (Reflections in the Snow-Covered Hills) (RSCH)
Bonjour Quebec! (Wondering & Pondering) (WP)
KyleWith Videos (KW)
Old Benny (Ferry Tales) (FT)
Photo-A-Day (An Arctic Life) (AAL)
Uganda's Kill The Gays Bill (Gay White North) (GWN)
YKOnline Podcasts (YKO)

Best Youth Blog: Best blog written by an NWT resident who is younger than 20.

Best Audio/Video Blog Post: Best individual podcast or video.

Binio and Biberous: First Inaugural Podcast (Slingin Lingo) (SL)
I'm confused! (In The Net) (ITN)
LEAVE SARAH PALIN ALONE (Reflections in the Snow-Covered Hills) (RSCH)

Best Northern Story: Best story about the NWT. It can be a single post or a series of posts that tell a single story.

A Yellowknife Morning (YKOnline) (YKO)
Giant Mine (In The Net) (ITN)
WARNING: The following post contains graphic images of animals getting it on (Michael's Meanderings) (MM)

Best Professional Photography: This category includes all professional photographers. In this category, the only content to be considered is the blog's original photography. It can be a Flickr stream.

Dave Brosha Photography WINS!

Best Personal Photography: See above, but for amateur photographers.

Lillian Liza Photography (LLP)
YKOnline (YKO)

Best Theme Blog: Best blog in which all or almost all posts are about a single topic or use a set format. This includes corporate blogs and blogs about specific places. The theme does not have to have anything to do with the NWT.

Nominations are now closed

2009-12-15T18:00:00.000-08:00

Thank you for your nominations. Voting will begin shortly.

Now taking nominations

2009-12-11T19:35:00.000-08:00

The 2009 Best NWT Blogs contest is now underway. There will be two rounds: first we'll take nominations, then we'll vote.

Rules for the nomination round:

You must have been an NWT resident during 2009 to be eligible. If you no longer live in the NWT, your posts from the time you were living here can qualify. Exception: If you are not a resident, your blog can qualify if it is about the NWT.
You must nominate yourself through a comment on this post. If you can't figure out how to leave a comment, you are obviously not a blogger. Don't bother complaining about this.
You can nominate yourself in as many categories as you like, but you can nominate only one post/series/video/etc. for each category. Please provide links to all of your nominations so I don't have to guess which posts you want people to vote for.
Nominations end on Tuesday, December 15 at 7pm NWT time.

Categories:

Best Blog: This is an award for the best blog overall. It includes Flickr streams, podcasting and vodcasting.
Best New Blog: Best blog that started in 2009. The blogger does not have to be new to the NWT, and it does not have to be the writer's first blog.
Best Post: The single best post of 2009.
Best Series: This can be a number of posts over a long period of time or a time-limited series.
Best Blog From A New NWT Resident: Best blog from someone who moved here in 2009. The blog must be mainly about moving to the NWT or about what it is like to be a new resident of the NWT. The blog itself can be more than a year old if the author moved here during 2009 and started to publish material that is mainly about life as a new resident.
Best Youth Blog: Best blog written by an NWT resident who is younger than 20.
Best Audio/Video Blog Post: Best individual podcast or video.
Best Northern Story: Best story about the NWT. It can be a single post or a series of posts that tell a single story.
Best Professional Photography: This category includes all professional photographers. In this category, the only content to be considered is the blog's original photography. It can be a Flickr stream.
Best Personal Photography: See above, but for amateur photographers.
Best Theme Blog: Best blog in which all or almost all posts are about a single topic or use a set format. This includes corporate blogs and blogs about specific places. The theme does not have to have anything to do with the NWT.

Remember, you can nominate yourself in as many categories as you like, but you must nominate yourself. This part of the contest ends on Tuesday, November 15 at 7pm.

2009 Best NWT Blogs Contest: Categories & Format

2009-12-10T18:18:00.000-08:00

So far, the consensus is that we should pick the winners by voting. I am going to find a way to do that fairly. Should we have a nomination round before the voting, or should we head straight into a free-for-all vote?

Proposed categories so far:

Best Blog
Best New Blog
Best Post
Best Has-Been NWT Blogger
Best Video/Audio Blog Post
Best Youth Blog (younger than 18? 20? 25?)
Hottest Blogger
Best Series
Best Blog Design
Best Northern Story
Best Personal Photography
Best Professional Photography
Best Blog About A Place
Best Corporate Blog

What are we missing? Does anyone want to donate prizes, or will this be for bragging rights?

2009 contest coming soon

2009-12-09T18:58:00.001-08:00

Stay tuned.

2008 WINNERS!

2009-01-05T20:15:00.000-08:00

Yes, we have winners! Many thanks to all of the judges who helped with the contest.

Best NWT Blogs of 2008:
1. Reflections in the Snow-Covered Hills
2. Alex Is Up North!
3. Dispatches from the Failed Mommies Club

Best NWT Blog Posts of 2008:
1. Getting Over My Heterophobia
2. The Sunshine Club
3. On Death and Dying...And Gerbil Funerals

For more information about these two awards, check out Jackie's blog.

Best Photography of 2008:
Dusty Sensor

For more information about this award, check out Megan's blog.

Best Series of 2008 (TIE):
Overheard in Cabs
Being David Hasselhoff

For more information about this award, check out Laura's blog.

Best New Blog of 2008:
Ferry Tales

For more information about this award, check out Alex's blog.

Happy 2009. I'll see you on your blog!

Update

2008-12-30T14:13:00.000-08:00

Good afternoon!

We will probably have results in a few days. I know you are all anxious to find out who won, but the deliberations were interrupted when a small human fell out of one judge's abdomen. (And here we thought she was just letting herself go!)

Our judges are now reviewing all of the entries, and I will post the results as soon as I get them.

I hope you are all having a lovely holiday season.

Best NWT Blogs: 2008

2008-12-17T22:08:00.000-08:00

Welcome!

The 2008 awards are now underway, and we are taking nominations until Christmas Eve. That will give our judges time to review all of the blogs and return with winners next weekend. You can nominate anyone, even yourself.

To be eligible, a blog must be about the NWT or written by a person in the NWT.
Anyone can nominate a blog for the contest.
To be eligible, individual blog entries must have been published in 2008.

Please post your entries in the comment box so we don't end up with multiple nominations for the same blog or post. You can nominate the same blog for as many categories as you want, but if you see that it's already been nominated in a category, there's no need to re-submit it. It would help if you could include links: if you don't know how to do this, you can e-mail your nominations to me (dryas at theedge dot ca) and I will post them.

The blogs you nominate can be any format: photoblogging, liveblogging, videoblogging, columns, personal stories.

To ensure fairness, I have assigned judges to categories they will not be eligible for. Best Blog and Best Post will be judged by a panel of bloggers who live outside the NWT.

Best Blog (Panel: Tina, Jen, Craig, Clare, Jackie, Kara, Kennie)
Best overall.

Best Post (Panel: Tina, Jen, Craig, Clare, Jackie, Kara, Kennie)
Best individual post of the year.

Best New Blog (Judge: Alex)
Best blog that began within the 2008 calendar year.

Best Photography (Judge: Megan)
Best original photography. It doesn't have to be a photoblog; it can be any blog with original photography.

Best Series (Judge: Laura)
Best series of posts about a specific topic. This does not have to be a formal series, but the posts should be presented as parts of a single unit on the blog.

Final Results (a bit early)

2008-05-02T20:22:00.000-07:00

Due to some voting irregularities, I am declaring both categories a three-way tie. Congratulations to Rob & Tina, Martin, Phil and Megan. The contest is over, so it's OK to visit them all and think they're all great. (I certainly do!)

This contest has been a lot of fun, and I'm very proud that we have so much talent here.

See you on your blog! You'll find me at Reflections in the Snow-Covered Hills and Flame of God.

Round 2: Best Blog & Best Post

2008-04-30T00:02:00.000-07:00

Voting in the first round is now over and, about 300 votes later, we have three finalists in both categories. They are all great. Honestly, I'm not sure that I could pick between them. I am really impressed that we have so much variety in our territory. Remember to check out each entry before you vote. I hope you'll find a new favourite blog today.

In both categories, you are voting for a winner. Voting ends Friday night at midnight.

Best Blog
Prize: "I Am An NWT Blogger" T-shirt, handmade by Jen of Nunavut.

Eclectic Blogs Martin's sometimes local, sometimes personal, sometimes political, but always interesting. As far as I know, he's the only NWT blogger with an expertise in tea. Truly an eclectic blog.

Inuvik Photos Phil sees the world through his camera lens. He's always good-humoured and has an interesting perspective on life at the top of the world.

Just Below 63 Rob & Tina always make me laugh, whether it's through their unique stories or their photography.

Best Post
Prize: Framed northern photo from Martin.

GNWT Cutting Costs But Not in the Right Places (Eclectic Blogs) Martin has obviously touched a nerve with this post about government spending. A timely topic, to be sure.

You Darn Kids! (Inuvik Photos) Phil spent an evening at the Inuvik Youth Centre, where he lent his camera to a few of the teenagers. Guess what happened next.

The Issue: Literacy Problems (Reflections in the Snow-Covered Hills) Megan's readers say she is on a journalism jihad. This post is from the day she almost beheaded someone.

Good luck to everyone. I know that all of the nominated blogs have a lot of fans, but I hope this contest has helped you to find a great new blog you didn't know about before.

Winners!

2008-04-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to announce that we have winners in three categories. Please stop voting in the five polls below. They will continue to accept your votes, but I will not. :)

Best or funniest northern story: Black Lake Or Black Magic (Just Below 63). This win is well deserved, although the others in this category were great competitors. Hilarious story, Rob. In fact, it was dinner conversation at my house a few weeks ago. Prize: NWT birch basket with quillwork or original tufting on hide in a loop from Indigo.

Best photography: Inuvik Photos. This one was a landslide. Peterson Photography and Design does amazing photography, but it's not really a photoblog in the same way Inuvik Photos is. I guess it's only appropriate that the Blog Awards would reward photoblogging over slick presentation. Prize: Set of northern cards from Rob & Tina.

Best new NWT blog: Janet's Arctic Adventure. This was close. I kept checking back throughout the day, and I wasn't sure whether Janet or Karan's Blog would come out on top. They are both great blogs in very different ways. Prize: Dinner for two at Megan's house in Yellowknife.

Congratulations to our three winners. Rob & Tina and Indigo, please get in touch with the winners.

But don't go away: Round two of Best Blog and Best Post starts now.

So it begins

2008-04-27T00:02:00.000-07:00

We have a lot of nominees for Best Blog and Best Post. I'm going to do those two in two rounds. You can only vote once for each question, but the top three blogs in those two categories will face off for the big prize starting on Wednesday morning. The others have fewer than five choices in each category, so we should be able to get through them in one round.

This ends on Tuesday night at midnight NWT time. If you haven't already, please click through and read the blogs in each category before you vote. Good luck to everyone! Remember, if you tell your readers to vote, you're more likely to win. :)

Which is the best blog in the NWT? The three blogs that get the most votes will "advance to the finals", as they say on Canadian Idol. The only difference is that this poll is much classier.

Prize: "I Am An NWT Blogger" T-shirt, handmade by Jen of Nunavut.

Eclectic Blogs
Flame of God
Inuvik Photos
Just Below 63
Karan's Blog
Reflections in the Snow-Covered Hills

Which is the best NWT post? Again, we'll vote later on the top three.

Prize: Framed northern photo from Martin.

The Fowlers (Peterson Photography and Design)
GNWT Cutting Costs But Not in the Right Places (Eclectic Blogs)
Reasons We Can't Let The Atheists Win (Flame of God)
You Darn Kids! (Inuvik Photos)
Why Do We Make The Schedule, Anyway? (Just Below 63)
What's Playing In My Walkman (Karan's Blog)
The Issue: Literacy Problems (Reflections in the Snow-Covered Hills)
Mother Nature Has A Great Sense Of Humour (Just Below 63)
Switched At Birth (Karan's Blog)

Which is the best or funniest northern story? You are voting for a winner -- there will be no second round for this category.

Prize: NWT birch basket with quillwork or original tufting on hide in a loop from Indigo.

Black Lake Or Black Magic (Just Below 63)
Yet More Awkward Moments (Karan's Blog)
Weird Inuvik Product (Inuvik Photos)
There's a Bear in Them Thar Woods (Way Way Up: NWT Edition)

Which NWT blog has the best photography? You are voting for a winner -- there will be no second round for this category.

Prize: Set of northern cards from Rob & Tina.

Peterson Photography and Design
Inuvik Photos

Which is the best new NWT blog? You are voting for a winner -- there will be no second round for this category.

Prize: Dinner for two at Megan's house in Yellowknife. It's your job to get yourself there. :)

Karan's Blog
Janet's Arctic Adventure

Going...going...

2008-04-26T15:06:00.000-07:00

Nominations close in a few hours. If your favourite blog or post isn't in the list below, submit it before midnight tonight (Saturday). Voting will begin in the morning.

We already have quite a few nominations in some categories, so I think we'll do those in two rounds to narrow the list.

Nominations now accepted!

2008-04-24T00:43:00.000-07:00

Good morning!

I am now taking nominations in five categories:

Best Blog
Prize: "I Am An NWT Blogger" T-shirt, handmade by Jen of Nunavut.

Best New Blog (new within the last 12 months)
Prize: Dinner for two at Megan's house in Yellowknife. It's your job to get yourself there. :)

Best Post
Prize: Framed northern photo from Martin.

Best Photography
Prize: Set of northern cards from Rob & Tina.

Best/Funniest Northern Story
Prize: NWT birch basket with quillwork or original tufting on hide in a loop from Indigo.

General Rules:
Any format will be accepted, including video blogs, podcasts and YouTube channels. Any topic will be accepted. The awards for individual posts can be from any time -- they don't have to be from the past year -- but if they're older, they have to be from a time when the blogger was living in the NWT. I will call foul on any posts about your flat in Toronto or your daily lattemochaspressachino.

You can nominate as many blogs as you want, and you can even nominate yourself. Put your nominations in the comments box. You can do it anonymously if you want to, but please provide a URL for the blog or post you're nominating.

You only have to submit a blog or post once in each category. If it has already been nominated in the category you were planning to nominate it in, there's no need to re-submit it. We'll vote later: for now, our focus is on getting the list of nominees together. The same blog can win multiple times.

Nominations close Saturday, April 27, at 11:59 pm. NWT time, of course. Voting will begin Sunday morning.

One more day

2008-04-22T18:03:00.000-07:00

I'm still taking suggestions for categories and prizes. If you have something in mind, please let me know right away. You can use the comments box or e-mail me: dryas (at) theedge.ca before Wednesday night at midnight. NWT time, of course.

Prizes

2008-04-20T09:51:00.001-07:00

Who would like to donate prizes for the winners of the contest?

I will donate a dinner for two at my house in Yellowknife for one of the winners. Who else is in? E-mail me: dryas (at) theedge.ca or leave a message in the comments section.

Welcome to Best NWT Blogs!

2008-04-20T09:31:00.000-07:00

This is a contest. Anyone is welcome to participate, vote, suggest a category or nominate a blog. However, the blogs you nominate should be:

written by an NWT resident OR
about the NWT

We'll start by choosing the categories, then nominate blogs and finally vote on the winners. Good luck!