2016 Nose-to-Nose Awards

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2016 Nose-to-Nose Pet Blogging and Social Media Awards

The Winners are …

Check the list here

The Finalists have been announced!

Check the list here

Some of our 2015 winners – Now, who will be on stage in Phoenix this year?
2016 Nose-to-Nose Awards - image featuring 2015 winners

 

The BlogPaws Pet Blogging and Social Media Nose-to-Nose Awards were created by the founders of BlogPaws to judge pet bloggers and people who write about pets online for their expertise, creativity, performance and achievements in one or more of 12 categories. Judging is done by a panel of distinguished professionals not by popular vote.

  • Each entry in each category will be judged independently of any other entry.
  • Each entry in its category must be about, relate to, or demonstrate a focus on pets (companion animals of any kind – we do not discriminate against kinds of pets).
  • When a person, post, blog, or other piece of content receives multiple nominations in the same category (two different posts for Best Blog Post, for instance), the preliminary judges will choose the BEST entry to move forward into the final judging.
  • Anyone who has won in a particular category 2 or more times previous to the 2016 Awards is ineligible in that category for the next 3 years.
  • Content for all entries MUST have been created within this time-frame: January 1, 2015 through April 4, 2016. All others will be disqualified.

Nominations will open March 28, 2016 and close April 11, 2016 (specific dates still to be determined). You may nominate yourself or others, in one or more categories, one time each. (UPDATE: Due to issues with mobile entries, we are extending the deadline by ONE FULL DAY. The nominations deadline is now April 12, 2016. )

To determine the finalists and winners, judges use criteria developed by BlogPaws based on experience with our previous competitions. Judging is done independently – none of the judges see or know what the other judges’ scores are. All categories will be scored for the specific criteria, according to the category topic. Finalists and winners will be chosen by totaling the scores and assigning the winners to the highest score. Scoring is done by an outside professional.

FINALISTS will be announced on or about May 7, 2016 in a featured blog post on the BlogPaws blog, and through all social channels. Finalists of each Nose-to-Nose award will receive a badge for display on their blog to announce their standing in the contest. They also receive 1 (one) free conference pass to the current year’s conference.

WINNERS will be announced at the BlogPaws 2016 conference in Phoenix, AZ during a live red carpet event on Saturday evening, June 25, 2016. Winners will receive a one of a kind personalized trophy at BlogPaws 2016 as well as a package of other prizes TBD.

Award Categories and Criteria:

BEST Pet Blog Design: Judged on use of color, images, written content, sidebar content, and overall visual appeal of the blog to the reader’s eye. How are pets represented? How effective is the design in showing the reader there are pets on this blog? Are pets represented appropriately? Last year’s winner: Jessica Rhae Williams http://youdidwhatwithyourweiner.com/

BEST Written Pet Blog Post: Judged on grammar, punctuation, paragraph construction, writing style, purpose, message, and ability to tell a story. Where it is appropriate, grammar and punctuation may challenge the judges when post is written in the voice of the pet. Content that is unreadable by the average human will disqualify entry. Blog posts submitted should represent the purpose of the blog. ONE blog post per blog or nomination. Last year’s winner: Mel Freer https://nodogaboutit.wordpress.com/2014/06/01/loose-dog-dont-chase-stop-drop-and-lie-down/

BEST Pet Humor Blog: Judged on whether the content makes the reader laugh out loud, or at least smile. Content should be appropriate for pet parents – humor should include pets. Blog content should be original and show creativity. Engagement and sharing will be a plus in this category. Last year’s winner: Jennifer Costello http://mybrownnewfies.com/

BEST Dog Blog: Judged on original, creative writing and visual content about dogs. Design will also be important. Blog must be focused on dogs. Posts about the writer’s dog, written in an entertaining or educational manner, are just as welcome as posts about specific dog issues. Engagement by the readers is a plus in this category. Last year’s winner: Jessica Rhae Williams http://youdidwhatwithyourweiner.com/

BEST Cat Blog: Judged on original, creative writing and visual content about cats. Design counts! Posts should capture the unique presence of cats in our lives. The focus of the blog as a cat blog is vital. Blogs that ‘include’ cats should not nominate for this category. Engagement by the readers is a plus in this category. Last year’s winner: Debbie Glovatsky http://www.glogirlydesign.com/

BEST Unconventional Pet Blog: Judged on writing, originality and creativity in bringing the category of ‘other’ to life. Our ‘other’ pets category is open to any animal NOT a dog or a cat, such as guinea pigs, goats, chickens, pigs, ferrets, horses, yes, even snakes. Content needs to be reflective of the animal the blog is about, although the blog may also write about other animals. Last year’s winner: Stacy Mantle http://www.petsweekly.com/horses

BEST New Pet Blog: Judged on originality, creativity, writing ability, purpose, and focus. The nominations in this category will be judged on ‘intent’ as well as accomplishment. Blog MUST have been created between January of 2015 and April of 2016. Show us a blog that is working to be the best it can be. Last year’s winner: Jen Gabbard http://www.puppyleaks.com/

BEST Cause Blog (for or about pets): Judged on purpose, effectiveness, achievement, and engagement. We are looking for passion and persistence. Achievement may be how much money was raised and/or how many times the cause was supported. Also, audience engagement will be key to this category; how are reader’s responding? Last year’s winner: Christina Lee http://deafdogsrock.com/

BEST Pet Video on a Blog: Judged on creativity, focus, sound quality, visual quality, and length. Video should be purposeful. Pet(s) must be present in the video. Video must have pets in it. If the video is 5 minutes, it needs to demonstrate why it’s that long. If it’s a minute and a half, it needs to accomplish its goals in that minute and a half. ONE video per blog or nomination. Last year’s winner: Alana Grelyak https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2dlMJbfYwE

BEST Pet Photo on a Blog: Judged on creativity, focus, visual appeal, use of color, and purpose. If the picture tells a story, all the better. Picture must include pet(s). Must be relevant to the post it is contained in. ONE video per blog or nomination. Last year’s winner: Abbey Jacobson-Myers http://basilstravels.com/

BEST Pet Microblog: Judged on the overall look and feel, audience engagement, and the blogger’s participation in the conversation. Is the page effective in its design and its use of the platform? We are looking for active engagement, sharing, consistency in purpose, original blogger content, creativity and visual appeal, where appropriate. Platforms eligible for nomination are: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and Instagram. Last year’s winner: Sarah Stanek https://instagram.com/yogi000008/

BEST Use of Social Media by a 501c3: Judged on the creativity, purpose, effectiveness, and ability to convey and support the cause. Must include the results and demonstrate how social helped achieve those results. Must show proof of 501c3 status. Last year’s winner: Christine Michaels https://www.facebook.com/RiverfrontCats/

Honorable Mention Certificates: NOT a nomination category! Winners chosen by BlogPaws Team!

  • Best Series/Collaboration
  • Best About Page

OFFICIAL RULES page here.

2016 Nose-to-Nose Awards Committee

How does BlogPaws manage and choose Finalists and Winners in the BlogPaws Nose-to-Nose Pet Blogging and Social Media Awards? We work with a committee of talented professionals!

Below is a list of people who are participating in support of the BlogPaws Nose-to-Nose Pet Blogging and Social Media Awards for 2016.

Our thanks and admiration goes out to all these talented people who were or are involved in creating and supporting our awards program. Want to meet some of them in person? Come to the Phoenix event in June. Many of those listed here will be at the conference. See you there! (committee members listed in NO PARTICULAR ORDER)

  1. Chloe DiVita, Chief of Everything BlogPaws
  2. Kristen Levine, Founder Kristen Levine Pet Living blog and Fetching Communications
  3. Katie Myers, CEO of CR Conversations
  4. Yvonne DiVita, Co-Founder and Content Manager BlogPaws
  5. Sandy Robins, Pet Lifestyle Specialist, Author and Pet Industry Spokesperson
  6. Veronika Freeman, Founder dotcalm
  7. Carol Bryant, PR Manager BlogPaws
  8. Michelle Maskaly, Journalist, Content Creator, Business Consultant 
  9. Andrea Arden, Animal Planet’s Pet Expert http://www.andreaarden.com/
  10. Adam Greenbaum, Award-winning digital marketer http://greenbaumdigital.com/
  11. Alexandra Hay, Email marketing manager at Only Natural Pet Store
  12. Monique Rodriguez, Founder Silver Paw Studio
  13. Nick Podrasky, Co-Founder Tessera Marketing
  14. Maggie Marton, BlogPaws Senior Editor, Blogger at OhMyDogBlog
  15. Brian Lovett, CEO of Prosperent
  16. Shawna Schuh, President and Chief Pet Wrangler at Women in the Pet Industry Network 
  17. Ryan Carter, Creator Camping With Your Dogs
  18. Dino Dogan, Entrepreneur @dinodogan
  19. Stacy Mirkay, Senior Paralegal, PetSmart.com 
  20. William J. Ward, Dean @Cannes_Lions @Dr4Ward, Social Media Professor @NewhouseSU
  21. Felissa Elfenbein, Blogger Outreach and Communications Manager, BlogPaws
  22. Karen Loomis,  Co-Founder, No Moss Brands 
  23. Bernard Lima-Chavez, Campaign Manager, BlogPaws
  24. Aimee Beltran, Director of Community Education, BlogPaws
  25. Rebecca Flick, Event Coordinator, BlogPaws