Nose-to-Nose Awards
2017 Nose-to-Nose Pet Blogging and Social Media Awards
Check out the 2017 Winners here.
A taste of the glitz & glam from last year – Who will be on stage in Myrtle Beach this year?
The BlogPaws Pet Blogging and Social Media Nose-to-Nose Awards were created by the founders of BlogPaws to judge pet bloggers and influencers who write about pets online for their expertise, creativity, performance and achievements in one or more of 14 categories – two NEW categories this year! 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 2017 Awards is ineligible in that category for the next 3 years.
- These awards are for bloggers; companies and brands, or individuals blogging as an employee or contractor of a company or brand, are not eligible (see Official Rules: Eligibility).
- Content for all entries MUST have been created within this time-frame: January 1, 2016 through February 20, 2017. All others will be disqualified.
- Nominations will open February 6 and close February 20, 2017.
- You may nominate yourself or others, in one or more categories, one time each.
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 March 17, 2017 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 2017 conference in Myrtle Beach, SC, during a live red carpet event on Saturday evening, May 20, 2017. Winners will receive a one of a kind personalized trophy at BlogPaws 2017, as well as a package of other prizes TBD.
Award Categories and Judging Criteria: The Judges will evaluate all eligible Entries based on whether they meet all submission requirements and are visually appealing and will then evaluate the Entries based on the following Category Criteria –
Best Pet Blog Design: Judged on use of color, images, flow of written content, layout of sidebar content, and overall visual appeal to the reader’s eye. Also Judges will also look at how pets are represented on the blog; how effective is the design in showing the reader there are pets on the blog; and are the pets an integral part of the blog. Last year’s winner: http://montecristotravels.com/
Best Written Pet Blog Post: Judged on use of 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. However, content must be easily understandable by the average human or such Entry will be disqualified. Blog posts submitted should represent the purpose of the blog. ONE blog post per blog or nomination. Last year’s winner: http://www.thedailypip.com/2016/01/the-specials-one-i-couldnt-save.html
Best Pet Humor Blog: Judged on whether the content makes the reader laugh out loud, or at least smile broadly. Content should be appropriate for pet parents – content must include pets. Blog content should be original and show creativity. Engagement and sharing will be a plus in this category. Last year’s winner: http://www.glogirly.com/
Best Dog Blog: Judged on original, creative writing and visual content about or including dogs. Design is also 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: https://2travelingdogs.com/
Best Cat Blog: Judged on original, creative writing and visual content about or including 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: http://consciouscat.net/
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: http://susanfriedlandsmith.com/
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 2016 and February of 2017. Show us a blog that is working to be the best it can be. Last year’s winner: http://www.bodieontheroad.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? Was the response overwhelmingly awesome and delightful or not? Last year’s winner: http://www.thedailypip.com/p/the-specials.html
Best Pet Video on a Blog: Judged on creativity, focus, sound quality, visual quality, lighting, and length. Video should be purposeful. Pet(s) must be present in the video. If the video is 5 minutes, it needs to demonstrate why it’s that long – shorter is better! 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: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hk5lKdJ5E_w
Best Pet Photo on a Blog: Judged on creativity, focus, visual appeal, use of color, emotional response of reader, 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: http://communikait.com/2015/12/merry-christmas/
Best Pet Micro Influencer: Judged on the overall look and feel of the platform, audience engagement, and the influencer’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 content, creativity and visual appeal, where appropriate. Platforms eligible for nomination are: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and Instagram. Last year’s winner: https://www.facebook.com/deafdogsrock/
Best Use of Social Media by a 501c3: Judged on the creativity, purpose, effectiveness, engagement, 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: https://web.charityengine.net/Default.aspx?tsid=4015
Best Written Pet Blog Post: Sponsored: Judged on writing ability which includes grammar, punctuation, paragraph construction, writing style, purpose, message, and ability to tell a story. Post must represent the sponsor/campaign creatively and appropriately. Judges will be looking for clear, colorful, relevant images in addition to the written content. Post must include written content and images for or about pets that are relevant to the campaign. NEW category this year.
Best Pet Video: Sponsored: Judged on creativity, focus, sound quality, visual quality, lighting, and be recognizable as appropriate to the campaign or sponsorship. Pet(s) must be present in the video. NEW category this year.
Certificates of Achievement: Nominated Blog Posts may be eligible for and receive Certificate of Achievement. This is NOT a nomination category! Certificates of achievement will be chosen by BlogPaws Team in select categories, not limited to those given last year:
- Here are the 2016 Special Certificate areas and the winners:
Outstanding Blog About Page
Lisa Richman – A Tonk’s Tale: About page
Outstanding Blog Series
Carrie Noar – Tales and Tails – Search and Rescue Saturdays
Outstanding Written Blog Content Sponsored by a Brand
Susan Bewley – Budget Earth: Allergy Management Made Easy with Natural Balance #PetSmartStory
Outstanding Video Blog Content Sponsored by a Brand
Larry Kay – Positively Woof – Watch Shelter Dogs Star in P.I. WOOF Film Comedy
Visit OFFICIAL RULES page here.
2017 Nose-to-Nose Awards Committee People
How does BlogPaws manage and choose Finalists and Winners in the BlogPaws Nose-to-Nose Pet Blogging and Social Media Awards? Very carefully! In fact, we know it’s quite rewarding (people who work on this tell us so!), but it’s also time consuming and task oriented. That’s why we work with a committee of talented professionals to pull it off, each and every year!
Below is the list of people who are indispensable in creating and managing the yearly BlogPaws Nose-to-Nose Pet Blogging and Social Media Awards. This changes each year, so please check it out and visit the links.
Our thanks and admiration goes out to all these talented people who were or are involved in the 2017 awards program. Want to meet some of them in person? Come to the Myrtle Beach event, May 18th -20th. Truly get nose-to-nose with the committee folk below. I, Yvonne DiVita, will certainly be there! As will the entire BlogPaws team. We are already excited about the prospect of seeing you there! (committee members listed in NO PARTICULAR ORDER – this list is subject to update and/or change as needed)
- Chloe DiVita, Director of Events & Programs, and also Chief of Everything BlogPaws
- Jessica Remitz, Managing Editor, ask petMD
- Caitlin Boroden, Senior Digital Marketing Strategist, DragonSearch
- Tyler Brown, Digital Marketing Associate, DragonSearch
- Alex Ioanna, Digital Advertising Strategist, DragonSearch
- Yvonne DiVita, Co-Founder BlogPaws, Founder, The Lipsticking Society
- Carol Bryant, PR Manager BlogPaws
- Andrea Arden, Pet Expert http://www.andreaarden.com/
- Maggie Marton, BlogPaws Senior Editor, Blogger at OhMyDogBlog
- Shawna Schuh, President and Chief Pet Wrangler at Women in the Pet Industry Network
- Stacy Mirkay, Senior Paralegal, PetSmart.com
- Felissa Elfenbein, Blogger Outreach and Communications Manager, BlogPaws
- Bernard Lima-Chavez, Campaign Manager, BlogPaws
- Aimee Beltran, Director of Community Education, BlogPaws
- Mike Linville, CEO, Black Dog Marketing
- Christine Jerry, Blogging and Design Services, HayHayLife.com
- Penny Sansevieri, CEO, Author Marketing Experts
- Jamie Migdal, CEO & Founder, FetchFind
- Jill Caren, Founder, 2 Dogs Media
- Dino Dogan, Entrepreneur @dinodogan
- Karen Noel, Co-owner, Power Up for Profits
- Monique Rodriguez, Silver Paw Studio
- Lisa Mercurio, Dir Sales and Operations, BlogPaws