2018 Nose-to-Nose Pet Blogging and Social Media Awards

Check out the 2017 Winners here.

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 13 categories – three 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 2018 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, 2017 and February 7, 2018. All others will be disqualified.
• Nominations will open February 8 and close February 22, 2018.
• 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, 2018 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 2018 conference in Kansas City, MO, during a live red carpet event on Friday evening, April 20, 2018. Winners will receive a one-of-a-kind personalized trophy at BlogPaws 2018, 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 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: https://www.somepets.com/blogging-adversity-and-the-journey-from-helplessness-to-hope/

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://mybrownnewfies.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://youdidwhatwithyourweiner.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://www.noirkittymews.com/

Best Beyond Paws Pet Blog: Judged on writing, originality and creativity in bringing the category of ‘other’ to life. Our ‘beyond paws’ 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://paperchasesandpetticoats.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 2017 and February of 2018. Show us a blog that is working to be the best it can be. Last year’s winner: http://happygodoodle.com/

Best Video on a Pet 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: http://talenthounds.ca/news/10-things-we-can-learn-from-mans-best-friend/

Best Photo on a Pet 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 photo per blog or nomination. Last year’s winner: https://i1.wp.com/longhaultrekkers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Team_Sora-1.jpg

Best Pet Social Media Influencer: Judged on the overall look and feel of the social media 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. This is a new category.

Best Branding of a Pet Blog: Judged on the consistent, quality use of color, images, fonts, voice of written content, and overall tone. Also, judges will look at how cohesive the various aspects of the blog come together and the overall brand appeal. This is a new category.

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. Last year’s winner: http://www.chroniclesofcardigan.com/2016/09/how-to-remove-embedded-tick-from-pet-bravecto.html

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. Last year’s winner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mgLFXAzI0Q&feature=youtu.be

The Founders’ Award: This category acknowledges a person who embodies the spirit of BlogPaws and its founders. The founders created BlogPaws with a sense of purpose, passion, community, and giving back. Judged on purpose, achievement, and engagement. We are looking for passion and persistence, a sense of community, and engagement in animal welfare. How does this person reflect the spirit of BlogPaws? This is a new category.

2018 Nose-to-Nose Awards Judging

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!

Our thanks and admiration goes out to all these talented people who were or are involved in the 2018 awards program. Want to meet some of them in person? Come to the Kansas City event April 18-20, 2018.