Irish Blog Awards

Will you be a 2010 Blog Awards Judge?

Damien — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:33:17 +0000

We very much would like your help with the 2010 Blog Awards. Every blog is judged at the Blog Awards. With no nomination fee it means there are hundreds of entries to go through. We need your help each year to do this and the help has been fantastic. This year we’ve gotten a surge of nominated blogs so we need a lot more judges. Up to 100! You can be one if you wish. It’ll make a difference and it’s fun. You’ll probably find some new and interesting blogs on the way too.

So click here to apply to be a judge.

Thank you!

The Blog Awards take place on March 27th 2010

Damien — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 20:47:12 +0000

The 2010 Irish Blog Awards will take place on March 27th. They will be in the Radisson Blu hotel in Galway.

We’ve got a deal on reduced prices with the hotel for March 27th. The hotel is full on the 26th (the night before) due to a conference booking every room so we have done a deal with Hotel Meyrick for reduced prices on March 26th and March 27th. Hotel Meyrick is pretty much around the corner.

To avail of the reduced prices you need to email or phone in your booking.

Details:
Radisson Blu Hotel and Spa – Galway – Saturday March 27th only available. Please quote the Blog Awards – code Blog2703 to ensure you avail of the discounted negotiated rate.
Rates – €130 single and €150 – per room B&B
Maria Booth – Reservations Supervisor
T: +353 91 538200, D: +353 91 538520
maria.booth < at > radissonblu.com

Hotel Meyrick – on Eyre Square – Rates available for Friday March 26th and Saturday March 27th. Please quote the Blog Awards – code Blog2703 to ensure you avail of the discounted negotiated rate.
Rates – €115 single and €135 double per room per night, B&B
091 564041
Orla Johnston, ojohnston < at > hotelmeyrick.ie or reshm < at > hotelmeyrick.ie

2010 Irish Blog Awards – Nominations are go

Damien — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 13:54:32 +0000

We’ve been testing the nomination system informally for the past week and have most of the issues sorted now. So the curtain is up and we’re ready to use another cliché to end this sentence. Nominations will close on the 5th of February at 3pm.

Some points to note:

Anyone can nominate a blog from Ireland/an Irish blog. You can nominate your own if you wish.
We need contact details for the blogs you nominate. We’ll be contacting nominees to ask them to verify their blog and to choose a category if they are moved into the next judging stage.
Every blog will be judged in round 1, some will make it through to a second round of judging, will be shortlisted and category winners will be announced on the night of the Blog Awards. There is no public vote.
There is already a category for you. New ones will not be created for you.
Actively blogging means the blog was in use at points between the date stamps mentioned.
We are happy for you to use your own judgment for any other queries about the nomination system.

Irish Blog Awards 2010 are on the way

Damien — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 11:01:21 +0000

Just to let you know a few things about the 2010 Blog Awards:

They will be in Galway
We are looking at a March date
Nominations will be opening on the first week of January for 2 weeks
There are going to be new categories as well as old ones that will go
There will be changes to the way nominations happen

O2 Blog Post of the month for February 2009

Damien — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 10:29:41 +0000

And they’re like, it’s better than yours. Good post from Lottie on body image and self-confidence.

I may not have Elle’s legs, but I will wear a skirt if I want. I will also walk around naked if I like – no more turning off lights of shying away – I’m pretty sure my elderly neighbours won’t appreciate this but screw em – they’ll be dead soon. Mavis, Denis, live a little.

Congrats! And then this is Lottie getting clotheslined by someone at the Blog Awards. Ouch.

The overdue thank you list – Blog Awards 2009

Damien — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 14:23:41 +0000

The 2009 Blog Awards with 300+ people attending have definitely had the most positive feedback publicly and privately. Each year we get better at this lark where we try and mix a sense of fun and good organisation. When everything comes off perfectly, then we may retire. And we also have our own Builidng 7 conspiracies too, that’s when you know you’re bigtime. Thanks!

There are a huge amount of people that need to be thanked for their help with this. While it may seem to have run smoothly on the night there was a lot of stress and turmoil and shouting happening behind the scenes. Like the kitchen run by that foul-mouthed ginger fella.

Firstly thank you to the very gracious sponsors who decided to invest in an event that is not very commercial and where the list of what you can’t get is longer than the list of what you will get. The sponsors invest in a community event and all take part in the community by promoting the longlistees, the shortlistees and the winners with many sponsors traveling on the day to mix with those that attend. It’s not really traditional sponsorship as these sponsors work a bit more than those that just throw money in return for seeing their logo on a trophy and in some leaflets. In return though they build good personal relationships with what is a huge community of bloggers now.

Thanks to the 70+ judges this year too who really worked hard to judge some great blogs.

The videos and intros this year have set a standard that probably will not get matched and will be futile to do so. Thanks to John Williams and scriptwriter Twenty Major for the intro, intermission and end video as well as the category introductions. A huge thanks to Darragh Doyle, Darren Byrne, Anthony McGuinness and an army of people who made widly funny and entertaining videos. Seriously, have a look at the videos and realise that people took time off work to put this together and put in weeks of work. The only motivation was to give something back to their peers. It’s humbling and there’s a definite future in video for many of these folks. Some are saying this is what upped the game this year and it’s hard to argue against it.

And then there’s the photos. The brilliant photos by Ryan once again. And the hundreds of other photos taken by everyone else that attended.

A big thank you to Ciara, our Venue Finder for recommending the Cork Airport International Hotel and to Carmel Lonergan and the hotel staff who were amazingly helpful and made this the easiest event to organise so far. I’ve never met a hotel so eager to help an event along. Even the staff were contributing to the stage on the night and draggning out extra lights to add a bit of colour. What other hotel volunteers to take their own paintings off their walls so we can run an art exhbition? Speaking of which, thank you to Eolai for bringing down and showing off his art. He’s also got a charity auction going for one of his paintings.

Did you like the speech bubbles? Fran made all those and he’s got a caption competition for the best caption.

Thanks to Steven Day for being the ref for the game of Twister:

Thanks to Radio Friendly Brian Greene for the sound. Vote for him!

Thanks as well to Klara and specially Alexia for all the hard work they put into this. And to the many many more people who got missed in this first draft but will get added over time. Edit: See, I forgot a hugely important person:

Thanks to John Blackbourn, the web god who built and admined the nomination and judging system. Cheers John!

Thanks to Sarah and Nigel in Murray Consultants and Heineken Ireland for supplying the free beer at the start of the night. A lot of free beer. Also thanks to Heineken for those fantastic magnums of Heineken.

Of course then thanks to everyone that blogs and supports blogging and has encouraged blogging.

Lastly and most importantly, thanks to this wonderful man who turns it up to 11 when it comes to being an MC. I really wonder why Rick doesn’t get asked to do more MCing events, though it’s nice that he’s ours:

So this is our thank you but please do thank those sponsors and the hotel and your MC for their work. It takes dozens to put an event like this together and very understanding companies to sponsor it. See you somewhere in Ireland for the Blog Awards 2010

The 2009 Irish Blog Awards winners are

Damien — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 12:19:30 +0000

Full Winners List.

Best Personal Blog – Sponsored by Microsoft Ireland’s Developer and Platform Group

Annie Rhiannon

Best Humour Blog – Sponsored by Beecher Networks

The Swearing Lady at Arse End of Ireland

Best Photo Blog – Sponsored by Pix.ie

Ryan Whalley – glasseyalley.com

Best Blog Post – Sponsored by KRO IT Solutions

K8 the GR8: “The Secret Fire”

Grand Prix Prize – Best Blog sponsored by McConnells

Suzy Byrne – Mamanpoulet.com

Alright on the night – 2009 Blog Awards run through

Damien — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 01:37:59 +0000

There are no seats left, there has not been for some time. It was first come, first served for those seats and we have a list who got them!

However you can still come along and stand at the back or out the side of the function room for the ceremony. But you need to register and accept you can’t nick someone else’s chair! Before and after the ceremony we have the run of the ground floor of the hotel so there’s plenty of room to chat and have fun there. Also note that Eolai’s paintings will be scattered about the hotel for you to have a look at too.

Tickets:
Tickets are 10 euros per person for the event.

Times:
7pm drinks reception and registration
7.45pm Room opens
8.00pm Ceremony starts
9.30pm (ish) Ceremony ends
9.45pm Everyone is kicked out of the room for the DJ and entertainment to set up
Post 10pm – The real laughs happen. We have a bar extension too.

Dress Code:
Clothes.

2009 Irish Blog Awards Finalists

Damien — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 02:11:24 +0000

Congratulations to those that made it this far, thank you to the judges who broke their melt judging these. On average each blog was judge by 7 judges.

Best Popculture Blog

Best Blog from a Journalist – Sponsored by Mamut

Best Food/Drink Blog – Sponsored by Bord Bia

Best Fashion Blog – Sponsored by Spinnakerpro

dressjunkie.com

wow.ie

beaut.ie

thesexypedestrian.blogspot.com

dublinstreets.blogspot.com

Best Arts and Culture Blog – Sponsored by Poetry Ireland

Best Political Blog – Sponsored by Digital Revolutionaries

Best Group Blog – Sponsored by DineToMeet.ie

blather.net

dublinblog.ie

theantiroom.wordpress.com

atangledweb.squarespace.com

theblogpound.wordpress.com

Best Use of the Irish Language in a Blog – Sponsored by Edgecast Media

Best Technology Blog/Blogger – Sponsored by Bitbuzz

Best Sport and Recreation Blog – Sponsored by Boards.ie

Best News/Current Affairs Blog – Sponsored by IGO People

Best Specialist Blog – Sponsored by iQ Content

Best Newcomer – Sponsored by Teamworkpm.net

Best Blog of a Business – Sponsored by RedCardinal.ie

Best Music Blog – Sponsored by DownloadMusic.ie

Best Personal Blog – Sponsored by Microsoft Ireland’s Developer and Platform Group

Best Humour Blog – Sponsored by Beecher Networks

Best Photo Blog – Sponsored by Pix.ie

Best Blog Post – Sponsored by KRO IT Solutions

Best Blog sponsored by McConnells will be announced on the night and is the Grand Prix prize.

Irish Blogs Week – 17th to 21st February 2009

Damien — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 21:41:37 +0000

Tuesday: Bloggers meet business.

Wednesday: Bloggers book talk, Bloggers and PR people collide.

Thursday: Soundcheck blogger special. Including: Nialler9, Rick O’Shea, Jim Carroll (Irish Times/On The Record), Ian Wright (Thrill Pier), UnaRocks, NaRocRoc, Sweet Oblivion, Rapture Ponies, Aoife McIndieHour, Bluebirds Are So Natural and Dublin Streets

Friday: Oh who knows!

Saturday:

4pm: Ladies Tea Party.

7pm: The Irish Blog Awards including an art exhibit by Eolai showing off his latest paintings.

Photo owned by jencu (cc)