Have you submitted your blog, social media group, or online initiative to the 2012 Best of the Blogs Awards [1] (The BoBs)?
The BoBs are an annual blog award organized by German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle [2] (@dw_thebobs [3]). Bloggers, writers, artists, citizen video reporters, activists and innovators are encouraged to shun shyness and register their blogs in one of 17 categories [4] in 11 languages.
You can also recommend a blog you love written by someone else. Take a moment to submit the link [5] before March, 13, 2012. Online voting will open on April 2, and the winners will be announced on May 2.
This year, educator blogs are especially welcome since a new Education Award will be awarded. A Reporters Without Borders Freedom of Expression Award makes a comeback this year.
Facebook and Twitter may dominate the current online landscape, but blogs are far from outdated and now blend in with social networks.
The “Best of the Blogs” laureates of 2011 are proof of the transforming power of individuals and groups of netizens striving for change. Many have played a part in uprisings in the Arab world, Russia, Mexico, Iran, Bangladesh (full list of the 2011 BoBs winners here [6]).
[7]A few of the 2011 BoBs winners from Iran, Russia, Egypt, Tunisia, Mexico during the ceremony in Bonn, Germany – Image courtesy of Deutsche Welle
The video below highlights the vision behind this respected and global blog competition, now in its 8th year.
Global voices Online and the Best of Blogs Awards share a common mission: to shine light on rarely heard voices and to create bridges across languages and cultures. Many bloggers who were highlighted on Global Voices [8] have later been distinguished by a BoBs award.
Individuals from Global Voices have also been honored to sit on the jury [9]. This year, along with myself (Claire Ulrich [10]) for the French category, Tarek Amr [11] from Egypt will sit on the jury for blogs in Arabic. Also on the jury is Enda Nasution from Indonesia who was the first Indonesia author [12] on Global Voices from 2005-2006.