The Ninjamatics' 2012 Canadian Weblog Awards Winners!

The Ninjamatics' 2012 Canadian Weblog Awards winners are here!

Over the past year, the Ninjamatics' 2012 Canadian Weblog Awards saw 467 weblogs nominated across 36 categories. Our 51 volunteer jurors worked hard over the course of this January using our ten criteria to judge each of the 467 weblogs in the first round and each of the approximately 180 weblogs in the second round to arrive at our winners. Our jurors have been an incredible group to work with, and I wish I could adequately express the level of my gratitude, because they are what really make these Awards possible as a tool to promote weblogs of quality across Canada.

And now, without further ado, we are thrilled to announce the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in the Ninjamatics' 2012 Canadian Weblog Awards!

Best Weblog About Activism & Social Justice
Activisme et la justice sociale

First: Weighty Matters
Second: Mind of Change
Third: PhD in Parenting

Best Weblog About Art & Photography
Art et photographie

First: Just a Smidgen
Second: Kelly Neil
Third: Postcards from the Mothership

Best Weblog About Arts & Culture
Arts et culture

First: Production Ottawa
Second: Vancity Bride
Third: CVV Magazine

Best Designed Weblog
Meilleur design

First: Everybody Likes Sandwiches
Second: Suzy Krause + the Skyscrapers
Third: Pepper + Paint

Best New Weblog (for weblogs created after July 31, 2011)
Meilleur nouveau blogue (blogues créés après le 31 juillet 2011)

First: Family Adventures in the Canadian Rockies
Second: Mondays with Mac
Third: A Swell Place to Dwell

Best Written Weblog
Meilleurs textes

First: Finding Me In France
Second: Simple Bites
Third: Farewell Stranger

Best Weblog About Business & Career
Affaires et carrières

First: Kyla Roma
Second: Women On The Fence
Third: Productivityist.com

Best Comics Weblog
Bande dessinée

First: Comics! The Blog
Second: Hark! A Vagrant
Third: Mui-Ko

Best Weblog About Crafting
Artisanat

First: A Swell Place to Dwell
Second: Dragonfly Designs
Third: All About Ami

Best Weblog About Disability
Disability

First: Rolling Around In My Head
Second: wildheart
Third: Painfully Optomistic

Best Weblog About Education
Education

First: Figure/Ground Communication
Second: IP Osgoode IPilogue
Third: The Canadian Homeschooler

Best Weblog by an Ex-Pat (a Canadian living abroad)
Expatriés

First: Finding Me In France
Second: Planting Dandelions
Third: Journey Mama

Best Weblog About Family & Parenting
Famille et enfants

First: Mondays with Mac
Second: PhD in Parenting
Third: Farewell Stranger

Best Weblog About Fashion, Style & Design
Mode, style et design

First: Vancity Bride
Second: Lili Brunette
Third: Style Blog

Best Feminist Weblog
Féminisme

First: Gender Focus
Second: Brilliant Woman
Third: the spirit that moves me

Best Weblog About Food & Drink
Cuisine et breuvages

First: Everybody Likes Sandwiches
Second: Les Tuyaux bouffe de Katerine-Lune Rollet
Third: Simple Bites

Best French Language Weblog
En français

First: Lili Brunette
Second: Les Tuyaux bouffe de Katerine-Lune Rollet
Third: Quelquepart

Best General Interest Weblog (for weblogs that cover a range of topics)
Intérêt général

First: Calgary is Awesome
Second: The Best of This Life
Third: Beams and Struts

Best Group Weblog
Blogue collectif

First: I Dig Your Girlfriend
Second: Calgary is Awesome
Third: Simply Stacie

Best Weblog About Health & Wellness
Santé et bien-être

First: Weighty Matters
Second: PlayGroundology
Third: Sober Julie Doing Life

Best Humour Weblog
Humour

First: The Art of Doing Stuff
Second: Dirty Rotten Parenting
Third: Welcome to Kafkaville (Pop.1)

Best LGBTQ Weblog
GLBTQ

First: I Dig Your Girlfriend
Second: Mondays with Mac
Third: Crazy Lesbian Mom

Best Life Weblog
Mode de vie

First: Oh Clementine
Second: Planting Dandelions
Third: Farewell Stranger

Lifetime Achievement Award (for weblogs created before January 1, 2007)
Prix d'excellence pour l'ensemble de son œuvre (blogues créés avant le 1er janvier 2007)

Miss Tracey Nolan's Blog

Best Media & Journalism Weblog
édias et journalisme

First: Concert Addicts
Second: Production Ottawa
Third: CMS Critic

Best Weblog About Nature & Gardening
Nature et jardinage

First: You Grow Girl
Second: Empress of Dirt
Third: Strattons Farm

Best Placeblog (contains local political/social/arts/community articles about a place)
Placeblogue (contenant des articles sur la politique/vie sociale/arts/communauté dans une localité)

First: Vancity Bride
Second: CVV Magazine
Third: CornerBrooker.com

Best Podcast & Vlog
Podcast et vlog

First: The Glory, The Glory
Second: Erin's Tea
Third: Chonilla.com

Best Political Weblog
Politique

First: On Procedure & Politics
Second: CalgaryLiberal.com
Third: Russ Campbell's Blog

Best Weblog About Pop Culture & Entertainment
Pop culture et spectacles

First: Sidewalk Hustle
Second: Style Blog
Third: Scene Creek

Best Weblog About Religion, Spirituality & Philosophy
Religion, spiritualité et philosophie

First: Sarah Bessey
Second: The Conscious Perspective
Third: Pineapple Pieces

Best Weblog About Science, Technology & the Internet
Science, technologie et Internet

First: Michael Geist
Second: CMS Critic
Third: Productivityist.com

Best Weblog About Sports, Fitness & Recreation
Sports, condition physique et loisirs

First: PlayGroundology
Second: Calgary Playground Review
Third: Family Adventures in the Canadian Rockies

Best Weblog About Topical
Topique

First: One Smiley Monkey
Second: BuyCanadianFirst.ca: The Good Shopper Blog
Third: An Italian-Canadian Life

Best Weblog About Travel
Voyage

First: Candice Does The World
Second: I Backpack Canada
Third: SpunkyGirl Monologues

Best Weblog About Writing & Literature
Écriture et littérature

First: Bella's Bookshelves
Second: Intralingo
Third: Mike's Bloggity Blog


Congratulations to all the winners! If you are a winner, grab a button for your blog and sing it from the rooftops.

Nominations for the Ninjamatics' 2013 Canadian Weblog Awards open tomorrow, so nominate your favourites for the coming year once the form goes live again at midnight!

Comments

[Steph]

Thank you so very much!! I'm hugely encouraged by this, and honoured.

Steph
@bellasbookshelf
www.bellasbookshelves.com

[Robin]

Yay! Thank you thank you! I'm so excited to have placed second in the humour category!

@crackedmum
www.dirtyrottenparenting.com

[Jen @Go Green]

Some fantastic blogs here! Are you open to suggestions on categories? Green Living is a big one that you are missing (not that I am biased or anything).

[Schmutzie]

Jen, thanks for the suggestion! I have changed the categories a bit every year to better accommodate nominations. This year, I introduced the Topical category for blogs just like these, ones that don't fit other categories present, and it revealed a whole bunch of money-related blogs. I haven't seen appreciable numbers of green living blogs out there, but that might just be because I haven't been in the loop. Would there be enough, say, more than 10, to warrant their own category? Let me know!

[Barb Bamber]

I can't thank you enough.. as a new blogger I can't tell you how please I am to receive your First Place for Art and Photography.. it's such an honor because I've always admired the websites from your past year's winners. I'm pinching myself!! xx Smidge ps.. it's my birthday today too:D

[Robin@Farewell, Stranger]

So honoured by this. Thank you!

[Erin]

I'm so incredibly honoured to get second place in the Podcast/Vlog Category. What an amazing way to end the coldest month of the year! So beyond proud to be Canadian! Thanks again, oh and don't forget to keep drinking tea!--Erin

[dave hingsburger]

I would like to add to the cross-country chorus of bloggers by saying 'thank you' as well. The work that goes into these awards is significant and you pulled it off with grace. Thanks.

[Kristen]

Thank you so much for this incredible honour! And thanks to all the judges for the work you put in to get us here. I'm thrilled! Looking forward to exploring the other blogs on this list!

Just a note - it seems that the 2012 buttons link back to the 2011 awards...

[Schmutzie]

Kristen, thanks for the heads up! The buttons have now been fixed.

[Bobbi]

Many thanks to the judges and to Schmutzie. I'm double fisted this year and doubly honoured. To win the Best Written category, well, I have no words.

[Mike Vardy]

Thanks so much for putting Productivityist.com among such esteemed company!

[Clem]

Wow, I had no idea about this until now - late to the party, as always. Thank you so much!

[Headless Mom]

Congrats to all of the winners!

[Sherley]

Clove and I are so honored to have been chosen among great people in the vlog / podcast category.

About a year ago I made a decision with the support of my husband to have the courage to follow my passion. For all the jibber-jabber we have created, the late night of posting, the code errors… and the time of quitting my job was probably a dumb move as a mother of three, But I felt compelled to not only take care of the needs of our children but also this new baby we continue to build together called Chonilla.

It’s one thing to get nominated, it is a HUGE acknowledged for all the hard work we put in but to receive an award (trying not to cry) truly made me believe that this major decision in my life is on the right path to believe myself and in dreams. You have no idea how much this means the world to us. Podcasting I can say, have saved me and our relationship and continue to be a vessel to finally find our own true and loving voices and one day our children will have an idea who we are as people in the future. On top of that, to be a positive perspective about interracial or inter-cultural or any other kind of love/relationship/marriage… What a bonus!

So again, Thank you judges and to Schmutzie. There are are so much more to come in 2013 now that we are turning into a network and you all helped bring this confidence into fruition. Now we need a spell checker to bump it up a notch and kick buttocks for this new year  Merci Beaucoup!

[SoberJulie]

I can't tell you how much this award means to me...ok I'll try but it's overwhelming trying to put words to this feeling. For a long time now I've been trying to find the proper audience for my little blog with the main intention of showing that alcoholics can have a sober life which includes FUN.
Your award has made me feel that I'm on the right path. Thank you for that