Well that certainly was exciting.
First of all congratulations to all the bloggers of Nunavut. You are a great bunch and I sincerely hope that everyone got to discover more of you, and that you got to find blogs that you might not have found otherwise. That, after all, is the point of these awards. To expose the blogs of Nunavut to a wider audience and to give you all the recognition that you so richly deserve.
So, on to some of that recognition.
Best Blog.
All of the blogs nominated are great reads. This year the voting was exceptionally balanced. In fact up until the last day only a handful of votes separated first and last place. The nominated blogs: The Blog Bog of the Tundra; The M of Cape Dorset; Babies and Bulldogs; The Arctic Post and Townie Bastard pretty much kept pace with each other. The Arctic Post led the voting for most of the time the polls were open up until yesterday afternoon when the eventual winning blog rallied and overtook them. I essentially accomplished nothing at work between 4 pm and 5 pm yesterday as I reloaded the polls again and again watching the final moments unfold. Well done to all of you.
And the blog that pulled off the winning rally? The incomparable Townie Bastard. Congratulations for winning a second year. Townie Bastard is truly a gem of a blog, and is the second longest running blog up here. Craig takes home bragging rights for the year, the nifty badge for his sidebar, an Ookpik made in Arctic Bay and an unyet named prize donated by Jen of Jentography. Congratulations once again.
Best New Blog.
It is great to see such wonderfully written blogs taking up the mantle of Nunavut Blogging. Although some of blogging has waned in the face of other social media, such as Facebook, it is still alive and well. That is evidenced in the crop of new bloggers that are poised to take over here in Nunavut. I note with pride that the runner up in Best Blog, The Arctic Post, won this category last year and has obviously garnered a legion of fans, including myself. This was again a very tight race with the votes, for the most part, fairly evenly spread out. The nominees: 52 words for snow; Daily Muise; The Spirited Educators; A Slice of Deep Fried Awesome; and M&T in Nunavut are well written and worth your visit. It was again a race that was led by one blog for much of the voting, only to be overtaken by the eventual winner. That winner is M&T in Nunavut!
They also get bragging rights for the year, a shiny badge they can post on their sidebar announcing to the world that they are the Best New Blog in Nunavut, and an Ookpik handcrafted in Arctic Bay. Congratulations!
Best Post.
While I would have like to have seen more nominees this is a year where quality definitely outshone quantity. Both posts, No Fixed Address's - Extreme Skypeing and Babies and Bulldogs' To My Dad were well crafted gems. To My Dad took an early lead in the voting and never looked back, taking top honours in Best Post this year. Once again they claim bragging rights, an Arctic Bay Oopik, and a nifty tiara, er no, badge for their sidebar.
I'm not sure what the future is for The Nunies. I'd like to see it continue next year but interest, at least in the nomination round, seems to have waned. The voting round saw a revival however and perhaps it is worth carrying on next year. Perhaps a change in hosts might just breathe more life into it.
Once again congratulations to all of you, you've proven once again that Nunavut, for our size, has one of the most vibrant blogging communities out there.
