The Blog North Awards: a pleasant surprise
Wednesday 17th October was officially the worst day of my life. I managed to lose my keys, bus pass, student card and some important notes. Then, I got home and my favourite picture fell off the wall and smashed into a million tiny pieces. I cried. . . A LOT. After what can only be described as the 24 hours from hell (and with belated Fresher’s flu catching up on me) leaving the comfort of my home for the evening in order to attend the Blog North Awards was the last thing that I felt like doing. Yes, even if it was the very first one.
To my surprise and delight, however, my mood started to lift almost immediately upon entering the venue at which the awards were held, Manchester’s Deaf Institute. The excited buzz of the room was infectious. I soon found myself forgetting all about the day that I had had, and queuing for the bar along with everybody else.
The aim of the awards is to celebrate the very best of Northern England’s online writing, as well as bring it to a wider audience. They did exactly that. The evening was kick started with a few of the nominated bloggers reading their work aloud. Amy Roberts was my personal favourite. She described the inspiration for her blog; I never knew you were such a monster, as the ‘horror of everyday life.’ Her tale of a ‘corporate crack whore chain store,’ where Paris Hilton tracks blast through ‘in the same way fire burns through hell’ and female shop assistants are forced to squeeze themselves into shiny gold snakeskin trousers and bras in order to boost sales, was downright hilarious.
Before the winners were announced, a guest appearance was made by Adam Christopher, author of new superhero novel Seven Wonders. While superhero novels really aren’t my cup of tea, it was interesting to learn how he had managed to find both his agent and his publisher on Twitter. If that doesn’t highlight the importance of social media in today’s world, then I don’t know what does!
There were a range of categories, such as Best Arts and Culture Blog, Best City or Neighbourhood Blog, Best Food and Drink Blog, and Best Personal Blog. The deserved winners, judged by a panel which included author and journalist Stuart Maconie, and Head of Digital Engagement at Guardian News and Media Meg Pickard, can be found at: http://www.blognorthawards.com/2012/10/17/and-the-winners-are. Perhaps the most touching, was Her First Year, which won Best Personal Blog. Documenting the first twelve months of motherhood, this blog follows a seventeen year old girl from a troubled background on her journey through motherhood and is well worth a read.
All in all, I left The Blog North Awards inspired (and slightly tipsy). In fact, I have now decided to write my very own blog. Watch this space . . .
Dana Fowles