Welsh Politico Blog Post Awards 2009 – Who tickled your fancy?
LAST YEAR the first ever Welsh Politico blog awards was held, under the guidance and mischief of the enfant terrible of the Welsh blogosphere, Simon Dyda. At the time Simon composed a panel of four (myself, the BBC’s Adrian Masters, Prof Richard Wyn Jones, and blogger and social media expert Alan Davies) and gave us the task of examining the output of the Welsh blogosphere last year and coming up with three winners. Bronze, silver and gold awards for individual blog posts were awarded respectively to Dylan Jones-Evans, Penderyn and Amanwy.
Following on from last year’s success, Simon has asked WalesHome.org to host the 2009 awards and we have gladly agreed. Simon and the original judges have all agreed to remain in place, and we have also added five others to give more of a mix between political viewpoints and exposure to the Welsh blogosphere.
The Judges for 2009
The full judging panel for this year is:
- Alan Davies – Blogger, Managing Director of Junction 31 and Director at Cymro Consulting
- Simon Dyda – Blogger and originator of the Welsh Politico awards
- Luke Ellis – Former blogger and Labour councillor
- Heledd Fychan – Blogger and Plaid Cymru candidate
- Alison Goldsworthy – Member of the Liberal Democrat Federal Executive
- Adam Higgitt – Co-Editor of WalesHome.org
- Daran Hill – Co-Editor of WalesHome.org
- Prof Richard Wyn Jones – Cardiff University
- Adrian Masters – Presenter, Dragon’s Eye, BBC Wales
- Jonathan Morgan AM – Blogger and Conservative Assembly Member
The objective
To identify the best blog posts of 2009 and to once more award three highly prestigious online baubles which permit the recipients to wear them as medals of pride or badges of shame on their websites.
The nominations
So what happens now? Well, you have until 5pm on Christmas Eve to bring a blog post or online article originating in Wales to the attention of the panel. Please do this by adding a comment to this post (or any subsequent WalesHome.org post on this topic). Judges can also bring forward their own suggestions. Posts can be written in English or Welsh.
Please include the relevant URL to help us keep track of the nominations.
The decision
The next stage will be the adjudication by the 10 judges. We will first each identify our favourite two posts or articles and this will then be used to create a shortlist of 20. Next, a point system will be used to evaluate all the suggested posts or articles. The winning three will be identified on this site by 31st December at latest.
Thanks to all the judges for agreeing to participate – and let’s all get nominating.
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Great to see the awards have a new home!
I’ll throw in this nomination:
Vaughan Roderick’s Ym Marn Gwion for starting a chain of posts that caused certain people in the Senedd sweat and fret.
What is a youth wing for, and what is it hoping to achieve:
http://cymru-x.blogspot.com/2009/11/wwhat-is-youth-wing-for-and-what-is-it.html
I propose this piece from MH on his excellent Syniadau blog:
http://syniadau–buildinganindependentwales.blogspot.com/2009/07/referendum-ball-is-in-labours-court.html
Anything by mh frankly…
Give us a couple of proper nominations Marcus!
I thought Adam h’s piece on hain recently. Self serving labour tosh in places, but the guy is brilliant and making a point, raising debate and remaining polite in the exchanges. Isn’t that the point?
I would like to nominate an article that I thought was particularly good at looking at one of the sacred cows of Welsh politics.
Freedom Central on the arts:
http://www.freedomcentral.org.uk/2009/08/politicians-parochialism-and-populism.html
I think this article not only stirred NATIONAL debate but offered a serious look at the way arts are funded in Wales. The fact that most of the people commeting were missing the point does not undermine the quality of the article.
I’d like to nominate MH for his excellent piece on the ‘People’s Referendum’ in Catalunya and it’s significance for other small nations aspiring towards self-determination within Europe (especially considering the virtual news blackout on this historic event). A very illuminating article. This post is particularly relevant for Wales against a backdrop of our own imminent referendum, though our own nation ‘lacking the confidence’ of the Catalans (which is probably why we got a worse devolution deal than the Scots) will have to make do with a referendum that offers less ground-shaking possibilities in terms of what a Yes vote could potentially achieve.
http://syniadau–buildinganindependentwales.blogspot.com/2009/12/spain-uk-and-nations-within-them.html
‘The no voters guide to voting yes’ on this very site gets my nomination.
I really like some of the stuff the Dewis did over at Poltics Cymru. Not strictly blogposts but I thought their podcasts both video and audio were brilliant, really taking a new non-linear, non boring approach to political coverage. Here are the links to my favourites (two Video one Audio):
http://politicscymru.blogspot.com/2009/06/podcast-25-3-dewis-2-cameras-1-vodcast.html
http://politicscymru.blogspot.com/2009/06/podcast-27-good-night-and-good-luck.html
http://politicscymru.blogspot.com/search/label/Audio?updated-max=2009-04-02T20%3A29%3A00%2B01%3A00&max-results=20
I would like to nominate http://guerrilla-welsh-fare.blogspot.com/ always informative and well-written.
D Hughes – this is for blog posts, not blogs. You need to nominate articles and send us the link.
MH on Caerffili Schools. Forensic or what.
http://syniadau–buildinganindependentwales.blogspot.com/2009/09/case-for-welsh-medium-school-in-risca.html
http://ogarethhughes.blogspot.com/2009/11/referendum-chat.html
Good from Gareth Hughes
http://www.sluggerotoole.com/index.php/weblog/comments/plaid-gather-at-llandudno/
…and I’m nominating me if allowed…