The 2013 Canadian Weblog Awards Winners!

The 2013 Canadian Weblog Awards winners are here!

Over the past year, the 2013 Canadian Weblog Awards saw 492 weblogs nominated across 34 categories. Our 34 volunteer jurors worked hard over the course of this November and December using our 10 criteria to judge each of the 492 weblogs in the first round and each of the approximately 170 weblogs in the second round to arrive at our winners.

Each of our jurors stepped forward to volunteer hours of their time and energy to make these awards possible. We quite simply could not exist without them and their dedication to fostering quality in the Canadian blogging community. All of this is thanks to them, and I am honoured by their involvement. Thank you!

And now it's time! We are excited to announce the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in the 2013 Canadian Weblog Awards!

Activism & Social Justice / Activisme et la justice sociale

1st: BLOOM

2nd: PhD in Parenting

3rd: Mom-ology

Art, Crafting & Photography / Art, artisanat et photographie

1st: KellyNeil.com

2nd: Just Bella

3rd: All About Ami

Arts & Culture / Arts et culture

1st: A Music Blog, Yea?

2nd: Raincoast Creative Salon

3rd: Criticize This!

Business & Career / Affaires et carrières

1st: Oh My! Handmade

2nd: Networking in Vancouver

3rd: Your Writer Platform

Comics / Bande dessinée

1st: The Animated Woman

2nd: Comic Book Daily

3rd: Comic Strip Mama

Disability

1st: Mom-ology

2nd: Chasing Hazel

3rd: Daisies and Bruises

Education / Éducation

1st: Intellidance

2nd: Made in Banff: The Banff Centre Blog

3rd: Homeschool Canada

Ex-Pat (written by a Canadian living abroad) / Expatriés

1st: My Sardinian Life

2nd: K and K Adventures

3rd: Living-Being

Family & Parenting / Famille et enfants

1st: PhD in Parenting

2nd: Home To Heather

3rd: Mother Blogger

Fashion, Style & Design / Mode, style et design

1st: torontoShopoholic

2nd: Her Waise Choice

3rd: Dress Me Dearly

Feminist / Féminisme

1st: PhD in Parenting

2nd: Gender Focus

3rd: Love Average

Finance / Finance

1st: Save Money in Winnipeg

2nd: SR&ED Education and Resources

3rd: Commoncents Mom

Food & Drink / Cuisine et breuvages

1st: Eat North

2nd: A Canadian Foodie

3rd: Foodobyte

French Language / En français

1st: L'Écran Fenêtre

2nd: Me, Myself & Montreal

3rd: Presse Raisin

Gardening / Jardinage

1st: A Green Hearth

2nd: Toronto Gardens

3rd: Empress of Dirt

General Interest (for weblogs that cover a range of topics separated into different sections) / Intérêt général

1st: YummyMummyClub.ca

2nd: LXRY Magazine

3rd: Mommy Knows

Green Living / La vie écologique

1st: A Green Hearth

2nd: Good Girl Gone Green

3rd: Ekostories

Group Weblog / Blogue collectif

1st: Criticize This!

2nd: Eat North

3rd: 5 Minutes for Mom

Health & Wellness / Santé et bien-être

1st: Foodobyte

2nd: Alison Smith

3rd: Joyous Health

Humour / Humour

1st: Joy and Woe

2nd: Mother Blogger

3rd: The Animated Woman

LGBTQ / LGBTQ

1st: Mama Non Grata

2nd: myWebbSite.ca

3rd: Alfred Lives Here

Life / Mode de vie

1st: 8 Clicks from Nowhere

2nd: The Animated Woman

3rd: On the Beaten Path

Lifetime Achievement Award (for weblogs created before December 31, 2008) / Prix d'excellence pour l'ensemble de son œuvre (blogues créés avant le 31er décembre 2008)

1st: A Canadian Foodie

2nd: Cheaper Than Therapy

3rd: Loulou's Views

Media & Journalism / Médias et journalisme

1st: A Music Blog, Yea?

2nd: Off the Beaten Palate

3rd: Atlantic Canada Rocks

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)

1st: Vancity Bride

2nd: Me, Myself & Montreal

3rd: Calgary is Awesome

Podcast & Vlog / Podcast et vlog

1st: Travel Yourself

2nd: Hopscotch the Globe

3rd: Chonilla.com

Politics / Politique

1st: On Procedure and Politics

2nd: Alberta Diary

3rd: Gender Focus

Religion, Spirituality & Philosophy / Religion, spiritualité et philosophie

1st: Modern Man Of The Cloth

2nd:  Joe Sales Writes

3rd: WeddingChaplain's Journal

Science & Nature  / Science et nature

1st: EarthNinja

2nd: Ekostories

3rd: Extreme Enginerding

Sports, Fitness & Recreation / Sports, condition physique et loisirs

1st: 8 Clicks from Nowhere

2nd: Family Adventures in the Canadian Rockies

3rd: A Girl Named Jillian

Technology & the Internet / Technologie et Internet

1st: Spydergrrl On The Web

2nd: Your Writer Platform

3rd: Reshift Media Blog

Topical (for weblogs that fit within a very particular niche not covered by other categories) / Topique

1st: Vancity Bride

2nd: Not Just Clutter

3rd: Best Birthdays

Travel / Voyage

1st: L'Écran Fenêtre

2nd: Oh! Travelissima

3rd: Breathe Dream Go

Writing & Literature / Écriture et littérature

1st: Ekostories

2nd: Your Writer Platform

3rd: I Believe in Story

Congratulations to all of our winners! If you are listed above, grab a button for your blog and brag a little. This is something to celebrate.

Nominations for the 2014 Canadian Weblog Awards open again on January 1st, so nominate your favourites for the coming year once the form goes live again in the New Year!

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!

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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

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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!

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Kraig Furtado of Troops of Doom

Kraig Furtado authors the Ninjamatics' 2011 Canadian Weblog Awards winner Troops of Doom, which placed 1st in Best Comics Weblog.

Why blogging? Why did you start blogging, and what drives you now?

I've always wanted to create a comic since the first time I picked up a newspaper. The silly cartoons and jokes appealed to me right away. They're just fun. Garfield was the first to catch my interest. That's embarrassing to say now, but it was funny a long, long time ago. With newspapers dying out and comic strip syndication along with it, creating a webcomic was the natural route to take. It's change for the better. With a webcomic, I'm completely independent, no limits on format and content. I can do whatever I want and reach a worldwide audience. I'm having a lot of fun with Troops of Doom, and that's what keeps me going.



How did you come to the live photo style of web comic that you use in Troops of Doom?

Laziness. Photos were also a way to stand out from the millions of other webcomics, but mostly I was motivated by laziness. I thought photographing action figures would be simple compared to drawing a comic. Turns out I was horribly, horribly wrong. It's so much more work, not to mention time consuming and expensive. Whenever I want something new in the comic I have to buy or build it. Have you ever tried to build a Death Star? Even the Empire at the height of its power couldn't complete the second one, but for some reason I thought I could do it all myself.



If you could have it all, what are your dreams for Troops of Doom?

As I mentioned before, I've always wanted to be a comic creator. I started Troops of Doom in hopes that some day it could generate a large enough readership that could support turning it professional. There's nothing I'd like more than to make comics for a living and deliver a laugh to the audience on a daily basis.



If you are feeling less than inspired, where do you look for inspiration?

Troops of Doom itself provides a lot of inspiration. When I'm stuck creatively I'll go back and read previous chapters which often sparks new ideas for stories and jokes. It's not foolproof though, writer's block can be brutal. When in doubt, resort to violence. Can't go wrong with a good kick to the crotch.



Are you open about being a blogger? How do people offline react to your online writing?

Somewhat open? I know the comic isn't for everyone, so if I don't think someone would be interested, I don't waste their time. On the other hand, I've passed complete strangers a card with the web address because they were wearing a Star Wars shirt.

When Troops of Doom comes up in conversation with people that don't know about it, I get weird looks. What's an adult doing playing with toys? Once they check it out, they either love it or think I'm even more weird than they could have possibly imagined. It's hard to argue.



Which weblogs are your current favourites? Which weblogs have been most influential in the shaping of your own blogging?

My current and long time favourite is Sinfest by Tatsuya Ishida. The best comic strip since Calvin and Hobbes. I imagine it's kind of what Calvin's world would be like when he got older. Ishida has an endless imagination and the artwork is fantastic.

I generally avoid sites that are similar to my own, because I don't want to be influenced. I try to keep Troops of Doom original as possible. Since starting Troops of Doom, I discovered lots of super talented toy photographers, diorama makers, and Lego builders on JoeDios and Flickr that I look up to. It's amazing how they can suspend belief and give you a look into another universe with their creations. I've learned a lot from them and am constantly inspired to try new things and raise my own standards.



What advice do you have for new bloggers?

I have no idea what I'm doing, I'm the one that needs advice. I guess the obvious thing is always try to improve. Even if it's only in minute steps, it adds up over time. You want to be able to look back at your early work and say "Damn, that sucks."

CHEAT SHEET

Name: Location: Weblog: Social Media: 2011 CWA Winner:

Kraig Furtado Nova Scotia Troops of Doom Facebook Flickr JoeDios 1st in Best Comics Weblog