Finally. The 2018 Canadian Law Blog Awards are open for business!
Our team of Emma Durand-Wood, Jordan Furlong and myself, have once again signed on to crunch through almost 500 legal blogs and sources of Canadian legal commentary. Today is the launch of our official nomination period, which as usual, will run until just before Christmas. At that time we will review all the blogged and tweeted endorsements, and start writing our Awards post that is released on the final day of the year, New Year’s Eve!
This is the thirteenth year we’ve run the Clawbie awards, and to be honest, this year comes with a bit of a heavy heart. Back in February, we lost mentor, colleague and collaborator Simon Fodden. Simon wasn’t only the founder of Slaw.ca and a former Clawbies judge, he was a good friend to us and to so many in the Canadian legal blogging community.
Simon’s memory is going to be with us this year, and we hope it will be with you too. The top award we hand out every year is called the Fodden Award, and it celebrates Simon’s passion for writing and legal commentary. In Simon’s memory, we’re also looking to honour blogs that represent the generosity and community-building spirit that Simon was known for.
Want to help? Want to be part of it?
Tell us who you read (or listened to) in 2018. Who inspired you and made you think? Whose posts were you compelled to share?
If you have a Twitter account or are a legal blogger, you can by helping us identify the best of the 2018 Canadian legal blogosphere.
But before you nominate, you need to understand our quirky “humble Canadian” rules:
Rule No. 1: Do not nominate your own blog for a Clawbie. It doesn’t work that way. The only surefire way of getting your work on our radar is to write a blog post about other bloggers. Follow this rule and your blog will be taken into consideration automatically.
Rule No. 2: Nominating a blog must happen in one of two ways:
(a) Write a blog post nominating up to three Canadian law blogs you currently read, with a brief explanation of why you think those blogs deserved an award in 2018.
(b) Tweet your nomination on Twitter, using the hashtag: #clawbies2018
The categories are the same as last year — here’s a link to last year’s awards to bring you up to speed. (While you’re welcome to suggest a category, what we really want to know is what makes your nominee award-worthy.)
Not sure where to start? Head over to lawblogs.ca, the comprehensive directory of Canadian law blogs: choose your favourite categories and start reviewing what’s out there.
Every year we are reminded of how important the Clawbies are in showcasing the best of Canadian legal commentary. We see how legal bloggers (and media producers) don’t just offer an opinion, but a considered opinion. We see legal writing based upon sourced material, professional experience, and structured analysis.
You folks do great work, and the Clawbies are once again proud to shine a light on it.
One final piece of information: The deadline for nominations is Friday, December 21st, and we’ll announce the winners of the 2018 Clawbies on New Year’s Eve.
The rest is up to you. Start your nominating!
