It's one of our favorite days of the year here at BlogHer: Today, we officially open submissions for #BlogHer16 Voices of the Year, to be honored at the #BlogHer16 annual conference this August in Los Angeles! This year, it's our ninth annual VOTY ("voh-tee," as we like to call it).
That's a lot to be excited about. But the best part is how YOU get excited and help us find the memorable, heart-stopping, brilliant, hilarious content of the past 12 months that deserves to be heard, seen and read.
Each year, we recognize a special group of content creators as our official BlogHer Voices of the Year. Of the honorees, a small group will be selected to perform onstage during the Community Keynote session that closes out the day on Friday, August 5, 2016.
This year, we have the support and sponsorship of the Merck for Mothers initiative, which focuses on improving the health and well-being of mothers during pregnancy and childbirth.
The submission categories include:
- Written work: Blog posts or online articles of 700 words or fewer (Eligible for Community Keynote)
- Written work: Blog posts or online articles of 700 words or more
- Short-form videos or animations of one minute or less, such as Vines, animated GIFs, etc. (Eligible for Community Keynote)
- Longer-form video of five minutes or less (Eligible for Community Keynote)
- Eye Candy: Any individual photo or curated visual expression that tells a story … share your favorite photo, Pinterest board, Houzz Idea Book, Instagram feed, etc.
- Impact: The Internet is all about impact, and sometimes impact arises from the aggregation of content and perspective via the creation of a hashtag, a meme that goes viral, a group Tumblr, or a call to action that rallies the community around a cause. The impact can be hilarity. The impact can be a collective "awwww." The impact can be to change the world. (Eligible for Community Keynote)
- MOMents That Matter, brought to you by Merck for Mothers - written work of 700 words or fewer (Eligible for Community Keynote): Mothers hold the future in their hands. Whether it’s about your own childbirth experience or the experience of someone you admire or love, share a post about the joy of bringing a new life into this world. It can be funny, inspirational, or just real. Let’s hear your MOMents! (Note: This category is eligible for the Community Keynote and is in addition to blog post categories, so put your MOMents posts here and your other blog posts in the long- or short-form written work category. )
We'll work with our judging committee, including former Voices of the Year and leadership from across departments at BlogHer, SheKnows, and StyleCaster to select the honorees. We have two rounds of judging, and in each round every submission is reviewed by at least two judges.
As in years past, all Voices of the Year will be honored at #BlogHer16 in Los Angeles as part of a Community Keynote and Voices of the Year Reception on Friday, August 5, 2016, as well as at a preshow champagne toast for judges and honorees. And, just like last year, honorees will be presented with a beautiful award, a free conference pass and reserved seating at the Voices of the Year Community Keynote.
Be a part of it by submitting your best work. We can't wait to continue the Voices of the Year tradition of delivering inspiration!
DEADLINE:Submissions open today and close on May 8, 2016.
ELIGIBILITY: Any online work published between January 2015 – present is eligible. You need not be a #BlogHer16 attendee to be a Voices of the Year honoree.
NOTE: Those who have previously read as part of the Community Keynote are eligible to be a Voice of the Year honoree, but reading your work in the Community Keynote is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
SUBMITTING: You are welcome, in fact encouraged, to submit your own work, as well as your favorite content by others. You can submit as many different posts as you like, but be sure you have an email address for everyone you submit so we can contact them if they are selected as an honoree.
Who chooses the Voices of the Year? Honorees are selected by a committee of past Voices of the Year and staff from across the SheKnows Media team. Check out the list below for the full #VOTY Committee!
We thank them for their service. And we warn them to keep the tissues ready:
- Alexandra Rosas, Good Day, Regular People
- Amy Boshnack, SheKnows Media
- Ann Imig, Ann's Rants
- Arnebya Herndon, What Now and Why
- Brandi Jeter Riley, SheKnows Media
- Britt Reints, In Pursuit of Happiness
- Casey Brown, Life With Roozle
- Crystal Brown, SheKnows Media
- Darryle Pollack, Darryle Pollack
- Davida Arnold, SheKnows Media
- Deborah Goldstein, Peaches & Coconuts
- Denise Tanton, SheKnows Media
- Deva Dalporto, My Life Suckers
- Diane Lang, Momo Fali
- Elan Morgan, Schmutzie
- Ellen Seidman, Love That Max
- Elisa Camahort Page, SheKnows Media
- Grace Davis, Grace Davis
- Grace Ward, Grace Sandra
- Janelle Hanchett, Renegade Mothering
- Jenifer Monroe, SheKnows Media
- Jen Venegas, Skinned Knees and All
- Jenna Hatfield, Stop, Drop and Blog
- Jenni Chiu, Mommy Nani Booboo
- Jennifer Denton, SheKnows Media
- Jennifer Gaonach, SheKnows Media
- Jennifer Swartvagher, Beyond the crib
- Jenny Lauck, SheKnows Media
- Joy Johnson, SheKnows Media
- Jill Robbins, Ripped Jeans and Bifocals
- June Molloy Vladicka, My Food Odyssey
- Julie Ross Godar, SheKnows Media
- Karen Ballum, SheKnows Media
- Karen Green, The Kids Are Alright
- Kathy Moran, SheKnows Media
- Kristin Vanderhey Shaw, Two Cannoli
- Lindsay Ferrier, Suburban Turmoil
- Lisa Page Rosenberg, Smacksy
- Lori Luna, SheKnows Media
- Lucrecer Braxton, SheKnows Media
- Melissa Ford, Stirrup Queens & SheKnows Media
- Melissa Haggerty, SheKnows Media
- Michelle, Burghbaby
- Miranda Santiago, Spend Your Days
- Pauline Campos, Aspiring Mama
- Phyllis Myung, Napkin Hoarder
- Priya Agrawal, Merck for Mothers
- Rita Arens, SheKnows Media
- Suebob Davis, Suebob's Red Stapler
- Susan Goldberg, Mama Non Grata
- Susan Kaplow, SheKnows Media
- Tabatha Wharton, Tabatha, Etc.
- Tanis Miller, Tanis Miller
- Tarrant Figlio, Retro Food
- Thien-Kim Lam, I'm Not the Nanny
For the answers to more VOTY questions, check out our VOTY FAQ.
So, let's go!
Rita Arens is the author of the young adult novel THE OBVIOUS GAME& the managing editor of BlogHer.com.