Monday, July 23, 2007

MANCHESTER BLOG AWARDS 2007




The nomination period is now open for the

2007 Manchester Blog Awards.



Cash prizes will be awarded in five categories: political blog, personal blog, arts and culture blog, best new blog and a new category recognising the best creative writing on a blog.


To nominate blogs, send URLs for one entry in each category to mancblogawards at googlemail.com by September 7th 2007. (In order to qualify, writers of the blogs must live within reasonable commuting distance of Manchester. And yes, you can nominate your own blog. ) Manchester Blog Awards Director Kate Feld (The Manchizzle) will draw up a shortlist after the close of the nominating period, and the winners will be selected by a judging panel that will include Richard Fair of BBC Manchester and Dave Carter of Manchester Digital Development Agency.

The winners will be announced at:



The Manchester Blog Awards 2007
at MohoLive, Oldham Street
on 7pm Wednesday 10th October

Last year’s event was such a hit, we’ve decided to get bigger and better for 2007. We’ve organised a star-studded gala affair in the brand new MohoLive venue on Oldham Street. The evening will be a riotous celebration of new and engaging online writing, with readings from Manchester bloggers and music from the city’s mp3 bloggers.

We’re delighted to be able to host a reading from blogger and MMU graduate Caroline Smailes, whose debut novel, In Search of Adam, was recently published by Friday Fiction, the new fiction imprint from The Friday Project, the innovative publishing company that specialises in putting blogs in print. Caroline’s blog was hugely instrumental in getting her book published, and we’ll talk to her about that too.

Manchester writer and blogger Elizabeth Baines (The Tart of Fiction / Fictionbitch) will be reading the final installment of her Festival commissioned Blog Story, What Would You Do?, a tale set in Manchester that she’ll be writing in six sequential posts on a blog – with readers voting on what turn the plot should take. To find out more about this project, visit manchesterblogstories.blogspot.com

The Manchester Blog Awards is a free event, but please book tickets in advance. The Manchester Literature Festival box office goes live mid-August. To book tickets,
Call: 0870 428 0785 or book online: http://www.manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk/


Get Blogging Workshops

This year, Manchester Literature Festival and Manchester Digital Development Agency are also delighted to offer two blogging workshops on Saturday 29th September:

Blogging for Writers 11 am -1 pm
With writer and blogger Elizabeth Baines and Kate Feld of The Manchizzle
Putting your work online gives you a chance to flex your creative muscles and reach a whole new readership. This workshop aimed at writers will take participants through starting a blog; explore fiction, poetry and nonfiction blogs; and look at how some writers have used blogging to their best advantage.

So You Wanna be a Blogstar? 2 – 4 pm
With Kate Feld of The Manchizzle and and Chris Horkan of Mancubist.
What makes a blog work? In this workshop, we’ll look at the elements that go into successful blogs, and discuss the finer points of style, design, focus, and attracting readers. Perfect for a blogger or aspiring blogger who’s familiar with the basics but needs a little inspiration.

Workshops will be held at MDDA, Portland Street, £2. Computer stations and wireless internet available. Each workshop limited to ten, so book early. The Manchester Literature Festival box office goes live mid-August. To book tickets, Call: 0870 428 0785 or book online: http://www.manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk/


To find out more visit the MLF website at manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk; or The Manchizzle blog at manchizzle.blogspot.com. Contact Kate Feld, on 07960 285891, or via email: kate.feld at gmail.com



Manchester Blog Awards is supported by the Manchester Digital Development Agency and is part of the Manchester Literature Festival, October 4-14 2007.