Manchester Blog Awards

Belated it may be, but here it is. A couple of weeks back, Manchester had its' fourth annual Blog Awards, which were started by Kate Feld of The Manchizzle.   As a resident of this fine city, which is ahead of the curve when it comes to all things creative and internety, I think it's only fair that I give you a roundup of the winners.

Best City and Neighbourhood Blog
Lost In Manchester of which a judge on the panel said, "Sometimes it’s easy to forget to look at what’s right under your nose. I love its unashamed raw passion for Manchester". The Manchester Zedders also got a special mention from the jury.

Best Personal Blog

My Shitty Twenties (pictured) Of the single-mother from Salford, judges said her blog was, "Moving, thoughtful, funny and wise. Sometimes heartbreaking, always uplifting." Runner up was Cynical Ben., which certainly put a smile on my face....

Best New Blog
Word And Fixtures, the work of Claire Conlon, Mancunian media type who has previously worked for Elle, Nova and Wallpaper. "“It was the only blog out of the twenty-four shortlisted that made me laugh out loud.” Second place went to achingly cool music blog Songs From Under The Floorboards.

Best Writing On A Blog
My Shitty Twenties. "It's almost impossible not to get drawn into the story that this blog tells."  Others shortlisted were I Thought I Told You To Wait In The Car, and Dave Hartley's Weblog.

Best Arts And Culture Blog
Run Paint Run Run. "Opinionated, heartfelt and pleasantly rough-around-the-edges, a blog with an infectious enthusiasm for art." Runner up was The Manchester Hermit by artist Ansuman Biswas, who has written, rather curiously about living in the Gothic Tower in Manchester Museum.

Blog Of The Year

Lost In Manchester. with it's curiosity for the little details that put the "Greater" before Manchester (see for example, the picture opposite). Judges said "Quirky, original and focussed, with an eye for detail. Putting the extra into extraordinary.”

In other MBA news, Jenn Ashworth, who won the awards two years ago, with Every Day I Lie A Little, was shortlisted for the Guardian-run Not The Booker prize for her book A Kind Of Intimacy. coming as a runner up to Rana Dasgupta.