Not Another Blawg Award

With the success of the Simply the Best blawg meme and the recent announcement of Dennis Kennedy's Blawggies, following the ABA Journal's Blawg 100, it seems the last thing the blawgosphere needs is yet another list of who's the best law blog in whatever category or niche, least of all another award from some anonymous editor. Rightly so, it's been said that which blog is best in whatever category is often very subjective, and is for readers to decide for themselves. In rare cases where it can be argued that one or another law blog is objectively the best in whatever category, no one needs some self-appointed editor to tell them what's obvious to anyone who reads blogs as regularly at those who follow Blawg Review.

In 2005 and 2006 the Blawg Review Awards were great but we won't rest on our laurels. After Colin Samuels bagged the award for Blawg Review of the Year for this in 2005 and for this in 2006, the only way to be sure that the fix wasn't in again for 2007 was to impeach the judge and base the award on an open and verifiable peer-review. This won't be another one of those blog awards that is won by mustering loyal readers and fanboys to "vote early and often" -- no way.

We have enjoyed many outstanding presentations of Blawg Review in 2007 and, as announced today in Second Life, we're going to focus on what has made Blawg Review as popular as it is for 140 consecutive weeks. This year, the only Blawg Review Award will be given for peer-review and recognition of one of these presentations as the undisputed Blawg Review of the Year. To ensure that the most deserving issue of Blawg Review is given due recognition as Blawg Review of the Year 2007, please follow these nomination rules:

This year, the award for Blawg Review of the Year will be given to that issue of Blawg Review, from #89 to #140 inclusive, that is nominated by the greatest number of those who have hosted an issue of Blawg Review from #1 through #140. Each of those hosts may nominate for Blawg Review of the Year 2007 as many issues, from #89 to #140 inclusive, as they wish to recognize for excellence by linking such nomination(s) on their blogs in a post dated not later than January 14, 2008, titled "Blawg Review Nominations" linking to the issue(s) nominated for Blawg Review of the Year. If you haven't hosted Blawg Review yet, but are scheduled to host an upcoming issue of Blawg Review, your nominations will be counted as well. Just send an email to the editor, including a link to your post, to ensure that your nominations are counted. Nominations for one's own presentation of Blawg Review, however excellent, will not be counted as a peer-reviewed nomination.

Let the Blawg Review with the most qualified nominations win!

"Blawg Review Nominations" posts will be listed and linked below, as they are published and brought to the editor's attention.

Eric Turkewitz nominates #89, #101, #106, #127 and #137.
Diane Levin nominates #101, #102, #124, #134, and #137.
Peter Black nominates #93, #128 and #130.
Brett Trout nominates #102, #109, #123, #127, #129, #134, #137
Nearly Legal nominates #91, #116, #128 and #137.
Tom Colson nominates #93, #102, #106, #134 and #137.
Ed nominates #91, #93, #94, #102, #110, #124, #126, #127, #134, and #137.
George Wallace nominates #93, #122, #124, #127, #130, #134, and #137.
J.D. Hull nominates #94, #102, #116, #127, #134 and #137.
Kevin Thompson nominates #130+130 and #122.
Colin Samuels nominates #89, #116, #122, #127, and #134.
David Donoghue nominates #95, #106, #126, #127 and #134.
Charon QC nominates #115, #116, #131, #125, #134, and #137.
Todd Smith nominates #110, #118, #125 and #132.
Susan Cartier Liebel nominates #110, #127, #134 and #137.
Gideon nominates #117, #124, #125, #127, and #137.