New Rules for 2012 Black Weblog Awards

There have been some changes to the rules for the 2012 Black Weblog Awards. The biggest change is enacting a $3 nomination fee. The purpose of the fee is threefold: 1)to cut down on the number nominations for inappropriate categories ( ie, where folks nominate their favorite blog for EVERY category), 2) to simplify the auditing process,  and 3) to help underwrite the cost of the exponential growth of the Black Weblog Awards.

As a result of the new fee, nominated blogs will now be listed in the category as they are nominated instead of waiting until the end of the nomination process. This means that every nominated blog receives recognition and attention throughout the entire Black Weblog Awards Season and we will eliminate duplicate nominations.

Will we receive fewer nominations? Yes. But the nominations we do receive will be thoughtful, serious nominations and in return those blogs will receive recognition over the four-month awards season.

Rules

• The Black Weblog Awards are for weblogs authored by Black people. 
• The nomination fee for the 2012 Black Weblog Awards is $3 per nomination. 
• A  person may submit more than one nomination.
• Those nominating a blog must have a valid e-mail address for submitting. When you go through the nomination process, you will have the option to subscribe to the Black Weblog Awards Newsletter. Please read our privacy policy if there are any concerns. Your information will not be used in any other way than for our e-mail newsletter. Ballots submitted with no name or e-mail address will be deleted in our vote audit, and you may only submit one ballot per IP address.
• Please do not submit nominations through our contact form or through any of our social network profiles. Any nominations received through these means will not count towards nominations or finalist vote counts, even during the times the Awards are not active.
• Nominations which do not fit into their nominated categories or are not relevant within their category will not me added removed. The $3 nomination fee will not be refunded. Please verify the rules for each category before submitting. 
• We reserve the right to disqualify any nominees, finalists, or winners that violate any of the Black Weblog Awards rules, invade privacy, make specific threats of violence, spam others, or compromise the integrity of the awards. All decisions relating to nominations and vote counts are final and made at our discretion.
• Blogs with “hate” language or other offensive content are not eligible.