2014 Iris Awards Winners Announced by the Mom 2.0 Summit and HLN
Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) May 14, 2014 -- The Mom 2.0 Summit, in partnership with HLN, announce the recipients of the 2014 Iris Awards, an annual recognition event to reward outstanding achievements in parenting blogging as determined by leaders in new media, traditional media, journalism, marketing and the creative arts. The New Media Council’s membership nominated and voted for Iris Awards candidates using secret ballots, which were tabulated and verified by an independent balloting firm. Winners for outstanding work in the industry were awarded their Iris trophies Saturday evening, May 3rd at Atlanta’s historic Buckhead Theatre, during a taped ceremony hosted by HLN television personality Jennifer Westhoven.
The ceremony kicked off with an honorary Vanguard Iris Award being presented to industry pioneer Heather Armstrong of Dooce.com, after which the twelve 2014 Iris Awards were given out. The year’s winners included:
Best Writing: Rebecca Woolf of Girl’s Gone Child
Best Photography: Karen Walrond of Chookooloonks
Best Video: Olive Us: Gabrielle Blair of Design Mom and Ben Blair of Olive Us
Most Thought-Proving Content: Kelly Wickham, Mocha Momma
Most Entertaining Content: Jenny Lawson, The Bloggess
Best Sponsored Content Campaign: Cool Mom Picks, Baby Gap Campaign
Breakout of the Year: Jessica Shyba, Momma’s Gone City Instagram
Game Changer: Brene Brown, Daring Greatly movement
Philanthropic Work: Katherine Stone, Postpartum Progress
Best Brand Content Campaign: Dove, Campaign for Real Beauty & Girls Unstoppable
Web Personality of the Year: Theo and Beau, Jessica Shyba of Momma’s Gone City
Blog of the Year: Rage Against the Minivan, Kristen Howerton
The audience on hand in the theater included bestselling authors, TV & social media personalities, marketing agency leaders, and executives from top global brands. The evening began with a red carpet arrival and concluded with a post-awards party hosted by Whirlpool.
It has been estimated that the top 15 parenting bloggers have a greater reach than media stalwarts like The New York Times, and their influence has caught notice of brand advertisers who are directing increasing percentages of advertising budgets toward these new outlets.
“The Iris Awards were created to showcase this first generation of parents who are documenting modern parenthood online,” said Carrie Pacini, a founder of the Mom 2.0 Summit and the Iris Awards. “It’s a new medium with millions of participants and fans around the world. It’s time to honor its excellence in new expressions of art, commerce, philanthropy, commentary, ideas and human connections in smart ways that inspire others.”
According to a study put out by Scarborough Research in 2012, 14% of all American mothers with at least one child in their household blog about parenting or turn to blogs for advice and about 3.9 million moms in the United States identify as bloggers. The average mom blogger is 37 years old and 89% of mommy bloggers have children between the ages of 2 and 11. They're also socially conscious and are 85% more likely to have supported a politician based on an environmental issue, 88% more likely to buy eco-friendly products and 38% more likely to volunteer than the average mom.
The Iris Awards nominees and winners were judged on the quality of their work in four categories: Content Quality, Technical Quality, Honor and Achievement and Industry Influence.
“The Iris Awards winners this year represent true quality and excellence,” said Laura Mayes, a founder of the Mom 2.0 Summit and the Iris Awards. “All of the 50 nominees are exceptional, and we are proud to honor each of them.” The full list of nominees can be found at http://theirisawards.com/nominations/.
The Iris Awards Call for Nominations began on February 10, 2014 and went through March 3, 2014. The Iris Nominating Committee reviewed nominations and determined a final roster of nominees, which were announced March 27 and voted on through April 17. Winners were announced at the Iris Awards Ceremony on May 3, 2014. Any parenting blog was eligible for nomination.
About The Iris Awards
The Iris Awards is an annual recognition of individual achievements, collective creativity, and impactful work that comes from the parent blogging community. Twelve awards are given each year in four categories: Content Quality, Technical Quality, Honor and Achievement, and Industry Influence. The Iris Awards Ceremony was held on May 3rd, 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia in partnership with HLN. Next year’s Iris Awards event will be held on May 1, 2015 in Scottsdale, Arizona. For more information, visit theirisawards.com
About Mom 2.0 Summit
The Mom 2.0 Summit is a premier professional conference for influential mom bloggers and female entrepreneurs who create online content. Every year, leaders in media and industry converge at the Summit to compare notes, discuss ideas, and forecast what’s next for women online and in the marketplace. The 2014 event was held in Atlanta, GA on May 1-3, 2014. The 2015 event will be held in Scottsdale, AZ on April 29-May 1, 2015. For more information, visit mom2summit.com.
About HLN
HLN is the national television network that focuses on the “must-see, must-share” stories of the day. Drawing upon the network’s deep bench of talent, HLN dissects and demystifies the news stories and newsmakers people are talking about. HLNtv.com, the network’s digital platform, is the online destination for users to go deeper into the top stories driving the conversation and generating the national buzz.
HLN is a CNN Worldwide network reaching more than 100 million households in the U.S. CNN Worldwide, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner Company, is the most trusted source for news and information.
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John Pacini, Mom 2.0 Summit, +1 (832) 380-5540, [email protected]
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