2011 About.com Catholicism Readers’ Choice Awards

I bring this to the attention of the readership:

About.com’s 2011 Readers’ Choice Awards will showcase the best products, features and services in multiple categories, from technology to hobbies to parenting to religion. Nominations are now open, and will be accepted from 12:00 A.M. EST on January 13, 2011, until 11:59 P.M. EST on February 4, 2011.

On the About.com Catholicism GuideSite, we are accepting nominations in the ten categories listed below. Nominations can be entered in each of the categories using a single nomination form, though you can feel free to leave some of the fields blank; you are not required to make a nomination in every category. If you want to make more than one nomination in a particular category, simply fill the nomination form out twice.

Feel free to nominate yourself or your product for any of the appropriate awards, and spread the news to your friends. Finalists are chosen based on popularity, as long as they meet the eligibility requirements listed in each category.

Up to five finalists in each category will be announced on February 11, and voting will run from February 11 through March 8. (To be notified automatically when voting opens, simply sign up for the About.com Catholicism Newsletter). The winners will be announced on March 15.

1. Best Catholic Book of 2010

Nonfiction, fiction, theology, apologetics, devotionals—any type of Catholic book, in any language, is eligible for the About.com Catholicism Readers’ Choice Award for Best Catholic Book of 2010, as long as it was published in 2010. Have the exact title of the book and the author’s name ready when you go to fill out the nomination form.

2. Best Catholic Blog

Catholic blogs come in all shapes and sizes—some written by laymen, some by priests, others by religious; some are attached to broader Catholic websites (see the next category), and some stand on their own. They can be funny or serious; devoted to apologetics or news; written by a single person or by a group. The only requirement for eligibility for the About.com Catholicism Readers’ Choice Award for Best Catholic Blog is that the blog be identifiably Catholic. Have the exact name of the blog and its URL ready when you go to fill out the nomination form.

Make Your Nomination Now!

3. Best Catholic Website

Like Catholic blogs, Catholic websites come in many different forms. Some, in fact, include blogs as well as other content. If you want to nominate a specific blog on a Catholic website, nominate it for Best Catholic Blog; if you want to nominate the entire website, nominate it for Best Catholic Website. (You can even nominate a blog on a particular website for Best Catholic Blog, and then nominate the website as a whole for Best Catholic Website.) As with the Best Catholic Blog, the only requirement for eligibility for the About.com Catholicism Readers’ Choice Award for Best Catholic Website is that the website be identifiably Catholic. Have the exact name of the website and its URL ready when you go to fill out the nomination form. Make Your Nomination Now!

4. Best Catholic Podcast

Podcasts have become increasingly popular over the past several years, and Catholic podcasts are no exception. From the daily readings for Mass to saint-of-the-day podcasts, from devotionals to Catholic news and commentary, there is a remarkable variety of Catholic material available in podcast form. The only requirement for eligibility for the About.com Catholicism Readers’ Choice Award for Best Catholic Podcast is that the podcast be identifiably Catholic. Have the exact title of the podcast ready when you go to fill out the nomination form.

5. Best Catholic Magazine

There aren’t as many Catholic magazines today as there used to be, but the ones that survive need our support. And nominating them for the About.com Catholicism Readers’ Choice Award for Best Catholic Magazine is one way to show it! The magazine can be in any language, and published in any country; the only two requirements for eligibility for the About.com Catholicism Readers’ Choice Award for Best Catholic Magazine are that it be identifiably Catholic and come out on a regular basis. Have the exact title of the magazine ready when you go to fill out the nomination form.

6. Best Catholic Newspaper

Catholic newspapers are even more of an endangered species than Catholic magazines. Bring some well-needed recognition to your favorite Catholic newspaper by nominating it for the About.com Catholicism Readers’ Choice Award for Best Catholic Newspaper. The newspaper can be a daily or a weekly; can be published in any country; and can be in any language. The only requirement for eligibility for the About.com Catholicism Readers’ Choice Award for Best Catholic Newspaper is that the newspaper be identifiably Catholic. Have the exact title of the newspaper ready when you go to fill out the nomination form.

7. Best Catholic iPhone App

A quick search for “Catholic” on the iTunes Store returns over 350 Catholic iPhone apps. Do you have a favorite? Nominate it for the About.com Catholicism Readers’ Choice Award for Best Catholic iPhone App! Have the exact title of the iPhone app ready when you go to fill out the nomination form.

8. Best Catholic iPad App

There aren’t quite as many Catholic iPad apps are there are Catholic iPhone apps; a quick search on the iTunes Store finds about 90. But that’s enough to provide a lot of variety. Do you have a favorite? Nominate it for the About.com Catholicism Readers’ Choice Award for Best Catholic iPad App! Have the exact title of the iPad app ready when you go to fill out the nomination form.

9. Best Catholic to Follow on Twitter

There are a lot of Catholics on Twitter—too many, in fact, to know which ones are really worth following. That’s where the About.com Catholicism Readers’ Choice Award for Best Catholic to Follow on Twitter comes in. Nominate your favorite Catholic Twitterer, and share him or her with the readers of the About.com GuideSite to Catholicism! The only two requirements for eligibility for the About.com Catholicism Readers’ Choice Award for Best Catholic to Follow on Twitter are that the person be identifiably Catholic and tweet about Catholic topics on a regular basis. Have the person’s name and Twitter username ready when you go to fill out the nomination form.

10. Best Catholic Facebook Page

If you think it’s hard to separate the wheat from the chaff on Twitter, try finding the best Catholic pages on Facebook. More spring up every day. The only two requirements for the About.com Catholicism Readers’ Choice Award for Best Catholic Facebook Page are that the page be identifiably Catholic and actively updated. Have the page name and URL ready when you go to fill out the nomination form.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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2 Comments

  1. Bryan Boyle says:

    Done. For the blog category. Start the nominations rolling, folks.

    (no electrons were harmed in sending this message, and Fr. Z had no influence in my making that choice…:))

  2. LarryD says:

    FrZ – the Blogger’s Choice Awards is also up and running. I got in the first vote for you this time around.

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