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Vongai Mbara Arts Correspondent
Tribe of influencers in partnership with various organisations are bringing the first edition of Zimbabwean Blog Awards that will bring together local influencers to connect and engage as well as get recognised for their work. The award show will be held tomorrow at Moto Republik in Harare. In an interview, one of the event organisers, Kudzanai Thodhlana, said the awards are meant to recognise and give merit to outstanding Zimbabwean bloggers.

“Zim Blog Awards will recognise and reward Zimbabwean content creators for their dedication to their craft. The best and the brightest bloggers will be showcased and honoured through these awards in thirty categories. This will go a long way towards catalysing the growth of blogging in Zimbabwe,” he said.

The award show is engaging bloggers, vloggers, podcasters, photographers, social media influencers, public relations personnel, journalists, celebrities and brands. Thodhlana said preparations for the event are now at an advanced level.
“We are all set. First the general public upon request nominated blogs that deserved recognition. More than 200 nominations were made in the Blog nomination phase. Thereafter the public voting phase began which culminated in over 60 000 votes being cast and narrowing down nominees to the final 95. The final stage involves our expert panel of judges deliberating on the shortlisted nominees and finally determining winners,” he said.

The final nominees include, Zimpapers Television Network, Bustop TV, Sadza In The Morning, Melodramaaa, Wedding Expos Africa, ZimboKitchen, Fitness Bae, Kubatana and Techzim.

Winners will be announced at the event and they will be awarded according to design, style, content, marketing, usability and analytics Some of the award categories are Arts and Culture, Blogger of the year, Creative Writing, Entertainment, Vlogger for the year, Travel, Fashion and style. Thodhlana said they are looking forward to working with various individuals and organisations to improve Zimbabwean blogging.

“By holding these awards, we aim to increase the exposure of our local bloggers on a global platform. We hope to inspire more creative and brands to get involved in and collaborate with the blogging industry. This will go a long way towards catalysing the growth of blogging in Zimbabwe,” said Thodhlana.