Insider insights on the African Blogger Awards

The 2015 African Blogger Award winners were announced on 5 May. It's been a week of celebrations since then. And for good reason, as several of last year's winners went on to become global content brand ambassadors. It's not just bloggers up for the win either - tweeters, YouTubers, Facebookers, and Instagrammers are also included in the pack, with many more entries from across the continent this time around.

If you're keen on joining the revellers next year, you're in luck.

We pinned down Legg to share his highlights on the 2015 version and tips for those looking to enter the next round in February 2016...

1. Firstly, give us a little history into how the Awards got started last year.

Legg: The African Blogger Awards started with the premise of wanting to acknowledge and support the growing number of bloggers on the continent, collectively sharing and generating a colourful view for those outside of Africa to look in on and appreciate. It started in 2014 with humble prospects, but has been very well received by content producers, while only being in its second year.

2. There was a massive increase in entries this year, what can you attribute that to?

Murray Legg

Legg: We canvassed last year's winners to share on their social and blog platforms that the 2015 entries were open. This drove a lot of participation, together with the penetration of technology, empowering people to easily and affordably share their stories online. The most encouraging statistic was that the majority of that growth came from entrants in countries north of South Africa - where entries were more or less flat, year on year.

3. Interesting. Tell us about the judging process...

Legg: All entrants must link their blog or social channels to Webfluential to be objectively judged by the algorithms that calculate a blogger's influence. Other blog awards require a voting process, which we feel doesn't fully measure the impact of a particular blogger, who might only speak to a very small, niche audience, but be very engaging. Webfluential also then gives the blogger an opportunity to consider monetising their blog or social channel, supporting their passion project to what one day might become a full-time vocation.

4. Sounds good. Any big surprises in this year's entries?

Legg: Last year, the big winners were largely South African. We were very chuffed this year that more of the winners and runners up were from Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and even Eritrea.

5. Definitely a sign of the times then. What tips can you share with those hoping to enter the next awards in February 2016?

Legg: We get this question a lot, so over the year we've aggregated a number of articles discussing the various angles that support a successful blog. Attracting new audiences, exploring new channels such as Snapchat and Vine, and showcasing up-and-coming content producers are possibly my best suggestions, but head over to the blog on AfricanBloggerAwards.com for more granular advice.

6. Can we look forward to new categories next year?

Legg: Well, some of the categories didn't have winners this year as we weren't happy to declare a winner that isn't absolutely top of their game. Ideally, we'd like to award those winners next year, and might consider new channels to pronounce winners on.

7. Lastly, what does an African Blogger Award win mean for the winners?

Legg: Winners from last year, with the credibility of the award behind them, have gone on to become global content brand ambassadors and have been given opportunities to pursue their passions in a full-time capacity. So, far more than the trophy and banner on their website, the credibility to go on to be respected as great content producers is something all the winners enjoy.