The submission phase of the BAKE Awards 2017 has been extended to 10th March 2017. The previous deadline which was on the 10th of February 2017 was pushed forward to give bloggers more time to submit their blogs into the competition. The competition, which has seen many awarded for their craft, has also been a stepping stone for many – giving them the opportunity to build their careers and shape their future from the exposure and tenacity acquired throughout the competition.
This year, Ford Motor Company, will for the first time sponsor a category in the awards. The Lifestyle Category which was previously put together with the Entertainment category, will this year be an impartial group which the car maker will sponsor.
Speaking on this, Ryan, the Group Marketing Manager at CMC Motors said that Ford is very proud to partner with BAKE Awards in 2017 and they believe that sponsoring the Lifestyle award is a natural for the company, which is widely recognized as a lifestyle brand. He also expressed the growth of lifestyle blogs which are growing faster than any other category at a rate of about 59% and how the partnership between Ford and BAKE was fundamental in seeing this number grow even more.
This year’s contest has also seen the introduction of another category, Human Rights, that’s sponsored by the Kenya Human Rights commission. The entry of this new category is set to focus on some of the governance issues faced which are imminently increasing as we inch closer to the general elections this year. The articles fit for this category should encompass the direct attacks faced in the civic and democratic space, as well as attacks on individual human rights activists which has seen many being persecuted for standing up to speak on the injustices being faced in the society.
Adding on to this, the BAKE Chairman Kennedy Kachwanya added on some key areas which bloggers should consider even as they submit their blogs for the competition this year. They include:
• Content and its consistency
Bloggers should actively blog throughout the year in order to be considered to win. One misconception people have is that they can suddenly increase their blogging tendencies as the Awards approach to raise their chances of winning.
• Is your content sharable?
Is the content you write about interactive? Is it worth sharing on social media platforms? Is it engaging enough to create conversations that bring about change?
• Bullying, negative politics and pornography appearing anywhere in your blog will automatically disqualify your submission.
• Is it presentable?
Take the time to make sure that your blog/website is presentable enough.
The new dates for the awards are as follows:
1. Submission phase – January 9th 2017 to March 10th 2017
2. Judging phase – March 11th 2017 to March 24th 2017
3. Online voting – March 27th 2017 to May 9th 2017
4. Winners’ Gala Event – May 13th 2017
Another thing to note is that blogs that have won over three times are not eligible for submission in this year’s awards.
Bloggers or their fans can submit their blogs in the competition by going to bakeawards.co.ke/submit.
