The 2018 Clawbies Are Officially On!

Depending on who you are, what you celebrate, and your personal tolerance for holiday cheer, December 1st is a big day for many folks.

It can be seen as the officially acceptable date to begin various activities: listening to Christmas music, putting up your lights and decorations, or adding a little Bailey’s to your morning coffee.

It is also Inauguration Day in Mexico (every six years), Bette Midler’s birthday, World AIDS Day, and the day in 1955 when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama.

Here in our little corner of the blogosphere, December 1st is notable for one other reason: it’s the official kick-off to the 2018 Clawbies!

This is the 13th annual edition of the Canadian Law Blog Awards, which began as a simple shout-out to my favourite law blogs, back when there were not even 50 blogs on my Canadian Law Blogs list. (Now the list resides at lawblogs.ca and has ten times the number!)

As I wrote over at Clawbies.ca, this year’s awards have a bittersweet note. In 2018, we said goodbye to our good friend, Simon Fodden. Simon was a pioneer and visionary of Canadian legal blogging; a big reason that Slaw.ca exists today.

From year to year, the Clawbies rarely have any particular theme, but if there is one this year, it’s that we aim to honour blogs that reflect the passion, generosity, and community-building spirit that Simon was known for.

Here’s a brief refresher on how to participate in the Clawbies:

• Keep it Canadian – keep it modest! i.e. Please don’t nominate your own blog. When you nominate someone else’s blog, your blog will also be on our radar.
• Submit up to three nominations via Twitter (be sure to use the hashtag #clawbies2018) or your own blog. Give specifics on what makes you endorse your nominees.
• We say blogs, but we are also looking for podcasts and vlogs.
• Nominations are open until end of day on Friday, December 21. Winners are announced on New Year’s Eve!

You can get all the details on how to nominate your favourite Canadian legal blogs over at Clawbies.ca. Can’t wait to see those nominations come rolling in!