BAKE Awards are back in 2021! Here are the details

After inevitably being postponed in the past year, the BAKE 2021 Awards are back.

The BAKE Awards 2021 have been announced by the Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE) with the competition’s submission phase coinciding with the launch.

The annual blogging competition, now in its ninth year, honors and recognizes outstanding bloggers in each area. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the awards were sadly postponed last year.

The BAKE Awards 2021 will open for applications on September 14th, 2021, and will close on 20th October 2021. Following that, judges will select the top five nominees from the submitted blogs, who will then be voted on by the general audience. The winners will then be announced during a virtual gala event in December.

The timeline

1. Submissions phase – 14th September – 20th October 2021
2. Judging phase – 21st October – 1st November 2021
3. Online voting – 2nd November – 10th December 2021
4. Virtual Winners’ Gala event – 17th December 2021

Submissions will be accepted in 23 categories, with each blog being limited to one category in which it best fits. There is an exemption, however, for new blogs/podcasts/vlogs (blogs/podcasts/vlogs launched after January 2019), which can be filed in both the New Blog and another category. The stipulation that three-time (or more) award winners are unable to compete remains in place.

Content providers and their fans should go to the BAKE Awards website to submit blogs for the BAKE Awards 2021.

The rules

The BAKE Awards 2021 rules are as follows:

1. To participate in the contest a blog needs to be submitted into the competition during the submission period. A blog need only be submitted once. The number of times a blog is submitted to the contest does not influence its chances of advancing to the next round or its chances of winning.

2. Blogs that have won an award three (3) or more times in a specific category are not eligible to take part in the competition in the same category.

3. Only blogs in English and Kiswahili can be submitted into the competition.

4. Only blogs run by people and brands of Kenyan origin, descent or are based in Kenya can be submitted.

5. A blog owner can submit their own blog into the competition.

6. Blogs submitted must be accessible to the public.

7. Blogs should be submitted to the category that they fit in. Any blog which does not suit the category it was submitted in may be removed from the competition or placed in another category without consultation.

8. Blogs can only be submitted in one category except for new blogs. New blogs can be submitted into the new blog category and one other category that fits.

9. Blogs run by the awards organizing team, judges and sponsors will not be allowed in the competition.

10. Blogs that contravene the Kenyan Constitution and laws, contain or link to any form of insulting, racist, sexist, misogynistic, homophobic, transphobic or in any other way discriminatory or obscene content will not be permitted.

11. The competition has 24 categories but submissions will be accepted in only 23 categories. Submissions in the Blog of the Year category are not required.

12. The Blog of the Year nominees will be decided by the judges who will pick the top 5 blogs from the submissions in all the categories.

13. Any submission or vote made outside of the allocated time frames will be discarded.

14. The judges’ decision is final.

15. The voting phase begins when the judges name the nominees in each of the contest’s categories.

16. Voting is allowed only once per category. Nominated bloggers may vote for themselves.

17. Voting results will decide the winners in all 24 categories.

The Categories

BAKE Awards 2021 has 24 categories in total.

1. Technology Blog

Blogs that cover technology matters like gadgets, Social Media, web culture, Internet usage, tech startups etc.

2. Photography Blog

Blogs that showcase original photos or have photography related content.

3. Creative Writing Blog

Blogs that feature original creative writing in the form of poetry, book reviews, fiction and essays.

4. Business Blog

Blogs that feature business content like business development, entrepreneurship, startups, stocks, investments, banking, finance etc.

5. Food Blog

Blogs that focus on food, cooking tips, restaurants, wines and recipes.

6. Environmental Blog

Blogs that focus on the environment.

7. Fashion and Style Blog

Blogs that highlight current trends in fashion and style.

8. Agricultural Blog

Blogs that cover the Agricultural sector in Kenya.

9. New Blog

Outstanding Blogs that were set up from January 2017 onwards.

10. Corporate Blog

Blogs that are run by brands/companies.

11. Topical Blog

Blogs with a clear niche that is not represented in any of the other categories.

12. Sports Blog

Blogs that feature sports content.

13. Entertainment Blog

Blogs about the Kenyan entertainment industry.

14. Education Blog

Blogs about education matters in Kenya.

15. Travel Blog

Blogs about travel.

16. Public Health Blog

Blogs that focus on public healthcare in Kenya.

17. County Blog

Blogs that are based in a County and that feature content from a specific County.

18. Religious or Spirituality Blog

Blogs that feature content on religion and/or spirituality.

19. Lifestyle Blog

Blogs that focus on Kenyan lifestyle across diverse topics.

20. Beauty and Hair Blog

Blogs that focus on beauty and hair.

21. Video Blog (Vlog)

Blogs that use video, hosted on platforms such as YouTube, to communicate to their audiences.

22. Podcasts

Platforms that use digital audio, that is available on the internet, to connect to their audiences.

23. Social Issues and Active Citizenship Blog

Blogs that focus on Social issues affecting Kenyans and that promotes active citizenship in Kenya.

24. Kenyan Blog of the Year

Best overall Kenyan blog.