The 2009 Lankanosphere Awards - The Closing Ceremony

I suppose we've got used to these awards in the last couple of weeks and it would be unfair to just finish things without a little round up and a word or two of thanks.

So, here are the categories for this year's awards and the winners:

1. First up, hence the number 1, was the best overseas blog. Beating off the competition with a stick and emerging victorious was JapSach with Just About Anything. My sincere thanks to Tiger Woods for his kind bit of guest judging in this category.

2. The Best Newcomer - Won by Chavie for See Chavie Run, his rather eclectic mix of a blog. Thanks to Indi for the guest judge duties and responding at such short notice.

3. The Fashion Police Are Coming For You Award - A new category this year, one that may or may not return next year. It all depends on the availability of suitable candidates. It takes a special person to be nominated for this one let alone to walk away with the first prize. This year that special person was Sanjana, with this footwear related fashion crime. Guest judge Java Jones gave us some privileged insider information on Sanjana's tastes. He's kind like that.

4. The Innovation Award - Another new category, won by the man himself, Cerno for his Top 100 Sri Lankan blog post book project idea. Everyone agreed on this one and we hope it might still see the light of day at some point. Guest judge David Blacker is to be thanked for the speech and also for putting up with me asking him endless questions about Sri Lankan life on FB chat.

5. Best News and Current Affairs - New category number three. The motherland is nothing if not interesting and news and current affairs are a reflection of the huge diversity of opinions, political views and mindsets that exist, when they're allowed to. The winner here was DBS Jeyaraj and thanks go to another intellectual heavyweight for the guest judging, Ms Britney Spears.

6. Best Photoblog - With Sri Lanka being as picturesque as she is no Lankanosphere awards would be complete without a photoblog group. Us diasporic types must spend many hours gazing longingly at the fantastic photoblogs as we sit in our respective places, as differing as they are, and become united with our pining for Sri Lanka. This year's winner was the London based Aufidius with Tableaux of Aufidius, his pictorial gallery of light from all around the world. The master himself, Dominic Sansoni, looked at the goings on and wrote some nice words.

7. Funniest Blog - This year, it has to be said, the number of candidates was disappointing but, the standard wasn't. The winner was Makuluwo with Cerebral Ramblings, a blog funnier than one of those youtube clips of old people falling over on ice. Seriously. Guestingly judged by DQ, my own personal comedic hero, well apart from PG Wodehouse.

8. Best Written Blog - One of the real big boys of the awards and carried away by everyone's favourite Gypsy, the Bohemian one. Our Gyppo faced some really stiff and brilliant competition and emerged triumphant. Or should that be triumphantly, I'm not sure. I was rather delighted to rope in Ashok Ferrey as the guest judge here and he had some highly complimentary things to say of all the candidates, high praise indeed. Thank you Mr Ferrey.

9. Blog Of The Year 2009 - The fourth winner of this, the most coveted award was our good Lady Divine for A Glimpse of Lady Divine's World. Last year she was nominated but didn't win, this year she grabbed the title and ran away with it, a bit like a shoplifter in Majestic City to be honest. She joins the roll of honour alongside Darwin, Cerno and The Missing Sandwich. I managed to tempt TMS out of blog retirement, just for a few minutes at least, to write her guest judge speech for this one too.

So there you have it, another year over, a new one just begun.

Thank you for reading and keeping up with the proceedings.

Thank you to all the judges for their input and for putting up with me hassling them, asking for a speech, then saying that I need it in about four seconds time.

And lastly thank you to all the bloggers whose blogs I continue to enjoy and have made my little connection to Sri Lanka so much stronger in recent years. I think I'll take a break from blogging for a few days. Nothing dramatic, just a short one. I always think I'll do it and never do, let's see how long I last before I'm slapped in the face with that urgent need to tell you something.

Have a good weekend all.

RD