The Performancing Blog Awards recognize excellence in blogging. With help from our readers, Performancing chose 28 awards categories (one half of our collective brain wishes we could have done more, the other half wishes we had done less;-) and nominated six candidates per category.

With over 61,000 votes in one week of voting (Readers' Choice) and ongoing behind the scenes deliberation (Editors' Choice) we've selected the winners of this year's Performancing Blog Awards.

In some cases, the Readers and the Editors selected the same winners. However, more often than not, the Readers and Editors selected different winners. In those cases, it's for you to decide who made the better choice;-)

While putting these awards together was a labor of love (and I mean labor in both senses of the term!) it was well worth the effort. What we have here is a solid collection of the best blogs in the world in some of the most important categories there are. It was no easy feat, but we sure hope you like the final product:

Read the rest of this entry

The modern world is saturated with entertainment in the form of Movies, TV and Music. Some of best blogs on the Internet are run as glossy magazines covering a certain entertainment niche. Others offer in depth reviews and news coverage. We've narrowed the field down to six candidates for the Entertainment category. The blog with the most number of votes by January 10, 2007 wins the 2007 Reader's Choice award for "The Best Entertainment Blog ." A Judges' Choice award will also be awarded at the same time.

Visit these sites to help make your decision:

• Stereogum
• Firstshowing.net
• Film School Rejects
• /film
• Heaven and Here
• Television Without Pity

Education is what makes the world go 'round. And as education fuels advances in technology (smart people are the pioneers of tech), education itself is changing and adapting new methods and tools. The best education blogs have their finger on the pulse of this dynamic. We've narrowed the field down to six quality blogs that provide a unique look into the field of education. The blog with the most number of votes by January 10, 2007 wins the 2007 Reader's Choice award for "The Best Education Blog." A Judges' Choice award will also be awarded at the same time.

Visit these sites to help make your decision:

• Eduwonk
• Teaching Generation Z
• HackCollege
• Study Hacks
• Gearfire
• That College Kid

The world is full of great things to do and great places to see. And blogs are the perfect place to discuss the fine art of traveling. From the glorious views to the terrible night sleep, here are 6 great blogs that make traveling fun. The blog with the most number of votes by January 10, 2007 wins the 2007 Reader's Choice award for "The Best Travel Blog." A Judges' Choice award will also be awarded at the same time.

Visit these sites to help make your decision:

• Gridskipper
• Cheapest Destinations
• Gadling
• Exposed Planet
• The Cranky Flier
• Travel Rants

Laughing is good for the body and good for the soul. Thankfully whenever you need a little laughter medicine, you can always turn to some of the great lol blogs floating around in the blogosphere. We've selected 6 blogs that do a great job of putting a smile on the reader's face. The blog with the most number of votes by January 10, 2007 wins the 2007 Reader's Choice award for "The Funniest Blog." A Judges' Choice award will also be awarded at the same time.

Visit these sites to help make your decision:

• Violent Acres
• The Dilbert Blog
• I Can Has Cheezburger?
• Waiter Rant
• Overheard in New York
• The Sneeze

The food that we eat and the health of our bodies are fundamental to our well-being (and many of us center our lives around one or the other or both). We've selected 6 blogs that capture the central role of food and nutrition in our lives. The blog with the most number of votes by January 10, 2007 wins the 2007 Reader's Choice award for "The Best Food/Health." A Judges' Choice award will also be awarded at the same time.

Visit these sites to help make your decision:

• 101 Cookbooks
• The Food Pornographer
• Accidental Hedonist
• Smitten Kitchen
• MattBites
• The Girl Who Ate Everything

As the 2008 Political season kicks off with the Iowa Caucuses, political blogs are ramping up for the big United States Presidential election. There's an energy in the air...look to the left, then to the right...there's excitement brewing. We've selected 6 blogs that capture the excitement and passion that is politics. The blog with the most number of votes by January 10, 2007 wins the 2007 Reader's Choice award for "The Best Political Blog." A Judges' Choice award will also be awarded at the same time.

Visit these sites to help make your decision:

• Huffington Post
• Firedoglake
• Andrew Sullivan: The Daily Dish
• Instapundit
• Daily Kos
• Glenn Greenwald

Family blogs range from the practical to the comical. The best family blogs tend to mix in a little bit of both. Here we've selected six candidate webhosts for "The Best Family and Parenting Blog" award from 2007. The blog with the most number of votes by January 10, 2007 wins the 2007 Reader's Choice award. A Judges' Choice award will also be awarded at the same time.

Visit these sites to help make your decision:

• Dooce
• Parent Hacks
• Amalah
• Dad Gone Mad
• Boobs, Injuries, and Dr. Pepper
• Ask Moxie

Your webhost is the backbone of your blog and stability is key. Afterall, your blog is no good if its web server goes down too frequently or loads too slowly. Not to mention the question of whether your server is prepared for the Digg effect or a rush of traffic from StumbleUpon. Everyone has strong opinions about webhosts, both positive and negative. Here we've selected six candidate webhosts for "The Best Blog WebHost" award from 2007. The host with the most number of votes by January 10, 2007 wins the 2007 Reader's Choice award. A Judges' Choice award will also be awarded at the same time.

Visit these sites to help make your decision:

• A Small Orange
• MediaTemple
• Wordpress.com
• Blogger
• Mosso
• Dreamhost

Blogging is all about passion. And there are few things in life that human beings get more passionate about than sports. Here we've selected six candidate blogs for "The Best Sports Blog" award from 2007. The blog with the most number of votes by January 10, 2007 wins the 2007 Reader's Choice award. A Judges' Choice award will also be awarded at the same time.

Visit these sites to help make your decision:

• Joe Posnanski's Blog
• True Hoop
• Fire Joe Morgan
• Kissing Suzy Kolber
• Sunday Morning QB
• With Leather

Sometimes photos speak louder than words. And photoblogs are the perfect place to speak through pictures. Here we've selected six candidate blogs for "The Best Photo Blog" award from 2007. The blog with the most number of votes by January 10, 2007 wins the 2007 Reader's Choice award. A Judges' Choice award will also be awarded at the same time.

Visit these sites to help make your decision:

• Photopreneur
• Daily Dose of Imagery
• Strobist
• Shorpy
• Stuck in Customs
• I Can Has Cheezburger?

The Money and Business blogging niche is often flooded with credit card spam and get-rich-quick schemes. Or, at least, many blogs simply rehash the same old same old about Roth IRAs. However, there is some genuinely novel thought going on in the money/business blogosphere, and to highlight some of the best, we've selected six candidate blogs for "The Best Business/Money Blogs" award from 2007. The blog with the most number of votes by January 10, 2007 wins the 2007 Reader's Choice award. A Judges' Choice award will also be awarded at the same time.

Visit these sites to help make your decision:

• The Simple Dollar
• Get Rich Slowly
• On Moneymaking
• I Will Teach You To Be Rich
• Lazy Man and Money
• Business Pundit

Podcasts were the sexy blog differentiator of 2007, but so few really "had it going on". Still, there are some awesome 'casts out there that are worth each and every listen. We've selected six candidate podcasts for "The Best Blog Podcast" award from 2007. The blog with the most number of votes by January 10, 2007 wins the 2007 Reader's Choice award. A Judges' Choice award will also be awarded at the same time.

Visit these sites to help make your decision:

• Freelance Switch
• Random Bits
• MediaStorm
• Sidepodcast
• On The Pod
• CalacanisCast

The world is enamored with celebrities and fashion. For proof, just look at the fact that Fox News is now mixing celebrity news right in with the war in Iraq. For better or worse, love 'em or hate 'em, we've selected six candidate blogs for "The Best Celeb/Style Blog" award from 2007. The blog with the most number of votes by January 10, 2007 wins the 2007 Reader's Choice award. A Judges' Choice award will also be awarded at the same time.

Visit these sites to help make your decision:

• WWTDD
• Perez Hilton
• Go Fug Yourself
• Egotastic
• Oh No They Didn't!
• Celebrity Babies

SEO is an art with only a handful of master artists. Lots of people try it, but only a few do it well. We've selected six candidate blogs for "The Best SEO Blog" award from 2007. The blog with the most number of votes by January 10, 2007 wins the 2007 Reader's Choice award. A Judges' Choice award will also be awarded at the same time.

Visit these sites to help make your decision:

• Seo Book Blog
• SEO Black Hat
• Graywolf's SEO Blog
• SEOmoz Blog
• Blue Hat SEO
• Tropical SEO