Arts Blogger Challenge

Help us find (North) America’s Best Arts Blogger.

Announcing the Great Arts Blogger Challenge.  We’re trying to find the best arts blogger.

THE ENTRY DEADLINE HAS NOW PASSED: THE CHALLENGE BEGINS MONDAY MARCH 26.

You can find the contest bracket here.

The Prize:

• $2,500
• Two tickets for all six 2012 Spring For Music Festival concerts May 7-12 in Carnegie Hall.

Eligibility:

Open to all English-language culture blogs – music, dance, theatre, visual, general culture, architecture,  movies, TV, books – in the US or Canada established before January 1, 2012.

Here’s how it works:

1. ROUND ONE: Any culture blog in Canada or the US is eligible to enter. Register your blog (see below for how) before midnight EDT, Wednesday, March 21 and post an entry addressing our first question challenge (see below) on your own blog before Friday March 23 at midnight EST.
2. Your blog entry will be listed and linked to on the Great Blogger Challenge site at Spring for Music. The participant bracket goes live Monday morning, March 26 and public voting begins. Voting will be conducted on the Spring For Music website through Thursday, March 29 at noon EDT.
3. ROUND TWO: The top 16 blogs will be announced Friday March 30 at noon EDT, and advancing bloggers will be sent the blog challenge for the next week’s round. Posts for the next round should be published no later than Sunday April 1 at 6PM EST. Round II bracket goes live Monday, April 2. Voting will be conducted on the Spring For Music website through Thursday, April 5 at noon EDT.
4. ROUND THREE: The top eight blogs will be announced Friday April 6 at noon EDT, and advancing bloggers will be sent the blog challenge for the next week’s round. Posts for the next round should be published no later than Sunday April 8 at 6PM EDT. Round III goes live Monday, April 9. Voting will be conducted on the Spring For Music website through Thursday, April 12 at 6 PM EDT.
5. The FINAL FOUR blogs will be announced Friday April 13^th  at noon EST, and advancing bloggers will be sent the final blog challenge for the final week’s round. Posts for the next round should be published no later than Sunday April 15th at 6PM. Round IV bracket goes live Monday, April 16. Voting will be conducted on the Spring For Music website through Thursday, April 19 at noon EDT.
6. The WINNER and runners-up will be announced Friday April 20th.

Judging:

There are four official judges plus audience vote. Readers will be asked to vote each week and their votes will count for one third in the decision. Each of the four official judges’ votes counts for one-sixth of the decision. This means the audience vote is worth two of the judges’ votes. Judges will comment on the winning entries each week. Judges will be announced the week of March 19.

First Round Question:

New York has long been considered the cultural capital of America. Is it still? If not, where?

Your blog entry answering this question can be of any length. Judges will judge your post based on its originality, and how compelling your argument is.

To Enter:

1. Register by sending an email to: greatblogger@springformusic.com NO LATER THAN MIDNIGHT, Wednesday, MARCH 21^th EDT. Email should include:
   1. Your name
   2. Name of your blog
   3. Url of your blog
   4. Category: music, dance, theatre, visual, general culture, architecture,  movies, TV, books, food, opera
   5. Your location
   6. Date you began your blog
   7. Short one paragraph bio or statement

Post your first entry ON YOUR OWN BLOG no later than MARCH 23rd at MIDNIGHT EDT. We will contact you to confirm your participation.

FAQ

Spring For Music is a music festival. Why are you doing this and are you looking only for music blogs?

We’re not just looking for music blogs. All arts blogs started before January 1, 2012 are eligible. Yes we’re a music festival, but music doesn’t happen in isolation. We want to play in the larger culture, engage with other arts.

Why do you want us to publish our Blogger Challenge entries on our own blogs?

We want people to get to know your blog. We want to drive readers to your blog, get you some attention. We hope there will be a big audience for the Blogger Challenge and we hope to drive lots of traffic your way.

Where will the voting be done?

All participating blogs will be listed in a bracket on the Spring For Music website and voting will be done there.

Can we campaign to rally votes for our entries?

Absolutely. The audience vote counts for one-third of the decision. This gives the audience a voice but ensures that the Blogger Challenge isn’t simply a popularity contest. Audience voters will get to vote only once for a blog entry each week. Voters can vote for more than one blog. Voting will happen on the Spring For Music Blogger Challenge website. The four “official” judges will comment on all winning entries.

Who are the official judges?

Judges will be announced in the week of March 19.

Tell us about the prize.

The prize is $2,500 and two tickets to the six concerts of this year’s Spring For Music, May 7-12 in Carnegie Hall. Come to New York for the week and blog. Blog about S4M concerts. Or about galleries, museums, theatre, dance. New York in May is great.

What is Spring For Music?

Spring For Music is a new orchestra festival at Carnegie Hall built around innovative programming that had its first season in May 2011.
Called “fresh at every turn” by The New Yorker’s Alex Ross, Spring For Music aims to be more than a series of concerts. This May 7-12, the second Spring For Music festival features the Edmonton, Nashville, Houston, Alabama, New Jersey, and Milwaukee symphonies.  Tickets are priced at $25 throughout Carnegie Hall. The festival hopes to provide a laboratory, free of the usual marketing and financial constraints, for an orchestra to be creative with interesting, provocative and stimulating programs reflecting its beliefs, its standards, and vision.