October 2010 Monthly Award Winners Announced!

Congratulations to our October, 2010 Best of AC and Rising Star Award Winners!

This month's Best of AC Awards went to top Contributors in Personal Finance, Politics, and Sports. It was, as always, a tough contest, but in the end awards went to three outstanding Contributors who triumphed thanks to their extraordinary skills and personal expertise in their topic areas. Congratulations to Bill Stanley (The Money Coach), William Browning, and Joshua Huffman. Check out the full announcement for more!

Our monthly Rising Star Awards recognize newer writers who are standing out in the AC community. It takes no small measure of courage to establish oneself on a new publishing platform, and these awards present bragging rights and a cash prize to Contributors brave enough to jump right in and talented enough to do so successfully. This month's winners are Vanessa Evans, Clayton Browne, Linda Rogacki, Jean Kelly, and Heather Braegger. Congratulations to the winners! Read our full-length announcement for more.

August 2010 Best of AC Award Winners

For August 2010, we awarded Best of AC prizes to top Contributors in Home Improvement, Food and Wine, and Real Estate. Please join us in congratulating this month's winners! You can now use our brand new category filter on Contributor profiles to check out each winner's content in her winning niche. Read Darnell's full-length announcement here!

Best of AC: Food & Wine - Angie Mohr
Angie Mohr has been an AC Contributor since 2007, racking up a Clout 10 badge, a 2008 PMA, and now her second Best of AC award. Angie joins a small, exclusive group of two-time Best of AC winners with this award, which recognizes her expertise in everything from brewing fine ale at home to hosting the perfect dinner party.


Best of AC: Home Improvement - Tal Boldo
Want to know how to update your home and give it a tidy, soothing look without breaking the bank? Looking for a way to give your bathrooms or living room a little extra sparkle? Tal Boldo has your back with 163 total pieces of content in the Home Improvement category.


Best of AC: Real Estate - Shauna Zamarripa
Whether you're buying or selling a home, Shauna's insightful writing and professional experience can help you navigate the process with ease. She's a Real Estate agent in San Antonio, Texas, specializing in what everyone wants to buy right now—short sale and foreclosed properties. Her expertise is just right for buyers and sellers uncertain about how to proceed in shifting market conditions and a down economy.

Congratulations to all three winners!

Looking ahead...

September's award categories will be Pets, Shopping & Fashion and Television. Don't forget to nominate your favorites here! See you next month.

March 2010 Award Winners

We'd like to congratulate the winners of Associated Content's March 2010 awards!

Best of AC: Automotive, Business & Finance, Gardening

Our monthly Best of AC awards recognize the achievements of Contributors publishing extraordinary content in a wide range of topics. March's winners are:

Best of AC: Automotive -- Michael MrTechnical Hewitt
Featured Contributor and auto enthusiast Michael MrTechnical Hewitt boasts extensive experience in auto repair, including more than 5 years as a Chrysler Master Mechanic. Check out his library for helpful DIY auto tutorials (like Replacing a Worn Out Brake Light) and niche car buying guides (Top Five Cars that Will Please Even the Most Active Seniors).

Best of AC: Business and Finance -- Angie Mohr
Angie Mohr has been an Associated Content Contributor since 2007, and has published more than 80 Business & Finance articles to date -- each piece informed by years of experience as a certified professional accountant. Check out her library of content for expert advice on everything from doing your taxes (don't forget these commonly-missed tax breaks!) to insurance coverage and policies (Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance: Is it Worth It?).

Best of AC: Gardening -- Dena E. Bolton
Dena E. Bolton, a master gardener for over 40 years, has contributed more than 200 gardening articles since she joined Associated Content in 2008. Whether she's guiding you through your first blueberry bush grow, offering tips on how to prevent pesky pest invasions or giving you a sneak peek into her herb garden in progress, Dena's passion for gardening is palpable in the work she publishes.

Rising Stars

Our Rising Star awards shine a spotlight on some of our most promising new Contributors. March's winners are...


Carly Morgan joined Associated Content in December, 2009 and is already a Featured Contributor in our Travel and Weddings categories. She's published nearly 90 pieces of content since becoming a Contributor. Don't miss her intensely personal and important piece, I'm Bulimic: The True Story of a Fifteen Year Struggle with Bulimia.

Our next Rising Star is Featured Mental Health Contributor, former law enforcement officer and crime novelist, Asher Kade. His content often incorporates extensive personal experience and in-depth interviews that are both touching and informative. Make sure to read his article, What Every American Needs to Know About Pakistan.

Donald Allen traveled the world during his 12 years in the military, as is readily apparent to any reader skimming his library of over 50 pieces of compelling content. He writes about a variety of topics, but really shines when addressing issues important to travelers. Don't miss his expert advice in Travel Safety: Defending Yourself While Traveling Abroad.

As a Featured Shopping & Fashion and Video Games Contributor, Lori May brings her unique perspective to each piece of content. Lori offers a refreshing take on compelling topics from Top 5 Punk Prom Dress Vendors to GameCrush: Gaming Social Network or Disguised Video Dating?

Shane Smith writes great SEO-friendly web content on Arts and Entertainment topics that genuinely interest her. Her achievements--including a spot in our Hot 500--are all the more impressive in light of the fact that she became a Contributor less than two months ago For her take on the recent Lindsay Lohan situation, check out Dina and Michael Lohan Faceoff Over Lindsay's Self Destruction.

Congratulations to all of our wonderful award winners! Stop by their profile pages to leave your own congratulations.

September Award Winners

We’d like to congratulate the talented winners of Associated Content September 2009 Best of AC and Rising Star awards!

Best of AC

Christine Bude Nyholm won in the Alternative Medicine category. This is the 2nd Best of AC win for this multi-faceted, Clout 10 Contributor (she also won last year's award for Winter Travel Guides). She has written more than 150 Health & Wellness articles during her AC career, including an impeccably researched and crafted set of alternative medicine guides published in September, like this one: "Arthritis Alternative Treatment Options."

Kimberly Lawson won in the Fashion category. This Clout 10 fashion student and entertainment blogger has published close to 50 fashion guides in 2009 alone, offering a wide variety of style tips, trend alerts and well-researched shopping guides. AC fashionistas should be sure to check out her recent tips for looking hot when the weather's cold.

Victoria Leigh Miller won in the Television category. This long-time Contributor and Arts & Entertainment Category Editor has published close 100 pieces of television content this year, and more than 30 in the month of September -- mixing coverage of breaking entertainment news with retrospective roundups of great moments from TV history. Looking for something to watch with your kids this Halloween? Check out her recent roundup of the best Halloween-themed TV episodes for kids.

Note: We’re currently accepting nominations for our October Best of AC Awards in the following categories: Personal Finance, Politics and Sports. Be sure to nominate your favorite publishers in those categories by posting in this forum thread or emailing community@associatedcontent.com.

Rising Stars

Be sure to check out all five of September's "Rising Stars"...

Kimberly Sharpe
Joshua Huffman
Missy Jess
KK Thornton
Peter L. Bosch

...and welcome them into the AC Community!

Post in this forum thread if you'd like to nominate any new Contributors for October's Rising Star Awards.

Congrats to all!

August Best of AC Award Winners

We're very excited to announce the winners of Associated Content's August 2009 Best of AC Awards!

Marilisa Kinney Sachteleben is the winner of the award for Back to School Guides. This Clout 10, Top 100 Contributor has published nearly 1,000 pieces of content, including more than 300 in the Parenting & Education categories (where her experience as a mother and teacher really shines through). Check out her recent take on the importance of back to school eye exams.

Amy Brantley is the winner of our award for Food & Wine. Another prolific Clout 10, Top 100 Contributor, Amy has published more than 600 pieces of Food & Wine content in her 3 years on AC, including a handful of foodie reviews and how-to's in August. Be sure to check out her gourmet Halloween treat recipes.

Eric Brennan is the winner of our award for Home Improvement. After 15 years of working in the construction industry, this master craftsman has lots of DIY expertise to share with AC's visitors. He has climbed to Clout 10 on AC with over 300 published pieces, including lots of unique & highly-detailed Home Improvement guides. Check out his recent guide to building a simple birdhouse.

Congratulations to all three of these prolific and talented Contributors, and thanks to everyone who sent in nominations!

Looking ahead...

The categories for the September 2009 Best of AC Awards are Alternative Medicine, Fashion and Television.

If you'd like to draw attention to content you're publishing in any of these fields, or if you know of any other worthy Contributors you'd like to nominate for these awards, please do so here.

July Best of AC Award Winners

Each month, Associated Content gives out three Best of AC Awards to Contributors publishing outstanding content in a diverse set of topics across the site.

We'd like to congratulate the talented winners of July's awards:

C. Chaning is the winner of the award for Music Reviews. He's a Clout 10, Top 100 Contributor as well as a Category Editor in Arts & Entertainment with hundreds of empassioned entertainment reviews under his belt.

Donna Daniels is the winner of our award for Pet Care. In close to 3 years on AC, Donna has racked up more than a million page views by publishing over 1,600 pieces of content, including more than 75 pieces of pet and animal content in 2009 alone.

Simon Volkov is the winner of our award for Real Estate. Simon is a private investor and foreclosure specialist who has published nearly 100 AC articles about Real Estate, full of timely, expert advice for current and prospective homeowners.

Congratulations to all three of these prolific and talented Contributors, and thanks to the hundreds of the people who sent in nominations!

Looking ahead...

The categories for the August 2009 Best of AC Awards are Back to School Guides, Food & Wine and Home Improvement.

If you'd like to draw attention to content you're publishing in any of these fields, or if you know of any other worthy Sources you'd like to nominate for these awards, please email community@associatedcontent.com or post a reply in this forum thread.

Best of AC & Best New Source Awards: March Winners

Congratulations to Associated Content's Best of AC and Best New Source winners for March!

We are excited to announce the winners of our February 2009 Best of AC Awards - our monthly contest that rewards Sources publishing extraordinary content in a wide range of topics across the site. Be sure to stop by the winners' profiles to congratulate them!

The winners of our March awards are:

Kevin Hagen for Business & Finance
Crystal Ray for Gardening
Momie Tullottes for Parenting

Best New Sources:

All three winners have earned rave reviews for their submitted content by our staff and fellow Sources, and have been selected from many nominations.

Carly Lejnieks
Kristy Martz-Burmeister
Andrew Mindzak

Be sure to stop by the winners' profile pages and welcome them to the AC family!

The categories for the April 2009 Best of AC Awards are Book Reviews, Crafting and Green Living. If you'd like to draw attention to content you're publishing in any of these fields, or if you know of any other worthy Sources you'd like to nominate for these awards, please do so here.

Best of AC & Best New CP Awards--January Winners

Associated Content announced the January winners in the Best new CP and Best of AC Awards today.

These three new Content Producers received raves and nominations from AC staff and other CPs. They've been very busy during their first couple of weeks on Associated Content.

January 2009's Best New CP winners are:

• Brooke Lorren. We have linked to Brooke from the blog before when she discussed AC as a newbie. Brooke lives in AZ and has been publishing about everything from television to health since joining AC in December.
• B.A. Rogers joined AC on December 26 and got cracking on excellent health and arts content.
• Washington state resident Coral Levang ads an inspiring personal touch to her articles on fitness, the economy and maintaining a work-life balance.

Be sure to stop by the winners' CP pages and welcome them to AC!

Best of AC is our monthly contest that rewards CPs publishing extraordinary content in a wide range of topics across the site.

The winners of our January Best of AC are:

• Kristie Leong M.D. for Diet & Fitness content.
• Gregoriancant for Opinion-Editorial
• Ben Kenber for Movie Reviews

Be sure to stop by the winners' CP profiles to congratulate them!

The categories for the February 2009 Best of AC Awards are Beauty, Black History and Romance & Relationships. If you'd like to draw attention to content in any of these fields, or if you know of any other worthy CPs you'd like to nominate for these awards, please do so in the Forum here.

And if you think that you've been writing great content in any of those places don't be shy--nominate yourself!

December's Best of AC Award Winners

January is progressing rapidly and before it is too late, the standout Content Producers from December deserve their due. Congratulations to the Best New CPs and the Best of AC Award Winners from December '08!
Information about this month's Best of AC categories is at the bottom of this post.

Associated Content's Best New CP's for December, 2008: Please congratulate them and welcome them to AC!

Kathryn Marshall has been a member of Associated Content since mid-November. She's already written 29 articles on parenting and children.

Lisa Parris lives in Tennessee and writes frequently on a wide variety of topics from diet tips to fiction and opinion pieces.

Californian Ryan Miguel publishes lots of colorful local content and longer research papers.



Best of AC Awards for December, 2008:

Jeff Gedgaud for his Technology Reviews

Christine Bude for her Winter Travel Guides

Chris for Religion & Spirituality



Thanks to the 6 CPs above for their hard work in December. This month's "Best of AC" awards are in the following categories: Diet & Fitness, Op-Ed and Movie Reviews. Nominate winners in the Forum here.

Best of AC Awards-November Winners

Associated Content is excited to announce the winners of our November Best of AC Awards - a series of monthly contests that reward CPs publishing extraordinary content in a wide range of topics across the site.

The winners of AC's November awards are:

Shannon Lausch for College Preparation. Shannon joined AC in October and has been writing fantastic articles since then. Stop by and welcome her to the community!

R. M. Dubuc for Shopping Guides. R.M. is a longtime CP with a ton of great content who really turned it on for the holiday shopping season. Hop over to her profile for advice that'll save you time and money this month.

Pam Gaulin for Winter Holidays. Pam needs no introduction, she's one of Associated Content's most talented and prolific writers and her Winter Holidays coverage is guaranteed to get you in a holiday mood.

Go read their work and congratulate them!

The categories for the December Best of AC Awards are Technology Reviews, Winter Travel Guides and Religion & Spirituality. If you'd like to draw attention to content you're publishing in any of these fields, or if you know of any other worthy CPs you'd like to nominate for these awards, please do so here in the Forum.

Best of AC Awards October Winners and a Special Announcement

Associated Content recently announced the October winners of our Best of AC Awards - a series of monthly contests that reward CPs publishing extraordinary content in a wide range of categories across the site. This post comes a little late, but these Content Producers are too good not to be highlighted by the AC Blog for their accomplishments.

The winners of October's Best of AC Awards awards:

Sylvia Cochran won for her stellar and tireless Election Coverage. Read her "election postmortem" for what we can all expect after the marathon election process.

Lee Andrew Henderson was awarded for best Sports Coverage. Basketball fans should check out his analysis of the Alan Iverson/Chauncey Billups trade.

A. Hermitt published the best Personal Finance coverage during the month of October. Read here to learn why it is always a good idea to set aside money for emergencies, even in a time where we seemingly live on credit.

Be sure to stop by the winners' CP profiles and congratulate them!



Finally, the announcement: AC's Design Team is very excited to share the news that a site redesign is coming soon! Within the next few weeks you'll see a launch in beta of a fantastic new look for Associated Content. We're all thrilled about it and we're sure that you'll be wowed, too. More on this soon.

November's Best of AC Awards are Open

It's that time again! Let Associated Content know who is producing excellent content on any of the topics below. You can even nominate yourself.

For the month of November, we'll be giving out Best of AC Awards to CPs producing extraordinary content in each of these categories:

Shopping Guides
College Preparation
Winter Holidays

Full details on the Best of AC Awards can be found here. If you would like to nominate yourself or another worthy CP for consideration in any of these categories, please visit the nominations thread in the forum.

Best of AC Awards: September Winners

Associated Content is excited to announce the winners of our September Best of AC Awards - a new series of monthly contests that reward CPs who are publishing extraordinary content in a wide range of categories across the site.

The winners of our September awards are...

Pam Gaulin for Home Improvement

Hally Z for Restaurant Reviews

Sabah Karimi for Focus on Fashion

Be sure to stop by the winners' CP profiles and congratulate them!

Again, categories for October's Best of AC Awards are Election Coverage, Sports Coverage and Personal Finance. If you'd like to draw attention to content that you're publishing in any of these fields or if you know of any other worthy CPs you'd like to nominate for these awards, please do so here. Or leave your comments on the blog and I'll pass them along.

Best of AC Awards: October Categories

Each month, Associated Content recognizes the achievements of Content Producers publishing extraordinary content in a wide range of categories. We select three topics per month, and keep our eyes open for CPs with especially strong output in each of those areas. One winner in each category receives $100, and gets exposure on the Community tab and in the AC Insider newsletter. Contest details here.

October categories: Election Coverage, Sports Coverage and Personal Finance. If you’d like to nominate yourself or another worthy CP for consideration by our team in any of those three categories, post a message in our Best of AC October Forum thread.

Selection Criteria

We're on the lookout for...

• Prolific Contributors: CPs with strong, sustained output within a particular category.
• Unique Perspectives: Creative writers producing content that stands apart from the everyday and offers a fresh take on popular subjects.
• Expertise: Experience in the field you're writing about adds credibility your articles and increases your chance of being designated a winner in your category of expertise.
• Popularity: Content that speaks to its audience, captures attention, inspires discussion and drives traffic will have the best shot at getting noticed.
• Quality: As always, we'll be rewarding well-written, thoughtfully produced content.

Please note that, while a CP's entire history of contributing content within a particular category will be taken into account, AC's judges will be focusing primarily on the content submitted during the month in which in the contest is running.

We'll announce last month's winners in a few weeks. In the mean time, think about those categories above and start pointing us towards deserving content!

Best of AC & Best New CP Awards: August Winners

It's like Christmas in September around here as we continue to reward our CPs for exercising their talents at Associated Content. What can we say? You deserve it!

In August we ran the first-ever Best of AC Awards contest. These are designed to reward CPs who are publishing extraordinary content in a variety of categories across the site.

August's winners were:
Robert Dougherty for Entertainment Reviews
Ryan Christopher DeVault for Summer Olympics Coverage
Kristin Ketteringham for Back to School Guides

We'll be doing this feature every month. The blog entry from August 26 reveals the categories for September's Best of AC Awards. Nominate worthy CPs in the forum here. Winners receive $100, so get cracking!

We also announced the winners for August's Best New CP Award. All three of these talented writers have received high praise from AC staff and their fellow CPs, so be sure to read visit their pages and congratulate them!
Lindsay Woodland
Greg Reese from Cincinnati (you've seen one of his videos here recently as Friday's Featured Content)
Christopher Clark

Please nominate new CPs for September's award here. New CPs, don't hesitate to nominate yourselves (get a friend to do it if you're shy)--we want to know that you're out there working hard.

Six talented people highlighted in a single post, not bad for a rainy Tuesday evening.