Traverse Creator Awards – Recoginising digital content creators

AWARDS WITH A DIFFERENCE

The Traverse Creator Awards (TCAs) celebrate, showcase and reward talented digital content creators that have been producing outstanding content and shaping our industry over the previous 12 months.

The TCAs are back for 2021 to highlight the creativity, achievements and talent during what has been a challenging year.

You can watch our live announcement video on our blog post for more details and thoughts behind the TCAs that were first held in 2019.

SKILLS SPECIFIC

At Traverse, we are well aware that there are more than a few awards out there for the fantastic and talented creators that keep our industry going. But what we have seen is that many seem to have the same problem, that is rewarding ‘best’ for topics that, to us, seem too general to do so. How do you define the ‘Best Fashion Blogger’? Is it the writing, the photography, the content? All of these things are important, but which is the focus?

The TCAs will focus on categories that recognise what goes into making a fantastic channel and being an incredible influencer.

Much like the Oscars rewarding various skills within film making (Cinematography, Makeup, Original Score), so will the TCAs with content creation.

You can see the 2021 categories below.

NO PUBLIC VOTING

Over time it seems that too many awards are degraded by online public voting.

The voting can be to gain a nomination to the awards or to decide the overall winner.

The TCAs will not include a public vote in any part of the award process, meaning that they will be awarded to those who deserve to be recognised, not those who can request that enough family and friends to vote for them.

A panel of experts will decide on the shortlisted content creators in each category, with judges from each field deciding on the outright winners from those who are nominated.

judging process

Submissions will be assessed by a judging panel that will finalise a shortlist for each award category.

The successful entries that made the shortlists will be published and will be put forward to be considered in the final round of judging undertaken by our expert judging panel.

Content must have been produced between 1st April 2020 and 31 March 2021.

Key Dates

Submissions: 1st April 2021
Shortlist Announced: 1st July 2021
Winners & Awards Ceremony: September 2021 (TBC)

Open & Free Submissions

There is no fee to enter the TCAs.

None of the awards will have an upper or lower limit in terms of age of channel, follower number, readers etc.

This means that there are no barriers to entry for content creators.

If you think your channel could do well in a category, all you need to do is set aside the time to fill in the submission and you'll be in front of the judges.

AWARD CATEGORIEs

Best Blog Design / User Experience

This category is open to bloggers only and will be awarded to the blog that has the best all round user experience and design. Judges will be looking at such features as the ease of navigation, site structure, innovative elements, branding, readability and the overall look of the site. There is no limit on how long your blog has to have been live for.

Best Collaboration

The category of Best Collaboration will be focussed on campaigns or features between two or more content creators. For campaigns, the effectiveness of the collaboration will be important when it comes to achieving marketing targets and KPIs. For features (as well as campaigns), there will also be a focus on how well the content creators have worked together, with various pieces of content woven together for the overall feature.

Best Photography Piece

This category has a focus on the use of photography in the wider scope of an article or feature. Rather than being an award for an individual photo, judges will be looking at campaigns and articles that have used photography to tell a story or strongly support an accompanying video or blog post, really adding depth to the article.

Best Video - Cinematic

Open to all platforms that host video, the cinematic video category winner will be awarded based on the individual video, shot in a cinematic style. There is no limit on video length or subject. The category is open to all content creators.

Best Video - Vlog

This award could be given to a video hosted on any relevant platform and will be chosen based on one individual video. This category winner will have produced the best video where they are likely in front of the camera, filming primarily in a vlogging or presenting style, interview videos are also being considered.

Best Responsible Piece

Responsible can mean many things, and this category will look to cover many of them. The award is open to people who create written content, video, audio or photographic content, with judges looking for the best piece that has a responsible focus. This could be sustainable travel, eco friendly lifestyle, ethical fashion and more.

Best All Round Social Campaign

This award will be focussed on the social media side of being a content creator. Judges will be looking at the best use of social media for a marketing campaign. Beyond this, there are few parameters, however use of multiple social channels, as well as innovative ways or sharing and creating content will be held in high regard. The entries can also be campaigns that are purely social or using social along side other content. Entries are open to individuals as well as collaborative campaigns.

12 Month Achievement

Judges will be looking at content creators that have had some incredible achievements in the past 12 months (from February 2018 – February 2019). This award is open to all content creators regardless of platform, experience level or industry. Achievements can also be on creators own platforms or other work that was made possible as a result of influencer activity.

Innovation Award

Here’s to people who do things differently. In content creation, it’s essential to have people who push the boundaries of their industries and break the mould on a regular basis. This award will be give to the person (or people) who have been the most innovative when it comes to their platform and content creation work. This category is open to influencers across all channels and industries.

Best Original Instagram Channel

Instagram has a huge part to play in the world of online influencers and content creators. This award will be given to the channel that has the best original content. The judges will be looking for images and stories that are somewhat different to much of what is posted on the platform. This could include animation, interesting photography techniques, artistic shots etc. There is no minimum size of channel for this award, although the judges will be looking to make sure the followers and engagement is authentic.

Best Imagery - Epic

Who doesn’t love an epic photo? This category will be looking at channels that feature the very best when it comes to mind blowing photography. It’s open to all platforms that can host photos and once again there will be no minimum on the size of following or age of the account. Photos also don’t have to be travel based, anything that looks epic, we want to see.

Dedication To The Industry Award

We can’t call something a lifetime achievement award when the industry is under two decades old, but that’s essentially what this is. There won’t be any entry process for this award or shortlists, with the recipient being announced at the awards in June.

Best Storytelling

Storytelling is crucial to any piece of quality content and we're are looking to highlight the very best talent in this category. The award is open to people who create written content, video, audio or photographic content, with judges looking for the best piece of storytelling that really makes an impact.

Best Opinion Piece

Opinion pieces have the power to create discussion, make people stop and think, change their own opinions or even just argue. It's the bravery of bringing these topics to the forefront of people's attention that we are looking to recognise and celebrate. Submissions can be in the form of video, audio (podcasts) or written.

Creator's Brand Of The Year

More information to follow.