Shake up for Equestrian Social Media Awards in 2014
Next year will see the 4th annual Equestrian Social Media Awards (ESMAs) — and there are set to be some changes.
The ESMAs were launched in 2010 to celebrate bringing together the global equestrian community. H&H has been very successful in the awards in the past.
In 2014 the public will still decide who receives nominations, but those wishing to enter will be asked to pre-register, free of charge, from early November. Equestrians will then be able to nominate their favourites from lists of pre-registered entries.
And there will be two prizes up for grabs in each category. The first will be the “judges’ choice” ESMA, decided by a panel of the global equestrian industry’s most talented marketers and media professionals. The second will be the “people’s choice” ESMA, 100% decided by the public.
“Each year we try to shake things up a bit,” said the ESMA’s Liam Killen. “The ESMAs were the first of their kind within the equestrian industry and we try every year to continue to innovate. We’re also very pleased to be welcoming the FEI’s director of corporate communications, Richard Johnson, to judge the winners of the regional categories to decide the overall winner of the World Award.
“Not only that, but we’re introducing categories to showcase excellence beyond social media with the new Equestrian Digital Awards, supported by the Equestrian Creative Network. Categories will include best website, use of rich media and phone/tablet application.”
The ESMAs will also be sponsored by Equine Online in 2014, a recently re-launched equestrian design and fashion site designed to inspire and celebrate creativity.
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“We’re delighted to have Equine Online as headline sponsor for 2014,” said Liam Killen. “They started off sponsoring the category for ‘best newcomer’ in 2013, and we’re thrilled to be developing our relationship. We have the same aim, to showcase equestrians thinking outside the box — Equine Online is a great match for us.”
To find out more about the ESMAs and stay up-to-date, sign up to the newsletter on equestriansocialmediaawards.com or follow @ESMAwards on Twitter
A graduate of Exeter University, Amy joined our news team from Redpin Publishing in 2008 as news writer. She was promoted to deputy news editor in May 2013 and became news editor in April 2015. She left Horse & Hound in March 2016 to take up an editorial position in Dubai.