I don’t care how fair you may think you are. In the lack of full information or even with all the information you need, we humans tend to show bias more often than we would like to admit.
I like to say I am a categorically biased person. i.e if the entry requirement is at 95% or above I will pick a friend who has 95% over a stranger who has 100%. However, no matter how tempting it can be, given the same conditions as above, I won’t pick a friend who has 94% over a stranger who has 95%.
Award shows are one of the hardest things to vote in. Sometimes, two of your favorite people end up in the same category and sometimes, you just don’t know enough about some people to cast an objective vote. Sometimes, you just love somebody so much that you willingly and openly put your objectivity in the trash.
Here, using the BDMA, I will tell you how and if I am voting in every category and try to share my reasoning with you.
1. Best Blogger (English): Here I’m going with DcodedTV. Her website https://dcodedtv.com/ is very elegant, organized, current and carries relevant content for the Cameroonian reader. Joan has worked in the past for renowned media house Pulse in Nigeria before moving to Cameroon to start DcodedTV. She has recorded a TV show currently being shopped to TV stations in the country and she does a lot of Live event coverage. Despite having fundamentally the same type of content with the other people in this category and fairing just a little bit better on the quality of writing, she at least on occasion adds personal opinion to her stories which to me is the essence of blogging.
2. Best Online Magazine: TheHotJem gets this one for me. The site is elegantly built and the content is the most original and far from the regular. TheHotJem has been around for quite some time and their articles do get a significant amount of reach. I have also worked with Mbole Ekaney the founder and CEO in the past and her professionalism is definitely commendable and one that many in the industry should emulate.
3. Best Showbiz Promoter: This one was a little bit tricky for my wannabe unbiased self. The first time I voted here, I went with Bimstr but further thinking made me decide to go with Emmanuel Mfon’s 237showbiz. 237Showbiz has been around for way longer than Bimstr and the guys have been working relentlessly. You can see the constant improvement especially most recently with the quality and depth of their articles. Granted Bimstr has a larger audience and has been innovative in many ways, I think the work 237showbiz does for B list, C list and underground artists should be rewarded. Coming to think of it, they add more value where Bimstr can only add more views. Kreef is doing some commendable work here too but 237Showbiz gets this one for me.
4. Best Blogger( French): Here I'm voting for Florian Ngimbis for kamer Kongossa. I am surprised Joel aka Mota Savio of Auletch did not get a nomination. Those are the only two French bloggers I have come across. In the past, when I still used to write songs, I emailed Kamer Kongossa on a number of occasions to share my music and they talked about it without any hesitation and also replied to all of my mails. So for that, I will give Florian the vote in this category.
5. Best Graphic Designer: I was torn between Bine and Chuzih but I had to go with Chuzih. Meanwhile I like Bine’s zen approach to graphic design, I think at this moment, Chuzih has done more for the culture in this category.
6. Best Content Creator: Other than Jordan Ashley who I have heard nothing of previous to being nominated here, this is one of those categories where everyone should be awarded. The content is different and equally needed. If I wasn’t nominated, I would plead with Hansel to let me go with Kamga because his work is in an under-explored but very important sector. Kamga thinks I should win here so PoiseSocial gets this or is willing to share this with Hansel and Kamga.
7. Media Personality of the Year: I'm giving this one to Bandy Kiki. She is indeed using her influence to push our cultural dispositions to the edge. As for TP the legend, I think he deserves an award but his could have come under a different category like - People’s Choice Award.
8. Best photographer: Nji Asonganyi. Simply the best on the list that is doing work that reaches and touches the people I expect to be voting for this. Also the one who has shown the most progress over the years.
9. Best Public Relations: I don’t know enough about this to vote. Will however be watching this field closely.
10. Best Video Director: Nkeng and no explanation to give.
11. Best Fashion Blogger: Im not into Fashion so I have no votes to give here.
12. Best Artist Manager: Pearl Louma gets my vote for playing manager/stylist for Daphne. All the artists are pretty much doing well and almost at the same altitude for I'd be bias here and give it to the lady who is doing it all alone amongst men.
13. Best YouTube Channel: Molytown237. I was tempted to give this to Hansel but Hansel’s work is not really tailored to YouTube and Molytown has something that needs to be highlighted. Hansel should have been in the Media Personality of The Year category or even the People’s Choice Award which does not exist as of now.
14. Best Mobile Application: 237xclusive radio. Seamless streaming of African jams with a priority on Cameroonian music.
15. Innovation of The Year: I only know Gifted Mom but I also think it is too old to be featured in this. Another category in which I will not be voting because I do not know enough about the other guys and data is too expensive for me to check them all out as well as I would have loved to.
16. Best TV Show Host: MissP just for all the times she put together a nice show and got nothing for it. Apart from the fact that she didn’t ask many difficult questions, I think the MissP Show is well organized and well produced.
17. Best Radio Presenter: Brice Albin.
18. Woman In Technology: I feel ashamed that I don’t know any of these women so I am not going to vote in this category for now. I am however making it a duty to go on and research on every one of the nominees here. Hopefully, I find some interesting stories to tell you about them.
19. Best News Website: Cameroon Journal. So many times I have searched for some news from Cameroon, so many times I have been sent to Cameroon Journal.
20. Best Digital Marketers: Another category where I have to do my research before I start clicking things.
Tell us how you are voting and why.
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