A US political blog which investigates how elected officials use taxpayers' money has scooped the coveted best weblog award in the jury category of the Bobs (best of the blogs) awards.
The Sunlight Foundation blog, which recently revealed how 19 members of Congress paid their spouses $690,000 this year, is the first US blog to win the top award at the annual Bobs, now in their third year.
"Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants," promises the blog.
A jury chosen by German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, which runs the awards, picked the winners after whittling down a list of 5,500 blogs and podcasts from all over the world, which were nominated by the public.
So what do you have to do to be the best? "The Weblog champion of the world does everything right. A unique and interesting approach to the topic, super design and excellent writing are what it takes to win," says the blurb on the Bobs site.
The Reporters Without Borders award was won by Kosoof, an impressive Iranian photography blog, which publishes images of Iranian dissidents with their families after their release from prison. Because it is a photo blog, it is not limited by language barriers and the Bobs judges said it "proves sometimes pictures do more for freedom of expression than words".
The best podcast was the Chinese Muzimei studio, an interview show, which the judges said presented a rare point of view away from China's mainstream media.
In the English language category, the best blog winner was another US site, Paid Content, which keeps track of different business models being tried and tested in the rapidly changing realm of digital media.
In the user award category, a German blog by Lisa Neun won the best weblog award, partly for its great use of cartoon images which complement the author's personal musings. Also in the user category, the best English language blog was BlackLooks by Sokari, an African woman who lives in Granada, Spain. The site carries reports and commentary on issues of social justice and human rights, with a focus on Africa and the African diaspora.
