This year’s awards have drawn an impressive response, with nearly 200 separate nominations from across Greater Manchester (and beyond). Here’s the 2009 shortlist:

• The Manchester Zedders
• Levenshulme Daily Photo
• Manchester is Ace
• Lost in Manchester
• Rainy City Tales

• Justtesting
• Lady Levenshulme
• Cynical Ben
• Forgetting the Time
• My Shitty Twenties

• Bookwitch
• Follow the Yellow Brick Road
• The Manchester Hermit
• Run Paint Run Run
• The Shrieking Violet

• Santiago’s Dead Wasp
• My Shitty Twenties
• Dave Hartley’s Weblog
• I thought I told you to wait in the car
• Big city, little girl

• Wondrous Reads
• Songs from under the floorboards
• Words & Fixtures
• Tales of a Sleepless Toddler
• My Manchester

One of the winners in the preceding five categories will be selected by the judges as 2009 Blog of the Year.

Winners will be selected by a judging panel that includes:

• Author and Guardian columnist Naomi Alderman
• Dave Carter, head of Manchester Digital Development Agency
• Richard Fair of BBC Manchester
• Author (and former blog award winner) Jenn Ashworth
• Mike Noon of Arts Council England North West
• Manchester Blog Awards founder Kate Feld

Winners will be announced at this year’s event, which will take place at Band on the Wall on Wednesday 21 October 2009 – click here for more information and to book tickets.