Organizers Unveil Categories

The Development Diaries Ltd/GTE have announced the maiden edition of The Social Media Awards Africa (SMAA), which is a premier continental initiative established to recognize and celebrate excellence, creativity and impact of social media.

The SMAA will feature 4 categories and 15 awards targeted at personalities, platforms, institutions and indigenous initiatives that have demonstrated far-reaching impact on human socio-economic development in digital and social media practice through various tools and platforms.

Nominations opened on October 1, 2014, until midnight on October 27, 2014.

The initiative was unveiled at a closed event on Tuesday, September 30, 2014 to a cross section of media professionals and social media influencers in Lagos, Nigeria.

Individuals, Organisations and brands are invited to participate in the nomination process in 4 distinct categories summarised below:

PERSONALITY BASED (Awards for individual achievements in social media):– Blogger of the Year– Social Media Personality of the Year– Social Media Hero

PLATFORM (Specific Social Platforms):– Facebook Page of the Year– Twitter Handle of the Year– Influencer of the Year (LinkedIn, YouTube, Google+, Instagram)

INSTITUTIONAL (Best Use of Social Media by):– Government/Public Sector– Private Sector– Non-Profit– Start-up/MSME– Financial Institution

INDIGENOUS (Local Campaigns and Brands):– App of the Year– Hashtag of the Year– Brand of the Year– Best Rated Platform

Nominations will close at midnight on October 27, 2014 and winners will be celebrated at the "Night of Virtual Wonders" holding on December 6, 2014 in Lagos, Nigeria.

Each winner will take home a cash prize of $1,000 USD and SMAA Plaque. Other benefits such as: Social Media Training, access to memberships and attendance of Social Media events, Publications on Social Media and Complimentary advertising on Social Media Africa Portal.

To nominate, visit www.smaafrica.com.