PNC-Minnesota has been nominated for the 2012 Fascination Awards.  Nominees are selected by the editorial team from Accelerated Degree and are then voted on by readers.  Voting opened today and will continue until March 06, 2012 when a winner in each category is selected.

The Fascination Awards seek to recognize blogs that “excite, motivate, and inspire their audience.”   Additionally, nominated blogs are those that inspire its audience, create conversation around the topic, create a strong emotional reaction, and are shared both online and off.  PNC-Minnesota is on the ballot along with 92 other nominees, selected from a pool of over 2,300 submissions.

PNC-Minnesota is nominated in the Most Fascinating Librarian Blog of 2012 category and was highlighted for the article “Rape Survivor Devastated by TSA Enhanced Pat Down” which carried an interview with a local Pagan and her reaction to the newer ‘enhanced’ pat downs instituted by the Transportation Security Administration.  As a follow up note to the story, Celeste has relocated to the Twin Cities area and is working for a different company.  She no longer has to fly, but covers a five state sales territory by car.

Although it was a surprise to be nominated for an awards program specific to librarian and student bloggers, Matthew Pelletier, Director of Public Relations for Accelerated Degree Programs said PNC-Minnesota qualifies for the award as one of staff, Heather Biedermann, is a librarian.

As this is the first time an explicitly Pagan blog has been nominated for the Fascination Awards, we hope a repeat of the bigotry Pagan blogs have experienced during other blog contests with online voting does not happen.  Last May, Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom, and several other Pagan blogs, were nominated by the Circle of Moms in the Top 25 Faith Blogs by Moms category.  Other contestants up for the same award started a campaign against the Pagan blogs, “would you guys please help by voting daily til the contest is over?  It literally brings tears to my eyes to think a pagan blogger could win 1st place in a “Faith Blog” contest.”  Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom eventually won the contest and ten other Pagan blogs made it into the top 25.

To vote for PNC-Minnesota, click the badge at the top of the article and you’ll be taken to the ballot for Most Fascinating Librarian Blog of 2012.  The list of blogs are randomized every time this poll and it can be a bit tricky to find PNC-Minnesota as they use the blog URL, rather than the blog name, in the poll.   Instead of seeing PNC-Minnesota, you’ll see us listed as https://pncminnesota.wordpress.com  Only one vote is allowed per IP Address.