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By Daron Letts
Northern News Services
Published Monday, January 12, 2009

NUNAVUT - The Nunies returned to the Arctic blogosphere this week.

The annual online awards contest honours Nunavut blogs in three categories. Nunavut bloggers will vie for Best Blog, Best New Blog and Best Blog Post.

Arctic Bay blogger Darcy Steele is one of the bloggers on Nunavut Blogs. - photo courtesy of Darcy Steele

More Nunies Nunavut Blogs The House and Other Arctic Musings Way Way Up Tales From the Arctic A Journey Northward Jen of Nunavut

"The Nunies started last year to get some exposure to the blogging community and to recognize the quality of Nunavut blogs," said awards creator Clare Kines, adding he has encountered about 70 Nunavut blogs in recent years. "Nunavut has a pretty vibrant blog community."

Nominations are accepted until midnight tonight. During the next week visitors to Kines' website can vote for their top picks from among the top five nominations in each category. Bloggers are asked to nominate their own top posts to compete for the Best Blog Post award, which is a new policy adopted following last year's contest. Anyone is invited to nominate Nunavut blogs for the other two awards.

Kines started his blog from his home in Arctic Bay about four years ago.

"As I started getting into it I looked for more Nunavut blogs. At the beginning there wasn't very many but it's grown quite a bit," he said. "Now there's probably around 70 blogs on the Nunavut blog roll, but not all of those are active."

Kines' blog, called The House and Other Arctic Musings, began as a chronicle about the construction of his new house, which he and wife Leah run as a Kiggavik B and B. The blog soon expanded to include daily posts on a wide range of topics.

"I write about whatever catches my fancy," Kines said, adding his site receives about 200 to 300 hits every day from other parts of Canada and beyond. "I find it a bit of a creative outlet. I've grown to think of myself as a writer."

Kines isn't the only blog author posting from Arctic Bay.

"Arctic Bay is the centre of the Nunavut blogging universe, I guess you could say," Kines said.

Darcy Steele and Kendra Haines, next door neighbours and teachers at Inuujaq school, each publish their own blogs from Arctic Bay, as well.

Steele's three-year-old site, Way Way Up, serves as a forum for Steele's observations, reflections and opinions. The social studies teacher covers community history, current Arctic issues, music, traditional culture and personal musings on his daily blog.

"It's a salad of different things," Steele said. "I've always been an avid reader. I enjoy the writing process. I try not to sugar-coat things and I don't pull any punches. I try to be fair and as honest as I can."

Steele and other teachers and community members have even used blogs to link together for support during times of trauma, such as the experience of suicide in the community.

"I find it helps me to reflect on certain issues and it give me perspective," he said. "It's a personal growth aid."

Haines' blog, Tales From the Arctic, also features a variety of subjects.

"I made it mostly to communicate back home with my friends and family in New Brunswick," she said.

"It's my trials and tribulations and odd things that happen across the North. I rarely go more than a week without posting. It's a great way to let the world know what you're up to."

Haines' blog earned a nomination for Best New Blog last year.

In 2008, Rankin Inlet resident Jackie Sharkey's blog A Journey Northward was named the Best New Blog while Cape Dorset resident Jen Eichenberg's blog, Jen of Nunavut, won the other two categories.

This year's winner for best blog will receive a painting by Ottawa-based relief nurse Nancy Shaver. Shaver donated a painting to last year's contest, as well. All winners will also receive a knitted Arctic Bay hat.