The finalists of the 2024 Northern Ireland Social Media Awards have been announced after a record number of entries from across a range of industries including tourism, arts, education, healthcare, education, charity and retail.
The businesses and organisations successfully shortlisted include Victoria Square, Visit Belfast, Balmoral Show, BPerfect Cosmetics, Irish Football Association, Larne Football Club, Dougies Goodies, Public Health Agency, Invest NI, Nerve Centre, Hastings Hotels and Game of Thrones Studio Tour.
The awards, which take place on Saturday 5th October in the Europa Hotel, are organised by one of Northern Ireland’s leading award-winning digital marketers and industry mentors Niamh Taylor of Digital 24, will once again shine a spotlight on the achievements of local individuals, businesses and organisations and celebrate the positive impact of social media.
Over 500 entries were received and for the first time ever, the four Influencer of the Year categories were nominated by the general public, with over 1,000 votes for some of Northern Ireland’s best known social media personalities. Those shortlisted includes Annalivia Hynds, Gery Lavz, Nathan Anthony (Bored of Lunch) Melissa Riddell and Emma Kearney.
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Niamh Taylor, Founder of the NI Social Media Awards said: “Once again, the calibre of entries from across Northern Ireland thoroughly impressed our independent panel of expert judges. We received the most number of entries for the awards to date and every single one demonstrated how local businesses, organisations and individuals are effectively using creativity and impact in their social media strategies, setting new benchmarks and excelling in areas to achieve global reach, organic growth and metric-driven strategies to stand out from the crowd, bring awareness to important issues, generate talkability and drive sales across the multiple platforms.”
“The theme for this year’s awards, "This Is Me," highlights the resilience and determination of those who have thrived in the face of adversity online. This powerful message resonates deeply within the social media community, where creativity and perseverance often go hand in hand,” Niamh continued.
The independent panel of global expert judges, who each work with some of the world’s biggest brands, includes Katie Philo, Head of Social at GQ Magazine in New York; Nimah Kuzbari White, Head of Brand at leading Irish lifestyle brand 4TH ARQ; Lachlan Stewart, Global Social Media at Canva and Sophie Miller, Founder of the global marketing company, Pretty Little Marketer and Beth Thomas, Content and Campaigns at leading social media consultancy Frankly.
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On behalf of the judges, Katie Philo of GQ Magazine added: “The calibre of submissions this year has been truly outstanding. It’s clear that the level of creativity, innovation, and strategic thinking in social media across Northern Ireland is higher than ever before. The judges faced a challenging task in selecting winners from such a strong field.”
Individual category partners include Bellamianta, BNL Productions, Digital Twenty Four, Keylite, Kobault, La Bohème Hub, MAD Colour, Mourne Stars, Todd’s Leap, Vermillion Cosmetic Clinic and Wild and Free Outdoors. Charity Partner is PIPS Suicide Prevention.
For the full list of finalists or to purchase tickets for the 2024 NI Social Media Awards go to www.nisocialmediaawards.com
Source: Written from press release
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