As this year’s Equestrian Social Media Awards (ESMAs) week comes to a close, Horse & Hound is celebrating receiving four of the online accolades.
Horse & Hound was named best social media service in the UK and Ireland for the second time, and retained both best use of social media by a publication and most informative social media service for the third year in a row. The publication also won the ESMA for best use of facebook for the first time.
Carol Phillips, H&H website editor says: “We are thrilled to have equalled last year’s tally of four ESMAs. Congratulations to the Chronicle of the Horse’s forums, which beat us to the Best Social Network prize, but I’m sure our forum users will be out to claim that one back next year.”
The ESMAs were set up in 2010 to reward equestrians across the globe for enriching the online world for horse lovers everywhere. Now in their third year, the ESMAs have gone from strength to strength with 107,624 votes being cast in the finals for 2013.
Each of the 35 category had 10 finalists, which were selected based on:
- The strength of supporting statements made in nominations.
- The degree to which they are active and engaging in their online efforts.
- Their adherence to the rules of the social media platforms they use
The finalists were then awarded a score, based 75% on the views of an expert panel and 25% on a public vote.
All of the 12 twelve regional winners went forward to the world award, which was judged by the FEI’s director of corporate communications, Richard Johnson. This year’s winner was the United States Equestrian Federation.
Liam Killen, ESMA director said: “All the finalists have done a tremendous job helping to promote equestrian sports to a wider audience, while achieving their own goals with the help of social media. We’re honoured to be able to showcase their talents.”
