The 2nd Annual World Tea Awards are coming up on May 7th, 2015 and will be taking place aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. I am so thrilled to announce that The Cup of Life has been nominated for “Best Tea Blog” and “Best Social Media Reach” for this year’s award show. Fellow nominees, Nicole Martin and Alexis Siemons, were one of the first of many tea bloggers I stumbled upon in the beginning of creating The Cup of Life. It’s so wonderful to see how everyone and their blog or social media accounts flourished in the industry over the years. I am truly honoured to be on the list with many other deserving individuals.
I remember finding out I was nominated for “Best Tea Blog” last year and feeling a sense of shock and happiness. It’s an exciting feeling to have your work recognized again and it is really thanks to everyone that has nominated me. So a big, big thank you to each and every one of you!
I was also delighted to see so many wonderful people/companies I have connected with over the past year receive a nomination in other categories for their incredible work in the tea industry: Fresh Cup Magazine (Best Tea Publication), Tea Ave (Best Tea Industry Website), Wize Monkey (Best Tea Industry Innovator) and Shabnam Weber (Best Tea Educator, Best Tea Health Advocate) to name just a few.
Winners will be announced at the award show and voting is currently live for all registered to attend the World Tea Expo that weekend and will end on April 22. You should have received an email with a link to fill out a ballot of those you would like to win for each category as the winners will be determined that way. Don’t miss out on the chance of voting for your favourites!
Happy steeping & sipping,
Lu Ann Pannunzio
Here’s the official press release with the list of nominees for the 10 categories:
2nd Annual World Tea Awards (#TeaAwards), celebrating the tea community and recognizing some of the best from the industry, will take place May 7 from 7 – 11:30 p.m. on the Queen Mary ship in Long Beach, Calif. The Awards will be held during World Tea Expo (#WorldTeaExpo or #WTE15), May 6 – 8, 2015 at the Long Beach Convention Center. The event is the leading tradeshow focused 100 percent on premium teas and related products. Advance registration and information for both World Tea Expo and the World Tea Awards is at WorldTeaExpo.com.
Expected to sell out to a room of 300+ tea industry influencers from around the globe, the World Tea Awards program includes a formal dinner and ceremony, to celebrate some of the brightest leaders from the tea community. During the event, winners will be named in several key categories.
Nominees include:
Best Tea Publication
Best Social Media Reach
- Lu Ann Pannunzio, @teaaholic
- T By Daniel, @tbydaniel
- Nicole Martin, @teaformeplease
- Anna Kojack, @TARMtea
- Alexis Siemons, @teaandpetals
Best Tea Industry Website
- Adagio Teas, adagiotea.com
- Camellia Sinensis, camellia-sinensis.com
- Tea Association of Canada, tea.ca
- Seven Cups, sevencups.com
- Tea Ave, teaave.com
Best Tea Business
Best Tea Blog
- The Cup of Life by Lu Ann Pannunzio
- Tea for Me Please by Nicole Martin
- The Voice of Tea by Chris Cason
- An International Tea Moment by Jen Piccotti
- World of Tea by Tony Gebely
Best Tea Educator
- Bill Waddington, TeaSource
- Shabnam Weber, The Tea Emporium
- Peter Martino, Capital Teas
- James Norwood Pratt, Author and Authority on Tea and Tea Lore
- Victoria Bisogno, El Club del Te
Best Tea Health Advocate
- Ken Cohen, Qigong Research & Practice Center
- Babette Donaldson, Author of The Everything Healthy Tea Book
- Tea Association of Canada
- Jane Pettigrew, Tea Specialist, Historian, Writer, Consultant
- Shabnam Weber, The Tea Emporium
Best Tea Marketing
Best Tea Industry Innovator
- Elyse Peterson, Tealet
- Maria Uspenski, The Tea Spot
- Raelene Gannon, Tea and All Its Splendour
- Max Rivest, Wize Monkey
- Elizabeth McGinnis, Chahoney
Best Tea Personality
- Raelene Gannon, Tea and All Its Splendour
- Jane Pettigrew, Tea Specialist, Historian, Writer, Consultant
- Dan Bolton, Tea Biz Blog and Industry Consultant, Editor
- Jason McDonald, The Great Mississippi Tea Company
- David De Candia, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
Tickets for the World Tea Awards may be purchased at WorldTeaExpo.com or by calling 702-789-1831. Full tables of 10 may be arranged through Edie Gillette at [email protected]. Participants do not need to be a delegate of World Tea Expo to purchase a ticket to the World Tea Awards.
*You may find the original press release here.