ESMA 2012 Finalists Announced!

The journey was long and the terrain tough, but the finalists in the 2012 PagePlay Equestrian Social Media Awards (ESMA) have been announced. The 259 finalists – coming from 34 countries – represent the cream of the global online equestrian community. A wide variety of disciplines are represented from western to racing and dressage to polo.

Nominations for the 2012 ESMAs opened for 9 days in the run up to Christmas Eve. 2,629 individuals submitted 8,137 nominations via the ESMA Facebook App. 10 finalists were selected in each category from nearly 2,000 nominees. Selections were based on the number of unique supporting statements, engagement criteria and good online etiquette displayed. Liam Killen, Director of the ESMAs said, “It was such a tough job; the standard of nominees was truly exceptional.”

Everyone who was nominated with at least one supporting statement went through to the second round. Limited in number, the final places were filled by those with the most compelling supporting statements. “Each nominee has played their part in enriching the online experience for equestrians globally and we are thrilled to be able to showcase the best of them”, explained Killen.

The final voting stage is now open. The results are to be based 70% on scores from the Expert Panel and 30% on votes from the public. The panel is a hand-picked group of the best equestrian marketers, digital professionals, social media gurus and branding experts from across the globe.

Voting closes at 12 midday (GMT) on the 10th of February.

This year sees the introduction of regional categories to the ESMAs based on the Fédération Equestre Internationale’s (FEI) regional groups. The winner in each of the 10 new categories will become candidates to win an overall FEI World Award, judged by the FEI’s Head of Corporate Communications, Richard Johnson. FEI President, HRH Princess Haya of Jordan said: "The FEI is delighted to be part of the 2012 ESMAs and looks forward to judging the international categories from the online equestrian community."

In keeping with the spirit of social media, finalists will submit their acceptance speeches as online video for inclusion in the global award ceremony during ESMA Week. The ceremony, hosted on the ESMA YouTube channel in early March, allows everyone to attend.

Quick Links

• To find out if your favorites made it through to the finals visit: equestriansocialmediaawards.com/voting