The Clamshell Awards 2022

It cannot have been a year since the last Clamshells but here we are again - the SIXTH (have I really been doing this for six bloody years? Jesus Christ...) annual Clamshell Awards celebrating all your favourite content creators of the 2022 season. Whether watching the usual suspects going from strength to strength or discovering brand new creators, this year has had no shortage of delicious theme park videos, blog posts, podcasts and everything else in between to carry us through.

I'll list the categories below in a second but just want to caveat that this year there will be no prizing except the accolade of winning the award itself. Sadly between having a very hectic personal life this year and the fact that I sadly had issues last year with prize fulfilment that I didn't have the proper time to address properly (apologies again to anybody affected by that, not my intention at all!) I wanted to make it a bit easier on myself to manage, I'm sure you'll all understand! Anyway, categories:

The big boy and staple headline category of the Clamshell Awards - the Best Established Channel! This is your bread and butter of theme park content creators, the one whose videos constantly pop up in your feed who you need no extra prompting to sit down and inhale their content. Everybody in the theme park community knows who they are and usually for good reason - that being they're pretty damn good at what they do!

A celebration of the up-and-coming theme park content creator whose stuff might be new to your feed but who you just can't stop watching! From the first video you were hooked, smashed the subscribe button and haven't looked back since and have quickly become a regular in your theme park content viewing habits. Nominations for Best Newcomer will only be considered for channels who have been uploading for a year or less.

A celebration of smaller content creators! The algorithm can be a cruel mistress, and just because you're not necessarily a newcomer doesn't mean you're raking in the subscribers either. But it's often said that good things come in small packages isn't it? Exclusively for channels with less than 10,000 subscribers, this one is for the channel that more subs than they currently have.

This category is for the creator who constantly nails the transitions, is creative with their cinematography and knows how to nail the visual effects that keep their subscribers hooked.

It's not all about the rides themselves - sometimes the joy of a theme park vlog comes from the presenter! This category is for the person who is so utterly watchable and whose face and opinions on theme parks and coasters has you tuning in time and time again.

Back again after its debut in 2021, Best Social Media - Photography. We have some STUNNINGLY talented photographers in this community, and this category is a celebration of that talent. Whether they're racking up the likes on Instagram or adding a little spice to your Twitter feed, this category is in celebration of gorgeous theme park photography. 

Does this creator's reels have you reaching for the like button? Do their TikToks turn you on? Are their Instagram Stories unmissable? Then this category is to celebrate them! Please note, this category is for short-form video only like TikTok, Reels and Instagram Stories/Reels - please don't use YouTube/long-form vlogs as your basis for nominating in this category. 

Whose memes are always on point? Whose ridiculous video subject matter has your sides creasing? Who has you crying with laughter with their...interesting insight? The community is full of hilarious bastards, time to let them know!

Which podcasters had you roaring with laughter in 2022, brought you info and facts you never knew about your favourite parks and really made you feel like you were along for the ride as they debriefed about their most recent theme park trip or got stuck in to the latest community gossip?

Sometimes it's nice to take a break from YouTube and sit back with a scroll through your favourite theme park blog. Which blogger has you always on the lookout for their latest content, has all the best info on trip planning and advice and whose opinion do you always research before heading off on trips of your own?

So there you have it, ten categories, ten opportunities to bask in the glory that is synonymous with winning a Clamshell Award! As always, I look at the popularity/relevance of the categories year on year and tweak/remove them to reflect how the community changes. And ten is a nice round number!

But how do we NOMINATE, I hear you cry! (Well, I don't but I pretend I do...)

NOMINATIONS

Nominations are now open! Please DM me on the Cupcakes & Coasters Facebook Page OR my Twitter with your nominations using the below template. Nominations are now open and will close at midnight on Sunday 11th December, so please make sure you've submitted your form by them as any shared after will not be considered! From those nominated, a shortlist will be created and a voting period will follow. The winners will be announced on the evening of Thursday 22nd December.

I'd recommend two creators nominations per category. You don't have to nominate for every category if you don't want to, nor do you have to select two for each category, but it helps keep the nominations varied and hey, it's more fun that way! But it's entirely up to you the way you do this.

There's a few house rules, but nothing too heavy unless stated otherwise in the category descriptions above. Essentially if the content creator in question produces content that fits said category then they will be considered. And for the sake of variety and fairness, and as The Clamshell Awards are a celebration of the diversity of the content the community creates, a maximum of two categories can be won per creator. Should a creator win a third category, the third win will be void and the prize will go to the runner up. It's no fun if one channel sweeps the entire awards!

Also whilst we're here, as always I'm incredibly flattered every year when you guys want to nominate me for some of the categories. As I'm the organiser of this shindig, please opt to nominate someone else as it'd be a little weird for me to win at my own awards (as much as I'd love the ego boost haha!) And finally, the final decision will be that of myself and Cupcakes & Coasters based on the public vote - however results will be available upon request should you wish to see them.

**The Clamshell Awards Nominations Template**

Best Established Channel

Nominee 1

Nominee 2

Best Newcomer Channel

Nominee 1

Nominee 2

Best Small Channel

Nominee 1

Nominee 2

Best Production

Nominee 1

Nominee 2

Best Vlogger

Nominee 1

Nominee 2

Best Social Media - Photography

Nominee 1

Nominee 2

Best Social Media - Video

Nominee 1

Nominee 2

Funniest Account

Nominee 1

Nominee 2

Best Podcast

Nominee 1

Nominee 2

Best Blogger

Nominee 1

Nominee 2

Terms & Conditions

• You may make up to two nominations per category
• You may not nominate yourself
• You may not amend your nomination once submitted
• Nominations close at 11.59PM on Sunday 11th December

___

And that's that, let the drama and bitching commence! Seriously though, I'm tired, please try and keep it to a minimum...

Talk later xoxo,