Qualifiers Week 1 Results & Week 2 Kickoff
Hola amigos y amigas, bloggers and members of BlogChamps!
This week was full of amazing and enjoyable blogs, and some people made big improvements from their last posts 
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Out of 82 registrations, we had 54 entries, with a participation rate of 65,9%, beating the previous record set in Season 8. Thank you, everyone, for participating, and you surely got new favourite bloggers and fans of your blog!
Judges of the Qualifiers Week 1 @nbrasington, @NMChessToImpress, and @ChocoCaramelPawn went through all blogs and rated them respectfully. I would like to thank the judges for their time and their fair decisions. After a headache of judging and calculating, we are finally ready to introduce the verdict!
P.S.: These scores are higher than usual for BlogChamps because one of the judges used a different method this time. He awarded 10/10 to the best blog in his opinion and gave the other scores according to this scale. This doesn't affect the fairness of the competition because he applied the same method to all posts he judged, thus not affecting the comparison. It just means that the numbers are bigger than expected.
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THE TOP 8 QUALIFIED FOR THE KNOCKOUTS
1) @PokeGirl93 - My Favorite Not-So-Famous Players: 8.60
2) @Alina_Bakhtina_24 - Young Hopes of Ukrainian Chess: 8.50
3) @Chesser1492 - What If You Were Beth Harmon?: 8.47
4) @ThePawnSlayer - N.N. My 60 Memorable Games: Part I: 8.20
5) @ALondonInVienna - Checks, Chocolate, and Champions: How I Guessed My Way Into National Semifinals.: 7.13
6) @WinT0L0ss - Paralysed but Not Defeated: 7.00
7) @DocSimooo - Vote Chess - The Stone Soup || Vota la mossa - La zuppa di sasso: 7.00
8) @JDChess121 - Franciszek Sulik | The Greatest Chess Player NOBODY Knows.: 6.73
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*Despite the tie, @WinT0L0ss was ranked higher than @DocSimooo after @VOB96 collected and weighted the judges' opinions.
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Congratulations on qualifying for the Sweet 16! As a reward, you will now be able to take a well-deserved break during Week 2 and also have more time to prepare the blog for the knockouts, which is always a good thing. Check out the updated bracket below:
Now, a message for those who didn't qualify: don't give up! You have a second chance to get into the Sweet 16 by participating in Week 2! Judges gave you detailed feedback about every blog in the feedback forum down below, and if you want to know more, you can DM judges, and they will help you with improving!
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Full Ranking & Feedback Forum (Season 8 Week 1 Qualifiers)
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Week 2 Kickoff
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Week 2 is starting right now, and no matter what your score was in Week 1, you still have a chance to improve and secure your place in the Sweet 16. Usually, there is less competition in Week 2, so try your best! Week 2 is basically a new competition. Show us your blogging skills!
Week 2 will have the same rules as Week 1, but with a different deadline. You will have time until August 15 23:59 EST to submit your blog (published after the kickoff) in the forum down below. This time, different judges will read your blog and give it a score out of 10. Eight blogs with the highest score will qualify and end the qualifiers stage.
Qualifiers Week 2 Submission Forum
FAQ
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1) I qualified in Week 1. Can I submit a blog for Week 2 to try and get a higher score?
- No! Please don't. We will not consider your blog. Focus on writing for the Sweet 16. Even if you are seeded #8, you will have much more time than your opponent, so you already have a good advantage.
2) I didn’t qualify, but I think my Week 1 score will be enough to qualify in Week 2. Can I sit on my Week 1 blog and just hope it is enough?
- No! As stated clearly above, the judges in both weeks are different, so we cannot even consider the best score. You must submit a new blog in Week 2.
3) I would also like to participate in the monthly contests of "The Blogger Awards v2.0" club. Can I submit the same blog to both competitions?
- Yes, you can! Using the same blog is not only allowed but encouraged, so you can focus on writing only one great blog instead of splitting your time between two articles. Just make sure it is published after TIME so that it is within the rules for both contests!
4) I am a new blogger and I want to get better. Are there any materials that can help me?
- Yes, of course! BlogChamps has an entire forum full of tips, tricks, and resources to make you a better blogger!
5) Can I use AI in my blog?
- No, blogging is made for people, not for robots. You cannot generate any parts of your blog using artificial intelligence. The only exceptions are thumbnails and images in your blog, but if you are having trouble making them, we can help you in this forum! If we find out that you used AI in a competition, you will be disqualified.
6) Can I request a review of my blog for the competition before the results?
- You can ask your friend, your mum, sister or your grandma. But you can't submit your blog for a review in any BlogChamps forums or ask for reviews and opinions from judges if you already submitted it for a competition.
7) Can I forfeit in the middle of the competition?
- Leaving the competition without any reason will disrespect judges who spent precious time reading and judging your blog and all participants who didn't pass on to the next stage but wanted to be in your place.
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@VOB96 and @ChocoCaramelPawn are open to questions in the comments or via DM, but please only ask if you are pretty sure the answer is not explained here.
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Good luck to you all, try your hardest, and see you again when Week 2 ends
