The 2013 Bloggie winners were announced on March 24, and we were excited to see eleven WordPress.com bloggers among the finalists and winners.

Now in its 13th year, the Bloggie awards accept blog nominations for everything from Best Craft Weblog to Best-Kept Secret Weblog, winnowing down the nominees through rounds of voting until five finalists remain in each of its 30 categories.

The 2013 Bloggies

The 2013 Bloggies

We found lots of great new must-reads among the finalists -- including the four WordPress.com bloggers who nabbed top honors in their categories. Maybe one of these WordPress.com gems will be your new go-to in the Reader:

Watts Up With That ran away with both Weblog of the Year and Best Science or Technology Weblog. Anthony Watts, a former television meteorologist, takes a skeptical view of government approaches to climate change on his controversial, highly-trafficked, and much-lauded blog.

If climate change and weather patterns are what float your boat, there was no shortage of WordPress.com blogs recognized for their work:

Australian Climate Madness won in the Best Australian or New Zealand Weblog category for penning incisive posts on the climate change debate and providing a forum for alternatives to government and media analyses of global warming.

Australian Climate Madness

Australian Climate Madness

Tallbloke's Talkshop was a Best Science or Technology finalist. Another climate change skeptic, his take-no-prisoners writing style attracts thousands of readers, who jump in to create robust comment threads.

Climate Audit, also nominated in Best Science or Technology, focuses on unpacking the science behind climate studies with technical posts for the number-crunchers among us.

If you like your daily tour of the blogosphere to be a bit on the lighter side, there are plenty of nominated WordPress.com blogs on everything from books to parenting to cute baby hedgehogs:

3 Chic Geeks was recognized as Best New Weblog for a cheeky take on all things nerd. March Madness bracket pitting Torchwood against The Avengers? Check. Tips for throwing the world's best Doctor Who season premiere party? Check.

3 Chic Geeks

3 Chic Geeks

The Movie Review Warehouse made it to the finals in Best Entertainment Weblog, where it held its own against heavy-hitters Jezebel and Perez Hilton. Looking for a film rec? A true movie warehouse, writer Bondo covers films from the 1940s through today.

Book blog Words for Worms was graced with a nomination for Best Writing of a Weblog for its literate but snarky take on everything from contemporary classics to young adult favorites. Check out her "Top Ten Tuesdays" posts for a concentrated dose of bookish opinion.

Fan favorite Captain Awkward, one of WordPress.com's most popular advice columnists, got a nod in the Best Topical Weblog category, where she was a finalist.

The Urban Daddy was a daddyblogging juggernaut, picking up nominations for Best Canadian Weblog and Best Parenting or Family Weblog.

DIYer and marshmallow aficionado Pocketful of Joules can no longer claim to fly under the radar after making it to the finals of the Best-Kept Secret Weblog category.

Pocketful of Joules

Pocketful of Joules

Rounding out the illustrious eleven is perennial favorite of everyone who needs a cute kitten pick-me-up on a dreary Wednesday afternoon, Cute Overload.

Of the other nominees, 80 are self-hosted sites running the free WordPress software available at WordPress.org -- which means that a whopping 68% of this year's Bloggie finalists and winners are powered by WordPress!

Nominations generally open on January 1st of each new year, so if you didn't see any of your favorites among this year's finalists, make sure to nominate them in 2014. Congrats to this year's nominees and winners!