August 2010 Rising Star Award Winners

Congratulations to our Rising Star Award winners for August, 2010! These newer Contributors displayed savvy, talent and the ability to become rapidly accustomed to a new publishing platform. Take a peek at our Contests page for more information on this award. Please take the time to stop by the winners' profiles and congratulate them.

Rising Stars of August, 2010:

Joan Haines has been with us since June, accumulating 53 piece of content and 56 fans, along with a Clout 5 badge. She's a Featured Education Contributor, using her experience as a professional fifth grade teacher to inform her content on subjects ranging from age-appropriate chores to choosing parts in elementary school theater. When she's not sharing her teaching expertise, Joan writes about food, fashion, travel, and even lessons she's learned from Taoist philosophy.

Laura Cone joined AC in May of this year and has already racked up over 61,000 pageviews and become a Featured Contributor for Dieting & Weight Loss, Gardening, and Food & Wine. Are you curious about the health benefits or risks of a product at your local supermarket? If so, you might want to search Laura's profile. She's reviewed everything from Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread to Skinny Cow ice cream products. Laura is always on the lookout for "diet" products that aren't as good for you as they claim. If you're not in the mood to read about food, check out Laura's instructions on attracting white butterflies to your garden--complete with beautiful photos.

Nicholas Ward joined us this June and is well on his way to earning an AC Millionaire badge! He's already a Clout 9 and a member of AC's Hot 100, with more than 335,000 pageviews across a library of 123 pieces of content. Nicholas is also a Featured Technology Contributor, with numerous reviews of computers and mobile phones under his belt. Are you waiting to buy one of these most anticipated games of Fall/Winter 2010?

Philo Gabriel has been a Contributor since May, publishing a staggering 668 pieces of content in four short months. His local content can help anyone considering a visit to Michigan, while his series on elder care and elder abuse could be invaluable to individuals looking at living options for a senior loved one. If you're a tourist who likes to get off the beaten path, don't miss Philo's list of weird things to see in Michigan. The lawn ornament capital of the US, the cereal capital of the world, and that's just the beginning!

Phyllis Wheeler became a Contributor this May and is already a Clout 5 with 71 pieces of content. She's a Featured Health & Wellness Contributor, with lots of great content about unhealthy foods dieters should avoid. But the real "diet" she'd like to put you on doesn't involve food--Phyllis is writing a series of articles on "The Negativity Diet," which calls on readers to spend 30 days without voicing a negative statement. Need a laugh to cheer you up so you can start that negativity diet? You've got to see these pictures Phyllis took of a very angry owl!

Congratulations to our August winners, and don't forget to nominate your favorite rising stars for a September Rising Star Award!