It’s award season and as you know every year on February 29 I have made it my habit to hand out the coveted Lingy.

This year is especially special since I’ve decided to double up the awards and give a Yin and Yang in each category. I’ve noticed in looking at my blogroll that many of my favorite bloggers naturally group into pairs which might seem polar opposites but actually reflect each other like the Yin and Yang. I am not going to say which is which but rather leave the assigning of Yin and Yang to the winners and their fans.

Without further ado, here are the awards:

1. Artsy-Fartsy: Jon Birch and Dave Walker

It’s the hoodie and the wild hair and both cartoon-blogging about the Church of England.

2. Grand Old Man: Ben Witherington and Jim West

Archaeology and Biblical studies from two experts you can trust. ‘Nuff said.

3. Lens Distortion: Emmanuel. K. Bensah II and Rob Baker

These geniuses both photo-blog from Africa but Vive la différence!

4. Pseudo-anti-orthodox: Esteban Vázquez and Mark Olson

You might think the Orthodox church is all about priests with big beards and funny hats. These guys show that it is just a bit more than that.

5. God’s-Your-Uncle: Tim Bulkeley and John Hobbins

Thanks to these two Old Testament prophets I’ve revised my opinion of the preface to the New Testament.

6. Pantheon Smackdown: Rich Rhodes and JK Gayle

These linguistic Olympians occasionally try to smite each other with thunderbolts but they are kind enough to speak English on their blogs for the sake of mere mortals.

7. The Secret Ingredient: Michelle Malkin and Suzanne McCarthy

Strong enough for a man but written by a woman.

8. Emerging Tulips: Scot McKnight and Tim Challies

Let me ‘fess up: I dropped these guys from my blogroll last year. Too much sports talk and book promotion. Still each in their own way is constructing a telescope aimed at the sky but focused on very different stars.

9. Pathetic Pentecostals: ? and ?

Holy-rollers might have the wildest church services but their blogs are boring with a capital Y for “Yawwnnnnn.” Maybe if some of us can figure out how to type in tongues…

10. And the final award will be a people’s choice award nominated by you, my readers, in the comments. Which two bloggers do you consider to be Yin and Yang?

Such amazing diversity! Who says bloggers are all a bunch of social-misfit white guys staring at their computers?!?

Congrats to all 16 of this year’s Lingy winners. Display the Lingy award proudly on your blog. And reserve your tickets now for the next Lingy award ceremony on February 29, 2012.

Note: I think the Yin and Yang was inspired by Doug’s Bonnie and Clyde comment (He also gave me an E for Effort. Ta!).