Please join us here in the blog for our weekly roundtable discussion. We're excited to share the details about a fun new assignment that was inspired by the iReport community.

We'll also be happy to answer any questions you have about the CNN iReport Awards or anything else you want to talk about. In the meantime, if you haven't checked out the 36 nominees, please do! You can vote for your favorite for the Community Choice Award once every 24 hours until June 11.

Comments will open at 2:30 p.m. ET. We look forward to talking with you then!

The CNN iReport Awards are back!

We are thrilled to honor the best in participatory journalism in 2011 and to celebrate the unique personal perspectives the iReporters add to CNN's newsgathering.

In 2011, CNN approved almost 15,000 stories from iReporters all over the world. The iReport team gathered a small army of CNNers from across the network (who work with iReport every day) to help select the 36 nominees. The iReport Awards will be awarded for the six categories that represent the areas that make iReport special: Breaking News, Commentary, Original Reporting, Compelling Imagery, Interview and Personal Story.

We've put together an all-star panel of journalists, innovators and storytellers to judge the awards (meet the judges), and we want you to participate, too.

You can help select who is the Community Choice Award recipient by voting for the nominee that you feel best embodies CNN iReport in 2011.Beginning today, you can choose from any of the 36 nominees in the six categories and vote once every 24 hours until June 11. The iReport with the most votes will receive the Community Choice Award.

Now, here's where it gets really exciting -- we're thrilled that we'll announce the final award recipients during the first-ever iReport Award weekend June 22-24! The weekend-long event will feature in-person workshops and panel discussions at CNN's World Headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, with more details to come.

You can check out all of the nominees on the CNN iReport Awards site and don't forget to vote for your pick for the Community Choice Award.

Congratulations to all of the nominees and a huge thank you to every iReporter for being a part of this adventure in newsgathering!

You might hear us say that we're excited about the iReport Awards weekend quite a bit over the next few weeks. That's because we are. We've wanted to host a conference here at the CNN Center for a few years now, and it's fantastic to see it become a reality.

One of our favorite ways to give back to our awesome, talented and inspiring iReport community is to provide feedback on the stories you share each day. Whether we're offering tips through the iReport boot camp or in special roundtable discussions, there's nothing more gratifying than to offer iReporters the tips and skills to tell even better stories. Likewise, it’s valuable for us to hear from you and get your perspectives on how we can improve the iReport experience.

And so it only makes sense that during the iReport Awards weekend, we'll host a day of in-depth talks, panel discussions, and hands-on sessions with CNN staffers and industry insiders at the CNN Center aimed to give attendees valuable knowledge and journalism skills that can be used throughout their lives to be a part of the stories that are important to them. It also gives us a chance to learn from you, and hear your thoughts and perspectives on the changing media landscape.

Below is a sampling of what you can expect:

Ethics in Media: CNN Sr. Editorial Director Richard T. Griffiths will lead a fascinating discussion on the tough decisions that journalists face when covering breaking news and other stories.

Photography tips: Attendees will have a hands-on opportunity to learn from a group of professional CNN photographers as they share their secrets on how to capture unforgettable photos.

Vimeo Video School: Andrea Allen, one of the creative brains behind Vimeo Video School, will share a special citizen-journalism-focused version of her best advice on shooting and editing a video that the internet will love. Allen is the Director of Production + Community at Vimeo and a 2011 iReport Awards judge.

Mobile journalism mini-class: Victor Hernandez, News Futurist at CNN, doesn't just have a cool title -- he also knows about all of the coolest gadgets available to journalists. In this course, he'll show off some of the latest technology CNN uses to get stories back from far-flung places, and how to make the most of it as a citizen journalist.

But that's not all! Check back soon for information on additional discussions and panels. We hope you're as excited as we are.

We have some exciting news to announce: The iReport Awards are getting bigger. Last year, we launched the Awards as a way to honor the best examples of participatory journalism from the iReport community in several categories, including: Breaking News, Commentary, Interview, Original Reporting, Personal Story, and Compelling Imagery (see last year's winners).

Now we’re extending the Awards into a weekend-long event.

From June 22-24, we’ll host a real-life gathering and celebration of the iReport community here at CNN Center in Atlanta. The weekend events will include exciting opportunities for a select group of attendees to meet and mingle with CNN staffers and the iReport team, sessions designed to share journalism experiences and discuss the changing media landscape, and – of course – a fabulous iReport Awards ceremony. The iReport Awards weekend is a way for CNN to demonstrate its commitment to participatory journalism and the amazing stories we’re able to find and cover and share thanks to the iReport community.

You can find more information about the event below.

Location

The weekend events will be held at the CNN Center and surrounding locations in Atlanta, Georgia.      The festivities will kick off at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center with a networking mixer on Friday night. On Saturday, attendees will participate in in-depth talks, panel discussions and hands-on sessions with CNNers and industry insiders at the CNN Center, followed by the Awards ceremony at a special off-site location that night. And on Sunday, the weekend will wind down with breakfast and optional one-on-one time with the iReport team back at CNN’s headquarters.

Hotel information

iReporters attending the iReport Awards are encouraged to make hotel reservations at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center. A special group rate discount of $143.00/night is available. To make a reservation, just call (404) 659-0000 and let the receptionist know you’re reserving a room under the “CNN iReport Awards” group block. Attendees are welcome to make hotel reservations elsewhere, but will be responsible for arranging their own accommodations and transportation.

Transportation

Shuttle service will be provided to and from the CNN Center and other events scheduled during the Awards weekend. Attendees will be responsible for any other transportation needs outside of the Awards ceremony.

Special VIP Tour of CNN

Attendees will go behind the scenes of CNN’s worldwide headquarters in a special VIP tour that includes an exclusive opportunity to go inside our state-of-the-art HD Studio 7, where most of CNN's daytime broadcasting takes place.

Who can attend?

Attendance will be limited to iReport Awards nominees and special guests. Any remaining slots will be open to an application process. We do hope to expand the number of attendees for future iReport Awards events. Stay tuned for more details!

Please join us here in the blog for our weekly roundtable discussion. We want to talk about how we can use social media to bring your iReports to a wider audience. Y'all put a lot of work into your stories, so we want as many people to see them as possible.

Right now, we focus most of our social media efforts on Facebook  and Twitter, but we're also active on Instagram (See our photos, Get the app) and Pinterest and we're always experimenting when new sites come online.

How do you think we're doing? Are our posts on Twitter and Facebook helpful? Should we be doing something different? Do you think we should be more active on other sites? Where do you spend most of your time online?

Comments will open at 2:30 p.m. ET. We'll look forward to talking with you then and we'd love it if you invited friends you think would be interested in iReport.

Floridian Bobby Davidowitz, 33, is an Orlando-based entrepreneur. Though he’s currently plying his trade as a hip-hop mogul, he discovered a surprise passion for politics during the 2008 election cycle, and has been a voracious consumer of all things political ever since.

Davidowitz is our pick for Pundit of the Week.

Affiliation: “I’m an independent. My main issue with politics is how complex issues are being dumbed down. People are looking for simple answers to complex issues, and this is where we go wrong. Both sides, in essence, are right and wrong. There’s an answer right in the middle, if we can agree on it, then we can move forward.”

How did you first get interested in politics?
“Two things: The rise of Barack Obama and the decline of the economy, and basically the country. I’m not one to keep mentioning Bush, it wasn’t a one-man problem. But we were lulled to sleep while the economy was fine, and once things got rough I woke up and said ‘I’ve got to start paying attention!’ Before the last election, in ’08, I wasn’t engaged.”

Why do you share your opinion with iReport?
“You guys have made it easy to have an avenue, a platform. I watch so much of this stuff, and there really isn’t that much of a chance to express your opinion, but you have to let it out somewhere! The problem is, people are so sensitive about politics. Once politics gets raised, you can feel the awkwardness in the room.

“… Now that I’m so engaged in politics, I want to run for office at some point. I’m an entrepreneur now, but when I reach a certain level of knowledge in economics and history, it’s something I want to do, and iReport gives me that platform.”

Who is your political or journalistic hero?
“The top one right now is [MSNBC’s] Rachel Maddow. She hits on issues that not everybody’s talking about. There are a couple of main issues that get played over and over and over again on the main news channels, and a lot of the time they’re all covering the same stuff. Maddow digs into these local, niche stories that people aren’t talking about and puts them in a larger context. We need more of that.”

What do you think is going to be the defining issue of the 2012 election?
“The economy. We have not seen Obama side-by-side with Romney. When they do, Obama’s going to give specifics about what he’s going to do, and has already done. You don’t hear that with Romney. You hear Obama-bashing, and generalities about small government and lowering taxes.

“… Obama’s going to sound like the guy who is pro-investment in the economy, which is what I believe in. Romney is going to have to pander to the right, and say ‘cut cut cut!’ As a businessman, I can tell you, you can’t survive that way.”

What’s something unique about you that people might be interested to know?
“I’m an entrepreneur, CEO of Fourth Quarter Entertainment. We have two hip-hop and R&B producers who are signed to our company, and a hip-hop artist. Our main focus right now is to help him break out. With the new economy of the music industry, you can do this independently. You’ve gotta build your own grassroots company, and then you can choose whether or not you even need a label. That’s where I’m at with it right now.”

Follow Davidowitz here on iReport and you’ll get to see his rock-solid commentary on your customized homepage. And if you’d like to take your shot at becoming the next Pundit of the Week, now’s your chance: Join in the discussion on iReport.

Hello, iReporters! Please join us here in the blog for our weekly roundtable discussion. We are looking forward to talking with everyone about what's going on in the community. We'll be talking about the latest stories and assignments on the site.  If you have any thoughts or comments about iReport this week, let us know.

If you have questions, suggestions or concerns, this is a great time to share them. We'll open comments at 2:30 p.m. ET. If you can't make it then, feel free to private message anyone on the iReport Team or email david.williams@turner.com.

We look forward to speaking with you soon!

The iReport Debate is well underway, and we've received plenty of scintillating commentary from our passionate community of pundits. Followers of our Pundit of the Week feature know that we've got a strong community of regular politics-watchers, but we've seen plenty of fresh faces arrive since the launch of the Debate.

Each of them brings a new perspective to the table, and we're excited to highlight some of the excellent work these new folks have been doing. So this week, we're tipping our hat to four of our excellent new pundits and awarding them joint honors as Pundit(s) of the Week!

Ron Paul supporter and staunch libertarian Stephen Monahan of Brooklyn, New York, ranks information and internet freedom as the issue that's got him motivated to cast his ballot in the 2012 elections. "I believe the government has way too much control, and putting the internet into the government hands is a red flag," he said. "I immediately think of North Korea and how they have complete control over what the population has access to online."

Obama lookalike and supporter Jose Williams was a frequent presence on iReport during the 2008 elections, and has returned for another round of commentary and punditry. He sees the coming election as a stark choice in direction for the U.S., a choice between a more individualistic or communal society.

He favors the latter: "With America being the most powerful and influential country in the world, our choice in President can send us down the wrong road to the extinction of man or down the good road of peace, harmony with other countries, the environment and humanity," he said.

David A. Seaman hails from Lansford, Pennsylvania, and is a self-described gay member of the GOP. Though he leans conservative on a variety of fiscal issues like taxes, gun control and individual liberty, he's concerned that his party isn't so inclusive towards members of the LGBTQ community: "I want less government, to own my own gun and to be independent. Sounds great, but when I tell you I'm gay it's a bit of a conundrum."

"I would like to see the GOP stop using religion as part of their platform to run," he said. "I would like to see the GOP embrace diversity and uphold their conservative ideals to their country and economy."

Marijuana-reform activist Frank Mattioli is a liberal Democrat who believes that the U.S. should work to legalize cannabis and hemp. He shared his thoughts on the changes he would like to see made to U.S. drug law: "I think the best step would be federal recognition of marijuana as a medicine. Ideally, I believe it should be legal and regulated similar to tobacco or alcohol, but realistically I know it's not that simple," he said. "Baby steps are the best way to go about it."

Fresh faces and hot issues, as only iReport can do it. If you're eager to join in the debate and hash it out with the iReport community, now's your chance. You could be the next Pundit of the Week!

Please join us here at 2:30 p.m. ET for our weekly roundtable discussion. We’ll be chatting about the iReport Debate, which invites users to sound off on what issues matter most to them this election season.

So far, we’ve received nearly 300 iReports from people who have shared the issue that is most important to them, but we want to hear from more of you! So far, the coasts are represented. But, where are the Midwest, Great Plains, Rockies and the South?

The top issues so far are: economy, health care, taxes and gripes with the state of politics in general, but we haven't heard as much about issues like immigration, housing and student loan woes.

iReport producer Christina Zdanowicz and other team members will share more details about the project, and will answer any questions you have. We also look forward to hearing your ideas on how to invite a wider audience to participate in this special project.

We’ll open comments at 2:30 p.m. ET. We look forward to talking to you then!

After winning a Webby Award last year for the “Walk Around the World” video (which so many of you participated in), we are happy to say that CNN iReport is once again nominated for a Webby this year.

This time, it’s CNNiReport.com itself that is nominated in the category of social media. As you may remember, back in November, we relaunched as a social network for news, and the site now includes groups, a new video player, a new homepage and more. We also launched the Open Story last year as a new way to feature collaborations among iReporters and CNN staffers, from the devastating earthquake in Japan to a worldwide view of the British Royal Wedding.

Of course we would not be nominated without so many great iReports from you in the community! So, thank you!

The deadline is tomorrow to vote for the Webby Awards, so click here to have your say!

Adriana Maxwell is well-versed in all things news. This Atlanta, Georgia, resident used to freelance for both CNN International and iReport as an associate producer and is now a regular presence on iReport, where she sounds off on the hot political stories of the moment.

As she puts it in her profile biography, she's a "pundit who actually lives on a planet I like to call Earth." That definitely shows in her no-nonsense approach to political news across the spectrum. It's also why she's this week's pick for iReport Pundit of the Week.

Issues: "I've always got an eye out for when media and pundits and political analysts hammer on talking points, and never really provide facts. People have heard these talking points again and again, but sometimes they're not true, or half true. It's important that someone fact-checks what they're saying and demands they tell the truth, and stop relying on the memo that was handed to you by someone else."

How did you first get interested in politics?
"I started at a very young age. My parents were always interested in politics in the U.S., and continued to be when they immigrated here, but always had the advantage of looking at it kind of as an outsider, a third party. They always would dissect current events from a non-American point of view."

Why do you share your opinion with iReport?
"When something gets vetted, it means I've made a valid point, and my iReport makes sense and has value. It's the satisfaction of having a CNN producer say that it's good, and has been fact-checked, and it's a good story."

Who is your political or journalistic hero?
"The late Tim Russert. I've been a political junkie from birth, and I can remember watching 'Meet The Press' in the morning when I was younger. He never cut people off or got angry, he would just ask questions and let them go. And then, when they stopped for a breath, he would devastate them with a contradictory statement they had made, and put the quote right up there."

What do you think is going to be the defining issue of the 2012 election?
"The economy. It always is. If the economy goes south, President Obama will be out. But if it keeps on growing, I don't think Mitt Romney has a chance of winning. That's why all the big guns didn't run – folks like Chris Christie and Mitch Daniels. They knew that as long as the economy was moving forward, even at a slow pace, they probably wouldn't win."

What is something unique about you that people might be interested to know?
"Well, if I can get through the day without any interruptions, which is hard to do sometimes, I can usually read two or three books a day. I'm a speed-reader. I've always had it, as a child I would go to the library, pick out ten books, and by the end of the week they would all be returned."

And she put those speed-reading chops to use in 2009 when she pored her way through the more than one-thousand pages of the Affordable Care Act. She appeared in the CNN Newsroom and gave the world the skinny on what it was like going page-by-page through the bill.

Catch some of Adriana's commentary and punditry right here on iReport. If you'd like the chance to step up on the iReport soapbox and shine a light on your own political views, now's the time to join the debate.

Please join us here at 2:30 p.m. ET for our weekly roundtable discussion. We'll be talking about the newly-redesigned CNN iReport Interview section and how you can help interview your favorite stars.

iReport producer Henry Hanks and CNN.com video producer Lauren Ready have been leading the charge on this project and will be here to answer your questions about the iReport Interview. They can tell you what producers look for when they're choosing questions and if we're lucky, they might share some of their favorite iReport Interview moments.

We've also got a couple of fun new assignments we want to tell you about and we'll be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Comments will open on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. ET. We're looking forward to talking with you.

Longtime iReporter W.J. O'Reilly knows a thing or two about the intersection of citizen journalism and media. Back when social media was in its infancy, this Massachusetts-bred commentator was the host of one of the very first news programs that featured social media submissions. And to top it off, he’s a great conversationalist.

Teacher, writer and journalist, O’Reilly is this week’s pick for iReport Pundit of the Week.

Affiliation: "I believe I’m still registered as a Democrat. For quite a while, I was an Independent, but I decided to formalize that based on how I was voting. I call myself a ‘Massachusetts Democrat’ no matter where I’m living because that’s kinda the quality of Democrat I am. I can’t get away from it."

How did you first get interested in politics?

"I did go to journalism school, so we had to have a certain awareness and restraint about things like that. Honestly though, it wasn’t until I encountered iReport back in the 2008 election when I really started to see that there was a platform out there to broadcast your ideas.

"So, I allowed myself to formulate some political opinions and used iReport to get my thoughts out there. It’s great! It’s an exciting and wonderful opportunity."

Why do you share your opinion with iReport?

"I think it’s an amazing opportunity to engage with many other people on ideas that really matter a great deal. It’s a chance to clarify your own views, to sharpen your ability to communicate, and to actively and dramatically make a difference in this very impersonal world we live in. This is one opportunity we have as citizen-journalists to use the media to put our ideas out there to the general public."

Who is your political or journalistic hero?

"David Halberstam, he died a couple years ago. He was a contributing editor at 'More,' the media magazine. I had my first-ever piece published there while I was still in journalism school."

What do you think is going to be the defining issue of the 2012 election?

"The ability for the candidates to be authentic. The more authentic of the two is going to win. I see this as a political jousting match of almost pure attitude: Who projects certainty, credibility and connectedness.

"The only sticking point I would say is going to be health care. ... I don’t think these health care companies should have any more influence than the abusive levels of power they already do. Obama's health care law is just going to throw billions more dollars their way. It’s going to embolden them to ratchet up their prices and take advantage of all of us."

What’s something unique about you that people might be interested to know?

"The very first live news broadcast that used social media was a program called ‘NewzViewz,’ which I was the host of in 2005. We went out really rapidly on it before anyone had a chance to do it, so we could claim we were the first. Then, of course, every other network jumped on the idea. I was the host of the very first live, studio-produced nightly news program that went out over the web and used social media to take the temperature of the audience.

"We would have a panel of just regular people who would come on and talk about the events of the day that would be voted on on our website. When iReport started happening, I said wow, this is being done really well. It was a completion of something that I helped bring into this world, in a way."

If you'd like to see some of O'Reilly's regular and incisive video commentary, you can follow along here on iReport. And if you're looking to get in on the conversation, or join the newly-launched 2012 iReport Debate, there's never been a better time than right now.

Please join us here in the blog at 2:30 p.m. ET on Thursday for our weekly roundtable discussion. We will be talking about the iReport Debate – an invitation for you to let the decision-makers know what issues matter to you most in the coming election. Your issues will help CNN in its coverage of the election!

In the run-up to November, the iReport Debate will unfold in three main stages: One, name your issue. Two, debate it out. And three, make people listen.

To get started, the first step is to post an iReport explaining why you are so passionate about your top issue. The producers who are working on the project will be here to give you all the details and to answer any questions you have.

We will open comments on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. ET to start the discussion. If you have any other iReport questions you can email them to me at david.williams@cnn.com.

We look forward to talking with you soon.

To kick off the iReport Debate – an invitation for you to let the decision-makers know what issues matter to you most – we reached out to some folks in our community who regularly sound off on politics: our former iReport Pundits of the Week! We wanted to find out their  top issues in the coming election, and the answers spanned the spectrum.

Health care

Former iReport Pundit Egberto Willies of Kingwood, Texas, has long rallied for health care on iReport, so it’s no surprise that it's his top issue this election. The Obama supporter is passionate about health care because his wife has Lupus.

"We have always had to jump through hoops to get insurance. … Presently my family has three policies: A high risk policy for my wife, a catastrophic policy for my daughter and myself, and a student health care policy for my daughter. While so far I have been able to afford insurance continuously, many cannot and the numbers reflect that," he explained.

Economy

In the past few years, Jannet Walsh has been laid off twice. Now, the Murdock, Minnesota, resident is coming back from unemployment but launching her own photography business. Her experiences with unemployment are exactly why she says a "strong economy" is her top issue for this election.

"If we solve the problems employment for our nation, many our nation's problems will be solved, or at least be on the way to a real recovery, meaning employment, and the hope of a bright future," she said.

Energy

Former iReport Pundit of the Week Mary Helen Yarborough says energy is her top issue because it "affects everybody." The Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, resident talked about how it affects everything from personal budgets to commerce and industry to even “our nation’s sovereignty,” she said.

"It is difficult for me to afford filling my gas tank," she shared. "And I have noticed more and more people stranded on roadsides with a fuel container nearby. That's telling. People are so strained that most can't afford to fill their cars to the point that they are vulnerable."

Education

Omekongo Dibinga of Washington, D.C. spends his time speaking to students and training teachers for a living. But one memory has driven him to fight for better public schools.

One day, he traveled from a public school in the poorest part of Washington to a private school in the richest part of the city.

"The disparities I saw in that one day are seared in my mind," he shared. "I went from the public school, where there were holes in the ceiling, students were sharing books, eating bad foods in the cafeteria, and there were no foreign language or arts programs, to the private school, where the students were eating vegan hot dogs on fine china and of course, the facilities were amazing."

"I asked myself: 'How are the kids in my neighborhood really supposed to compete academically with these students?'" he added.

We'd like to hear from you too. Tell us your top issue in the coming election and explain why you’re passionate about it. Whether the commentary comes in the form of a short video or some thoughtful prose, add your voice to the iReport Debate.