One hundred and twenty-eight finalists, from well-known brands such as WalrusMagazine.com to emerging online brands such as HealthCastle.com, have been selected in the second annual Canadian Online Publishing Awards. The awards program, produced by Masthead, recognizes excellence in online editorial and innovation by Canadian magazine, newspaper, broadcast and website publishers.

Click here to see the Gallery of Finalists.

Entries were judged in three divisions: the Red Division for consumer, custom, religious, and public association websites; the Blue Division, for business-to-business, professional association, farm, and scholarly websites; and new for 2010, the Green Division for daily and weekly newspapers and sites produced by broadcasters. Sites from The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star and CBC are among the Green Division finalists.

Entrants competed in 11 categories in each division, including Best Mobile Application, Best Website Design, Best Blog and Best Overall Website.

Entries were reviewed by an independent judging panel of highly regarded industry professionals and experts from across Canada and the U.S. Among the more than 25 judges in the panels were Matt Sullivan, senior web editor, Esquire; Ian Adelman, online design and UX director, New York Magazine; Mitch Joel, author, Six Pixels of Separation; and Jennifer Campbell, online editor, FASHION magazine. Click here for a list of judges.

The winners will be announced at a special reception on Wednesday, October 20 at the Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen Street West, in Toronto.

The reception starts at 5 p.m. and is open to all. Tickets may be purchased for $20 in advance by clicking here or $30 at the door. Tickets include one drink ticket, hors d'oeuvres and access to the online publishing event of the year.

Also new for 2010 is the host of the Canadian Online Publishing Awards, CBC Radio technology columnist, blogger and researcher Jesse Hirsh.

To view the Gallery of Finalists, and purchase tickets, visit Canadianonlinepublishingawards.com.

The COPAs are produced by Masthead with sponsors Audit Bureau of Circulations, CCAB div. of BPA Worldwide, Cornerstone Group of Companies, and Mygazines: E-Defining Your Content.