I think Reporters sans frontieres (Reporters without Borders) has done a valuable service to blogs and their readers.
The organization chose to have a contest voting for international blogs that promoted freedom, instead of glitzy US style awards.
60 blogs were entered and two months of voting by readers has been concluded.

Results of the competition for best blogs defending freedom of expression.

ASIA:
Screenshot
www.jeffooi.com
Country : Malaysia
Language : English

An extremely popular blog that takes an independent approach to Malaysian politics and society. Its editor, Jeff Ooi, was threatened with imprisonment, at the beginning of October 2004, because he allowed on his blog a comment “insulting Islam”.

AFRICA & THE MIDDLE EASt
Shared Pains
kabul2.blogsky.com
Country : Afghanistan
Language : Farsi

A blog commenting on Afghanistan’s political and social life with a forthrightness rarely found in this country

Joint winners
Al Jinane
www.emarrakech.info/prana
Country : Morocco
Language : French
A blog run by a Moroccan trying to “understand the complexity of the world”.

EUROPE
ICT lex
www.ictlex.net
Country : Italy
Language : Italian
A blog on Internet law and new technologies

AMERICAS
Press Think
journalism.nyu.edu/pubzone/weblogs/pressthink
Country : United States
Language : English
A blog run by an American journalist dealing with the media and free expression in the age of the Internet

IRAN
Mojtaba Saminejad
8mdr8.blogspot.com
Country : Iran
Language : Farsi
A weblog that earned its editor, Mojtaba Saminejad, a two year prison sentence in June 2005 (See : www.rsf.org/article.php3 ?id_article=12563).
In a demonstration of solidarity the 10 webloggers named here, who were also nominated for a prize, all voted for Mojtaba.They were : Nikahang, Shabah, Mithras, Khorshidkhanoom, Z8un, Memarian, Ghaja, Webnaameh, Shabnamefekr, Shargi.

INTERNATIONAL
Netzpolitik
www.netzpolitik.org
Country : Germany
Language : German
A blog dealing with open source technologies, Internet-users’ rights and free expression in cyberspace.