The James Beard Journalism awards, known to many as the "Oscars of the food world," will no longer differentiate by platform and will instead determine categories by content only, CNN reported today. Nominations for content, despite the medium through which they appear, begin Friday, according to The New York Times.

"Why? Because we cracked a window ... and noticed it was 2010 outside," wrote Kat Kinsman, who is also on the committee that oversees the awards, for CNN's Eatocracy section. "This is not a dance on the grave of print publication. Despite economically challenging times, staffing cuts and the competition posed by the immediacy and accessibility of online journalism, both magazines and newspapers continue to produce vital, vibrant, resonant journalism. Rather, this is an acknowledgment that online contributions should no longer be relegated to the kids' table. Many of the same journalists who originally crafted their careers from ink and paper have found that the impact of their words and images are not lessened - and in fact can often be enhanced and delivered to a wider audience - via digital distribution."

There used to be categories for newspaper and magazine feature writing, as well as newspaper food sections, magazine writing about restaurants and websites, according to The Times. However, there is still an award for the best food blog.

Each category's name has been changed. "Newspaper Feature Writing About Restaurants and/or Chefs" is now "Food-related Feature," Eater.com explained. In addition, there is a new category, called Publication of the Year, for which newspapers, magazines and websites can compete.

"The old categories were created for different reasons and different times. It was time to raise the bar and recognize excellent food journalism by subject, not by origin of publication." Dorothy Kalins, journalism awards committee chairwoman, told The Times.