Introduction
The Webby Awards is the Internet’s largest proving ground of excellence. Our stage sees the best across the digital industry, from the inventors to the developers, creators and more. With the 27th Annual Webby Awards receiving nearly 14,000 entries from over 70 countries worldwide, we recognize the best digital work from each corner of the world.
But who is leading the pack? The 2023 Webby Awards International Index tracks the Internet’s top companies in our Top Five Countries and Top Three Emerging Markets.
Discover where the best of the Internet is made in the 2023 Webby Awards International Index.
Contents
The United Kingdom
The Netherlands
Canada
Germany
Australia
Top 3 Emerging Markets
*The countries, as well as companies, are ranked in order of performance. Our calculations weigh The Webby Award and People’s Voice wins more heavily.
Best Of The United Kingdom
The United Kingdom (UK) was the top-performing market ourtsides of the US at the 27th Annual Webby Awards. Across all categories, 28.2% of the work entered from the UK was recognized for excellence. As a reminder, only 20% of all work entered in the competition receives recognition. Teams across this region earned an impressive 34 Webby Wins, 23 People’s Voice Wins, 66 Nominees and 56 Honorees.
The top UK teams harnessed the Internet in all its forms—from video to metaverse, podcasts, websites, apps and beyond.
Teams across the UK are increasingly implementing emerging technologies compared to previous years. AKQA’s Never Done Evolving utilized AI to analyze tennis icon Serena Williams’s continuous growth in their unique Nike campaign. Night Sky by iCandi Apps Ltd. integrates augmented reality to allow users to explore space from their phones.
With unique and original advertising, the UK drove innovation in branded work by crafting original campaigns that smash industry standards. McCann’s Did Somebody Say Katy Perry captivated millions of audiences through fun, eccentric and whimsical visuals.
To help people make sense of the world around them, BBC and Nature developed content that expands on everything from health, sociocultural moments, sustainability and more. The informative, short video series BBC Ideas explains complex topics in 5 minutes or less. Nature’s podcast Racism in Health illustrates the harm that bias in medicine can carry.
Best Of The Netherlands
The Netherlands came in second in last year’s competition, with 30% of the work entered from the region getting honored on the Webby stage. As a reminder, only 20% of all work entered in the competition receives recognition. Teams across the country earned 12 Webby Wins, 15 People’s Voice Wins, 25 Nominees and 29 Honorees.
Technique and a high focus on craft are showcased across all projects. DIG: Cloud Castles by DEPT® is a cinematic and animated web journey through the lore of the videogame, earning a Webby for Technical Achievement in website design. The digital catalog Closer to Johannes Vermeer, made by Q42 for Rijksmuseum, episodically explores Vermeer’s body of work through an interactive and detailed interface—so detailed that users can see the grain and cracks of the canvas.
Animated and graphic visuals are on the rise across branded work: Media.Monks was honored for the vibrant experience Adidas Ozworld. Live in the metaverse, the project became the space for young people to express themselves digitally with zero limits. Lil Mbappé by Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam is a digitized avatar of the renowned athlete with which fans can interact and engage on social.
Across the top-performing work from the Netherlands, projects that center on advocacy and raising awareness gained momentum. Gasoline Mary from Media.Monks redefined a sexist phrase used to carry harm to be a source of empowerment. WikiTruth by Boomerang, an agency part of Publicis Groupe, was a needed source of fact combating propaganda in the Russia-Ukraine War.
Best Of Canada
Across all work entered from Canada, 25.3% was recognized at the 27th Annual Webby Awards—a reminder, only 20% of all work entered in the competition receives recognition. Teams earned 12 Webby Wins, 11 People’s Voice Wins, 47 Nominations and 36 Honored projects. Effin’ Birds made it into the top five companies for the second year in a row, with two Wins.
Much of the work from the region focused on centering marginalized and unheard narratives. Edelman Canada developed the campaign Keep The Gray to spotlight the unspoken and systemic expectation of older women to dye their gray hair and hide signs of aging. CBC was honored for the podcast Boys Like Me for expertly raising awareness of rising cases of extreme misogyny.
Leading creatives across Canada are also creating work to embrace fun and entertainment. Effin’ Birds’ social presence shows millions online how to find joy by complaining about the little things. CBC’s Let’s Make A Sci-Fi follows four comedians as they learn to produce a futuristic feature-length film.
Advertising work from the region followed a similar, comical route. Take Rethink’s campaign for Heinz: A.I. Ketchup is a roundup of AI-generated images of ketchup bottles (that fans contributed to) hilariously underscoring just how synonymous the brand is with the condiment. Leo Burnett Toronto’s campaign Chewpons asked fans to send funny and cute photos of things their dogs have chewed up, only to create coupons for everyone who submitted.
Best of Germany
Germany crafted work that reaches across the spectrum of digital work: apps, metaverse, video, and branded content. Overall, 23.5% of all work entered from Germany was honored in last year’s competition. As a reminder, only 20% of all work entered in the competition receives recognition. Teams across the region earned 7 Webby Wins, 11 People’s Voice Wins, 28 Nominees and 21 Honorees. SERVICEPLAN GERMANY made the top spot in the index, moving up from ranking second last year.
Agencies created work that centers the narratives of marginalized communities, closely informed by the lived experiences of affected communities. The campaign Dyslexia Unetided from SERVICEPLAN GERMANY published an article in German publication Stern full of spelling mistakes to create visibility for those with dyslexia. BBDO GbmH’s eye-opening video, The Glitch, immerses viewers in the perspective of someone with Alzheimer’s.
It’s evident that responsible tech is a concept that drives innovation in this region, with SERVICEPLAN being honored for two projects that increase digital accessibility: Dot Go, the first object interaction app for those with visual impairments, and Dot Pad, the first graphic display to digitize braille.
Their work in responsible tech expands into sustainability. The campaign Operation #OCEANDETOX by Publicis Media GmbH utilizes the metaverse to mobilize action in cleaning up oceans with the World Wildlife Fund. Accenture Song Germany’s Growling Creatures formed the first metal band of endangered species to advocate for habitat conservation.
Best of Australia
Across all categories, 25.1% of all work from Australia was honored at the 27th Annual Webby Awards, with a total 5 Webby Wins, 6 People’s Voice Wins, 32 Nominees and 29 Honorees. As a reminder, only 20% of all work entered in the competition receives recognition. Advertising agency The Monkeys made it into the index for the second year in a row.
Akcelo led the competition, earning 2 Webby Wins and 2 People’s Voice Wins. They led innovation in branded work in Australia, utilizing gaming to create an entirely immersive experience IRL in Sydney to promote Netflix’s notable series Squid Games. Entropico followed a similar path, developing the immersive and full-scale metaverse gaming experience YouTube: Game On.
Creatives across Australia excel at making great video. TBWA Sydney created the multimedia campaign Classify Consent to raise awareness of consent. The Monkeys produced the animated video Equality – Our Final Frontier for UN Women Australia to spotlight spaces within our society that still need work in our fight for gender equality.
Content studio Jack Nimble utilized video a bit differently. Their team recruited the lifeguards from the famed series “Bondi Rescue” in a hilarious short-form video to promote the season four launch of “Stranger Things.”
Top 3 Emerging Markets
Italy led the competition across the top 3 emerging markets in the 2023 Webby International Index with 2 Webby Wins, 1 People’s Voice Win, 6 Nominees and 8 Honorees. Their wins denote 22.1% of all work entered from the region. As a reminder, only 20% of all work entered in the competition receives recognition.
Japan was a close second, with 3 Webby Wins, 6 Nominees and 7 Honorees. However, this represents an impressive 28.1% of all work entered from the nation. New Zealand came in third, snagging 2 total Wins, 6 Nominees and 6 Honorees—which represents 35.1% of the work entered from the region.
The work is dynamic, spanning advertising, social, websites, apps and podcasts across all honored projects. Each winning project signals an exciting spirit of experimentation across digital teams worldwide—like Gucci’s Metaverse Open Worlds that propelled the brand into digital worlds. Japan’s SUPER SUPER INC. developed an unconventional and unique experience for the girl group Bish. And Not Another™ from New Zealand snagged a Webby and People’s Voice for raising awareness on the harmful effects adult films can have with the bold and vibrant experience Porn Week.
Our annual data-backed index analyzes the teams and countries behind the most recognized work in the 27th Annual Webby Awards to put the “Best of the Internet” into context. Dive into the 2023 Webby Awards Industry Index to see the top companies leading the digital industry and making the best work on the Internet.
Do you have what it takes to make it into next year’s Webby Awards Index?
When you enter the 28th Annual Webby Awards, you show that you’re one of the very best in digital. To stand with your region’s top creators and digital iconoclasts, submit your work by the Final Entry Deadline on Friday, December 15th!
