FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Jill Feldman, jill@mkpr.com
Patrick Kowalczyk, patrick@mkpr.com
Michael Kaminer Public Relations, 212.627.8098
EIGHTH ANNUAL WEBBY AWARDS®
ANNOUNCE NOMINEES FOR BEST SITES OF THE YEAR
San Francisco, CA – April 20, 2004 –
Reflecting the web’s ever-increasing impact on everything from pop culture to politics, Howard Dean, Al Jazeera, and Martha Stewart are among the 150 eclectic nominees competing for The 8th Annual Webby Awards, The International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences® announced today.
With record numbers of people going online to follow, debate, and influence world events, the Academy unveiled the nominees for the year’s best web sites in 30 categories, including Activism, Community, Film, Music, News, Personal Web Sites, Politics, and Spirituality. A complete list of nominees is available at http://www.webbyawards.com/main/webby_awards/nominees.html.
Hailed as “the online Oscars” by Time Magazine, The Webby Awards is the leading international honors for web sites. The awards are presented by the Academy, a global organization that includes over 480 members such as musicians Beck and David Bowie, Internet co-creator Vint Cerf, political columnist Arianna Huffington, “Smart Mobs” author Howard Rheingold, “Simpsons” creator Matt Groening, Real Networks CEO Rob Glaser, The Body Shop president Anita Roddick, and Oracle chairman Larry Ellison.
The public can also vote for its own favorite web sites in The People’s Voice Awards. Beginning today through May 7, 2004 online fans can cast their ballots at http://www.webbyawards.com/peoplesvoice.
“Whether it’s iTunes transforming the way we enjoy music or Howard Dean’s Blog for America BlogforAmerica.com altering the political landscape, the web is dramatically changing the way we live,” said Tiffany Shlain, the founder of The Webby Awards. “When we started the Webbys nearly a decade ago, many people did not know what the web was. Today there is no denying the profound way it influences every aspect of our lives.”
Maya Draisin, Executive Director of the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences agreed. “If you want to know what’s happening in the world, look no further than this year’s Webby Awards nominees. The Academy selected finalists that truly reflect the scope and diversity of the web. Overall, they provide a powerful snapshot of where we are online and where we are going.”
While the list of nominees includes web giants like eBay.com and ESPN.com, it also boasts a record 29 international nominees, including LEGO.com www.lego.com (Denmark); colette www.colette.fr (France); Brisbane City Council www.brisbane.qld.gov.au (Australia); RAKU-GAKI.com www.raku-gaki.com (Japan); and BrettspielWelt (Board Game World) www.brettspielwelt.de (Germany).
This year, two companies received a record number of nominations in a single year. PBS-affiliated web sites received six nominations: PBS.org www.pbs.org (TV); PBS Kids www.pbskids.org (Youth); FRONTLINE World www.pbs.org/frontlineworld (TV); P.O.V. Borders www.pbs.org/pov/borders/index_flash.html (Broadband); Arthur www.pbskids.org/arthur (Youth); and Listen Up! www.pbs.org/merrow/listenup (Youth). BBC-affiliated web sites received five nominations: BBC education www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody (Education), BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news (Best Practices and News), BBC Science and Nature www.bbc.co.uk/sn/ (Science), and BBC Sport http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport (Sports).
Additional sites receiving multiple nominations include: iTunes Music Store www.apple.com/itunes/store/shop.html.com for Commerce, Music, and Services; Meetup.com www.meetup.com for Politics and Services; Google www.google.com for Best Practices and Services; Noggin www.noggin.com for Broadband and TV; Wikipedia www.wikipedia.org for Best Practices and Community; and Live 365 www.live365.com for Music and Radio.
For the fourth year, the Academy will present The Best Practices Award, which recognizes a single web site that serves as a model of excellence. This year’s nominees are: Wikipedia http://www.wikipedia.org, BBC News http://www.bbc.co.uk/news , LEGO.com www.lego.com, Turner Classic Movies http://turnerclassicmovies.com, and Google http://www.google.com.
Winners of The 8th Annual Webby Awards will be announced online on May 12, 2004. In keeping with Webby tradition, winners will once again be held to a five-words-or-less acceptance speech.
Review all the nominees for the 8th Annual Webby Awards at http://www.webbyawards.com/main/webby_awards/nominees.html.
About The Webby Awards
Founded in 1996, The Webby Awards is the leading international honors for consumer Web sites and individual achievement in technology and creativity. The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences selects the nominees, winners, and presents the awards event. Sponsors of The Webby Awards include The Creative Group, IDG, Business 2.0, Fortune, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Rackspace Managed Hosting. For more information visit http://www.webbyawards.com.
About the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences
The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences is dedicated to the creative, technical, and professional progress of the Internet and evolving forms of interactive media. The Academy’s goal is to assemble a brilliant panel of leading new media experts, visionaries, journalists, and luminaries to propel the Internet and Interactive Technology into the future. The Academy is an intellectually diverse organization that includes over 480 members such as musicians Beck and David Bowie, Internet co-creator Vint Cerf, political columnist Arianna Huffington, Real Networks CEO Rob Glaser, “The Simpsons”creator Matt Groening, “Smart Mobs” author Howard Rheingold, Oracle chairman Larry Ellison, and The Body Shop president Anita Roddick.
Members also include web developers, internet experts and technology writers and editors from publications such as The New York Times, Wired, Forbes, Spin, Fast Company, Travel + Leisure, the Los Angeles Times, Dwell and wallpaper. For more information, visit http://www.iadas.net.