FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Michael Kaminer Public Relations, 212.627.8098
Patrick Kowalczyk, patrick@mkpr.com
Leah Schmerl, leah@mkpr.comcom
5th ANNUAL WEBBY AWARDS
3,000 Turn Out for Awards Show Featuring Stars of Entertainment and
Technology
San Francisco (July 18, 2001) – More than 3,000 digital dignitaries and wired celebs turned out to bestow Webby Awards on the year’s best
Web sites tonight and to honor individual achievement in technology.
For the second year, Tony Award-winning actor Alan Cumming held
center stage as the emcee for the spirited, fast-paced ceremony,
where he was charged with holding winners to the Webbys’ famous
five-words-or-less speech limit. (For a complete list of winners’
speeches, go to http://www.webbyawards.com/main/press/speeches.html).
According to Maya Draisin, executive director of the Academy, the organization that oversees the Webby Awards, the Best Practices Award was established to formally recognize the Web site that receives the highest ratings in the six Webby judging areas: content, structure and navigation, visual design, functionality, interactivity, and overall experience.
Capping a year of dramatic highs and lows for the Internet, an
eclectic roster of luminaries, including Intel CEO Andy Grove and ABC
News’ Sam Donaldson were also on hand to present this year’s awards.
Grove presented the Technical Achievement Award to Microsoft Windows
Update http://www.windowsupdate.microsoft.com, while Donaldson
presented The People’s Voice Awards, which are chosen by the public.
“Challenging times push people to be the most creative they can be,
and that’s clearly reflected in this year’s winners,” said Tiffany
Shlain, the founder and director of The Webby Awards. “These are
exciting and brilliant Web sites that we’re proud to honor and
celebrate.”
A highlight of the evening included the presentation of the
first-ever Best Practices Webby Award to Google, http://www.google.com, the site that received the highest overall
marks in each of the Webby judging criteria.
The ceremony also marked the debut of the first Webby Lifetime
Achievement Award, which was presented to Ray Tomlinson and Douglas
Englebart, two of the key contributors to the invention of email.
Vint Cerf, one of the founders of the Internet, made the presentation
on behalf of award sponsor WorldCom, where Cerf serves as a vice
president.
Hailed as “The ‘It’ Awards” by Vanity Fair and “The Hot Ticket” by
Entertainment Weekly, The Webby Awards are the leading international
honors for Web sites and individual achievement in creativity and
technology. The awards are presented by the International Academy of
Digital Arts & Sciences, a diverse, 350-person organization whose
membership includes musician Beck, Esther Dyson, Susan Sarandon,
David Bowie, and Simpsons creator Matt Groening.
Big winners included Craigslist http://www.craigslist.org, which was
named Best Community Site by both the Academy and by the more than
150,000 people who registered to vote in the People’s Voice Awards,
The Webby Awards’ tribute to democracy on the Web.
Other sites earning a Webby Award and a People’s Voice Award
included: Requiem for a Dream http://www.requiemforadream.com (Best Film
Site), PBS Online http://www.pbs.org (Best TV Site), The Onion
http://www.theonion.com (Best Humor Site), and Peter Pan’s Home Page
http://www.pixyland.org/peterpan (Best Weird Site). Thanks to an
aggressive write-in campaign, HOTorNOT http://www.hotornot.com
nabbed a People’s Voice Award in the Fashion category.
Thousands of Web aficionados tuned in to watch the Webby action live
on ABCNews.com’s webcast of the event, which kicked off with red
carpet pre-show hosted by Donaldson.
In keeping with this year’s dress theme, the top movers and shakers
in cyber-culture, entertainment, media, and politics showed up at San
Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House in their “gutsiest” attire.
After the gala event, which was sponsored by Adobe, guests rubbed
elbows at the post-ceremony bash, where hot band Grandaddy of
Modesto, California and San Francisco’s own DJ Polywog provided live
musical entertainment. Intel sponsored the post-ceremony party.
A comprehensive list of all Webby Award and People’s Voice winners is available at: www.webbyawards.com/main/webby_awards/nominees.html.
For high-res photos of The Webby Awards, visit:
http://www.webbyawards.com/main/press/event_photos.html
About the Webby Awards
The Webby Awards is the leading international honor for Web sites and individual achievement in technology and creativity. The critically acclaimed theatre production attended by 3000 people, includes films, animations, installation art and performances. The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences selects the nominees, winners, and presents the awards event. Sponsors and Partners for The Fifth Annual Webby Awards include Intel, Adobe, IDG, Metropolis Editorial, The Creative Group, Commission Junction, EarthLink, Getty Images, Metropolis Editorial, Diesel Design, Rare Medium, Entertainment Weekly, Variety, Access Magazine, Wired, and Artbyte. Balloting is audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers. 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 350 members such as film director Francis Ford Coppola, musician Bjork, Chairman of Miramax Talk Media Tina Brown, cyberguru Esther Dyson, creator of “The Simpsons” Matt Groening, Public Radio International Personality Ira Glass, and Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison. Members also include writers and editors from publications such as The New York Times, Wired, Forbes, Details, Fast Company, Elle, The Los Angeles Times, Vibe, and WallPaper. For more information, visit http://www.iadas.net/