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Patrick Kowalczyk, patrick@mkpr.com
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FINAL ENTRY DEADLINE FOR
THE 7th ANNUAL WEBBY AWARDS IS DECEMBER 20, 2002
Webbys Seeking the Best Web Sites of 2002
San Francisco, CA — (December 11, 2002) –
You’ve got 9 days to make sure your Web site gets the validation, attention, and audience it deserves.
The world’s best Web sites have until December 20, 2002 to enter the competition for The 7th Annual Webby Awards, The International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences announced today.
Hailed as the “online Oscars” by Time Magazine (May 13, 2002), The Webby Awards is the leading international honors for Web sites that people visit regularly for information, entertainment, community, products, and services.
The Webby Awards is presented by the Academy, an intellectually diverse organization that includes over 420 members such as musicians David Bowie and Beck, Internet inventor Vint Cerf, cyberguru Esther Dyson, CEO of Real Networks Rob Glaser, chef Julia Child, and Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison.
Nominees will be announced in April 2003 and the winners will be presented at The 7th Annual Webby Awards on June 5, 2003 in San Francisco.
Reflecting the Web’s egalitarian spirit, the Academy is seeking Web sites of all shapes and sizes. 2002 winners ranged from global giants like the BBC (Best News and Radio Site) and The Osbournes (Best Television Site) to smaller-run sites like the David Rumsey Historical Map Collection (www.davidrumsey.com), which was recognized for Outstanding Technical Achievement.
According to Maya Draisin, the Academy received a record number of entries last year, with submissions coming from 36 countries, including Brazil, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Korea, and Trinidad & Tobago, and 44 states.
“The Webby Awards infuse vitality and bring recognition to an ever-evolving community of entrepreneurs,” said David Straus, CEO of Withoutabox (www.withoutabox.com), a 2002 nominee for Best Film site. “We were honored to be a 2002 Webby Award nominee and believe it raised our profile among our core constituency of international independent filmmakers.”
Sites can be submitted in 30 categories, including: Activism, Arts, Best Practices, Community, Commerce, Education, Fashion, Film, Finance, Games, Health, Humor, Living, Music, News, Personal Web Sites, Politics, Print & Zines, Science, Spirituality, Sports, Technical Achievement, TV, Travel, and Weird. Sites are judged on the basis of content, structure and navigation, visual design, functionality, interactivity, and overall experience.
For a chance to win the coveted award, aspiring award winners should visit The Webby Awards Web site at http://www.webbyawards.com/main/submit/index.html, where they will find information on entry fees, submission guidelines, and an official online entry form.
The 6th Annual Webby Awards were held on June 18th at San Francisco’s California Palace of the Legion of Honor. For a complete list of winners and their five-word acceptance speeches, visit: http://www.webbyawards.com/main/press/index.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. Past sponsors of The Webby Awards have included International Data Group (IDG), The Creative Group (TCG), SBC, Hewlett Packard, Google, Rackspace, Getty Images, Elias Arts, Business2.0, Rackspace, Handspring and partner Nielsen//NetRatings. Balloting is audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers. For more information visit http://www.webbyawards.com/main/press/index.html.
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 connect a diverse group of leading new media experts, visionaries, journalists, and luminaries to facilitate the Internet’s growth and development and to advocate the positive contributions it makes to society and culture. The Academy presents both The Webby Awards and The Webby Business Awards.