FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Michael Kaminer Public Relations, 212.627.8098
Patrick Kowalczyk, patrick@mkpr.com
Jill Feldman, jill@mkpr.com
INT’L ACADEMY OF DIGITAL ARTS & SCIENCES®
LAUNCHES WEBBY BUSINESS AWARDS
New Awards Program Will Honor Best in Business on the Web
http://www.webbyawards.com/businessawards/index.html
San Francisco (October 15, 2002) – Building on worldwide
recognition of The Webby Awards as the leading international honors for
Web sites, The International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences today
expanded its scope to the global marketplace by launching a second awards
program, The Webby Business Awards.
Organizers said The Webby Business Awards would honor companies
that excel at using the Web as a mature business tool to achieve critical
business goals, such as sales lead generation, product customization,
and cost cutting.
While the new awards will focus its spotlight on online business practices, the flagship Webby Awards will continue to honor Web sites that the general public visits regularly for information, entertainment, community, products, and services.
Hailed as the ?online Oscars? by Time Magazine (May 13,
2002), The Seventh Annual Webby Awards will take place on May 15, 2003
in San Francisco. The date for the first-ever Webby Business Awards will
be announced in the coming months.
“Now more than ever, there is a real need in the business
world for a trusted, independent authority on Internet business,”
said Tiffany Shlain, the founder and creative director of The Webby Awards.
“We believe the Webby Business Awards can play an important role
in advancing how business is conducted online by recognizing the companies
that set the standards for the industry.”
Maya Draisin, the executive director of the Academy
agreed. “Our goal is to encourage innovative and measurable online
practices by providing a global showcase for the best in business on the
Web.”
According to Draisin, The Webby Business Awards mark the first time that the Academy will use strategic criteria, such as business objectives, resources and results, in addition to creative criteria to evaluate and recognize Web sites.
Starting today, the Academy is accepting entries in a wide range of categories including: Automotive; Creative Services; Financial Services; Food and Beverage; Health Care and Pharmaceuticals; Information Technology; Marketing and Communications; Media and Entertainment; Professional Services; Retail; Technical Services; Telecommunications; and Travel and Tourism
The “Good Deeds” Award will provide a cash grant to the most effective non-profit or cause-related site that was developed “pro bono.”
In addition, the Webby Business Awards will present several special awards focusing on specific business objectives, including: Branding & Design; Cost-Cutting/Operational Efficiency; Customer Relationship Management/Customer Loyalty and Retention; Integration of Online/Offline Marketing; Product Optimization/Personalization; and Sales Lead Generation/Increased Sales.
The Business Awards are judged based on strategic criteria (objective, innovation, market situation, resources, success) and creative criteria (content, structure & navigation, visual design/branding, functionality, interactivity).
To enter The First Annual Webby Business Awards, companies
should visit http://www.webbyawards.com/webby_biz/index.html
for submission guidelines and entry fees. Early bird discount deadline
is November 29, 2002. The final deadline is January 31, 2002.
The Webby Awards were founded in 1996. The Webby Awards
and The Webby Business Awards are presented by the Academy, a 420-person
organization. Members include: Tom Peters, author; Esther Dyson, chairman,
Edventure Holdings; Rob Glaser, CEO, Real Networks; Anita Roddick, president,
The Body Shop; Larry Ellison, CEO, Oracle; Vint Cerf, co-creator of Internet;
Stewart Brand; author; and other leading web developers, internet experts
and technology writers and editors. For more information, visit http://www.iadas.net.
The lead media sponsor of The Webby Business Awards is
Business
2.0, a magazine about what works in business today, published monthly
out of the FORTUNE Group at Time, Inc., an AOL Time Warner company.
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 for The Sixth Annual
Webby Awards included International Data Group (IDG), The Creative Group
(TCG), SBC, Hewlett Packard, Google, Rackspace, Getty Images, Elias Arts,
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.