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AL GORE, WINNERS PROVE LESS IS MORE
WITH FIVE-WORD SPEECHES AT THE 9th ANNUAL WEBBY AWARDS
Lifetime Achievement Honoree Al Gore
Brings Down the House with Much-Anticipated Speech
[New York City, NY]– (June 8, 2005) Former Vice President Al Gore finally got credit for the pivotal role he played in the development of the internet.
At Monday night’s 9th Annual Webby Awards in New York City, Gore was greeted with a standing ovation by more than 550 industry leaders as Vint Cerf, one of the inventors of the internet, presented him the Webby Lifetime Achievement Award.
Like all winners, Gore kept his remarks within the Webbys? famous five-word speech limit.
“Please don’t recount this vote”‘ deadpanned Gore, as the room erupted in laughter and applause.
Gore was among dozens of winners in categories from Best Blog to Best Retail who took to the Gotham Hall stage to deliver the Webbys’ much-anticipated, haiku-like speeches, which draw almost as much attention as the awards themselves.
Other speech highlights included
“Desperate. Need money for college”
– Tyler Morgan, a 19-year old from Amarillo, Texas, for RTM86.com (Webby Award Winner for Best Personal Site)
“Do you like my dress??
– Vogue.co.uk (Webby People?s Voice Winner for Best Fashion Site)
“The gekko ate my speech”
– GEICO (Webby AwardWinner for Best Insurance Site)
“NewZealand. More than just hobbits”
– NewZealand.com (Webby Award Winner for Best Tourism Site)
“Love your country. Leave it”
– LonelyPlanet.com (Webby People?s Voice Winner for Best Travel Site)
“Live the American dream. Rent”
– Apartments.com (Webby People?s Voice Winner for Best Real Estate Site)
“Side effects include extreme gratitude”
– Pfizer (Webby Award Winner for Best Pharmaceutical Site)
“Let’s do it doggy style”
– Dogster.com (Webby Award Winner for Best Community Site)
“Not bad for Canadians, eh?”
– Bell Canada Enterprises (Webby People?s Voice Winner for Best Investor Relations)
“We beat the @#&$% Muppets”
Poke for Jamie Oliver?s Website (Webby Award Winner for Best Celebrity/Fan Site)
“I’d just like to say?”
– WordCount (Webby People?s Voice Winner for Best Arts Site)
“With books, don’t be shelfish”
– BookCrossing.com (Webby People?s Voice Winner for Best Community)
“Eat your heart out Orbitz”
– Flightmaker.com (Webby Award Winner for Best Travel Site)
“Don’t stop spreading the news”
– BBC News (Webby Award Winner for Best News Site)
In addition to Gore, other Webby Special Achievement recipients included: Craig Newmark, the founder of craigslist, for Webby Person of the Year; The Kleptones, an acclaimed British band pioneering new musical genres and methods of online distribution, for Webby Artist of the Year; and Caterina Fake and Stewart Butterfield, the founders of Flickr, who have taken photo sharing to an exciting new level, for Webby Breakout of the Year.
Hailed as “the online OSCARS®” by Time Magazine, The Webby Awards is the leading international honor for web sites and the people behind them. The awards are presented by the Academy, a global organization dedicated to the creative, technical and professional progress of the internet. Members include musician David Bowie, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, Real Networks CEO Rob Glaser, Oracle chairman Larry Ellison and fashion designer Max Azria.
More than 550 winners, industry leaders, and celebrities attended the gala event, which was hosted by comedian Rob Corddry of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. This year marks the first time The Webby Awards were held outside of their San Francisco birthplace.
The Creative Group, a division of Robert Half International, the premier staffing company for creative professionals, is the Title Sponsor for the 9th Annual Webby Awards. Adweek, Brandweek and Mediaweek Magazines are Lead Media Sponsors.
Review all the winners for the 9thAnnual Webby Awards at www.webbyawards.com/webbys/current.php
About The Webby Awards
Called the “OSCARS® of the Internet” by the New York Times, the Webby is the leading international award honoring excellence in Web design, creativity, usability and functionality. Established in 1996, the 9th Annual Webby Awards received over 4,000 entries from all 50 states and over 40 countries worldwide. The Webby Awards is presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include: The Creative Group; Adweek Magazines; Fortune and FSB; Ektron; 2Advanced Studios; MX Interactive; The Online Publishing Association; IDG; PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Rackspace Managed Hosting. For more information, visit 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 interactive media. The Academy is an intellectually diverse organization that includes over 500 members consisting of leading experts in a diverse range of fields, such as musician David Bowie, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, business guru and author Tom Peters, The Body Shop president Anita Roddick, fashion designer Max Azria, “Simpsons” creator Matt Groening and Real Networks CEO Rob Glaser. For more information, visit www.iadas.net.
The Webby Awards and The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences are registered trademarks of International Data Group.
OSCAR® is a federally registered trademark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Webby Awards and the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences are in no way affiliated with or sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences or OSCAR®.
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