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THE 6th ANNUAL WEBBY AWARDS UNVEIL THE BEST WEB SITES OF THE YEAR
From The Osbournes and BBC to David Rumsey Historical Map Collection,
Webbys Honor Outstanding Sites Both Big and Small
San Francisco (June 18, 2002) – With nominees representing countries as far-flung as New Zealand, Mauritius, Vatican City and Israel, the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences tonight honored the world’s best Web sites at The 6th Annual Webby Awards.
San Francisco’s magnificent California Palace of the Legion of Honor, the home of Rodin’s Thinker, provided the perfect setting for an intimate, interactive, and though-provoking ceremony in which Webby Awards were handed out in more than 30 categories, including Film, Activism, and Humor. In keeping with Webby tradition, winners were once again held to five-words-or-less acceptance speeches. (For a complete list of all speeches, please visit: http://www.webbyawards.com/main/press/speeches.html)
Hailed as “the only awards for Internet sites that matter” by the Los Angeles Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international honors for Web sites and achievement in technology and creativity. The awards are determined by the Academy, a diverse, 350-person organization whose membership includes David Bowie, Beck, Esther Dyson, Rob Glaser, Vint Cerf, and Susan Sarandon.
Reflecting a momentous year that saw the Web play an increasingly vital role in both world affairs and everyday life, winners ranged from global giants like the BBC, which was honored into two categories (Best News and Best Radio) and The Osbournes (http://www.mtv.com/onair/osbournes/) for Best Television, to smaller-run sites like the David Rumsey Historical Map Collection (www.davidrumsey.com), which was recognized for Outstanding Technical Achievement.
“This year’s winners and nominees surely live up to the title ‘world wide’,” said Tiffany Shlain. “The Webby Awards are proud to honor the Web sites that are setting the standards for the medium and bringing the world online.”
The ceremony also marked the debut of three new awards recognizing sites that excel at attracting visitors. Presented in partnership with Nielsen//NetRatings, the awards were determined using Nielsen//NetRatings’ Internet audience rankings for May 2002. Emode (www.emode.com), which specializes in online self-assessments, took home the Rising
Star Award, while Yahoo! was named Top Global Site and AOL.com was named Top U.S. Site.
Other notable winners included:
- Denmark’s NetBaby (http://www.netbabyworld.com) for Best Game Site, Australia’s Lonely Planet Online (http://www.lonelyplanet.com) for Best Travel Site, and Canada’s LOOPLABS (http://www.looplabs.com) for Best Music Site, which rounded out the list of international winners.
- For the second year, Google (http://www.google.com) received the Best Practices Award, which is bestowed on the site that receives the highest overall marks in each of the Webby judging criteria and serve as a model for excellence.
- Several sites won both a Webby Award and a People’s Voice Award, which is determined by the public. Dual winners include: Lonely Planet Online; Amazon.com for Best Commerce; The Onion for Best Humor; epicurious.com for Best Living; and evite.com for Best Services.
For high-resolution photos of The Webby Awards, visit:
http://www.webbyawards.com/main/press/event_photos.html
For a list of all this year’s Webby winners, visit:
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 for The Sixth Annual Webby Awards include 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.
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 Bjork, Tina Brown, Esther Dyson, Matt Groening, Ira Glass, and 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 www.iadas.net.