FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For information, contact:
Damiano DeMonte: Demonte@sunshinesachs.com
Peter Axtman: Axtman@sunshinesachs.com
Sunshine, Sachs & Associates: 212-691-2800

NEW YORK AND SEATTLE, APRIL 2, 2013 – The Webby Awards (www.WebbyAwards.com), hailed by the New York Times as the Internet’s highest honor, and Internet Explorer 10 (IE10) are excited to unveil the brand new Webby Winners Gallery + Archive.

For the first time in the award’s 16-year history, the public can view every Webby Nominee and Winner in one visually stunning collection. Launched just in time for the announcement of this year’s 17th Annual Webby Nominees on April 9, The Gallery + Archive is a virtual time machine of digital history exploring the evolution of design, commerce and culture during the Web’s most transformative years.

Each series of winners captures the fascinating annual zeitgeist of an ever-evolving Internet, from Amazon’s’s first win for Commerce in 1999 to Nyan Cat’s win for Meme of the Year 2012. The Webby Winners Gallery + Archive is both a time-capsule to a very different Internet and a celebration of what makes today’s Web a hub for cutting-edge innovation – and an homage to the powerhouses that have endured it all, from The Onion with 26 wins (including one in the first Webbys in 1997) to the New York Times with 18 and the BBC with 33.

“Over the past 16 years, Webby Winners have continually set the standard for excellence on the Web; they are the sites, innovations and world-changing platforms that have shaped the Internet into what it is today,” said David-Michel Davies, Executive Director of The Webby Awards. “Developing a place to showcase Webby Winners was an ambitious task; the archive includes the most significant online innovations and trends since the Web’s infancy. It is an incredible collection of digital work, a chronological showcase of the evolution of the Web since its humble beginning.”

Entries in The Winners Gallery + Archive include videos, photos and nostalgic screen captures of websites as they looked in the year they were honored, in addition to supporting material such as text or video of the Winners Webby Five-Word Speech and crediting of individuals who brought the project to life. One of the big challenges faced by The Webby Awards during production was sourcing visual material from each and every winner, particularly those from the early years. To complete the archive, they’ve launched a crowd-sourcing effort, calling for submissions, screen grabs, designs and credits that are missing in The Gallery. Submissions can be sent to gallery@webbyawards.com.

“We’re really excited to bring The Winners Gallery + Archive to life with the Webby team, and – through this innovative, touch-first and beautiful site – pay homage to the amazing work that has been created,” said Chewy Chong, manager of Internet Explorer developer relations. “We’re huge fans of the work web designers and developers do every day to make the Web more beautiful and seamless to use, and we want to support their work in making the web a first-class experience for consumers.”

Like the content it houses, the experience itself is built for longevity. Designed and developed by renowned interactive agency AREA 17 (www.area17.com), the “chromeless” user interface has a responsive design that is optimized for touch and available across all devices. At the heart of the experience is type-to-search functionality powered by Elastic Search. Users can instantly filter content, offering a historical snapshot of the Web through the lens of a particular category, company, agency or individual. This digital museum will provide hours of inspiration to people curious about the history of the Internet and the best sites, apps, videos, interactive advertising and online social projects.

The Winners Gallery currently features the past 16 years of Webby Winners, Nominees and Honorees. The 17th Annual Webby Awards Nominees will be featured after they are announced April 9 and the Winners on April 30.

For more information and to view The Winners Gallery + Archive, please visit www.WebbyAwards.com.

About Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer 10 is fast, fluid and perfect for touch. Everything you want to do on the web is a swipe or a tap away, and feels instant. Browser tabs and navigation controls appear only when you need them and quietly get out of the way when you don’t. IE10 is a great Windows 8 browser, but also works great in Windows 7. The browser is built specifically to make the web a first class citizen on your new Windows 8 device right alongside apps. You can also experience Internet Explorer on Windows Phone, Windows 7, and on Xbox.

About The Webby Awards:

Hailed as the “Internet’s highest honor” by The New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites, Interactive Advertising & Media, Online Film & Video, Mobile & Apps, and Social. Established in 1996, The Webby Awards received nearly 11,000 entries from all 50 states and over 60 countries worldwide last year. The Webby Awards is presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS). Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include: Google+, Yahoo!, Vitamin T, Live Nation, ShareThis, The Daily, Funny or Die, MLB Advanced Media, Mashable, BuzzFeed, Business Insider, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Guardian News and Media.

To join the conversation:
Visit: www.webbyawards.com
Fan: Facebook.com/TheWebbyAwards
Follow: @TheWebbyAwards
G+: +TheWebbyAwards
Look: flickr.com/webbys
Watch: youtube.com/thewebbyawards
Read: tumblr.webbyawards.com
Instagram: @TheWebbyAwards