Contact:
Patrick Kowalczyk, patrick@mkpr.com
Gita Chandra, gita@mkpr.com
MKPR, 212.627.8098
WITH INTERNET VIDEO, ONLINE ADVERTISING, AND MOBILE BOOMING,
THE 12th ANNUAL WEBBY AWARDS KICKS-OFF CALL FOR ENTRIES
“OSCARS® of the Internet” adds 30 new categories
for Websites, Interactive Advertising, Online Film & Video and Mobile
New York, NY (September 19, 2007) – Giving everyone from Internet upstarts to international advertising agencies to media powerhouses a chance to share the stage with the likes of David Bowie, Al Gore, and Prince, The 12th Annual Webby Awards today kicked-off its annual call for entries with more than 30 new categories.
Categories making their debut this year recognize achievement in the rapidly expanding fields of Internet video, interactive advertising, and mobile content.
The Webby Awards will honor work in new video categories including Music, Sports, and Travel. New advertising categories include Integrated Campaigns, Online Guerilla Marketing, Mobile Advertising, and Online Commercials while Entertainment, Gaming, and Social Networking, are among the new mobile awards.
To enter work in more than 100 categories, visit www.webbyawards.com. The early entry deadline is October 26, 2007.
“Over the past year, we’ve seen new technologies open up whole new frontiers for expression and innovation on the Internet,” said David-Michel Davies, Executive Director of The Webby Awards. “We are excited by the opportunities these new categories present us to honor these emerging online fields.”
Hailed as the “OSCARS® of the Internet” by the New York Times and “one of the most prestigious awards in the world” by the BBC, The Webby Awards is presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a 550-person judging academy whose members include Internet co-inventor Vinton Cerf, R/GA’s Chief Bob Greenberg, “Simpson’s” creator Matt Groening, Arianna Huffington, and Harvey Weinstein.
The Webbys’ expansion comes on the heels of its most successful year ever. The 11th Annual Webby Awards and the first-ever Webby Film and Video Awards, which honor original film and video that premiered on the Internet, received a record 8,000 entries from over 60 countries. The awards season was capped by star-studded June galas attended by Internet luminaries including David Bowie, eBay CEO Meg Whitman, Beastie Boys, YouTube co-founders Steve Chen and Chad Hurley, Jessica Rose (“lonelygirl15”), Ninja of “Ask a Ninja”, and the creators of “The Extreme Diet Coke and Mentos Experiments.”
Nominees for The 12th Annual Webby Awards will be announced in April 2008, and winners will be honored at a gala ceremony in New York City in June 2008.
About The Webby Awards:
Hailed as the “OSCARS® of the Internet” by the New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, including Web sites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile web sites. Established in 1996, the 11th Annual Webby Awards received a record 8,000 entries from all 50 states and over 60 countries worldwide. The Webby Awards is presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include: Adobe; The Creative Group; Level3; Getty Images; dotMobi; The Barbarian Group; CondéNast|CondéNet ; Adweek; Fortune; Reuters; Variety; Wired; IDG: Brightcove; PricewaterhouseCoopers; 2advanced.Net; KobeMail and Museum of the Moving Image.
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®.
###