Website awards

The internet industry has established various award schemes for websites, following the example of the Tony, Oscar, BAFTA, Cannes Film Festival and Emmy awards which are granted in the fields of theatre, film and television. This article covers notable English language website award schemes.

General website awards

There are numerous general website award schemes, many of which carry little credibility. Among the most prominent general website award schemes are:

Favourite Website Awards. The Favourite Website Awards (FWA) scheme has been operated since 2000 by FWA, which is based in Knebworth, England. FWA claims to be the world's most visited website award program, receiving more than 1 million visits per month. FWA selects a Site of the Day, a Site of the Month, and a Site of the Year. Recent Sites of the Day are shown as thumbnails on the FWA front page. FWA bases its selections on: Design 40%, Navigation 25%, Graphics 15%, Content 15%, and Personality 5%. As a result of the emphasis on design and graphics, winning websites tend to be strikingly designed and visually attractive. In addition to the Site of the Year, there is an annual People's Choice Award decided by online public vote.

Interactive Media Awards. The Interactive Media Awards (IMA) scheme has been operated since 2004 by the non-profit Interactive Media Council Inc., which is based in New York, USA. Entries are judged on the following criteria: Design, Content, Feature Functionality, Usability, and Standards Compliance & Cross-Browser Compatibility. IMA takes the view that a website rich in graphic design is of little value of its content is weak, boring and useless. Awards are granted annually in 100 categories. These are divided into four quarterly judging rounds. Categories include Advertising, Agriculture, Arts & Culture, Banking, Community, Education, Energy, Legal, News, Politics, Real Estate, School, Spirituality, and Sports.

WebAwards. The WebAwards scheme has been operated since 1997 by the Web Marketing Association, based in Simsbury, Connecticut, USA. It grants annual awards to websites in 96 industry categories including Advertising, Architecture, Automobile, Banks, Broadcasting, Insurance, Investor Relations, Legal, Leisure, Media, Medical, Military, Movies, Music, News, Pharmaceuticals, Political, Real Estate, Retail, School, Sports, Technology, Travel, and University. Entries are judged by three or more expert judges on seven criteria, each of which is given equal weight. The criteria are: Design, Innovation, Content, Technology, Interactivity, Copywriting, and Ease of use.

Webbys. The Webby Awards scheme has been operated since 1996 by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, which is based in New York, USA. Awards are granted each spring for websites which demonstrate Best Practice in: Content, Structure & Navigation, Visual Design, Interactivity, Functionality, and Overall Experience. Other award categories include: Activism, Commerce, Fashion, Humor, Kids, News, Politics, Science, and Sports. There are Business Website awards covering categories which include: Automotive, Financial Services, Professional Services, Retail, and Travel. The main awards are decided by a panel of judges. The related People's Voice Awards are decided by online public vote.

Best-on-topic website awards

[http://www.beesker.com Beesker] . The Beesker award scheme, operated by Extonet Ltd of Cambridge UK, selects the world's best website on each of several hundred narrow topics from Aardvarks to Zippers. Selection is based on depth and reliability of content, and clarity of presentation. 400 topics are covered in the following categories: Arts & Entertainment, Education, Food & Drink, Hobbies, Home & Garden, Natural World, People, Places & Travel, Sports, and Technology.

Website awards for advertising and design

Several advertising and design award schemes now include categories for websites and other interactive media. Among the most prominent are:

Addy Awards. The Addy awards are operated by the American Advertising Federation, which is based in Washington DC, USA. In addition to awards for print, poster, and television advertisements, there are several categories for interactive media. These include: Business to Business Websites, Consumer Websites, Banners & Pop-Ups, E-Cards, Micro & Mini Websites, Online Games, Online Newsletters, Podcasts, Mobile Marketing, Internet Commercials, and Webisodes. Selection is based on a judgement of creative quality.

Clio Awards. The Clio awards program, which is based in New York USA, is operated by Nielsen, the Dutch media conglomerate formerly known as VNU. Clio awards recognise excellence in advertising and design. There is an interactive category, which grants awards to websites. Other categories include: TV/Cinema, Print, Poster, and Billboard. The Clio jury comprises more than 100 judges drawn from more than 60 countries. Awards are granted during the four day Clio Festival, held each May in Miami, Florida.

D&AD. The D&AD awards program is operated by D&AD, a non-profit organization based in London, England, and founded in 1962, which represents the global creative, design and advertising communities. D&AD offers several annual awards for websites, including awards for: Websites, Microsites, New Uses of Websites, Writing, Sound Design, Interface & Navigation, and Photography. Two levels of award are granted: the Yellow Pencil (equivalent to a silver award) and the coveted Black Pencil (equivalent to a gold award).

Aggregating award sites

Award site aggregators collect and database award winning websites into categories. This lets users effectively leverage the work of several awarding entities simoultaneously. These types of sites also tap into smaller web awards such as the [http://2007.sxsw.com/interactive/web_awards/categories/ South by Southwest Interactive Web Awards] .

External links

* [http://www.thefwa.com Favourite Website Awards website] .
* [http://www.interactivemediaawards.com Interactive Media Awards website] .
* [http://www.webaward.org WebAwards website] .
* [http://www.webbyawards.com Webbys website] .
* [http://www.beesker.com Beesker website] .
* [http://www.aaf.org/default.asp?id=18 Addy Awards website] .
* [http://www.clioawards.com Clio Awards website] .
* [http://www.dandad.org D&AD Awards website] .