14th Annual Webby Awards call for entries

October 17 2009, 9:27 am | BY Lynchy | No Comments

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14th ANNUAL WEBBY AWARDS OPEN CALL FOR ENTRIES

Webby Awards Seeking New Zealand’s Best Websites, Online Film and Video Interactive Advertising, and Mobile Websites. 

 

What will be your five-word speech if you win a Webby Award? 

 

Giving New Zealand Internet innovators a chance to deliver one of its famousfive-word speeches, The Webby Awards today kicked off its 14th annualcall for entries at www.webbyawards.com. The early deadline is October 30, 2009.

Hailed as “one of the most prestigious awards in the world” by theBBC and the “Internet’s highest honor” by the New York Times, The WebbyAwards is the leading international award honoring excellence on theInternet, including Websites, interactive advertising, online film andvideo, and mobile websites. 

 

Winners will have achance to follow in the footsteps of such past Webby winners as WorldWide Web inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee (“Free… open… Keep oneWeb,”), Al Gore (“Please don’t recount this vote.”), and Twitterco-founder Biz Stone (“Creativity is a renewable resource.”), inbroadcasting their speech via the official Webby Awards YouTube Channel.Following this year’s ceremony, the Webby channel was #1 on YouTube forseveral days, with almost 1.5 million video views to date. 

 

View the “What will be your five-word speech be?” video clip featuring past winners delivering their five-word speeches.

 

“TheWebby Awards gives winners – from up-and-coming designers to marketingstrategists to acclaimed actors and directors – a chance to shine in aglobal spotlight,” said David-Michel Davies. “We’re looking forward tohonoring the innovators from Australia who are pushing the Internetforward in exciting new directions.” 

 

Reflectingthe Internet’s vital role in environmental protection, organizers alsoannounced the debut of a Best Green award, honoring the sites thatpromote green living, business, tools and causes. For the first time,The Webby Awards will also honor the media strategies behindinteractive advertising campaigns with two new categories – Best Use ofSocial Media and Best Use of Online Media. 

 

Accordingto the Australian Webby Ambassador Simon Goodrich, managing director ofPortable Content, the 13th Annual Webby Awards received a record nearly10,000 entries from over 60 countries. The awards season was capped bya star-studded June gala in New York City hosted by Saturday NightLive’s Seth Meyers. 

 

The Webby Awards ispresented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.Several Internet leaders from Australia are members of the Academyincluding Lonely Planet Publications Director of Global BusinessDevelopment Chris Boden, ABC Innovation Manager of Digital &Interactive TV Chris Winter, AIMIA National President Guy Gadney, andCEO Australian Interactive Media Industry Association John Butterworth.Other members of the Academy include Internet co-inventor Vinton Cerf,Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, The Simpsons’ creator MattGroening, Arianna Huffington, and Harvey Weinstein.

 

Nomineesfor the 14th Annual Webby Awards will be announced in April 2010, andwinners will be honored at a ceremony in New York City on June 14,2010.