The Web Marketing Association is pleased to announce the call for entries for its 13th annual international WebAward competition. The WebAwards is the standards-defining competition that sets industry benchmarks based on the seven criteria of a successful Web site. It recognizes the individual and team achievements of Web professionals who create and maintain outstanding Web sites. The deadline for entry in the 2009 WebAwards is May 29, 2009. A complete list of past winners and this year’s entry form can be found at www.webaward.org.
Web sites are judged on seven criteria, including design, innovation, content, technology, interactivity, copy writing and ease of use and receive a numeric score. Each WebAward entry is judged against other entries in its industry category and then against an overall standard of excellence. Entrants also benefit from receiving valuable feedback from the WebAwards professional judging panel on their Web site development efforts.
This year The Web Marketing Association is adding several industries to the competition based on participant feedback. They are Environmental, Gay/Lesbian, Mobile, Science and Social Networks. To make room for these new categories, several industries are being eliminated. They are Auction, Brokerage, Computer Retailer, Institutional Services and ISP.
This year’s top awards will include:
• A “Best of Industry” WebAward, a handsome plaque with the image of the winning site embossed, will be given in each of the 96 industry categories, including financial services, medical, small business, travel, advertising, transportation and government.
• The competition’s highest honor, the 2009 WebAward “Best of Show,” will be given to the one site that the judges believe represents the pinnacle of outstanding achievement in Web development. Last year’s Best of Show winner was Trailer Park Interactive for its outstanding work on ” “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix website”, which also won Best Movie Website.
• The Web Marketing Association will also recognize the interactive agency winning the most awards in the competition with the “Top Interactive Agency” WebAward. The 2007 Top Agency award was Risdall Advertising Agency taking home 29 WebAwards – the most ever by a single agency in a WebAward competition Risdall, headquartered in New Brighton, Minnesota, took home Best B2B Website, 4 Outstanding WebAwards and 24 Standard of Excellence WebAwards.
Judging for the 2009 WebAwards will take place in June through August and winners will be announced in September. Judges will consist of a select group of Internet professionals who have direct experience designing and managing Web sites,–including members of the media, interactive creative directors, site designers, content providers and webmasters – with an in-depth understanding of the current state-of-the-art in Web site development and technology. Past judges have included top executives from leading organizations such as A&E Television Networks, Agency.com, Blattner Brunner, Bridge Worldwide, The Cincinnati Enquirer, Comedy Central, Disney, Euro RSCG, Ion Global, J. Walter Thompson, John Deere Company, New York Post Interactive, Organic, Inc., Refinery, R/GA, Saatchi & Saatchi, SAP, Starwood Hotels, Sun Microsystems, Warner Bros. Online, Xerox and Zugara.