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WebAward Winners Announcement Date Set

The judging is nearly complete and the competition for Best of Industry honors looks to be very tight in many categories.

The Web Marketing Association will announce the winners of its 2011 WebAward Competition for Website Development on Monday, September 12, 2011. At this time, all participants will be able to access their nominator accounts and view the judges results for their entries.

Good luck to all who entered.

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Final WebAward Deadline

Today is the final day to enter the 2011 WebAward Competition for Website Development. You can add additional entries or exit existing entries until the nominator accounts are closed at Midnight at www.webaward.org.

Good luck to all who entered . Also thanks in advance to all of the terrific judges who are volunteering their time and efforts to review this year’s entries.

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One Month Left to Enter 2011 WebAwards

The Web Marketing Association’s call for entries for its 15th annual international WebAward competition has less than one month until the deadline of May 27, 2011.. The WebAwards are 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.

Entering is easy, simply go to the WebAward Nominator Log-In and log in to an existing nominator account or create a new account. Add a few details about your entry and our judges will do the rest.

This year, a new award has been added to the 15th annual WebAward competition. The much coveted Top Agency WebAward is given to the organization who wins the most total WebAwards in a single competition. However each year many agencies and some corporations win multiple awards and deserve additional recognition. This year, we will recognize each organization that wins 10 or more WebAwards with an Outstanding Interactive Developer trophy.

Check out our Web Marketing Association Facebook Page and be sure to like us as we will be providing hints and tips on how to improve your chances on winning a top award though out April and May.

The 2011 WebAwards are sponsored by the following leading organizations: BGT Partners, PR Newswire, Burst Media, EContent Magazine, We Build Web Pages, MycroBurst, ExactTarget, ad:tech conferences, Internet World UK, SES Conferences, Webmaster Radio, and Website Magazine. The Web Marketing Association thanks these companies for their commitment to the entire online marketing community.

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Increase Your Chances of Winning a WebAward


What is the best way to win a WebAward from the Web Marketing Association? To enter of course! However there are ways to improve your chances when the judging starts. Since April 1st, tips and hints have been posted to the Web Marketing Association’s Facebook Fan Page to help you position your entry in the best possible light. So here are the first 10 tips to get a step ahead of the competition.

WebAward Tip #1 – Pay Attention to the Audience and Mission Statement
The judges use the audience and mission statement to get a sense of what you are trying to accomplish. It puts things into perspective for them. If you are too vague or worst too long winded, the judges will go on what that think the goal of the site should be and it may not be what you expect.

WebAward Tip #2 – Don’t Have A Single Landing Page for All Entries
Some agencies like to have a single landing page for all entries submitted to an awards show. This might make things easy for them, but it can be a nightmare for the judges. Creating a landing page is not required, but also acceptable as long as it is only for the entry under consideration. Judges click on the link and expect to go to the site, not have to search through many potential sites to fine the one they need. Make it easy for them.

WebAward Tip #3 – Enter Early If You Pay By Check
Entries cannot be submitted to the judges until the entry fee is paid. You would not believe how many nominators wait until the final deadline to submit their site and then have to submit a check request! If your company requires you to pay by check, use May 1st as your deadline and get the site submitted and the check request processed to get your entry viewed by the judges in the first round.

WebAward Tip #4 – Don’t Include Instructions In The URL Field
When we ask for a URL, we want only a URL. If you type “www.webaward.org (go to the bottom of the page first)”, the judges will click on the URL and get an error message. This holds up your site being reviewed and makes us work harder. If you have something you want the judges to know, add a “NOTE TO JUDGES” at the beginning of your audience and mission statement.

WebAward Tip #5 – -Have someone from your organization become a judge.
You won’t be allowed to review your own entries, but there is no better way to see how unbiased the judging process is than to judge entries yourself. The judge’s nomination form can be found at http://www.webaward.org/judges.asp

WebAward Tip #6 – Tell Your Other Offices
One of the most prestigious awards given out each year is the Top Agency award, given to the agency which wins the most awards in a given year. If your agency has multiple offices or international offices, make sure they submit their entries also. We will combine all offices of the same company to count for that award.

WebAward Tip #7 – Check your URL and Passwords
Every year sites are disqualified because the nominator had a typo in the URL or the server moved or the username expired. Don’t let this happen to you! If the URL changes, email us and we will update it. Make sure the user name and password (if necessary) are valid until August 15th to be sure the judges can access the site.

WebAward Tip #8 – Don’t Forget Microsites
It’s not just major enterprise websites that win awards. Sometimes it is the microsite, a site dedicated to a single product or concept, that does very well. You can also submit a section of a larger site (i.e. the investor relations section of a public company site). It all starts with the URL you submit on the entry form.

WebAward Tip #9 – Select the Most Appropriate category
The best way to pick the category your site will compete in is by saying to yourself “What would be best for my marketing program if I win?” Many categories overlap because over the years people complained that they were one and not the other. The other thing to consider is how competitive the category might be. The “Mutual Fund” category is narrower than the “Financial Services” category and might be easier to take the top prize. However, Best Financial Services Website might have more cache for your marketing efforts. Sometimes the best idea is to enter both categories and double your chances to win.

WebAward Tip #10 – Non-English Sites Are Welcome
The international WebAwards accepts sites in ten different languages (English, Spanish, French, Italian, Russian, Dutch, Chinese, Japanese, Greek and Turkish) and our systems are designed to automatically assign foreign language site to judges who are fluent in that language. However, if an English version of the site is available it is always preferred that you submit that site as we have many more English speaking judges that other languages.

To enter your website into the 15th annual international WebAward Competition for Website Development, go to www.Webaward.org.

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15th Annual WebAward Competition Kicks Off Call For Entries

The Web Marketing Association is pleased to announce the call for entries for its 15th annual international WebAward competition. The WebAwards are 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 2001 WebAwards is May 27, 2011. 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’s top awards will include:

A “Best of Industry” WebAward 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 2011 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 Hitchcock Fleming & Associates Inc. for its outstanding work on the “Glidden Website.” The site was also recognized as Best Manufacturing Website.

The Web Marketing Association will also recognize the interactive agency winning the most awards in the competition with the “Top Interactive Agency” WebAward. For the second year in a row, the Top Agency award was awarded to the Bay Area interactive agency Extractable taking home 27 WebAwards.

There is one significant change in this year’s WebAwards. The much coveted Top Agency WebAward is given to the organization who wins the most total WebAwards in a single competition. However each year many agencies and some corporations win multiple awards and deserve additional recognition. This year, we will recognize each organization that wins 10 or more WebAwards with an Outstanding Interactive Developer trophy.

Check out our Web Marketing Association Facebook Page and be sure to like us as we will be providing hints and tips on how to improve your chances on winning a top award though out April and May.

The 2011 WebAwards are sponsored by the following leading organizations: BGT Partners, PR Newswire, Burst Media, AllBusiness.com, ExactTarget, ad:tech conferences, Internet World UK, SES Conferences, Webmaster Radio, and Website Magazine. The Web Marketing Association thanks these companies for their commitment to the entire online marketing community.

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Web Marketing Association Names the Best Web Sites in 96 Industries

The Web Marketing Association is pleased to announce the winners of its14th annual WebAward Competition for Web site development. More than 2,000 sites from 45 countries were adjudicated in 96 industry categories during this year’s competition. Entries were judged on design, copy writing, innovation, content, interactivity, navigation, and use of technology. A complete list of the winning sites can be found at the WebAward Web site at www.webaward.org.

“The level of excellence in website development continues to increase, constantly making the Internet a very competitive place to do business,” said William Rice, President of the Web Marketing Association. “Each year the WebAwards receives amazing entries from around the world that show impressive creativity and functionality. As the Internet evolves, so does the state of website development and winning a WebAward is a great way to demonstrate the effectiveness of your Web development efforts.”

Best of Show

The 2010 Best of Show WebAward is presented to Hitchcock Fleming & Associates Inc. for their exceptional work on “Glidden Website”. The site was also recognized as Best Manufacturing Website.

When Glidden decided to revamp their website, they turned to Hitchcock Fleming & Associates to help communicate feelings of fun, ease and design confidence. Through the creation of an inspiring color selector, the user-friendly new site allows consumers to visualize the room of their dreams before ever lifting a brush.

Top Agency

For the second year in a row, Extractable was named Top Agency at the 2010 WebAward Competition, taking home 27 WebAwards. The Top Agency Award is given to recognize the consistently outstanding development going on at interactive firms. The Bay Area interactive agency specializing in web strategy, web design, custom technology, was recognized with Best Computer Hardware Website, Best Credit Union Website, an Outstanding Website WebAward and 24 Standard of Excellence WebAwards.
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Agencies or companies winning five or more WebAwards in 2010 include:

AGENCY AWARDS
Extractable 23
Biggs|Gilmore 22
BGT Partners 20
Risdall Marketing Group 20
LeapFrog Interactive 13
VML 13
Sabre Hospitality Solutions 12
TRAVELCLICK 12
Blenderbox Inc 9
Bridge Worldwide 9
Organic, Inc. 9
TMP Worldwide 9
AGENDA 8
Fastbooking Asia Pte Ltd 8
Arnold Worldwide 7
BrowserMedia 7
CareTech Solutions 7
Empower MediaMarketing 7
John Hancock 7
WSI 7
THOMAS IDEA CO., LTD. 6
Aristotle 5
Arc Worldwide-A Leo Burnett Co 5
Forum One Communications 5
Hanson Inc. 5
Hubbard One 5
Media Explorer Limited 5
SapientNitro 5
Savannah College of Art and Design 5
THINK Interactive 5
Walt Disney 5
WestcomZivo Limited 5

Competition format

The competition was judged by a team of independent Internet professionals representing a variety of relevant disciplines of Web site development. Judges included members of the media, advertising executives, site designers, creative directors, corporate marketing executives, content providers and webmasters.

The WebAward competition format allows Web sites to compete head to head with other sites within their industry to win the Best of Industry award. Entries also compete against a standard of excellence to win Outstanding Website and Standard of Excellence WebAward. Each site is judged on seven different criteria and earns a score between 0 and 70 points. The highest score in a given category wins Best of Industry for that category. If the remaining entries receive a score of 60 or greater, they receive the Outstanding Web site award. Entries that score higher than their industry average and below 59.9 receive the Standard of Excellence.

The 2010 WebAwards are sponsored by the following leading organizations: ExactTarget, Burst Media, PR Newswire, AllBusiness, BGT Partners, ad:tech conferences, NewsUSA, Internet World UK, Search Engine Strategies, Webmaster Radio and Website Magazine.

About the Web Marketing Association

The Web Marketing Association is working to create a high standard of excellence for Web site development and marketing on the Internet. Staffed by volunteers, it is made up of Internet marketing, advertising, PR and design professionals who share an interest in improving the quality of Website development and marketing on the Internet. Since 1997, the Web Marketing Association’s annual WebAward Competition has been helping interactive professionals promote themselves, their companies, and their best work to the outside world. Now in its 14th year, the WebAward Competition has become the premier award event for Web developers and marketers worldwide.

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WebAward 2010 Update

In a departure from the past, the Web Marketing Association is no longer pre-announcing the winners to the participants prior to the public release of results on September 15th.

If you entered the 2010 WebAward Competition, please log in to your nominator account and review the information submitted for each entry before September 15th. Specifically review the title of the entry and who is to be recognized for winning the award. This is information that will be included on the awards as well as information that will be posted online on our website. Only the nominator can update this information and only through the nominators account.

There were some fantastic sites submitted for review this year and our expert judges spend hundreds of hours pouring over the entries and reviewing them on seven different criteria. While not everyone can win recognition in the 2010 WebAwards, everyone benefits from the judges scores benchmarked to their industry.

For 2010, the WebAwards has also upgraded it’s physical awards. The top winner in each industry will receive a handsome gold trophy to display. The Certificate of Achievement has also been upgraded with the help of our friends at BGT Partners. We are also looking to improve our production process so that winners receive their awards quicker and with less errors, so be sure to review your entry data before September 15th.

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WebAward Winners To Be Announced September 15th

The Web Marketing Association will announce the winners of the 2010 WebAward Competition for Website development on their website on September 15, 2010.

Participants will be contacted via email before the 15th to review their entry credits to be sure the are correct when the winners are announced.

Special thanks to the panel of expert judges who spent hundreds of hours reviewing the sites in this year’s competition.