Opening the door for
restaurants to compete for one of the most coveted honor in online media, The
Webby Awards today kicked off its annual call for entries
with 35 new categories — more than doubling the number of awards it will
bestow.
Starting today, restaurant web sites from around the world can get in the
running for a Ninth Annual Webby Awards nomination. For nearly a decade, The
Webby Awards have been recognized as the leading international honors for
web sites.
“Over the years, we kept hearing from restaurant owners who wanted the
chance to compete in The Webby Awards,” said Tiffany Shlain, founder and
creative director of the Webby Awards. “Since the web is now so integrated
into business and everyday life, our new categories paint a more complete
picture of life online today.”
According to Shlain, sites can now be submitted in 65 categories. The 35
new additions include industry-specific categories like Restaurant,
Automotive, Beauty & Cosmetics, Employment, Retail, Real Estate and
Investor Relations, as well as consumer interest categories like Blog,
Celebrity/Fan Site and Social Networking.
The Webby Awards also announced the debut of five awards that all web
sites can enter: Best Home Page, Best Navigation/Structure, Best Use of
Sound, Best Use of Animation and Best Copy.
The Webby Awards are presented by the International Academy of Digital
Arts & Sciences, a global organization with over 500 members including
musician David Bowie, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, The Body Shop
president Anita Roddick, “Simpsons” creator Matt Groening, Real Networks
CEO Rob Glaser, and fashion designer Max Azria.
Nominees will be announced in April 2005 and winners will be unveiled in May
2005. Winners will be honored at a VIP celebration in late spring of 2005.
The
Webby Awards will also continue its tradition of encouraging local
celebrations
of nominees and winners around the world via the Web.
For a chance to win the award, visit The Webby Awards at
www.webbyawards.com for information, guidelines and an official online entry
form. Web sites that enter before the early-bird deadline of October 29
will
receive a discount on the entry fee. The final deadline for all entries is
December 17, 2004.
