Contact:
Patrick Kowalczyk, patrick@mkpr.com
Jill Feldman, jill@mkpr.com
Michael Kaminer Public Relations, 212.627.8098
|
For Immediate Release
THE 7th ANNUAL WEBBY AWARDS UNVEIL PLANS
FOR WORLDWIDE WEBBY CELEBRATIONS
http://www.webbyawards.com
San Francisco, CA, May 19 – Giving people
around the globe the chance to celebrate the best of the web in
true Webby style, the International Academy of Digital Arts &
Sciences today unveiled plans for online and offline festivities
marking The 7th Annual Webby Awards on June 5th.
Nearly 90 percent of this year’s nominees hail from outside
the San Francisco Bay Area with a record 24 international nominees
representing countries such as Japan, Australia, United Kingdom,
New Zealand, Italy, France, The Netherlands, and
Germany.
For the first-time ever, the Academy will announce winners exclusively
online, while also making it possible for finalists and fans to
host their own offline celebrations around the world.
“The Webby Awards have always been about two things –
honoring the best of the web and bringing people together,”
Maya Draisin, executive director of the Academy. “We can’t
think of a better way to pay tribute to this year’s nominees
than a worldwide celebration that taps the power of the web to accomplish
those goals.”
To facilitate this year’s festivities, the Academy today
launched a special “Celebrate Everywhere” mini-site
where the public can register to experience the online announcement
of winners on June 5th or host their own Webby party.
Over the coming weeks, registrants will also be provided with everything
they need to fete this year’s nominees – from specially
created Evite invitations to a “party-in-a-download”
package featuring Absolut Vanilia drink recipes, badges, signage,
party music (including a downloadable selection from The Flaming
Lips, a 2003 nominee), and other party supplies.
Draisin said that plans for local events – from small private
parties to public gatherings – are already underway in cities
including Amsterdam, Cleveland, Paris, Tokyo, and San Francisco.
Meetup.com, a site that helps people organize local gatherings,
will highlight Webby Meetups for the general public on its homepage.
The top five cities with the most participants will be recognized
online by the Academy. Organizers of the most unique celebration
will be honored with their very own Webby Award – the coveted
Slinky-like statuette.
On June 5th, the Academy will roll out the red carpet for registered
revelers only, at which time winners will be unveiled though a unique
experience allowing people to interact and document events through
features such as live videochat provided by Cuworld (http://www.cuworld.com),
a photo posting area, discussion boards, and blogging tools.
A highlight of the announcement will be lifelike, talking characters
created by nominees and designed by Oddcast that will deliver the
winners’ five-words-or-less winners speeches. Using Oddcast
technology, winners will phone in their speeches from around the
world.
Starting today, the general public can
· Register for The 7th Annual Webby Awards celebration online
and register to host their own Webby party at http://www.webbyawards.com/rsvp
.
· Vote for their favorite nominees in the People’s
Voice Awards at http://www.webbyawards.com/peoplesvoice/. Voting
deadline is May 23rd.
Hailed as "the online Oscars" by Time (May 13, 2002),
The Webby Awards is the leading international honors for web sites.
The awards are presented by the Academy, a global organization that
includes over 480 members such as musicians Beck and David Bowie,
Internet co-creator Vint Cerf, political columnist Arianna Huffington,
and "Smart Mobs" author Howard Rheingold.
San Francisco-based design firm Gershoni (http://www.gershoni.com)
conceived and designed the site and all visual communication aspects
for this year’s awards. (For more details, see <url>.
Comstock Images (http://www.comstock.com) supplied images and The
Creative Group (http://www.creativegroup.com), the official staffing
agency of the 7th Annual Webby Awards, provided support. San Francisco
web developer, Netsprout, (http://www.netsprout.com) built the site’s
technology.
Out of respect for nominees who had expressed concerns about traveling
in light of recent global events, the Academy announced last month
that it would bring The 7th Annual Webby Awards to them rather than
having honorees travel to San Francisco on June 5th.
About the Webby Awards
Founded in 1996, The Webby Awards is the leading international honors
for consumer Web sites and individual achievement in technology
and creativity. The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences
selects the nominees, winners, and presents the awards event. Sponsors
of The 7th Annual Webby Awards include media partners Business 2.0,
Fortune and Fortune Small Business magazines; Event partners PricewaterhouseCoopers
and Nielsen//NetRatings; Official Sponsors The Creative Group, IDG,
Absolut Vodka, Comstock Images, and Rackspace Managed Hosting. For
more information visit http://www.webbyawards.com/.
About the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences
The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences is dedicated
to the creative, technical, and professional progress of the Internet
and evolving forms of interactive media. The Academy's goal is to
assemble a brilliant panel of leading new media experts, visionaries,
journalists, and luminaries to propel the Internet and Interactive
Technology into the future. The Academy is an intellectually diverse
organization that includes over 480 members such as musicians Beck
and David Bowie, Internet inventor Vint Cerf, political columnist
Arianna Huffington, Real Networks CEO Rob Glaser, "The Simpsons"creator
Matt Groening, "Smart Mobs" author Howard Rheingold, Oracle
chairman Larry Ellison, and The Body Shop president Anita Roddick.
Members also include web developers, internet experts and technology
writers and editors from publications such as The New York Times,
Wired, Forbes, Spin, Fast Company, Travel + Leisure, the Los Angeles
Times, Dwell and wallpaper. For more information, visit http://www.iadas.net.
###
|
