27th Annual Webby Awards

The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet.

Established in 1996 during the Web’s infancy, The Webbys is presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS) — a 2,000+ member judging body that includes Executive Members comprised of leading Web experts, business figures, luminaries, visionaries and creative celebrities, and Associate Members who are former Webby Award Winners, and Nominees, and Internet professionals.

Reflecting the tremendous growth of the Internet as a tool for business and everyday lives, The 24th Annual Webby Awards expanded The Webbys’ mission by honoring excellence in Websites, Advertising, Media & PR, Video, Games, Apps, Mobile & Voice, Podcasts, and Social.

The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences was founded in 1998 to help drive the creative, technical, and professional progress of the Internet and evolving forms of interactive media. An international organization, The Academy selects the Honorees, Nominees and Winners for The Webby Awards, and The Lovie Awards, the leading honors for outstanding achievement on the internet through technology and creativity.

The Webby Award Competition is open to all organizations and individuals involved in the process of designing, building, managing, maintaining, marketing or promoting digital work. All work that is entered must have been in general use for at least part of the current calendar year. Entries do not, however, need to have been created this year.

Entries that have won awards in past Webby Awards competitions are eligible for the current competition. So don’t shy away from defending your crown. There is also no limit to the number of entries you may submit or the number of categories you may enter.

Unacceptable Material
Entries that contain pornographic material, propagate “hate” messages, make defamatory statements or that are otherwise extraordinarily offensive are not only uncool, they are also not eligible to win a Webby.

Fake/Spec Work
Entries that are fake will not be eligible for judging. This is important specifically as it applies to spec work (work not commissioned or paid for by a client or media entity) that you may consider entering in the Advertising, Media, & PR categories.

Branded Case Study Sites
Case study sites should appear anonymous. Entries submitted on an agency branded case study site are not eligible to win a Webby.

Disqualification
Ineligible entries may be disqualified at any phase of the competition without notification.

Acknowledgment of Entries
Entrants will receive an email acknowledgment when an entry has been received.

Terms and Conditions of Entry/Usage
The Webby Awards assumes all entries are original and the entrant either owns the work or has permission from a client or other appropriate party to enter the work, with all rights granted therein. In the event that an entrant without such rights submits an entry, the entrant will not be eligible for the competition. The Webby Awards are not liable for any copyright infringement on the part of the entrant.

Entries must be live and available on the Internet from the date of entry through July 2020, and accessible via http and standard Web browsers.

Submission of any entry (including Video entries) acknowledges the right of The Webby Awards to use it for exhibition, promotion and publication purposes in any medium.

If an entry receives an award, the manner and details of announcing that nomination and award is strictly within the discretion of The Webby Awards. The entrant understands that all awards may not be given or publicized in the same manner and some might be presented in a ceremony and others might not.

Offensive Material
Entries that contain pornographic material, propagate “hate” messages, make defamatory statements, or which are otherwise extraordinarily offensive are not eligible.

Disqualification
Ineligible entries may be disqualified at any phase of the competition without notification.

The Academy’s process is a 2,000-judge voting body with two stages, each fueled by different types of judges.

Process: Round 1 Judging

From the multitude of entries submitted during the Call for Entries, Associate Members independently inspect each entry and rate it based on the judging criteria. The short list is presented to the Executive Academy who compares all of the work entered in each category and culls a short list of the best work entered. The Executive Academy then presents the short lists for consideration by the judges.

Evaluators: Associate Members

Associate Members are Internet professionals and former Webby winners who work with and on the Internet. They have clearly demonstrable familiarity with the category in which they judge and have been individually required to produce evidence of such expertise. Associate Members are given different entries in their category cluster for judging and they are prohibited from judging any entry with which they have a personal or professional affiliation. The work of Associate Members is regularly inspected for fairness and accuracy.

Process: Nominee and Winner Selection

Each Executive Academy member is assigned to a category cluster based on their area of expertise. They are able to vote in any category in a given cluster. Members review each entry in the categories in which they’ve chosen to cast ballots according to the judging criteria.

Each Executive Academy member casts their ballot for five (5) Nominees, ranking them in order of excellence. The Academy staff and tabulation consultants then tabulate the votes to determine the nominees.

Evaluators: Executive Academy Members

Executive Members of The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences vote on Webby Awards winners. Members of The Executive Academy are visionaries, evangelists and luminaries who have catalyzed great achievements on the Internet or have demonstrated extraordinary talent in a traditional medium. These Internet experts faithfully represent the past and future of new media; they carry the leading voice of the Industry. The traditional masters possess an understanding of their fields that transcend the new medium. Their minds speak powerfully towards excellence and value within their field– art, film, science, or sports, for example– online and off.