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There's one big difference between the Webby Awards and other ceremonies, like the Oscars, Emmys and Grammys: Virtually no one who wins a Webby thanks the academy. In spite of that difference, the Webbys have a lot in common with other industry awards. In addition to their similar names, statuettes and ceremonies, the Webbys, the Oscars, the Emmys and the Grammys all rely on groups of professionals to select their winners. Plus, the awards are among the most prestigious that people can receive in each of their respective fields. You'll also learn why almost no one who wins a Webby thanks the academy, even though there is an academy to thank. The Webby Awards made their debut in 1996, long before the Internet was as prevalent as it is today. A magazine called The Web used donations to fund the awards, which recognized sites in 15 categories. Around 700 people attended the first Webby Awards ceremony, which was held at a San Francisco nightclub.
In 1998, The Web folded, and the newly formed International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences took over the Webby Awards. The Academy still exists today -- it's a voting body of Internet experts, business leaders and others. Its purpose is to recognize and encourage high-quality Internet content as well as to provide education and networking for technology professionals and the public. As with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, membership in the Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences is by invitation only. In 2000, about 3,000 people attended the awards ceremony at the San Francisco Opera House. By 2002, after the collapse of the bubble, the size of the production had shrunk dramatically -- about 600 people attended the event, which was more like a conference than a flashy awards show. In 2003, the Webby Awards temporarily retreated to the virtual world, recognizing sites in 30 categories in an online ceremony. As the industry recovered from the dot-com collapse, the Webby Awards started to grow again.
Today, the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences has more than 750 members, and the 2010 awards involved more than 100 categories. The winners aren't just be Web sites you can browse on your computer. The Academy expanded its scope, and it now recognizes the sites you can visit and services you can use from mobile devices. It also bestows awards in interactive advertising and online film and video. Next, we'll look at how the academy selects all these winners and why winning the spiral statue is a prestigious honor. People who are affiliated with Web sites, or who have permission to represent those Web sites, submit entries to the Academy and pay a fee to do so. This fee does not guarantee that the site will win an award -- it simply grants the site a place in the pool of entries. This is much like the nomination process for the Emmy Awards, but different from the Grammy Awards, in which the Recording Academy's members nominate artists for awards.
Non-English film and video entries must be dubbed in English so the judges can understand them. Once the deadline for nominations passes, site reviewers, who are experts in related fields, judge each of the nominees. Reviewers aren't permitted to discuss their analysis with other reviewers, and they can't review sites that present a conflict of interest. At least two judges review each site, and the Academy compiles a list of results into a short list of finalists. Academy members review the short list and narrow it down to five nominees in each category. The Academy has specific judging criteria for Web sites, videos, advertisements and mobile applications. The overall experience is part of every category. When judging Web sites and mobile sites, reviewers look at several aspects, including content, structure, navigation, visual design, functionality and interactivity. Criteria for advertising entries include creativity and integration. For video and film entries, reviewers look at the concept and writing and the craft of the finished piece.
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