The 2011 Webby Awards: Art, Culture, & Community on the Web

Posted on: May 19th, 2011 by National Trust for Historic Preservation

Written by Priya Chhaya

The Webby Awards will be broadcast on June 13.

Every year the The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences hosts The Webby Awards to honor a list of roughly a hundred websites for their excellence on the Internet. This list always includes two dozen or so that present art, history, culture and community in revealing and engaging ways. For each of the examples I pulled below, the function of the site goes beyond simply the informational - and steps out further to educate, engage and connect with an audience that is not geographically limited, often in some very creative ways!

The Webby Awards presents two honors in every category: The Webby Award and The People’s Voice Award. The first is selected by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, while the People’s Voice Award is chosen by the public. You can enter a project in one of four entry types: Websites, Interactive Advertising, Online Film & Video, and Mobile & Apps. While the latter three categories are fascinating (one of the more popular entries appear to be the online campaign for Old Spice), I’ve pulled only a few of the websites for you to check out.

On June 13 The Webby’s will broadcast their awards ceremony (which includes their infamous five word acceptance speeches) on their website. For more information on The Webby Awards you can access them on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, and Tumblr.

Priya Chhaya is a program associate in Online Information Services, part of the Preservation Division of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.