Official Guidelines for the 2024 WebAward Competition

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who may enter

The WebAward Competition is open to all organizations and individuals involved in the process of developing web sites for organizations, companies and the government. Web sites entered must have been in general use for at least part of calendar year 2023 or early 2024. Sites that have won awards in past WebAward Competitions are eligible for the current competition.

The person submitting the entry will be considered the "nominator" and will receive all communications regarding the WebAward Competition. All changes to an entry can only be made by the nominator or by the designated backup named in the entry using the nominator account. You do not have to be a member of the Web Marketing Association (WMA) to enter.

what to submit

Each nominator must create a free nominator account and entries must be submitted online using the Online entry form found in the nominator account. A sample entry form can be viewed on the WebAward Website.  A web site is considered entered after a completed entry form is received by the WMA server and payment of the entry fee is received by the WMA prior to the competition deadline.

industry categories

See the industry categories page for a complete industry category listing. Currently there are 88 industry categories representing a broad range of options for participants.  Nominators may enter web sites in multiple categories if appropriate. The Web Marketing Association reserves the right to add or eliminate categories during the competition. The industry categories are intentionally broad based to accommodate the majority of websites developed today. If you would like to suggest a new category, please email us.

judges access to entry

The WebAward judges will be evaluating entries from June 13th through the end of August. If your site is password protected, please make sure the site is accessible to the judges during that time period.  In the event that a judge cannot access a site to evaluate it, we will make every effort to contact the nominator by email and ask for the site to be checked. If the judges are unable to review the site in a timely manner, the WMA reserves the right to disqualify the site from the competition.

award levels

WebAwards are granted at three levels. Sites that receive the highest average score from the judges within a given industry category are awarded a "Best of Industry" WebAward. Remaining sites will then be judged against a standard of overall excellence and quality for either an Outstanding WebAward or Standard of Excellence WebAward based upon the total score given to the entry by the WebAward judges. One site will be recognized as Best of Show and receive a special edition WebAward statue.

WebAward winners will receive a personalized winner's page that recognizes the site as well as the team who worked on the winning entry. In addition, the nominator will receive images and icons that can be used online to promote their “award-winning website”.

Additional award a trophies and/or Certificates of Achievements can be purchased for an additional fee after winners have been announced. WebAward trophies, image plaques and certificates, which can be personalized to recognize individual contribution, will be available to award winners at the conclusion of the competition. If you were involved with an award-winning entry and would like to order a personalized WebAward plaque or certificate, please use our online order form.

entry fees

The fee for each entry in the WebAward Competition is $225, except for sites entered in the non-profit category, which has been reduced to $199. Entry fees are used to minimize the entry of low-quality web sites and help cover the costs of the competition.  Websites submitted after the deadline date of May 31, 2024 are subject to a $50 late fee per entry in addition to normal entry fees.

Entry fees are payable online through our secure server via credit card (MasterCard, Visa, American Express) or by check. Nominators, who have security concerns, may submit their entry form online and then mail payment information to the WMA along with the site's entry number. The WMA is not responsible for misdirected entry fees when the appropriate entry number is not included. A receipt or invoice for entry fees will be generated by the entry form submission process.

To submit entry fees by mail, please make checks payable to Web Marketing Association. Checks must be drawn from a US bank in US dollars. Submit the entry online and then mail the check with the entry number clearly stated to:


Web Marketing Association
WebAwards
P.O. Box 475
South Wellfleet, MA 02663

 

International participants who wish to submit their payments through a direct bank wire transfer should contact the WMA to request wire instructions. There is a $25 USD fee for bank transfers to cover fees charged by the banks.

deadline

The 2024 deadline for entry is Friday, May 31, 2024.  Any entries submitted after May 31st will be subject to a $50 late fee.  Judging will take place in June, July and August. Winners will be notified by e-mail one week prior to the general announcement of winners tentatively set for Early-September, 2024.