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Web Marketing Association Names Best Websites in 96 Industries


The Web Marketing Association is pleased to announce the winners of its 17th annual WebAward Competition for Web site development. More than 1,500 entries from 40 countries were adjudicated in 96 industry categories during this year’s competition. Entries were judged on design, copy writing, innovation, content, interactivity, navigation, and use of technology.
A complete list of the winning sites can be found at the WebAward Website at www.webaward.org.
“As the need of online consumers evolve, so does their expectation for a company’s website,” said William Rice, President of the Web Marketing Association. “Companies and other organizations must engage audiences online and websites have evolved into a critical business tool. Each year the WebAwards receives amazing entries from around the world that show impressive creativity and functionality.   Winning a WebAward is a great way to demonstrate the effectiveness of your Web development efforts. We congratulate all of our winners for developing websites that deliver for their audiences. “
  
Top Agency
Risdall Marketing Groupwas named Top Agency at the 2013 WebAward Competition, taking home 37 WebAwards. This is the second time Risdall has won the Top Agency WebAward. The Top Agency Award is given to recognize the consistently outstanding development going on at interactive firms.  An independently owned, full-service advertising agency, Risdall Marketing Group is located in New Brighton, Minnesota, outside Minneapolis and  is one of the largest, longest-lived independent ad agencies in the United States. It was recognized in the 2013 WebAwards with Best Manufacturing Website, Best Portal Website, Best Science Website, 7 Outstanding Website WebAwards and 27 Standard of Excellence WebAwards.

Best of Show
The 2012 Best of Show WebAward is presented to BETC Paris for their exceptional work on Peugeot RCZ Test Driver.  The site was also recognized as Best Automobile Website. 
This engaging website is the second part of the launch of Peugeot’s new sports car RCZ.   One of the scientists wants to take the RCZ for a midnight test drive. He gets chased through the streets by security guards and it is up to the user to configure   the car so he can hide and escape. To get the full experience, connect with your smart phone and control the experience remotely. The driver will text you when he needs help and you can change the look of the car with your phone to help him get away.

Outstanding Website Developers

19 agencies or companies were also recognized as Outstanding Website Developer for winning six or more WebAwards in 2013. They include:
AGENCY (Number of Awards)
Biggs|Gilmore 24
TravelClick 24
BGT Partners 20
SapientNitro 15
Sabre Hospitality Solutions 15
TMP Worldwide 15
CareTech Solutions 11
Cuker Interactive 10
Webmonster.com 9
Nebo 9
Positioner SA 8
4SPOTS 7
Atlantic BT 7
Roundarch Isobar 7
TopSpot Internet Marketing 6
RED Interactive Agency 6
Miles 6
Red Clay Interactive 6
HeBS Digital 6
Competition format
The competition was judged by a team of independent Internet professionals representing a variety of relevant disciplines of Web site development. Judges included members of the media, advertising executives, site designers, creative directors, corporate marketing executives, content providers and webmasters.
The WebAward competition format allows Web sites to compete head to head with other sites within their industry to win the Best of Industry award.  Entries also compete against a standard of excellence to win Outstanding Website and Standard of Excellence WebAwards.  Each site is judged on seven different criteria and earns a score between 0 and 70 points.  The highest score in a given category wins Best of Industry for that category. If the remaining entries receive a score of 60 or greater, they receive the Outstanding Web site award. Entries that score higher than their industry average and below 59.9 receive the Standard of Excellence.   
The 2013 WebAwards are sponsored by the following leading organizations: ExactTarget, Burst Media, PR Newswire, BGT Partners, ad:tech conferences, Internet World UK, Search Engine Strategies, EContent Magazine, Webmaster Radio and Website Magazine.

About the Web Marketing Association

The WebMarketing Association is working to create a high standard of excellence for Web site development and marketing on the Internet. Staffed by volunteers, it is made up of Internet marketing, advertising, PR and design professionals who share an interest in improving the quality of Website development and marketing on the Internet. Since 1997, the Web Marketing Association’s annual WebAward, Internet Advertising Competition and MobileWebAwardaward programs  have been helping interactive professionals promote themselves, their companies, and their best work to the outside world. Now in its 17th year, the WebAward Competition has become the premier award event for Web developers and marketers worldwide.
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Web Marketing Association Looking for Mobile Development Professionals to Judge 2013 MobileWebAward


The Web Marketing Association’s MobileWebAwards competition is currently accepting entries and is looking for qualified judges to help adjudicate this year’s award program.  This award program recognizes the individual and team achievements of Web professionals all over the world who create and maintain the best mobile Websites and the best mobile applications.   The Competition Web site is located at mobile-webaward.org and the deadline for entry is September 30, 2013.
To nominate yourself or someone within your organization, please complete the Judge’s Nomination Form. Mobile development professionals selected as judges will be contacted during the first week of October.
“Since 1997, the WebAwards have helped define the standards for website development, now the MobileWebAwards will do the same for sites and apps designed for mobile devices,” said William Rice, president of the Web Marketing Association.  “Smartphones and tablet computers are exploding and companies are racing to be allow users to connect and interact with them using mobile devices. We are looking for individuals who have direct experience developing for the expanding mobile platform. Our judges must have an in-depth understanding of the current state-of-the-art in mobile development, an eye for a well-designed interface and the objectivity to score entries according to a predefined set of criteria”.
Judging for the MobileWebAwards will take place in Mid-October, 2013, and winners will be notified by e-mail one week prior to the general announcement of winners in December, 2013. Judges will consist of a select group of Internet advertising professionals with an in-depth understanding of the current state-of-the-art in mobile website design and mobile application development. Past competition judges have included top executives from leading corporations, institutions and media organizations such as Ogilvy Interactive, R/GA , Saatchi & Saatchi, Blattner Brunner, Sun Microsystems, National Cable & Telecom Association, Refinery, Euro RSCG,  A&E Television Networks , New York Post Interactive, The Cincinnati Enquirer, Ernst & Young , J. Walter Thompson, Xerox, Art Institute of Pittsburgh, and Aristotle.
Entries will be accepted in both the Mobile Website and the Mobile Application formats. 
Entries will be judged on seven criteria:
  • Creativity
  • Impact
  • Design
  • Content
  • Interactivity
  • Ease of Use
  • Use of the medium
Judging an award show like the MobileWebAwards is a great way to share your experience and expertise with the mobile development community. It is an honor and an important responsibility when you are chosen to participate as a judge. You are helping to set the standard for award winning advertising throughout the Web.
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MobileWebAwards to Name Best Mobile Web Sites and Best Mobile Apps


The Web Marketing Association is pleased to announce the call for entries for its 2013 international MobileWebAward competition.  It recognizes the individual and team achievements of Web professionals all over the world who create and maintain outstanding mobile Websites and mobile applications.  The deadline for entry in the 2013 MobileWebAwards is September 30, 2013.  The entry form for this award program can be found at www.mobile-webaward.org.
“Revenue from Global Mobile Advertising to is expected to grow 400 Percent through 2016,” said William Rice, president of the Web Marketing Association.  “Worldwide mobile advertising revenue is forecast to reach $11.4 billion in 2013, with mobile advertising revenue creating new opportunities for app developers, ad networks, mobile platform providers, specialty agencies and even communications service providers in certain regions. The goal of the MobileWebAwards is to both recognize the people and organizations responsible for developing some of the most effective mobile Web sites and mobile apps on the Internet.”
The MobileWebAwards were judged on seven criteria seen as requirements for a success mobile website or mobile app. They include Creativity, Impact, Design, Content, Interactivity, Ease of use and Use of the medium. Each mobile website or mobile appentry is judged against other entries of the same format in its industry category and then against an overall standard of excellence. 
This year’s top awards will include:
A “Best of Industry” MobileWebAward will be given in each of the 96 industry categories, including financial services, medical, small business, travel, advertising, transportation and government.  
The competition’s highest honor, the 2012 MobileWebAward “Best of Show,” will be given to the one best mobile website and one best mobile app that the judges believe represents the pinnacle of outstanding achievement in Web development.  
HeBS Digital won Best of Show Mobile Website for Loews Hotels Mobile Website, which also was recognized as Best Hotel and Lodging Mobile Website.  Indiana Interactive, LLC won Best of Show Mobile Application for DNR iPhone Application, which also was awarded Best Travel Mobile Application.
The Web Marketing Association will also recognize the interactive agency winning the most awards in the competition with the “Top Interactive Agency” WebAward. In 2012, Aperto Move GmbH of Berlin Germany was named Top Interactive Agency for the 2012 international MobileWebAwards. They received five awards in the competition.
Each organization that wins 5 or more MobileWebAwards will be awarded an Outstanding Mobile Interactive Developer trophy.
Interactive agencies who are recognized with a winning entry will also be included in the Database of Award Winning Interactive Agencies.
Judging for the 2013 MobileWebAwards will take place in October and winners are expected to be announced in late December.  Judges will consist of a select group of Internet professionals who have direct experience designing and managing mobile Websites,–including members of the media, interactive creative directors, site designers, content providers and webmasterswith an in-depth understanding of the current state-of-the-art in Web site development and technology. Past WebAward  judges have included top executives from leading organizations such as A&E Television Networks, Agency.com, BGT Partners, Worldwide, The Cincinnati Enquirer, Comedy Central, Disney, Euro RSCG, Ion Global, J. Walter Thompson, John Deere Company, New York Post Interactive, Organic, Inc., Refinery, R/GA, Saatchi & Saatchi, SAP, Starwood Hotels, Sun Microsystems, Warner Bros. Online, Xerox and Website Magazine.
The 2013 MobileWebAwards are sponsored by the following leading organizations: BGT Partners, PR Newswire, Burst Media, MycroBurst, EContent Magazine, ExactTarget, ad:tech conferences, Internet World UK, SES Conferences, Webmaster Radio, and Website Magazine. The Web Marketing Association thanks these companies for their commitment to the entire online marketing community.
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One Month Until WebAward Deadline

Now is the time to enter the 17th annual WebAward Competition for Website Development. The deadline is now only one month away and you know you don’t want to miss it! It’s time to be recognized for your outstanding Web development by entering your work into the the Internet’s premier award competition. The deadline for entry is May 31, 2013 at www.webaward.org.

Entering is easy. Simply create a nominator account or log into an existing account from past years. This password protected area will allow you to enter multiple sites, edit the information up to when the judging begins and receive updates, results and feedback on your entries throughout the competition. If you entered last year, you can resubmit your entry with a single click! 
Websites are judged on seven criteria, including design, innovation, content, technology, interactivity, copy writing and ease of use and receive a numeric score.  Each WebAward entry is judged against other entries in its industry category and then against an overall standard of excellence.  Entrants also benefit from receiving valuable feedback from the WebAwards professional judging panel on their Web site development efforts.
The WebAward Top Agency award recognizes consistency of effort and is given to the interactive agency that wins the most WebAwards in a given year. All locations and offices of a specific agency will be consolidated for the purpose of determining the winner of this award. In a change from prior years, each entrant will be awarded points based on the level of award for each award received. A Best of Show will be worth 10 points, Best of Industry 5 points and each Outstanding award 3 points and a Standard of Excellence 1 point. The agency with the most points will be awarded the Top Agency Award for 2013.
Each year, many agencies and some corporations win multiple awards and deserve additional recognition. This year, we will recognize each organization that wins 6 or more WebAwards with an Outstanding Interactive Developer trophy. In 2012, there were 19 agencies recognized with this prestigious award.
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Best Education Websites to be Named by Web Marketing Association



The Web Marketing Association is looking for the best education Websites in the world as part of their 17th annual international WebAward Competition for Web site development at www.webaward.org. The WebAwards is the standards-defining competition that sets benchmarks for 96 industries, including education, schools and university websites, based on the seven criteria of a successful web site. The deadline for education websites to enter to be judged is May 31, 2013.

Education Websites are judged on seven criteria including design, innovation, content, technology, interactivity, copy writing and ease of use. Each WebAward entry in the Education category is judged against other education entries and then against an overall standard of excellence.
All education entrants benefit from receiving valuable feedback in terms of their specific criteria scores compared against the average scores for their industry. They also may receive specific comments from the WebAward’s professional judging panel on their Web site development efforts.
Each year, the Web Marketing Association names the Best of Industry for the various education categories based on the score they receive from the WebAward judges.
 
Recent winners of the Best Education Web Site include:
§  2012 – St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for Cure4Kids for Kids
§  2011 – Florida Institute of Technology for Florida Tech Decision Dashboard
§  2010 – Risdall Marketing Group for Mounds View Public Schools
§  2009 – American University for American University Web Site
§  2008 – TribalDDB for START A CHAIN REACTION
§  2007 – Creative Channel Services, LLC for Virgin Mobile – Train on Your Terms
§  2006 – National Geographic for Discover Antarctica
§  2005 – Disney Online for Hot Shot Business
§  2004 – General Motors for GMability Education
§  2003 – Disney Online for Hot Shot Business
§  2002 – Freddie Mac for Your Route to Homeownership
Recent winners of the Best Schools Web Site include:
§  2012 – Bluetube Interactive for UGA Performing Arts Center
§  2011 – WhippleHill Communications for Glenelg Country School
§  2010 – Designkitchen for Wheaton College 150th Anniversary Web Site
§  2009 – WhippleHill Communications for Latin School of Chicago
§  2008 – WhippleHill Communications for Vail Mountain School
§  2007 – Tellus for Bethany School
§  2006 – WhippleHill Communications for St. George’s School
§  2005 – Tellus for West Clermont School District
§  2004 – eSiteful Corporation for Plano Independent School District
Recent winners of the Best University Web Site include:
§  2012 – University Marketing and Communications for 30 Days of EnTERPreneurship
§  2011 – Denison University & Fahlgren Mortine for TheDEN
§  2010 – Corey McPherson Nash for University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business
§  2009 – BrowserMedia for University of Maryland Women’s Basketball
§  2008 – Market United for Murdoch University Switching
§  2007 – The Art Institute of Pittsburgh for The Art Institute of Pittsburgh
§  2006 – Xavier University for The Road to Xavier
§  2005 – Geary Interactive for Sand Diego State University Timeline
2004 – School of Visual Arts for School of Visual Arts web site
2003 – 160over90 for Chestnut Hill College Admissions site
2002 – University of Houston for University of Houston – Division of University Advancement

Winners of a WebAward in the education categories will also receive:
·         Handsome statue or certificate of achievement
·         Increased visibility for their company
·         Marketing opportunity to promote the company website to the media
·         Links to your site from the highly ranked WebAward site to help SEO
·         A highlight for your resume.
·         Admiration of peers, friends and co-workers
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Best Environmental Website to be Named by Web Marketing Association



The Web Marketing Association is looking for the best environmental Websites in the world as part of their 17th annual international WebAward Competition for Web site development at www.webaward.org. The WebAwards is the standards-defining competition that sets benchmarks for 96 industries, including environmentalweb sites, based on the seven criteria of a successful web site. The deadline for environmental websites to enter to be judged is May 31, 2013.

Web sites are judged on seven criteria including design, innovation, content, technology, interactivity, copy writing and ease of use. Each WebAward entry is judged against other entries in its industry category and then against an overall standard of excellence.

Each year the Web Marketing Association names the Best Environmental Website based on the scores submitted by the competition judges.

Recent Best Environmental Website winners include:
 

2012 – McMillan for Canadian WildLife Federation timeline
2011 – ARKive for ARKive: Promoting the Conservation of the World’s Threatened Species, Through the Power of Wildlife Imagery
2010 – Sabre Hospitality Solutions for See the Bigger Picture – National Geographic.
2009 – BLITZ Agency for Starbucks Shared Planet Web Site.

All environmental industry entrants benefit from receiving valuable feedback in terms of their specific scores compared against the average scores for their industry. They also may receive specific comments from the WebAward’s professional judging panel on their Web site development efforts.

Winners of a WebAward in the environmental category will also receive:
·         Handsome statue or certificate of achievement
·         Increased visibility for their company
·         Marketing opportunity to promote the company website to the media
·         Links to your site from the highly ranked WebAward site to help SEO
·         A highlight for your resume
·         Admiration of peers, friends and co-workers


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Best Advertising Websites to be Named by Web Marketing Association



The Web Marketing Association is looking for the best advertising Websites in the world as part of their 17th annual international WebAward Competition for Web site development at the WebAwardWeb site. The WebAwards is the standards-defining competition that sets benchmarks for 96 industries, including advertising, design and marketing web sites, based on the seven criteria of a successful Web site. The deadline for advertising web sites to enter to be judged is May 31, 2013.

All Websites are judged on seven criteria including design, innovation, content, technology, interactivity, copy writing and ease of use. Each WebAward entry in the advertising category is judged against other advertising entries in its industry category and then against an overall standard of excellence.
All advertising entrants benefit from receiving valuable feedback in terms of their specific scores compared against the average scores for their industry. They also may receive specific comments from the WebAward’s professional judging panel on their Web site development efforts.

Each year the Web Marketing Association names the Best Advertising Website based on the scores submitted by the competition judges.

Recent winners of the Best Advertising Web Siteinclude:

2012 – Venables Bell & Partners for Slim Jim’s Center for Spice Loss
2011 – Corey McPherson Nash for Corey McPherson Nash Website
2010 – Metia for Mass Effect 2 Silverlight Campaign
2009 – Red Square Agency for the Red Square Agency Website
2008 – Sharpe Partners for the Burns Group Website.
2007 – SpotRunner for SpotRunner Website
2006 – SpotRunner for SpotRunner Website
2005 – Young & Rubicam Brands/Wunderman, Detroit for Meet the Lucky Ones
2004 – Hanon McKendry/The Brand Consultants for Lake Effect Website
2004 – Oasis for Toyota Scion
2003 – Google for Google AdWords
2002 – Fusebox, Inc for JCDecaux Airport US


Recent winners of the Best Design Web site include:


2012 – Valtech for Normann Copenhagen
2011 – Activeark for Marimekko.com
2010 – H2O Associates for Tom Hoch Design Web site
2009 – Tribal DDB Worldwide for Warehouse 13
2008 – Azavar Technologies for Justyna Collections Catalog
2007 – Walt Disney Internet Group for Disney.com / Disney XD
2006 – Publicis Net for Experience Wonder You
2005 – R/GA for Nokia Nseries Sitelet
2004 – Gigapixel Creative for Gigapixel Creative, Inc.
2003 – Arnold Worldwide for The Touareg
2002 – PriceWeber, Inc. for Canadian Mist web site

Recent winners of the Best Marketing Web site include:
2012 – UrbanDaddy forUrbanDaddy + Herradura Mixology Battle Royale (which also won Best of Show 2012)
2011 – IQ for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
2010 – Physicians Interactive for Physicians Interactive Corporate Website
2008 TYS Creative for Ensemble HD Home Cinema System by Epson
2007 Hanson Dodge Lime for Product Launch
2006 Rare Method for Silvertip Resort
2005 Nurun | Ant Farm for Nurun | Ant Farm Interactive Website Interactive
2004 Vérité, Inc. for Symantec Client Security 2.0 Channel Launch Kit
2003 Zugara for The Getaway
2002 Disc Marketing, Inc. for Disc Marketing Corporate Website

Winners of a WebAward in the advertising and marketing categories will also receive:
·         Handsome statue or certificate of achievement
·         Increased visibility for their company
·         Marketing opportunity to promote the company website to the media
·         Links to your site from the highly ranked WebAward site to help SEO
·         A highlight for your resume.
·         Admiration of peers, friends and co-workers


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Best Energy Website to be Named by Web Marketing Association


The Web Marketing Association is looking for the best Energy  Websites in the world as part of their 17th annual international WebAward Competition for Web site development at www.webaward.org. The WebAwards is the standards-defining competition that sets benchmarks for 96 industries, including energy websites, based on the seven criteria of a successful web site. The deadline for energy websites to enter to be judged is May 31, 2013.

Web sites are judged on seven criteria including design, innovation, content, technology, interactivity, copy writing and ease of use. Each WebAward entry is judged against other entries in its industry category and then against an overall standard of excellence.

Each year the Web Marketing Association names the Best Energy Website based on the scores submitted by the competition judges. A complete list of past winners and the entry form for companies who wish to compete for 2013 honors can be found at the Best Energy Website page.
Recent winners of the Best Energy Web site include:
2012 – Mineral for AV – EV Solutions Website
2011 – Weber Shandwick Visual Communications for Luminant Power Track
2010 – Savage for Tenaris Corporate Website
2009 – NJI Media Group for Energy Townhall
2008 – B·U·T for DuPont in Energy
2007 – Dell Global Site Design for Dell Earth
2006 – Edison International for Edison International Website
2005 – Macquariam for AGL Resources
2004 – Abengoa Bioenergy for Abengoa Bioenergy Corp
2003 – APS for aps.com E-care
2002 – Rhino Internet Solutions for Arizona Public Service

All entrants benefit from receiving valuable feedback in terms of their specific scores compared against the average scores for their industry. They also may receive specific comments from the WebAward’s professional judging panel on their Web site development efforts.
Winners of a WebAward in the energy category will also receive:
·         Handsome statue or certificate of achievement
·         Increased visibility for their company
·         Marketing opportunity to promote the company website to the media
·         Links to your site from the highly ranked WebAward site to help SEO
·         A highlight for your resume.
·         Admiration of peers, friends and co-workers

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Best Food and Beverage Websites to be Named by Web Marketing Association




The Web Marketing Association is looking for the best food and beverage Websites in the world as part of their 17th annual international WebAward Competition for Web site development at www.webaward.org. The WebAwards is the standards-defining competition that sets benchmarks for 96 industries, including food and beveragewebsites, based on the seven criteria of a successful web site. The deadline for food and beverage websites to enter to be judged is May 31, 2013.

Web sites are judged on seven criteria including design, innovation, content, technology, interactivity, copy writing and ease of use. Each WebAward entry is judged against other entries in its industry category and then against an overall standard of excellence.
Each year the Web Marketing Association names the best industry websites based on the scores submitted by the competition judges.
Recent winners of the Best Food Web site include:

2012 – Biggs|Gilmore for Froot Loops – Sooper Loopers
2011 – Biggs|Gilmore for Apple Jacks – Catch the Taste
2010 – Biggs|Gilmore for Apple Jacks – Catch the Taste
2009 – G2 interactive for Fishful Thinking
2008 – XylemCCI for Jack Link’s Beef Jerky Web site
2007 – Biggs|Gilmore for Pop-Tarts
2006 – Publicis Net for Coca Cola BlaK
2005 – These Days & Sara Lee for Jacqmotte Escape
2004 – Emerald of California for Emerald of California web site
2003 – Fairytale Brownies for brownies.com
Recent winners of the Best Beverage Web site include:

2012 – Odwalla & 360i for Odwalla Goodness Grows Here
2011 – Asterix Group for You Don’t Know Oz
2010  Hungama Digital Media for Pepsi – The Game
2009BLITZ Agency for Naked Juice Web Site
2008Eurorscg 4D Amsterda, for Carte Noire: ‘Une Declaration Nommee Desir’
2007Squeaky Wheel Media for SoBe Beverages
2006Creative Presence Partners / MaxMedia Design for KING JAMES
2005Tribal DDB Sydney for Dare Shot
2004Brown-Forman for Early Times
2003Bacardi Global Brands / Motivo / cosmoblonde for BACARDI.COM

All entrants benefit from receiving valuable feedback in terms of their specific scores compared against the average scores for their industry. They also may receive specific comments from the WebAward’s professional judging panel on their Web site development efforts.

Winners of a WebAward in the food and beverage categories will also receive:
·         Handsome statue or certificate of achievement
·         Increased visibility for their company
·         Marketing opportunity to promote the company website to the media
·         Links to your site from the highly ranked WebAward site to help SEO
·         A highlight for your resume
·         Admiration of peers, friends and co-workers