The Web Marketing Association is pleased to announce the call for entries for its 30th annual international WebAward competition. The WebAwards are the standards-defining competition that sets industry benchmarks based on the seven criteria of a successful Web site. This esteemed award program recognizes the individual and team achievements of Web professionals in 86 industries from all over the world who create and maintain outstanding Web sites. The deadline for entry for the 2026 WebAwards is May 29, 2026. A complete list of past winners and this year’s entry form can be found at www.webaward.org.
“Website development continues to evolve at an extraordinary pace, driven by advances in AI, personalization, performance optimization, accessibility standards, and ever-rising user expectations,” said William Rice, President of the Web Marketing Association. “Excellence in this environment deserves meaningful recognition. The WebAwards evaluate the complete digital experience — not just visual design, but strategy, innovation, technology, content, usability, and measurable impact. It is not simply a showcase of attractive websites; it is a benchmark-driven competition grounded in real-world performance standards. The goal of the WebAwards is to recognize the teams and organizations building the most effective digital platforms on the Internet today, while also providing entrants with valuable, objective feedback on how their websites compare to industry peers and established standards of excellence.”
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.
WEBAWARD WINNERS
Winning a WebAward is an outstanding marketing opportunity for both the “Award-Winning Website” and the company and developers who brought the site to life. Winning Websites are honored with a dedicated Winner’s Page on our highly-ranked competition website providing significant SEO benefits, as well as recognizing the teams and individuals responsible for remarkable web development.
Physical award statues, trophies, plaques and certificates will also be available to winners at the conclusion of the competition.
TOP AWARDS
This year’s top awards will include:
A “Best of Industry” WebAward will be given in each of the 86 industry categories, including education, financial services, healthcare, small business, travel, advertising, transportation and government.
The competition’s highest honor, the 2026 WebAward “Best of Show,” will be given to the one site that the judges believe represents the pinnacle of outstanding achievement in Web development. Last year’s Best of Show winner was presented to Ava Labs for their outstanding work on the Ava Labs: avax.network Website.
The Web Marketing Association will also recognize the interactive agency winning the most awards in the competition with the “Top Interactive Agency” WebAward. WSI was also named Top Agency at the 2025 WebAward Competition, taking home 12 WebAwards and earning 41 quality points. The Top Agency Award is given to recognize the consistently outstanding development going on at interactive firms.
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. 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 2026.
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 2025, there were 10 agencies/companies recognized with this prestigious award: Tyler Technologies, Miles Partnership, Scorpion, welcome, Jack Henry, Milestone Inc., Risdall Marketing Group, Findlaw, The Deciding Factor, and Maximus.
Judging for the 30th annual WebAwards will take place in June through August and winners will be announced in September. Judges will consist of a select group of Internet professionals who have direct experience designing and managing Web sites –including members of the media, interactive creative directors, site designers, content providers and webmasters – with an in-depth understanding of the current state-of-the-art in Web site development and technology. Past judges have included top executives from leading organizations such as Adobe, Universal McCann, SapientNitro, Brunner, Disney, Euro RSCG, Boeing, Huge, Bank of Montreal, IBM, VML, Facebook, J. Walter Thompson, Gartner, Possible Worldwide, YUM!, Cuker Interactive, PayPal, Razorfish, Munich Re, Refinery, Ernst & Young, Magellan Health Service, Microsoft, New York Times, R/GA, Family Cookbook Project, Saatchi & Saatchi, SAP, and Welcome.
The 2026 WebAwards are sponsored by the following leading organizations: iContact, PR.com and eTailConferences. The Web Marketing Association thanks these companies for their commitment to the entire online marketing community.
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To enter the 30th annual WebAward Competition for Website Development, please visit our website and create a nominator account.
About the WebAwards
The Web Marketing Association was founded in 1997 to help define the standard of excellence for online marketing. Our internationally known award programs, such as WebAward Competition for Website Development, Internet Advertising Competition and the MobileWebAwards, recognize the people and organizations responsible for developing the most effective online marketing programs on the Internet today. Entrants benefit from assessment of their marketing efforts by a professional judging panel and the marketing opportunities presented by being recognized as an award-winning web developer.