It’s hard to tell exactly how many individual websites are in existence, but according to a Netcraft survey (http://news.netcraft. com), there are about 170 million. Using easy web-authoring tools and templates, almost anyone can create a website, and new ones come online at a staggering rate of more than three million per month. Within this massive collection of websites there are some that are stunningly creative, or showpieces of technology, or spiritually moving, or all of the above. The problem is finding them, which is why it’s fortunate that there are the Webby Awards.

Often referred to as the Oscars of the Internet, the Webby Awards (www.webbyawards.com) honour the best websites in the world. The event was practically an unknown in 1997 when it was created by Internet designer and reporter Tiffany Schlain, who was given the assignment by The Web magazine. She barely raised enough money to hold the ceremony and only managed to give out a statue in each of 15 categories. In 1998 The Web magazine ceased publication and everyone was fired, except for Schlain and her one staffer, Dave Skaff, but she had come up with a winning concept. This year is the 12th annual ceremony, with awards being presented in nearly 70 categories to nominees that come from all over the world.

One winner in each category is chosen by the 550 members of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (www.iadas.net), whose membership includes such celebrities and luminaries as Sir Richard Branson, musician David Bowie, and Matt Groening, the creator of The Simpsons.

Ballots cast by ordinary Internet users decide a second winner in each category, called the Peoples’ Choice Award. Until May 1 you can go to the People’s Choice site (http://pv.webbyawards.com) and register to vote for your selection of a winner in as many or as few of the categories as you like.

Deciding on which sites to select as winners can be an enjoyable task since you will be treated to viewing a collection of the most amazing websites imaginable, but it’s also quite daunting since there are more than 350 websites vying for awards. You can pick several areas of interest and browse around the sites, which will keep you busy for some time.

Besides the time, you will need a fast Internet connection, a set of speakers and the latest version of Internet Explorer or Firefox. In a strange twist, many of the sites can detect and let you know if you lack the correct settings or resolution to appreciate the site. In the Activism category there is an interesting clash of interests. There is the graphically spectacular corporate site of H and M Fashion (http://www.hm.com/us/?#/faa), which is donating a modest portion of its sales to the fight against AIDS, Brad Pitt’s Make It Right site (http://makeitrightnola.org/), and the technically brilliant but harrowing and tragic Eyes on Darfur (http://eyesondarfur.org).

In other categories the Calligraphic World of Mi Fu’s Art (http://tech2.npm.gov.tw/mifu/ is a quiet and elegantly beautiful look at the work of a renowned artist, whereas the Automotive category’s nominees range from videos of BMW cars careening around a track (www.relearntodrive.com) to a strange urban nightmare game from Scion (http://attiknoise.com/ littledeviant/).

The Adbash site (http://theadbash.com) is a great example of cutting-edge website programming. Other sites depend more on outlandish content, such Rathergood (www.rathergood.com/), which is a website devoted to bizarre videos of kittens singing and dancing, or Someecards (www.someecards.com) which has e-cards that you can e-mail to celebrate birthdays and such, but they feature black and white images with seriously weird slogans.

In the Radio category you’ll see that the CBC has been nominated, but for its little-known Radio 3 site (http://radio3.cbc.ca/) which is an Internet-only radio station highlighting young, upcoming Canadian talent.

The Webby Award winners will be announced on June 10 at a gala in New York City.

Source