Sixteen years ago, Tiffany Shlain founded The Webby Awards, the leading international honors for websites. As business leader and creative director for nearly a decade, Tiffany Shlain along with Maya Draisin and hundreds of others built The Webby Awards into a global institution and industry bellwether, attracting thousands of entries from more than 40 countries and all 50 states. From the beginning, Tiffany was always interested in honoring the best of the internet while also playing with the award show model. In 1996, she was hired by Greg Mason, the publisher of The Web Magazine, an IDG publication, to produce the first Webby Awards, an idea which was initially brought to IDG by Erik Nelson, the Ex.Pr. of The Discovery Channel’s then series Cyberlife.
From it’s inception, Tiffany instituted a five-word speech rule, brought on great companies like Pricewaterhouse-Coopers, Intel, Audi, and collaborated with artists, performers, and made original short films for the sold out 3000 person events. She brought in eclectic roster of guests to the awards shows that has included Al Gore, Prince, internet pioneer Vinton Cerf, journalist Thomas L. Friedman, Google Founders, Ariana Huffington and artist Bill Viola. In 1998, Tiffany co-founded The International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences with Maya Draisin and Spencer Ante which today has over 550 members and serves as The Webbys’ judging body.
After a decade devoting her time building The Webby Awards, she brought in Recognition Media to run The Webby Awards. Today she focuses her time exclusively on her filmmaking and lecturing, and as Director of The Moxie Institute. Her work today merges the worlds of film, the Internet, and social change. The 15th Annual Webby Awards received nearly 10,000 entries from all 50 states and over 60 countries worldwide. The Webby Awards is presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. The 15th Annual Webbys were held in New York City in June 20. The video bellow, shows the founding of The Webby Awards by Tiffany Shlain. From it’s inception in San Francisco to it’s growth and movement to New York.
What we don’t understand in this award are two thiks: 1- Why you have to pay the registration ? Seems that the prizes goes every year mostly to huge companies which of course have money, staff and traffic to develop best websites. Just like if we decide to make a new fashion award in Itally and the winners will be every year Armani; Prada; Versace and Gucci, not considering thousens of young ( sometimes poor ) and tallented fashion designers and their cool ideas. What about our magazine ?A pour, new, innovative one, with good traffic considered that is made “in garage” by a couple of friends. Do you think we have any chance against Conde Nast’s Vogue; Wired; Vanity Fair; Style etc.etc ? Absolutely NO!
However we appreciate that someone do this work too. We think is not easy to manage a Webby edition, so the staff for sure do a great job. Our congratulation ! We invite anybody who believe that have a chance to winn this award to pay a visita t the link bellow and start to ENTER the next edition.