Past Winners Include NBC,
Comedy Central, Yahoo! News,
"lonelygirl15" and "Ask a Ninja"
New York, NY (September 19,
2007) Internet video upstarts
and Hollywood heavyweights alike
can start practicing their
five-word speeches and preparing
for their moment in the global
Webby spotlight.
The Webby Film and Video Awards,
the leading international honors
for original film and video
premiering on the Internet,
today kicked-off its call for
entries with 19 new categories
including Music, Sports,
Technology, and Travel, as well
new technical categories
recognizing excellence in
editing, sound design, writing,
and use of animation.
To
enter work in The Webby Film &
Video Awards, visit
www.webbyawards.com. The
early entry deadline is October
26, 2007.
According to David-Michel
Davies, Executive Director of
The Webby Awards, the expansion
into new categories reflects the
increasing influence and
popularity of online video. Last
week, ComScore revealed that
nearly 75 percent of U.S.
Internet users watched an
average of three hours of online
video in July 2007.
"Over the past year, there's
really been a perfect storm when
it comes to online video," said
David-Michel Davies, executive
director of The Webby Awards.
"We've seen steep price drops in
cameras and software, while new
technologies have enhanced the
online viewing experience,
making it possible for anyone to
create and share high-quality,
entertaining, and compelling
content. We're looking forward
to recognizing the best video
premiering online, whether
created by upstart Internet
video pioneers or major media
companies. "
Launched last year, The Webby
Film and Video Awards is judged
by a panel of more than 85
entertainment industry leaders
that includes The Sundance
Channel's Larry Aidem, director
Darren Aronofsky, Showtime chief
Matt Blank, 20th Century Fox
Chairman Jim Gianopoulos, and
Harvey Weinstein.
The 2008 winners will join the
ranks of inaugural honorees such
as NBC's "The Office Webisodes,"
Comedy Central's "Honesty," and
Yahoo! News' "Kevin Sites in the
Hot Zone."
Comedian Rob Corddry hosted the
first annual ceremony in June
2007 where Jessica Rose of
"lonelygirl15" and Ninja of "Ask
a Ninja" delivered the Webbys'
famed five-word speeches when
they accepted the top prizes for
Best Actress and Best Actor.
Other winners included
Eepybird.com's "The Extreme Diet
Coke and Mentos Experiments" and
the cult series, "ItsAllInYourHands.com."
Nominees will be announced in
April and winners will be
honored at a star-studded, New
York ceremony in June 2008.
In
addition to winning a Webby,
nominees and winners of The
Webby Film and Video Awards will
become part of The Museum of
Moving Image's collection of
over 125,000 moving
image-related artifacts. The
Museum of the Moving Image (www.movingimage.us)
maintains the nation's largest
and most comprehensive
collection of moving
image-related artifacts.
Hailed as the "Oscars of the
Internet" by the New York Times,
The Webby Awards is the leading
international award honoring
excellence on the Internet,
including Web sites, interactive
advertising, online film and
video, and mobile web sites.
Established in 1996, the 11th
Annual Webby Awards received a
record 8,000 entries from all 50
states and over 60 countries
worldwide. The Webby Awards is
presented by The International
Academy of Digital Arts and
Sciences. Sponsors and Partners
of The Webby Awards include:
Adobe; The Creative Group;
Level3; Getty Images; dotMobi;
The Barbarian Group;
CondéNast|CondéNet;; Adweek;
Fortune; Reuters; Variety;
Wired; IDG: Brightcove;
PricewaterhouseCoopers;
2advanced.Net; KobeMail and
Museum of the Moving Image.
