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“Nude selfies ‘til I die.” – Kim Kardashian West
“Guts. Heart. Drive. Passion. WiFi.” – Jessica Alba
“Stay turnt: Black Lives Matter.” – Opal Tometi, co-founder #BlackLivesMatter
“Is Drake in the house?” – Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner
“Thank you, thank you, thank.” -Krysten Ritter
“Wow. You guys love websites.” -Todd Hanson, The Onion
Watch The Webby Awards: webbyawards.com
NEW YORK, May 17, 2016 — The Webby Awards honored the year’s biggest Internet visionaries and celebrated its 20th anniversary with a star-studded ceremony at Cipriani Wall Street on May 16. This year’s Webby Winners, Special Achievement Honorees, and Presenters included media mogul Kim Kardashian West, entrepreneur and actress Jessica Alba, director Spike Lee, Girls creators and Lenny Letter co-founders Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner, artist and entrepreneur Kanye West, Marvel’s Jessica Jones stars Krysten Ritter and Mike Colter, documentary filmmaker Michael Moore, artist Erykah Badu, actress Megan Mullally, #BlackLivesMatter co-founder Opal Tometi, comedian John Hodgman, Making A Murderer directors Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi, YouTube personality Tyler Oakley, tech legend and Recode co-founder Kara Swisher, VICE co-founder and CEO Shane Smith, rapper Action Bronson and Instagram’s Eva Chen.
First-time Webby Awards host, comedian Nick Offerman promised the audience that “every winner will be called out with all the gravitas and accuracy of Steve Harvey at the Miss Universe pageant.” The critically acclaimed comedian, actor, writer, and musician kept this year’s Winners in check, upholding the trademark 5-Word Webby tradition for the acceptance speeches.
The Awards Show lauded the innovators and visionaries that captured the attention and hearts of Internet fans around the world, from social justice and storytelling to humor and celebrity. The celebration also marked the milestone 20th anniversary of The Webby Awards, honoring Winners past and present. Accepting its 28th Webby Award since the show’s inaugural year in 1997, The Onion took home this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by comedian John Hodgman, for its lasting impact on Internet culture, declaring: “Wow. You guys love websites.” And in a moving tribute to the legendary artist and past Webby Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Prince, friend and fellow artist Erykah Badu closed this year’s show with a live performance of the late musical innovator’s “Ballad of Dorothy Parker,” a powerful reminder of his extraordinary contributions to the online music community. David Bowie, a former Lifetime Achievement Award Winner, was also remembered fondly with a GIF designed by artist Helen Green.
“Tonight we celebrated the remarkable accomplishments of some of the most talented innovators, entrepreneurs and artists,” said David-Michel Davies, Executive Director of The Webby Awards. “It’s been an incredible pleasure to dork out with all the Winners and Nominees these past two decades and we hope there’s much more dorking out to come.”
Highlights from this year’s Webby Awards include:
Much-admired tech legend Kara Swisher presented Kim Kardashian West with the first Break the Internet Award, calling her “the most Googled person in the world” and “a media mogul for the new millennium.” When Kardashian West took the stage to accept the award from Swisher, she announced to the world: “Nude selfies ‘til I die.”
Actress Jessica Alba took the stage to accept the inaugural Entrepreneur of the Year Award for harnessing the power of the Internet and social media to build her successful business, The Honest Company. Accepting the award from fellow entrepreneur and Warby Parker co-founder Neil Blumenthal, Alba said: “Guts. Heart. Passion. Drive. Wifi.”
Instagram’s Eva Chen presented the first-ever New Founders of the Year Award to Girls creators Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner for making the old new again with their bold and outspoken Lenny Letter newsletter. The duo declared: “Is Drake in the house?”
Prolific filmmaker and director Spike Lee presented the very first Webby for Social Movement of the Year to #BlackLivesMatter for using the Internet and social media as a means to create one of the most memorable and powerful rallying cries for social justice. Accepting the award from Lee, the movement’s co-founder Opal Tometi received a standing ovation, reaffirming: “Stay turnt: Black Lives Matter.”
After taking the stage and announcing that “Kim Kardashian stole my speech,” Academy-Award winning documentary filmmaker Michael Moore presented the Webby for Film & Video Breakout of the Year to the chilling Netflix true crime series Making a Murderer. Accepting the award from Moore, the show’s directors Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi said: “The story is not over.”
Actress Megan Mullally joined her husband Offerman on stage for an impromptu stand-up routine to present the Webby for Agency of the Year, saying she “didn’t realize that the Internet had actual people behind it.” Advertising pioneer and R/GA founder, Chairman and CEO Bob Greenberg accepted the Webby from Mullally with a nod to his agency’s groundbreaking work on the Love Has No Labels and Straight Outta campaigns, saying: “I’m straight out of words.”
When Marvel’s Jessica Jones Mike Colter surprised his co-star Krysten Ritter on stage with her Webby Best Actress Award, the actress exclaimed: “Thank you, thank you, thank.”
Artist, record producer, fashion designer and entrepreneur Kanye West accepted the Webby for Artist of the Year for his cutting-edge contributions to the online music industry, declaring in a pre-taped 5-Word acceptance video: “I can’t stand short speeches.”
Fans can watch this year’s Webby Awards celebration on demand at WebbyAwards.com beginning May 17 and via the Xfinity On Demand menu on X1 beginning May 19.
Links to Post-Event Footage:
High-res red carpet arrival photos are available for your post-event coverage at Getty here: http://wbby.co/hJsYn
(Photo credit: Getty/The Webby Awards)
High-res inside photos from the event can be downloaded at Getty here:
http://wbby.co/u5YE9
(Photo credit: Getty/The Webby Awards)
Watch The 20th Annual Webby Awards Now:
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheWebbyAwards
***PLEASE CREDIT THE WEBBY AWARDS WITH ALL VIDEO AND PHOTO USE***
Find The Webby Awards Online:
Website: www.webbyawards.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/TheWebbyAwards
Snapchat: TheWebbyAwards
Twitter: @TheWebbyAwards
YouTube: www.youtube.com/webby
About the Webby Awards:
Hailed as the “Internet’s highest honor” by The New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites, Advertising & Media, Online Film & Video, Mobile Sites & Apps and Social. Established in 1996, The Webby Awards received nearly 13,000 entries from all 50 states and over 70 countries worldwide this year. The Webby Awards is presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS). Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include: Xfinity, Google, Verizon, Vitamin T, The Scene, Zipcar, YouTube, MediaMonks, Adformatie, Advertising Age, Code and Theory, Cool Hunting, Creativepool, Digiday, FITC, GIPHY, Internet Week New York, It’s Nice That, Mashable, Mobile Marketing Association, Moleskine, Ninja Marketing, Northside Festival, NUMA, Social Media Week, SoDA, Springwise, Sysomos, Taste Talks, The Drum, The Guardian News Media, The Hollywood Reporter, Tube Filter and VentureBeat.