The Webby Awards honors the best of the Internet, working every year with industry experts in the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences (IADAS) to not only elevate breakthrough work, but also evolve and incorporate new categories that reflect the growing digital landscape.
On the heels of our most successful year yet, our 27th year marks a remarkable time to be online. The internet is more ubiquitous, fragmented and decentralized than ever before. It’s a space where everyone can find community. It also marks a moment in which creators are considering the impact of their work, and want to innovate with technology, responsibly.
In line with our mission to spotlight the best work on the Internet, we have included brand new honors for Metaverse, Immersive, Responsible Technology, Podcasts, Social and more.
Discover our new categories below, and enter here for early pricing before the Early Entry Deadline on October 28th, 2022.
New Dedicated Suite of Honors for Metaverse, Immersive & Virtual Categories
For the first time ever, The Webby Awards is introducing a dedicated suite of Metaverse, Immersive & Virtual categories into the competition. Over the past few years, it’s become clear that virtual worlds and metaverses are revolutionizing how we interact online. From how we create, shop, play and engage with the world around us, metaverse projects and initiatives will only continue to grow. We are honoring new ventures in this space with a suite of general Metaverse & Immersive categories, including:
- Art, Fashion & Culture
- Business & Technology
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
- Entertainment, Sports & Music
- Food & Drink
- Retail & Shopping
- Public Service & Activism
- Science & Education
Learn more about our new Metaverse, Immersive & Virtual honors, and how your work might fit in, here.
New Craft Categories for Metaverse and Immersive
In addition to our general honors, we have introduced a suite of craft categories to honor excellence across Metaverse & Immersive. The past few years have taught us that innovation in these spaces is constant and rapid. With the introduction of these new categories, we hope to recognize the best creations in this space that are pushing physical boundaries to a compelling extent, to inspire the rest of our community. New craft categories in Metaverse & Immersive include:
- Best Experiential Design
- Best Narrative Experience
- Best VR Headset Experience
- Technical Achievement
Learn more about our new craft categories for Metaverse, Immersive & Virtual honors, and how your work might fit in, here.
New Honors for dApps within Apps, dApps & Software
Also for the first time ever, we have introduced new Web 3 categories into the competition to reflect the way that decentralization is impacting the way creation and collaboration is happening online. dApps will now be recognized within Apps, dApps & Software with new honors including:
- Defi & Wallets
- Marketplace & Commerce
- Service & Utilities
- Art, Games & Culture
Learn more about our new honors for Apps, dApps & Software, and how your work might fit in, here.
New Suite of Categories Recognizing Responsible Technology
Throughout the summer, our team has been hard at work on learning more about how technology can be made in more responsible ways. As part of a special initiative with Omidyar Network, we have unveiled brand new honors for Responsible Technology, in hopes to honor world class examples that are mitigating harms online and to inspire our community to create work in more responsible ways. New Responsible Technology honors across Website & Mobile Sites and Apps, Games, dApps & Software include:
- Accessible Technology
- Responsible Information
- Responsible Innovation
- Sustainable Technology
Learn more about our new Responsible Technology categories, and how your work might fit in, here.
Expanded Honors Recognizing Social Content Series and Social Campaigns
New this year, we are now honoring excellence in social media in different ways. Social Content Series categories will recognize serial programming inclusive of video and social content released as ongoing and limited series or franchise. Separately, Social Campaigns categories will recognize work all platforms that promotes or supports a brand, product, event, show, or initiative recognize how the work is made and distributed. New categories for Social Content Series, Social Campaigns and General Social include:
- Best Community Engagement
- Best Influencer or Creator Endorsement
- Best Partnership or Collaboration
- Best Use of Vertical Video
- Arts, Culture & Lifestyle
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
- Education & Discovery
- Events & Livestreams
- Fashion, Beauty & Retail
- Sports
- TV, Film & Entertainment
Learn more about our expanded honors for Social, and how your work might fit in, here.
Expanded Honors Across Advertising, Media & PR
Our Advertising, Media & PR categories are long-standing honors in The Webby Awards competition. To better reflect the ways in which creative work is being made today, we have expanded honors to better reflect the new technologies used, unique collaborations and ways to engage audiences through advertising and marketing work today. New honors include categories for:
- Best Partnership or Collaboration
- Best Community Engagement
- Best In-Game Integration
- Best NFT or Web3 Campaign
- Best Original Music or Music Supervision
- Best Social Impact Campaign
Learn more about our new honors in Advertising, Media & PR, and how your work might fit in, here.
Expanded Honors for Podcasts
Over the past few years, the importance podcasts has exploded across the industry, and is showing no signs of slowing down. We are excited to continue celebrating this podcast boom and use of audio to help us share stories with one another through expanded categories. New honors for Podcast Features include:
- Best Partnership or Collaboration
- Best Video Series
- Experimental & Innovation
Learn more about these new Podcast honors, and where your work might fit in, here.
The 27h Annual Webby Awards is our biggest season yet! When you enter you have your work looked at by the Internet’s brightest minds: the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.
Meet this year’s new Executive Judges, and enter your work across Websites and Mobile Sites, Advertising, Media, & PR, Video, Social, Apps, dApps and Software, Podcasts, Games, and – new this year – Metaverse, Immersive & Virtual before the Early Entry Deadline, October 28, 2022.
