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22ND ANNUAL WEBBY AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Netflix, JAY-Z’s Smile, Instagram, Fortnite, 2 Dope Queens, Lady Gaga, Museum of Ice Cream, Spotify, Tilt Brush, and NASA Among Those Receiving Internet’s Highest Honor

David Chang, Susan Fowler, Laura Linney, Chris Long, Steven Soderbergh, FKA twigs, Jesse Williams, Mitchell Baker recognized as Webby Special Achievement Honorees

National Geographic Wins Inaugural Webby Media Company of the Year

http://webbyawards.com

NEW YORK, April 24, 2018 –  Apple, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Kourtney Kardashian, Amazon Music, S-Town, Overwatch, and Vanity Fair are among the Winners of the 22nd Annual Webby Awards. This year’s Winners will be recognized alongside Special Achievement honorees, including #MeToo trailblazer Susan Fowler, actor Jesse Williams, artist FKA twigs, Mozilla founder Mitchell Baker, actress Laura Linney, director Steven Soderbergh, Ugly Delicious creator David Chang, and NFL player Chris Long.

Webby Winners are selected by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences; members include Lyft CEO Logan Green, Girls Who Code Founder Reshma Saujani, Gimlet Media CEO Alex Blumberg, Instagram’s Eva Chen, CNN host Van Jones, Internet inventor Vint Cerf, and Playmatics CEO Margaret Wallace. This year, three million votes were cast from Internet fans in more than 240 countries and territories around the world to choose the Winners of the Webby People’s Voice Awards.

Hosted by comedian Amber Ruffin, this year’s star-studded ceremony in New York on Monday, May 14, will celebrate the most inspiring, exciting, and entertaining work on the Internet. Fans can watch the full Awards Show and show highlights, including special performances and all the hallmark 5-Word Speeches from the night’s big Winners on Tuesday, May 15 at webbyawards.com.

The Academy announced the first-ever Webby for Media Company of the Year. National Geographic took home the historic Webby Award, with the most pieces of celebrated work across all Webby categories and an impressive 26 wins overall. Condé Nast and VICE were among those in close contention for Webby Media Company of the Year.

Organizers also announced a slate of outstanding individuals who will be recognized with Webby Special Achievement Awards this year. Joining the ranks of previous Special Achievement Winners like Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Prince, Solange, Jessica Alba, and The Women’s March are:

Webby Person of the Year: Susan Fowler for fearlessly using the Internet to expose a deep culture of misogyny and sexual harassment at Uber and calling on the tech industry to take a stand against harassment of any kind. In a year marked by stories of sexual harassment and assault across industries, Fowler’s personal and powerful account helped to ignite the global #MeToo movement.

Webby Lifetime Achievement: Mitchell Baker for her decades of leadership at Mozilla, her pioneering vision to make the Firefox browser open source, and her role as a fierce champion of a free and open web. With growing threats to Internet freedom, from censorship to the dismantling of net neutrality, Baker has been one of the world’s most influential leaders on open source and one of the greatest defenders of an open, collaborative Internet community.

Webby Special Achievement: FKA twigs for her incredible contributions to digital culture and for embracing the Internet as the ultimate creative platform to share experimental new art, from her Instagram magazine to her surprise EP release.

Webby Best Actress: Laura Linney for her spellbinding work as Wendy in the critically acclaimed Netflix original series Ozark. Linney brings her exceptional talent to a complex role on one of the most binge-watched and talked-about new series this year.

Webby Special Achievement: Jesse Williams for bridging the gap between activism and entertainment with his newest app, BLeBRiTY, and his use of social media to call attention to the lack of diversity in both the entertainment and tech space.

Webby Film & Video Person of the Year: Steven Soderbergh for pushing the boundaries of what is possible through digital storytelling and enhancing the viewer experience with his new interactive mobile filmmaking app, Mosaic.

Webby Special Achievement: David Chang for bringing nuanced and difficult conversations on food, authenticity, and cultural appropriation to the Internet with the Netflix instant-hit Ugly Delicious. Chang broke the mold with his eight-episode streaming series, making it more than just a show, but a brilliant digital platform for innovation and cultural understanding.

Webby Best Athlete: Chris Long for his work both on and off the football field, and for donating his salary this season to fund scholarships in Charlottesville and educational equity programs around the country.

22nd Annual Webby Award Winner highlights include:

• Fortnite won the Webby People’s Voice Award for Best Multiplayer/Competitive Game (Games)
• Vanity Fair won the Webby Award for Magazine (Websites)
• Super Deluxe won the Webby Award for Best Overall Social Presence – Media/Entertainment (Social)
• Museum of Ice Cream won the Webby Award and People’s Voice Award for Best Overall Social Presence – Brand (Social)
• Fearless Girl won the Webby Award for Best Cause-Related Campaign and Best Use of Earned Media (Advertising, Media & PR) and the People’s Voice Award for Real-Time Response (Advertising, Media & PR)
• NowThis won the Webby Award and People’s Voice Award for News & Information (Social)
• Tilt Brush won the Webby Award for VR: Interactive Game or Real-Time (Film & Video)
• Crooked Media won the Webby Award and People’s Voice Award for Best News & Politics Podcast for Pod Save The People (Podcasts & Digital Audio)
• The New Yorker won the Webby Award for Best Writing – Editorial (Websites)
• Peloton won the Webby Award for Health & Fitness (Mobile Sites & Apps)
• Bravo Tango Brain Training won the Webby People’s Voice Award for Best Use of Machine Learning (Mobile Sites & Apps)
• The Museum of Modern Art won the Webby People’s Voice Award for Cultural Institutions (Websites)
• Headspace won the Webby People’s Voice Award for Health & Fitness (Mobile Sites & Apps)
• The Long Dark won the Webby Award for Best Writing (Games)
• 2 Dope Queens won the Webby People’s Voice Award for Comedy (Podcasts & Digital Audio)
• Instagram DeepText won the Webby Award for Best Use of Machine Learning (Mobile Sites & Apps)
• The Players’ Tribune won the Webby Award for Sports (Websites)
• NASA Solar System Exploration won the Webby Award for Science (Websites)
• Atlas Obscura won the Webby People’s Voice Award for Travel (Websites)
• Night Sky won the Webby People’s Voice Award for Best Use of Augmented Reality (Mobile Sites & Apps)
• Cuphead won the Webby Award for Best Visual Design (Games) and the People’s Voice Award for Best Art Direction (Games)

Entertainment highlights from the 22nd Annual Webby Awards Winners include:

• JAY-Z: Smile won the Webby Award for Best Individual Performance (Film & Video)
• Kourtney Kardashian won the Webby People’s Voice Award for Celebrity/Fan (Website)
• The Daily Show: Social Media won the Webby People’s Voice Awards for Humor and Best Writing (Social)
• Katy Perry’s Chained to the Rhythm Campaign won the Webby People’s Voice Award for Music (Social)
• Game of Thrones won Webby People’s Voice Awards for Best Overall Social Presence – Media/Entertainment (Social), Trailer (Film & Video), and Digital Campaign (Advertising, Media & PR)
• CNN’s Anthony Bourdain’s Explore Parts Unknown: Return to Catalunya won the Webby People’s Voice Award for Travel & Adventure (Film & Video)
• RuPaul: What’s the Tee with Michelle Visage won the Webby Award for Best Host (Podcasts & Digital Audio)
• Gaga: Five Foot Two won Webby People’s Voice Awards for Music and Best Editing (Film & Video)
• Coachella won the Webby People’s Voice Award for Events (Websites)
• Vogue.com Meryl Streep Cover Interview with Anna Wintour won the Webby Award for Variety (Film & Video)
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert #PUBERME Campaign won the Webby Award for Celebrity/Fan (Social)
• Gigi Gorgeous won the Webby Award for Trailer (Film & Video)
• Curb Your Enthusiasm – Binge on Curb won the Webby Award for Best Use of Video (Social)
• Pandora won the Webby Award for Best Streaming Audio (Mobile Sites & Apps)
• The Simpsons “Donald Trump’s First 100 Days in Office” won the Webby Award for Comedy: Individual Short or Episode (Film & Video)
• HBO NOW won the Webby Award for Entertainment (Mobile Sites & Apps)

Winners of multiple Webby Awards this year include:

• National Geographic (26) VR: Cinematic or Pre-rendered (Film & Video), Best Use of Photography (Social), Best Data Visualization (Websites), Best Home Welcome Page (Websites), Best Use of Video or Moving Image (Websites), Word & Trivia (Games)
• VICE (12) Fashion & Beauty (Website), Experimental & Innovation (Social), Magazine/Editorial (Mobile Sites & Apps), Best Social Video Series (Social)
• HBO (11) Media Streaming (Website), Entertainment (Mobile Sites & Apps), Best Use of Video (Social), Sports Video Channels & Networks (Film & Video), Trailer (Film & Video), Best Use of Machine Learning (Advertising, Media & PR)  
• Condé Nast (10) Variety (Film & Video), Best Writing (Websites), Reality (Film & Video), Food & Drink (Social), Fashion, Beauty & Lifestyle – Branded Content (Advertising, Media & PR)  
• Google (8) Music (Mobile Sites & Apps), Corporate Social Responsibility (Websites), VR: Interactive, Game or Real-Time (Film & Video), Technical Achievement (Mobile Sites & Apps), Best Use of Photography (Websites)
• WNYC (6) Best Sound Design/Original Score (Podcasts & Digital Audio), Technology (Podcasts & Digital Audio), Comedy (Podcasts & Digital Audio), Interview/Talk Show (Podcasts & Digital Audio)
• BBC (5) Art & Culture (Social), Science & Education (Film & Video), Education & Discovery (Social)
• BuzzFeed (5) Branded Entertainment – Unscripted (Film & Video), Food & Drink (Film & Video), Food & Drink (Social Video), Email Newsletters (Websites)

EY provides vote tabulation consulting for The Webby Awards. To view the full list of Winners, please visit http://webbyawards.com/winners. For media credential information, please visit webbyawards.com/press-requests.

Find The Webby Awards Online:
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About The Webby Awards:
Hailed as the “Internet’s highest honor” by The New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international awards organization honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites, Film & Video, Advertising, Media & PR, Mobile Sites & Apps, Social, Podcasts & Digital Audio, and Games. Established in 1996, The Webby Awards received more than 13,000 entries from all 50 states and 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: YouTube, HBO, WP Engine, Vitamin T, EY, YouGov, PUBLIC, The Hollywood Reporter, WNYC Studios, Digiday, Glixel, Product Hunt, Bitly, and Social Media Week.