The Webby Awards recognize the best websites, apps, podcasts, and online video each year
The Webby Awards are an annual prize competition for digital work — websites, mobile apps, podcasts, online video, and internet culture. They're run by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a nonprofit organization based in New York. Every year, thousands of creators and companies submit their work to be judged by industry professionals, and winners get a public award, a trophy, and the right to display a "Webby Award Winner" badge on their site.
The awards exist because the internet needed a way to recognize quality the same way film has the Oscars or television has the Emmys. When the Webby Awards started in 1996, the web was still new enough that nobody had agreed on what "good" meant. The awards filled that gap by creating categories, setting judging standards, and giving winners a credential that matters to other creators and to people hiring web professionals.
You've probably seen a Webby badge on a website without knowing what it meant. It signals that the site was judged by peers and found to be well-designed, useful, or innovative in its category — not that it's the only good site in that space, but that it met a professional standard.
Key Takeaways
- The Webby Awards judge websites, apps, podcasts, and online video in dozens of categories each year, with winners announced publicly.
- Judges are working professionals in design, technology, and media — not a single panel, but thousands of industry experts voting in their specialties.
- Winning a Webby is expensive for the organization submitting (entry fees run $75 to $300 per submission), so most winners are established companies or well-funded projects.
- A Webby Award doesn't mean a site is the best on the internet, only that it was judged to be excellent within its category and submission year.
- The awards happen once a year, with a submission period usually in the spring and winners announced in the early summer.
How the judging actually works
The Webby Awards use a two-stage judging process. In the first stage, a panel of industry professionals — designers, developers, strategists, journalists — scores each submission on criteria like design, functionality, user experience, and relevance to its category. These judges are working people in the field, not celebrities or politicians. They're looking at whether the site or app actually does what it claims to do, whether it's straightforward to use, and whether it shows some level of craft or innovation.
The second stage is a public vote. After the professional judges narrow the field, the general public votes on the finalists. This vote counts, but it's weighted less heavily than the professional judges' scores — usually about 25 percent of the final decision. That's why a site with a huge social media following doesn't automatically win; the professional judgment still matters more.
Categories change slightly from year to year, but they cover obvious areas like "Website Design" and "Mobile Apps" as well as narrower ones like "Podcasts: News & Politics" or "Online Video: Animation." There are also categories for things like "Websites for Good" (nonprofits and social causes) and "Weird & Wonderful" (internet culture and experimental work).
Why companies and creators submit their work
Winning a Webby Award gives a creator or company something concrete to point to when they're pitching clients, explore for jobs, or trying to stand out in a crowded field. A designer can put "Webby Award Winner" on their portfolio. A startup can mention it in press releases. A nonprofit can use it to show donors that their digital work is professionally recognized.
The award also comes with real visibility. Webby publishes a winners list, sends out press releases, and hosts an awards ceremony. Winning sites get featured on the Webby website and in media coverage. For a small studio or independent creator, that attention can bring new clients or users.
That said, submitting costs money — entry fees range from $75 to $300 per submission depending on the category and the organization's size. Most submissions come from established companies, agencies, and well-funded projects because they can absorb the cost. A solo developer or tiny nonprofit might submit once if they think they have a real shot, but they're not submitting dozens of times the way a large agency might.
What winning actually means and what it doesn't
A Webby Award means a site was judged to be excellent by professionals in that field during that particular year. It doesn't mean it's the best website on the internet, or even the best in its category across all time. It means it was good enough to win in a specific year against a specific set of competitors who also submitted that year.
It also doesn't mean the site is straightforward to use for everyone, or that it solves every problem perfectly. Judges are looking at design, innovation, and craft — not necessarily at whether a site works for people with disabilities, or whether it loads fast on slow connections, or whether it's accessible to non-English speakers. Those are separate questions from whether something wins a design award.
The Webby Awards are most useful as a signal of professional quality in a specific moment. They're worth mentioning on a portfolio or in marketing materials, but they're not a may provide of anything beyond "this was judged well by peers in its category."
The difference between Webby Awards and other internet recognitions
The internet has many award programs. Some are run by design organizations (like the AIGA or the One Show), some by technology publications (like Wired or Fast Company), and some by industry groups. The Webby Awards are the oldest and most established, which is why they carry the most weight in the industry. They've been running since 1996, which means they have history and consistency.
Other awards might focus on specific things — advertising effectiveness, user experience research, accessibility — while the Webbys cast a wider net across design, innovation, and cultural impact. Some awards are free to enter; the Webbys charge a fee. Some are judged only by professionals; the Webbys include a public vote. None of these differences makes one award "better" — they just serve different purposes.
If you see a site that has won multiple different awards from different organizations, that's a stronger signal than a single award from any one program. It means different groups of professionals have independently recognized the work as strong.
How to find Webby Award winners and what to learn from them
The Webby website publishes a full list of winners every year, organized by category. You can browse by industry (technology, media, nonprofits), by type (website, app, podcast), or by specific categories like "News" or "E-Commerce." Each winner entry includes a link to the actual site or app, so you can see what won and why.
Looking at Webby winners in your field is useful if you're trying to understand what professional-level work looks like. If you're building a nonprofit website, look at the "Websites for Good" winners. If you're designing a mobile app, look at the app winners in your category. You're not copying them — you're seeing what peers have done well and what standards the industry recognizes.
The Webby Awards also publish a "Webby Trends" report each year, analyzing patterns in what won — what design approaches are emerging, what kinds of sites are getting recognized, what's changing in how people build for the web. That report is free and can give you a sense of where the industry is heading.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to pay to submit to the Webby Awards?
Yes. Entry fees range from $75 to $300 per submission depending on the category and whether your organization is a nonprofit, small business, or large company. Nonprofits and small businesses typically pay less than large corporations. There's no free submission option.
Can a personal website or small project win?
Technically yes, but it's rare. Most winners are from established companies, agencies, or well-funded projects because they have the resources to pay entry fees and often have professional designers and developers working on them. A small project can win if it's genuinely innovative or well-executed, but you're competing against much larger operations.
What happens if I win a Webby Award?
You get a physical trophy, a digital badge you can display on your site, your work featured on the Webby website, and inclusion in press releases and media coverage. You can use "Webby Award Winner" in your marketing materials and on your portfolio. There's no cash prize, only the recognition and visibility.
Does winning a Webby Award mean my website is accessible or works for everyone?
Not necessarily. The Webby Awards judge design, innovation, and user experience, but they don't specifically test for accessibility, performance on slow connections, or usability for people with disabilities. A site can win a Webby and still have accessibility problems. Those are separate considerations from design excellence.
How often do the Webby Awards happen?
Once a year. Submissions typically open in the spring, judging happens over several weeks, and winners are announced in early summer. The specific dates change slightly each year, so check the Webby website if you're thinking about submitting.