WEST SIMSBURY, Conn., April 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Web Marketing Association announces the call for entries for its 15th annual international WebAward Competition for Web site development at www.webaward.org. The WebAwards is the standards-defining competition that sets benchmarks for 96 industries, including energy websites, based on the seven criteria of a successful web site. The deadline for energy websites to enter to be judged is May 27, 2011.

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"The energy industry is very competitive when it comes to Web development and companies can benefit from the independent evaluation of their online efforts," said William Rice, President of the Web Marketing Association.  "The most effective energy websites are true e-commerce sites designed to build long-term relationships with users and key constituents such as government regulators and shareholders."

Web sites are judged on seven criteria including design, innovation, content, technology, interactivity, copy writing and ease of use. Each WebAward entry is judged against other entries in its industry category and then against an overall standard of excellence.

All entrants benefit from receiving valuable feedback in terms of their specific scores compared against the average scores for their industry. They also may receive specific comments from the WebAward's professional judging panel on their Web site development efforts.

Winners of a WebAward in the energy category will also receive:

• Handsome statue or certificate of achievement
• Increased visibility for their company
• Marketing opportunity to promote the company website to the media
• Links to your site from the highly ranked WebAward site to help SEO
• A highlight for your resume.
• Admiration of peers, friends and co-workers

Each year the Web Marketing Association names the Best Energy Website based on the scores submitted by the competition judges.

Recent winners of the Best Energy Web site include:

2010 – Savage for Tenaris Corporate Website

2009 – NJI Media Group for Energy Townhall

2008 - B·U·T for DuPont in Energy

2007 – Dell Global Site Design for Dell Earth

2006 – Edison International for Edison International Website

2005 - Macquariam for AGL Resources

2004 - Abengoa Bioenergy for Abengoa Bioenergy Corp

2003 – APS for aps.com E-care

2002 – Rhino Internet Solutions for Arizona Public Service

A complete list of past winners and the entry form for companies who wish to compete for 2011 honors can be found at the Best Energy Website page.

There is one significant change in this year's WebAwards. The much coveted Top Agency WebAward is given to the organization who wins the most total WebAwards in a single competition. However each year many agencies win multiple awards and deserve additional recognition. This year, we will recognize each organization that wins 10 or more WebAwards with an Outstanding Interactive Developer trophy.

Participants can improve their chances on winning a WebAward by checking out the Web Marketing Association Facebook Page and becoming a fan of the page.  The Web Marketing Association will be providing hints and tips on how to improve your chances on winning a top award throughout April and May.

The 2011 WebAwards are sponsored by the following leading organizations: BGT Partners, Burst Media, PR Newswire, AllBusiness, ExactTarget, ad:tech conferences, Internet World UK, SES Conference, Webmaster Radio, and Website Magazine.

About the WebAwards

The Web Marketing Association's 15th annual international WebAwards competition sets the standard of excellence in 96 industries by evaluating Web sites based on the seven essential criteria of successful Web site development. The WebAwards recognizes the people and organizations responsible for developing the most effective Websites on the Internet today. Entrants benefit from a Website assessment by a professional judging panel and the marketing opportunities presented to an award-winning Web site. For more information, visit www.webaward.org.

SOURCE Web Marketing Association