WEST SIMSBURY, Conn., March 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Web Marketing Association is pleased to announce the call for entries for its 15th annual international WebAward competition.  The WebAwards are the standards-defining competition that sets industry benchmarks based on the seven criteria of a successful Web site.  It recognizes the individual and team achievements of Web professionals who create and maintain outstanding Web sites.  The deadline for entry in the 2001 WebAwards is May 27, 2011.  A complete list of past winners and this year's entry form can be found at www.webaward.org.

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"The WebAwards is not just a beauty contest for Websites, our expert judges evaluate the entire interactive experience and reward those sites that are best in their industry," said William Rice, president of the Web Marketing Association.  "The goal of the WebAwards is to both recognize the people and organizations responsible for developing some of the most effective Web sites on the Internet today and also provide valuable feedback to entrants on how their sites stack up against their peers and their industry's standards of excellence."

Web sites are judged on seven criteria, including design, innovation, content, technology, interactivity, copy writing and ease of use and receive a numeric score.  Each WebAward entry is judged against other entries in its industry category and then against an overall standard of excellence.  Entrants also benefit from receiving valuable feedback from the WebAwards professional judging panel on their Web site development efforts.  

This year's top awards will include:

• A "Best of Industry" WebAward will be given in each of the 96 industry categories, including financial services, medical, small business, travel, advertising, transportation and government.  

• The competition's highest honor, the 2011 WebAward "Best of Show," will be given to the one site that the judges believe represents the pinnacle of outstanding achievement in Web development.  Last year's Best of Show winner was Hitchcock Fleming & Associates Inc. for its outstanding work on the "Glidden Website." The site was also recognized as Best Manufacturing Website.

• The Web Marketing Association will also recognize the interactive agency winning the most awards in the competition with the "Top Interactive Agency" WebAward. For the second year in a row, the Top Agency award was awarded to the Bay Area interactive agency Extractable taking home 27 WebAwards.  

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 and some corporations 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.

Judging for the 2011 WebAwards will take place in June through August and winners will be announced in September.  Judges will consist of a select group of Internet professionals who have direct experience designing and managing Web sites – including members of the media, interactive creative directors, site designers, content providers and webmasters – with an in-depth understanding of the current state-of-the-art in Web site development and technology. Past judges have included top executives from leading organizations such as A&E Television Networks, Agency.com, BGT Partners, Blattner Brunner, Bridge Worldwide, The Cincinnati Enquirer, Comedy Central, Disney, Euro RSCG, Ion Global, J. Walter Thompson, John Deere Company, New York Post Interactive, Organic, Inc., Refinery, R/GA, Saatchi & Saatchi, SAP, Starwood Hotels, Sun Microsystems, Warner Bros. Online, Xerox and Website Magazine.

Check out our Web Marketing Association Facebook Page and be sure to like us as we will be providing hints and tips on how to improve your chances on winning a top award though out April and May.

The 2011 WebAwards are sponsored by the following leading organizations: BGT Partners, PR Newswire, Burst Media, AllBusiness.com, ExactTarget, ad:tech conferences, Internet World UK, SES Conferences, Webmaster Radio, and Website Magazine. The Web Marketing Association thanks these companies for their commitment to the entire online marketing community.

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