Eight Australian sites nominated for 2012 Webby Awards

Eight Australian websites have been nominated for the 16^th annual Webby Awards, which attracted 10,000 international entries, including Freelancer.com, Fervr.net and StreetAdvisor.com.

The Webby Awards are considered a leading international award ceremony, honouring excellence on the internet, covering interactive advertising, online video and mobile apps.

The awards are presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, which nominates and selects the award winners.

The IADAS includes The Huffington Post co-founder Arianna Huffington, Skype chief executive Tony Bates, Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom and Rovio chief executive Mikeal Hed.

Established in 1996, the awards are held in New York. This year, 350 websites across 70 categories were selected as nominees from 10,000 international entries, including eight Australian websites.

The Australian nominees are:

• www.oceantracks.csiro.au, a project that helps track marine animals, in the “science” category.
• www.secrettechnology.com, who offer interactive digital artwork, in the “weird” category.
• www.hoodlum.com.au, specialising in cross-platform digital delivery, in the “television” category.
• www.huaweimobile.com.au, a mobile phone site, in the “telecommunications” category.
• www.freelancer.com, an outsourcing and crowdsourcing website, in the “employment” category. It’s worth noting Freelancer.com won this category at last year’s Webby Awards.
• www.fervr.net, a site offering Christian youth articles, daily devotions, reviews and videos, in the “religion and spirituality” category.
• www.nagomibento.com.au, a Japanese restaurant in Brisbane, in the “restaurant” category.
• www.streetadvisor.com, a site that helps people find the perfect place to live, in the “guides/ratings/reviews” category.

Kitty Fung, digital producer at Fervr, which is based in Sydney, says the list shows Australian small businesses can “hold their own” against industry stalwarts from the rest of the world.

“Digital business is really leveling the playing field. It goes to show we can punch above our weight,” Fung says.

“I think at the end of the day, it comes down to building a good user experience. People will recognise that.”

“It’s not about your size or traffic numbers anymore. It’s about building a good product and getting your online community [to be] loyal so that they’re telling others about it.”

Meanwhile, StreetAdvisor co-founder Adam Spencer says the Melbourne-based start-up is “incredibly proud” of its nomination.

Founded in 2007, StreetAdvisor.com helps people find the perfect streets, neighbourhoods and cities to live, based on the opinions of local residents. It operates across Australia and the United States.

“It’s been a long five years collecting ratings and reviews, and the Webby nomination is a fantastic validation for our team and the unique local content that we provide,” Spencer says.

According to David-Michael Davies, executive director of the Webby Awards, nominees such as StreetAdvisor are “setting the standard for innovation and creativity on the internet”.

“It is an incredible achievement to be selected among the best from the nearly 10,000 entries we received this year,” Davies said in a statement.

Last year, Freelancer.com was the only Australian company to win a Webby award, although both Amnesty International Australia and Tourism Australia were nominated.

This year’s award winners will be announced on Tuesday, May 1 and will be honoured at a ceremony on Monday, May 21.