Best Websites of 2017 to be Recognized by Web Marketing Association

Boston, MA, March 07, 2017 --(PR.com)-- The Web Marketing Association is pleased to announce the call for entries for its 21st 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 all over the world who create and maintain outstanding Web sites. The deadline for entry for the 2017 WebAwards is May 31, 2017. A complete list of past winners and this year’s entry form can be found at www.webaward.org.

“Excellence deserves recognition and the WebAwards look into all aspects of website development, It’s not just a beauty contest for Websites,” said William Rice, president of the Web Marketing Association. “Our expert judges evaluate the entire interactive experience and reward those sites that are best in their industry. 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.”

Websites 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 B2B, Education, Health Care, Small Biz, Public Relations and Travel.

The competition’s highest honor, the 2017 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 BETC Paris for their outstanding work on The End of Society Simulator. The site was also recognized as Best Entertainment Website and Best Media Website and Best Mobile Website.

The Web Marketing Association will also recognize the interactive agency winning the most awards in the competition with the "Top Interactive Agency" WebAward. TravelClick, Inc was named Top Agency at the 2016 WebAward Competition, taking home 29 WebAwards in 2016. The Top Agency Award is given to recognize the consistently outstanding development going on at interactive firms.

Each year, many agencies and some corporations win multiple awards and deserve additional recognition. This year, we will recognize each organization that wins 6 or more WebAwards with an Outstanding Interactive Developer trophy. In 2016, there were 14 agencies recognized with this prestigious award.

Interactive and advertising agencies that win a 2017 WebAward will automatically be included in the Award Winning Agency Database with a free premium listing.

Judging for the 2017 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 Universal McCann, SapientNitro, T Rowe Price, Bridge Worldwide, Disney, Euro RSCG, Boeing, Huge, ING Direct, VML, Facebook, J. Walter Thompson, Gartner, Possible Worldwide, YUM!, Cuker Interactive, PayPal, Razorfish, Munich Re, Refinery, Ernst & Young, Magellan Health Service, Microsoft, R/GA, Family Cookbook Project, Saatchi & Saatchi, SAP, Starwood Hotel, and Website Magazine.

The 2017 WebAwards are sponsored by the following leading organizations: EContent Magazine, iContact, PR.com, ad:tech conferences, Cranberry Radio, and Website Magazine. The Web Marketing Association thanks these companies for their commitment to the entire online marketing community.

To enter the 20th annual WebAward Competition for Website Development, please visit our website and create a nominator account.

About the WebAwards

The Web Marketing Association was founded in 1997 to help define the standard of excellence for online marketing. Our internationally known award programs, such as WebAward Competition for Website Development, Internet Advertising Competition and the MobileWebAwards recognize the people and organizations responsible for developing the most effective online marketing programs on the Internet today. Entrants benefit from assessment of their marketing efforts by a professional judging panel and the marketing opportunities presented by being recognized as an award-winning web developer.