Nominations were released this week for the 15th annual Webby Awards, the Oscars-style bash for Internet innovation, creativity and other wacky stuff. And like in the past, Seattle area companies are well represented on the list of nominees which spans categories in digital advertising, film, Web sites and mobile apps. The public has until April 28th to choose their favorites. Winners will be announced on May 3rd, with the official ceremony slated for June 13th in New York.
There are some perennial favorites from the Seattle tech scene which are back again this year, companies such as Cheezburger and Zillow.com. But there are some new entrants too. We’re hoping for some winners this year, since we love covering the five-word speeches. You can see all of the nominees here, which include appearances by pop culture icons like Justin Bieber, Arcade Fire and Angry Birds. Luckily, no Seattle area companies are competing in their categories.
Weird: Perhaps my favorite category in the Webby’s, Seattle’s own Cheezburger Network — which has won on several past occasions — is nominated for The Daily What. (They have some tough competition, however, in Awkward Family Photos. Could they become an acquisition target for Cheezburger?). Full category here.
Retail: I guess Zappos is technically a Seattle company now that it is owned by Amazon.com The online shoe retailer gets a nod, though it also must compete against Groupon, Moo.com, NIke Golf and Amazon.com-backed LivingSocial. Full category here.
Celebrity/Fan: MSN’s Wonderwall gets nominated, but also faces stiff competition against Team Coco, Tom Petty, U2 and Jay-Z. Seems like Wonderwall is a long shot on this one. Full category here.
Navigation/Structure: Wonderwall and Zappos will compete head-to-head in this Web site category. Full category here.
Real Estate: This will be intensely interesting to watch given that Seattle-based Zillow.com is up against its nemesis, San Francisco-based Trulia. Full category here.
Online Commercials: Xbox Halo Reach – Deliver Hope gets the nod, but must compete against two Google nominees. Those include Google Chrome Extensions and Google Instant with Bob Dylan. Full category here.
How-to and DIY (Video): The Professor Slova video from Microsoft, and developed by Moving Bits, gets tapped along with nominees from The New York Times and The Ant Farm. Full category here.
Guide/Ratings/Reviews (Mobile): A longtime favorite, Urbanspoon gets nominated for its mobile restaurant directory. It faces competition from Yelp Mobile, UrbanDaddy, Consumer Reports and The New York Times’ The Scoop. Full category here.
Travel (Mobile): TripIt, the newly-acquired unit of Concur Technologies, gets a nod for a Webby in this tight category with other nominees such as Kayak, Conde Nast, Trip Journal and Airbnb iPhone app. Full category here.
Utilities/Services (Mobile): Zillow.com gets another nod, this time for its slate of mobile applications for Android, iPhone, iPad and Windows Mobile. Full category here.
Entertainment: Handheld Devices: Seattle mobile app maker Zumobi gets a nomination for its work on Dwell. Full category here.
There are more than 70 categories in this year’s Webby Awards, and that doesn’t even include a group of honorees. I may have missed some Seattle companies as I scanned the list, so let me know and I’ll update the post. Good luck to the nominees, and it is never too early to work on that five-word speech.
