And the Webby Goes to... Newspapers

By: E&P Staff Newspaper Web sites finally have a chance to win a Webby, the most prestigious award for online media.

The nomination process for the Ninth Annual Webby Awards--to be presented in May 2005--opened last week, and 35 new categories were added including Newspaper, Magazine, and Blog.

"Over the years, we kept hearing from online news organizations that wanted the chance to compete in The Webby Awards," Tiffany Schlain, the Webby Awards' founder and creative director, said in a statement. There were previously more general categories for News, Politics, and Sports, among others.

"Since the Web is now so integrated into everyday business and everday life, our new categories paint a more complete picture of online life today," Schlain said.

The Webby Awards--dubbed "the Online Oscars" by Time magazine--are presented by the Internation Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Early-bird applications (with a reduced application fee) are due by Oct. 29, and the final application deadline is Dec. 17. You can apply at http://www.webbyawards.com.