"Gratitude, respect and pride. These words sum up how I feel..." —HM Queen Elizabeth

Those were the five words uttered by Mark Byford, Director of the BBC World Service, upon accepting the 2001 Webby for Radio. The Webbys, oft known as the 'Oscars of the Internet' are at it again in two weeks, with a fresh lineup of nominees to take home the coveted silver spring. It's worth pointing out that the comparison of the Webbys to the Oscars - while useful for a first-time explanation - is not highly regarded. For example, Vanity Fair raves that the Webbys are "better than the Oscars" and Time quips, "If only the Oscars would take cue." Indeed, the staying power of this quirky and downright cheeky event is the very fact that the Internet itself is equally quirky and downright cheeky.


The winners in each of the 30 categories (ranging from news and fashion to activism and music) are decided three-fold: by the Academy (of which you'd like to thank...), by the People's Voice (login, vote and see the current tallies), and by site traffic. That third method, by the way, is new this year... three awards based on Nielsen/NetRatings will be announced for the first time, based on the highest US and global traffic and the Rising Star award for newbies who've seen the biggest visitor growth in the past month.


Not all of the sites nominated this year are as concerned about the numbers. In fact, some of the nominees aren't even completely launched, including the Guggenheim's spectacular new broadband site, which debuts most of its online exhibits later this year. As of today, Google holds a whopping 56% lead in the Best Practices category of the People's Voice. See what all the commotion is about, and vote before this Friday, June 7th!


Get to know the leading international honor for achievement in technology and creativity.


Check out one of this year's cool nominees in the Kids Category - Pinhole Spy Camera