The annual Webby Awards
will recognize multiple crowdfunding world names. Included on this year’s list are global rewards based crowdfunding leader Kickstarter, social crowdfunding phenomena The Jamaican Bobsled Team and Video Game High School.
The specific awards are as follows:
Webby Breakout of the Year: Kickstarter will be honored as the Breakout of the Year in 2014 for proving the immense power of crowdfunding and forever changing the way we invest in and launch new and innovative projects.
Webby Athlete of the Year: The Jamaican Bobsled Team will be honored as Athlete of the Year for crowdfunding their trip to the Sochi Olympics – a dream which wouldn’t have come true if not for the generosity of the donating public and the viral power of the Web.
Special Achievement: Freddie Wong will be honored for his work in crowdfunding the production of his hit YouTube series “Video Game High School,” and, in the process, forming a marketing partnership with Lionsgate that brings a new level of recognition and awareness to the potential of high-quality Web series.
While Kickstarter needs no introduction these days, The Jamaican Bobsled Team experienced a viral crowdfunding sensation as people from around the world joined together to fund these athletes to participate in the Sochi Olympics. Crowdfunding on CrowdTilt, closed just under $130,000 in a shocking example of the power of crowdfunding and social media.
Freddie Wong and his hugely popular series Video Game High School has run several crowdfunding campaigns. First on Kickstarter and more recently on Indiegogo.
The Winners who will be celebrated at the 18th Annual Webby Awards on Monday, May 19, 2014.
The International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences (IADAS) judges – including Tumblr founder David Karp, Arianna Huffington, and House of Cards producers Kevin Spacey and Dana Brunetti of Trigger Street Productions – selected the Webby Award Winners for outstanding achievement across multiple categories. 500,000 Internet fans from over 200 countries and territories around the world cast their votes to choose this year’s Winners of the Webby People’s Voice Awards, with Vice Media (7) Google (5) and Tumblr (4) earning the most People’s Voice wins.
Hosted by actor and comedian Patton Oswalt, this year’s star-studded awards show at Cipriani Wall Street will be available to watch On Demand at webbyawards.com beginning at 9 a.m. ET on Tuesday, May 20, 2014.
Some of the other entertainment highlights from the 18th Annual Webby Awards Winners include:
- Jay Z’s Magna Carter Holy Grail App won the Webby Award in the Best Music App category.
- Beyoncé won the People’s Voice Award in the Celebrity Fan Category for Beyonce.com.
- Pharrell Williams won the Webby and People’s Voice Award in the Best Use of Interactive Video category for his “24 Hours of Happy.”
- Funny or Die won three awards including the Webby and People’s Voice Award for “Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis and Justin Bieber” in the Best Comedy: Long Form or Series category.
- Arcade Fire won the Webby and People’s Voice Award for “Just a Reflektor” in the NetArt Websites category and a Webby in the Best Music (Film and Video) category.
- Bob Dylan won the Webby Award in the Best Video Editing category for his “Like a Rolling Stone Interactive Music Video.”
- Jimmy Kimmel won the Webby Award in the Best Viral Video category for his “Worst Twerk Fail EVER: Girl Catches Fire Prank.”
- The Onion earned it’s record 20th and 21st Webby Awards in the Best Humor category.
- Conan O’Brien won three awards including the Webby Award for the Team Coco Sync App in the Handheld Devices Entertainment category.