SXSW Web Awards
Submitted by springnet on Fri, 02/08/2008 - 7:19pm.
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I thought it would be interesting to discuss the finalists for the SXSW Web Awards in the various categories and see if the consensus here meshes with the actual winner in March.
I'll list the awards by category and make a pick. I suggest you only scroll down as far as the listings in each category before you look at my pick. Make your own pick and see if it matches with mine.
So I'm going to run through all the SXSW Web Award finalists and pick a winner in each category. I recommend that when you scroll through the topic that you stop scrolling after each post and pick your own winners so you're not influenced by my picks. Pick your own winner and see if it matches mine, and then wait till March and see if your pick matches that at the awards ceremony.
OK so begins our journey down web award lane.
So the first category with live links:
Activism
Green and Non-profit websites that are striving to make the world a better place.
Amnesty International: Tear It Down
Boost
MakeMeSustainable
The Point
World Without Oil
Now, stop scrolling before you see my answer!
The Point gets my vote in this category
World without Oil. We need this.
I looked at all 5 and I'll have to go with the Point for it's clarity, look and feel. And it seems to help you move quickly toward positive social action.
It makes it easy to rig up your own campaign.
One example:
7 of 50,000 members
Destroy Myspace.com
Cody Engel will delete his myspace account if 50,000 people delete their myspace account with him.
The oil game looked interesting... just not into games about oil
Make Me Sustainable looked ok, the the interface wasn't consistent.
If Boost can keep kids in high school it's a very worthwhile endeavor.
And Amnesty International had the glitziest flash site.
But I think the Point will win.
from the Point site:
The Point is a new way of solving problems you can't solve alone. The Point lets you answer the question “will my contribution make a difference?” before you ever lift a finger or spend a dime.
On The Point, no one is asked to invest in solving a problem until enough support is gathered (the tipping point) to force a solution. Success is guaranteed, because members promise to act together when a tipping point is reached.
Just for fun I created a "campaign" that I have a snowball's chance in hell of winning... but I wanted to test drive it.
https://www.thepoint.com/campaigns/sxsw-lifecast
Uh, I forgot to list the web address of the SXSW web awards:
http://2008.sxsw.com/interactive/web_awards/finalists/
Not much of a stampede to comment on the activist websites... let's try another category. This topic should be a bit more fun.
Amusement
Humor, memes, plus all the stuff that is too weird for words.
Bitstrips
Elf Yourself
HotEmuLuv
LeapFrog FLY - Give Someone the Finger!
The Mentos Intern
Elf Yourself
(actually got one of these around the holidays)
I'd have to give the nod to Trevor the Mentos Intern since I do a lifecast myself. This guy tries to please everyone... he'll spin around in his chair or make you a sailor hat. He tries to carry out every request.
Elf Yourself isn't even up any more and the others are so so. This category failed to amuse me.
OK... not takers... let's try ....
Art
From traditional photography to untraditional performances, this category focuses on web-based collections of life, society and culture.
Karen Collins Photography
Magazines and War
People's Design Award
Viscosity
We Are DAG
I think Viscosity is the most interesting and gets my vote.
I like the global green site and the idea of recognizing great industrial design, like the "green house" for New Orleans. Global Green gets my vote.
Well, this one boils down to which one sucks less: Karen Collins. People's Design Award second for showing off some cool products.
Speaking of suck less, maybe this category will at least hit a single. Out of billions of blogs . . .
Blog
Sites that revolutionize the power of publishing by providing regularly updated content of a personal or professional nature.
Bad Ass Ideas
The Big Noob
Light and Liberty Go Together: Library of Congress Blog
Passive-Aggressive Notes
True Office Confessions
True Office Confessions
Hands-down ..
"I hated waitressing, bartending, working retail, cleaning houses and I am bored to tears and getting fat from working in an office. I guess I just hate to work!" Well that's one example that comes from True Office Confessions which gets my vote. But I would recommend that you post anonymously as you might not want this on a google search for your employer to find!
There's no way these are the best 5 blogs out there... not even close... I'll give it to Passive Aggressive Notes for a halfway clever concept of using pictures of the written word in different contexts. bad Ass Ideas is a close second. No scratch that. The winner is: Bad Ass Ideas.
OK onward through the fog of mediocre web award picks, let's get down to . . .
Business
Sites devoted to the promotional needs, functions and services of for-profit businesses.
Daisy Marc Jacobs
Design My Room
Getty Images
iMakeOver
Wikinvest
Getty Images gets my vote.
For some reason their website is very compelling to me. I can really appreciate how easy they have made it to browse their content. Extremely user friendly.
It follows with my love of design that I would pick this site. It's a very clean and great looking site too. I've actually got a design project that I can use this site for to make a mock up of what a house I'm working on will look like when it's decorated and populated with furniture.
Wikinvest slam dunks over the heads of all the competition here leaving the others in the field in tatters. If you're in to investments or just learning about companies write this one down in our daytimer. Awesome, killer graphics too. This is the first site I've seen so far that I del.icio.us 'ed.
http://www.wikinvest.com/ rocks!
Cascading style sheets.
CSS
This category showcases sites that push the boundaries of CSS coding technology.
Ficlets
FiveRuns
Galloping Inn
Love Winter Park
Stayokay
I don't usually jump on bandwagons but I'm going with ficlets too. Like springnet says, it's not that pretty but the coding, like audrey says, is good.
A ficlet is a short story that enables you to collaborate with the world.
Once you’ve written and shared your ficlet, any other user can pick up the narrative thread by adding a prequel or sequel. In this manner, you may know where the story begins, but you’ll never guess where (or even if!) it ends.
None of these should win an award.
ficlets just because I had to pick one.
They're all pretty. Except ficlets.
Given the category description, I don't think it is the 'prettiness' of it that counts.
It's how they are using CSS to render their pages -- and doing something unique or amazing with CSS.
So in that regard, I think ficlets gets my vote.
Classic
While the SXSW Web Awards focus on the best new internet destinations, this category is devoted to sites that launched before January 1, 2007.
GOOD Magazine
Independent Lens
Revision3
Scene 360
Wired
Odd that 'Classic' is defined as before January 1, 2007. That means it only has to be around for a year to be a classic? Okay...
I give my vote to WIRED
Revision 3 hands down. This has some of the best video podcasts around. I love Wired but they excel in print moreso than the web.
Revision 3 hands down. This has some of the best video podcasts around. I love Wired but they excel in print moreso than the web.
All good. Five very good sites. Breaking the trend of mediocre contenders.
Revision3 gets the prize for the best video content with Wired second, just because it's Wired. Rev3 has the hottest babes too.
Community
Sites and wikis that have quickly developed an extraordinarily active multi-user community and an exceptional following of users who assist with content development.
Behance Network
Current
Emptees
Ficlets
Flock
OK -- looks like I'm with you again on this one .... Current gets my vote.
I would have to go with Current, Al Gore's brainchild just to give him something to put on his shelf next to his Oscar, his Nobel Peace Prize and Vice President of the United States seal.
Ficlets again? Nope not this time.
Let's see, Flock's a breakthrough social network browser and Al Gore's Current is awesome tv.
Heads or tails?
Heads it is, Flock.
Sorry Al, I know you were planning on putting this award up next to your Oscar and Nobel Peace Prize.
Educational Resource
From elementary school learning to advanced technology-related tips, these are sites that help you learn.
Ecolect
MindBites
Only Human
The Story of Stuff
TED.com
Tough call.
I give my vote to 'The Story of Stuff'
I'd say TED for the quality and magnitude of the speakers there. Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, et al they have some of the most intereresting conversations.
All good.
But TED knocks it out of the park for it's parade of great thinkers
Experimental
These are cutting-edge and trend-setting destinations that are pushing the envelope and challenging our perceptions of the web.
Defy All Challenges
Issuu
MetaNotes
UpNext
Voki
Whatever MetaNotes is doing is cool and scary all at the same time. They get my vote.
Gotta go with Voki, it so web 2.0 and has a killer interface. I'm going to create a character and put it on my blog. Wait, I need a blog! OK time to study up on wordpress.
Defy All Challenges is just too clever and gets my Oscar. Voki is a lot of fun though.
Film/TV
Sites related to actors, television, films and the film industry, as well as destinations that offer streaming video content.
30 Days of Night
Animoto Productions
Sweeney Todd
Ustream.TV
Wired Science
Sweeney Todd is my vote for this one.
Definitely ustream because it lets me produce my own little show on the net. Talkshow, ustream and justin.tv are revolutionizing the produce your own lifecast movement.
ustream
Games
The online destinations that help make your life a lot more fun.
Kongregate
Launchball
Moshi Monsters
Quadradius
Sharkrunners
OK - this one I do have an opinion on.
My husband has spent HOURS on Kongregate. I can see why it is addictive.
sharkrunners is way cool, my kind of game!
Konquerer? Just a guess. No clue really.
Mobile
Sites optimized for handheld and portable devices.
DialedIn
Kyte
Leaflets
Mosio
Mozes
None of these impress me. I'll have to skip a vote on this one.
Since I'm an iphone maven, I'll go for leaflets in this category. And I'm a big del.icio.us fan also.
dialin will win.
leaflets will be useful on my iphone for the del.ico.us app.
Motion Graphics
Animations, cartoons, and other intriguing content built using applications such as Adobe/Macromedia Flash.
Buder Engel and Friends
HL2
Rapp Collins
Seduction by Light
WeeWorld
Shamefully, WeeWorld is my pick. I actually have a WeeMe (bowing head in shame).
There's no shame in being a weemee, I got one, gave it eyes, hair and dressed it up. Not sure what I'm going to do with it now though.
None of the above.
Forced to pick, I was impressed with the Seduction by Light which was simply a demo of the new Philips flat screen with a lighted frame and which project ambient light in the room.
Music
Sites related to musicians, bands, and the music industry, as well online radio and other destinations that offer streaming audio content.
BoomShuffle
Burst Labs
Minuit
Songza
Uncensored Interview
Wow, songza is the coolest music site I've ever seen. Like springnet says, it is the genie in the bottle. It would be a shame if this didn't win.
Songza's amazing. It's like the genie in a bottle. You just tell it what artist, what album or what song and it just starts playing. Two clicks away to any music in the world. How revolutionary yet how simple. This is the google of music.
My wife just walked by and said "No way. I want hear the newest Sheryl Crow Album. It's called Detours" So I typed "Sheryl Crow Detours" and it started playing. Then it had an option to play the video so I clicked that.
One word summary: rocks!
It is the clear winner in this category and for the entire SXSW Web Awards.
I think this will be the talk of the awards.
(boomshuffle is nice too. It let's you make your own song mixes and playlists.)
Wow, my Macbook just turned in to a magic jukebox.
I was going to vote for boomshuffle, until I read your review and spent some time on Songza. It is amazing, although I'd be suprised if it wins.
The SXSW web awards always suprise me in what they actually pick as winners.
Wow, I almost want to stop there but there are three more categories to go.
Personal Portfolio
The portfolios, pet projects and personal collections of individuals who are displaying their work and passions online.
BradKayal.com
Brandcentral
JLern Design
Leinz
Sushi & Robots
I give JLern Design my vote here. The rotating menu / splash page is really interesting.
Sushi and Robots.
envelope please
and the winner is:
Jina Bolton for Sushi and Robots, which has a very sexy stylesheet.
The runnerup is Brad Kayal.
Whew! This is the penultimate (next to last) category. One more after this one.
Student
This category is devoted exclusively to the student web designers who are refreshing this industry with new talent and new ideas.
Daisy Dai
Dragon Interactive
The Dreaded Grove
JobKillers
Paper Critters
Well I can see that JobKillers would be a real-life jobkiller if I started playing it here at work (which I'm not - I'm just saying). Fun-fun.
Gotta go with Paper Critters in this category.
Technical Achievement
These are the sites that are re-inventing and re-defining the technical parameters of our online experience.
Daylife
Drop.io
Feedhaus
Twiddla!
Webot
The opportunity to access my photos and music from anywhere seems like a cool idea. Webot gets my vote on this one.
Although I'd have to try to know how I really feel...
drop.io
Twiddla! is kind of a web 2.0ey Gotomeeting. It would take actually doing a meeting and trying it out to test it.
Well, that's it! Now what are your picks from the above? Which website do you feel deserves to be the hit of the show? Obviously I couldn't drill down in to each website so there may be some hidden treasures I overlooked. I hope to make it to the Web Awards this year now that I know the players and have some opinions about it.
Looks like I'll get to actually be at the SXSW Web Awards thanks to the door64.com contest.
Thanks Matt!
And good luck to the SoftwareJanitor in next weeks contest!
Actually, I hope someone steps up to really give me a run for the money this week.
Now, what are your picks of the best from the above SXSW Web Awards finalists?
Come on door64 sxsw contesters, this is you chance to make a boatload of comments!
Software janitor someone is giving you a run for the money this week, it might help your chances if you'd comment on some of the above websites that are up for SXSW web awards!
Really, I am happy to see someone else's posts other than my own! Go Audrey!
And the winners are!!! Compare these results with the prognostications above:
Web Awards Winners
We are pleased to reveal the 11th Annual Web Awards Winners below. Make sure to explore all the finalists honored at this year's ceremony.
Activism
Green and Non-profit websites that are striving to make the world a better place.
World Without Oil
Amusement
Humor, memes, plus all the stuff that is too weird for words.
Elf Yourself
Art
From traditional photography to untraditional performances, this category focuses on web-based collections of life, society and culture.
Viscosity
Blog
Sites that revolutionize the power of publishing by providing regularly updated content of a personal or professional nature.
Passive-Aggressive Notes
Business
Sites devoted to the promotional needs, functions and services of for-profit businesses.
Wikinvest
CSS
This category showcases sites that push the boundaries of CSS coding technology.
Ficlets
Classic
While the SXSW Web Awards focus on the best new internet destinations, this category is devoted to sites that launched before January 1, 2007.
Wired
Community
Sites and wikis that have quickly developed an extraordinarily active multi-user community and an exceptional following of users who assist with content development.
Flock
Educational Resource
From elementary school learning to advanced technology-related tips, these are sites that help you learn.
The Story of Stuff
Experimental
These are cutting-edge and trend-setting destinations that are pushing the envelope and challenging our perceptions of the web.
MetaNotes
Film/TV
Sites related to actors, television, films and the film industry, as well as destinations that offer streaming video content.
Animoto Productions
Games
The online destinations that help make your life a lot more fun.
Launchball
Mobile
Sites optimized for handheld and portable devices.
Mosio
Motion Graphics
Animations, cartoons, and other intriguing content built using applications such as Adobe/Macromedia Flash.
HL2
Music
Sites related to musicians, bands, and the music industry, as well online radio and other destinations that offer streaming audio content.
Minuit
Personal Portfolio
The portfolios, pet projects and personal collections of individuals who are displaying their work and passions online.
JLern Design
Student
This category is devoted exclusively to the student web designers who are refreshing this industry with new talent and new ideas.
Paper Critters
Technical Achievement
These are the sites that are re-inventing and re-defining the technical parameters of our online experience.
Twiddla!
People's Choice Award
The online public's favorite finalist from the competition.
Kongregate
Best of Show
The judges' favorite finalist from the competition.
Launchball
Wah! songza missed the cut.