Web Marketing Association to Name Best University Website of 2005

The Web Marketing Association announces the call for entries for its 9th annual international WebAward Competition (http://www.2005webaward.org), the Internets premier award competition. Colleges and universities represent an important category in the WebAward competition, and the Web Marketing Association will again be honoring the Best University Web site of 2005. The deadline for entry is June 1, 2005.

(PRWEB) April 7, 2005 -- The Web Marketing Association announces the call for entries for its 9th annual international WebAward Competition (http://www.2005webaward.org), the Internets premier award competition that judges website development against an ever increasing Internet standard of excellence and against peer sites within an industry. Colleges and universities represent an important category in the WebAward competition, and the Web Marketing Association will again be honoring the Best University Web site of 2005. The deadline for entry is June 1, 2005.

The university industry must very competitive when it comes to Web development. Today's students grew up with computers and it defines how they interact," said William Rice, President of the Web Marketing Association. Universities and colleges can benefit from an independent evaluation of their online efforts that the award judges provide. That is the goal of the WebAward Competition - to provide a forum to recognize the people and organizations responsible for developing some of the most effective websites on the Net today. Winning a WebAward also provides a great opportunity to market your success to the outside world."

Here are some of the past education related WebAward winners:

Best University Website

- 2004 School of Visual Arts Website - http://www.schoolofvisualarts.edu

- 2003 Chestnut Hill College Admissions Site - http://www.chc.edu

- 2002 University of Houston - Division of University Advancement - http://www.advancement.uh.edu/

- 2001 The Juilliard School - http://www.juilliard.edu

Best School Website

- 2004 Plano Independent School District - http://www.pisd.edu

- 2003 Hot Barbizon Modeling Schools - http://www.modelingschools.com

- 2002 VFS Education - http://www.vfs.com

Best Education Website

- 2004 GMability Education - http://GMability.com/education

- 2003 Hot Shot Business (2003 Best of Show Winner) - http://www.disney.go.com/hotshot/index2.html

- 2002 Your Route to Homeownership - http://www.freddiemac.com/homebuyers

- 2001 eTech Planner - http://www.etechplanner.org

A complete list of past winners and the entry for companies who wish to compete for 2005 honors can be found at http://university.webaward.org

Web sites are judged on design, innovation, content, technology, interactivity, navigation and ease of use. Each WebAward entry is judged against other entries in the category and then against an overall standard of excellence. The Best of Industry WebAward, a handsome plaque with the image of the winning site embossed, will be given in each of the more than 90 industry categories, including university, education, school, small business, travel, advertising, transportation, and healthcare. The competitions highest honor, the 2005 WebAward Best of Show, will be given to the one site that the judges believe represents outstanding achievement in Web development. Last years Best of Show winner was Arc Worldwide for their work on Behr Paint Interactive. (www.behr.com)

The Web Marketing Association will also recognize the interactive agency winning the most awards in the competition with the Top Interactive Agency WebAward. The 2004 Top Agency award was presented to Arnold Worldwide for their outstanding achievements in Web site development.

Judging for the WebAwards will take place in July and August, and winners will be announced in September, 2005. Judges will consist of a select group of Internet professionals who have direct experience designing and managing corporate web sites --including members of the media, advertising executives, site designers, content providers and webmasters -- with an in-depth understanding of the current state-of-the-art in Web site design and technology. Past Web Marketing Association WebAward competition judges have included top executives from leading corporations, institutions and media organizations such as Ogilvy Interactive, Saatchi & Saatchi, Blattner Brunner, Comedy Central, Sun Microsystems, Refinery, Euro RSCG, EPB Interactive, New York Post Interactive, The Cincinnati Enquirer, J. Walter Thompson, Xerox, Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Modem Media, Answerthink, and Zentropy Partners.

The 2005 WebAwards are sponsored by Burst! Media, PRWeb, Burrelles/Luce, ODwyers PR Daily, NewsUSA, Small Army Marketing Services, Perseus Software, Line56 Media, OddCast and AdTools, Inc.

About the Web Marketing Association

The Web Marketing Association is an organization working to create a high standard of excellence for Web site development and marketing on the Internet. Staffed by volunteers, it is made up of Internet marketing, advertising, PR and design professionals who share an interest in improving the quality of advertising, marketing and promotion used to attract visitors to Web sites. Since 1997, the Web Marketing Associations annual WebAward Competition has been helping interactive professionals promote themselves, their companies, and their best work to the outside world. Now in its ninth year, the WebAward Competition has become the premier award event for Web developers and marketers worldwide.

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