West Simsbury, CT (PRWEB) April 16, 2008 -- The Web Marketing Association announces the call for entries for its 12th annual international WebAward Competition for Web site development at Web Award Web site (www.webaward08.org). The WebAwards is the standards-defining competition that sets benchmarks for 96 industries, including arts web sites, based on the seven criteria of a successful Web site. The deadline for arts web sites to enter to be judged is May 31, 2008.

"The arts industry is very competitive when it comes to Web development and companies can benefit from the independent evaluation of their online efforts," said William Rice, President of the Web Marketing Association. "Not surprisingly, arts websites score very well in design and are well written with excellent content. Arts web sites, covering theaters to museums to individual artists or performers, need to integrate more technology, in the form of video or audio, to keep the visitor engaged."

Web sites are judged on seven criteria including design, innovation, content, technology, interactivity, copy writing and ease of use. Each WebAward entry is judged against other entries in its industry category and then against an overall standard of excellence.

All entrants benefit from receiving valuable feedback in terms of their specific scores compared against the average scores for their industry. They also may receive specific comments from the WebAward's professional judging panel on their Web site development efforts.

Winners of a WebAward in the arts category will also receive:

?    Image plaque or certificate of achievement

?    Increased visibility for their company

?    Marketing opportunity to promote the company website to the media

?    Links to your site from the highly ranked WebAward site to help SEO

?    Admiration of peers, friends and co-workers

Each year the Web Marketing Association names the Best Arts Website based on the scores submitted by the competition judges. Recent winners of the Best Arts Web site include:

2007 - Freedom Communications Ltd for the Artware Limited

2006 - Schipul for Houston Theater District Website

2005 - Cool Blue Interactive for San Jose Repertory Theatre web site

2004 - EYE and MIND Studio for EYE and MIND Studio web site

2003 - StoryPeople for storypeople.com

2002 - Organic, Inc. for Chrysler Design Institute web site

A complete list of past winners and the entry form for companies who wish to compete for 2008 honors can be found at the Best Arts Web site page (http://arts.webaward.org).

Using the quantifiable data collected from more than 15,000 Web site evaluations over the past decade, the WebAwards has defined and recognized industry-specific benchmarks for successful Web sites in each of the seven judging criteria and released an Internet Standards Assessment Report to detail the findings of the study. A copy of the 2009 Internet Standards Assessment Report, including details regarding the arts industry, will be provided to all participants.

Judging for the 2008 WebAwards will take place in June through August and winners will be announced in September. Judges will consist of a select group of Internet professionals who have direct experience designing and managing Web sites,-including members of the media, interactive creative directors, site designers, content providers and webmasters - with an in-depth understanding of the current state-of-the-art in Web site development and technology. Past judges have included top executives from leading organizations such as A&E Television Networks, Agency.com, Blattner Brunner, Bridge Worldwide, The Cincinnati Enquirer, Comedy Central, Disney, Euro RSCG, Ion Global, J. Walter Thompson, John Deere Company, New York Post Interactive, Organic, Inc., Refinery, R/GA, Saatchi & Saatchi, SAP, Starwood Hotels, Sun Microsystems, Warner Bros. Online, Xerox and Zugara.

The 2008 WebAwards are sponsored by the following leading organizations: Burst Media, PRWeb, AllBusiness, Misukanis & Odden, Small Army, ExactTarget, ad:tech conferences, NewsUSA, MediaPost's OMMA conference, TopRank Online Marketing, Creative Chocolate Printing Company, PhizzPop, Internet World UK, Search Engine Strategies, Webmaster Radio, Rovion's InPerson, Snap Shots and Website Magazine.

About the WebAwards:

Now in its 12th year, the annual international WebAwards competition sets the standard of excellence in 96 industry categories by evaluating Web sites and defining benchmarks based on the seven essential criteria of successful Web site development. The goal of the Web Marketing Association, sponsor of the WebAwards, is to provide a forum to recognize the people and organizations responsible for developing some of the most effective Web sites on the Internet today. Entrants benefit from a Web site assessment by a professional judging panel and the marketing opportunities presented to an award-winning Web site. For more information, visit www.webaward08.org.

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